The Autonerdz Community Forums - Amp clamp for battery drain?

rayray

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Re: Amp clamp for battery drain?
Reply #15 - Jan 21^st, 2017 at 8:04pm

Mick wrote on Jan 21^st, 2017 at 6:36am:

Drift would have to be taken into consideration but large spikes that last periods of time is of course not drift.
Better said anything that rises over time and then falls square is a drain.

Again, i have always had very good success with diagnosing intermittent battery drains with periodically going out to the vehicle to ck the battery drain during the day without leaving the equipment on the vehicle for any period of time because of the amp clamp reading drift.

Most of the time, the assumption of an intermittent battery drain causing an intermittent no start usually turned out to be a loose or dirty battery connection, especially the GM side battery terminals that look excellent on the outside but corroded on the inside.

Also defective batteries with a bad cell that would drain the battery voltage or a bad starter connection or bad solenoid terminal corroded or burnt connection or a corroded engine block or transmission ground connection, etc

Ray

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Logic

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Re: Amp clamp for battery drain?
Reply #16 - Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 1:37am

Mick wrote on Jan 21^st, 2017 at 6:36am:

MTech wrote on Jan 20^th, 2017 at 6:11pm:

So battery is most likely a 9v, is this capable of doing a drain test over night? (15hours).

rayray wrote on Jan 20^th, 2017 at 7:37pm:

I would not work with a 9v battery.

Ray I took the MTech quote above as discussing the battery that is running the Amp clamp.

To answer his question as I took it, I would say if you are intending to capture this overnight drain watch then you should install a brand new battery which should last this amount of time.

Drift would have to be taken into consideration but large spikes that last periods of time is of course not drift.
Better said anything that rises over time and then falls square is a drain.

Correct Mick that is what he meant......

A 9V battery will last at least 24 hours

One of my staff members is driving a E90 BMW this week end where I suspect the current drain is in the alternator after the car is driven.

We have an EasyLogUSB on it.

https://www.dataq.com/products/lascar/el-usb/

Attached is a file for this car earlier in the week.

Software to view my file can be downloaded at: https://s3.amazonaws.com/lascar_downloads/EasyLogUSB.zip

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Logic LSD Guide Picogroup Offline Posts: 4,143 Bentleigh Victoria Australia	Re: Amp clamp for battery drain? Reply #17 - Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 1:38am sorry file type violation
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rayray

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Re: Amp clamp for battery drain?
Reply #18 - Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 4:46am

Logic wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 1:37am:

One of my staff members is driving a E90 BMW this week end where I suspect the current drain is in the alternator after the car is driven.

Hi Logic, so after driving the car for awhile, I take it that when you ck for amperage on the alternator cable with the ignition key off, you get 0 amps?

Ray

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Mick LSD Guide Offline I learn every day Posts: 7,471 Toronto 400ft Ontario Canada Gender:	Re: Amp clamp for battery drain? Reply #19 - Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 9:34am Logic wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 1:37am: Attached is a file for this car earlier in the week. Can you put the files alone on the drop site? These screen shots can be useful at time if all else fails
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Mick LSD Guide Offline I learn every day Posts: 7,471 Toronto 400ft Ontario Canada Gender:	Re: Amp clamp for battery drain? Reply #20 - Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 10:06am Logic wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 1:37am: Attached is a file for this car earlier in the week. Do these look like the files you gave us?
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Logic LSD Guide Picogroup Offline Posts: 4,143 Bentleigh Victoria Australia	Re: Amp clamp for battery drain? Reply #21 - Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 4:38pm Mick wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 10:06am: Logic wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 1:37am: Attached is a file for this car earlier in the week. Do these look like the files you gave us? Yes Mick exactly
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Mick

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Re: Amp clamp for battery drain?
Reply #22 - Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 5:16pm

Logic wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 4:38pm:

Mick wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 10:06am:

Logic wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 1:37am:

Attached is a file for this car earlier in the week.

Do these look like the files you gave us?

Yes Mick exactly

What is the size of the file you posted for the data and which one on the list would it be?

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Logic

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Re: Amp clamp for battery drain?
Reply #23 - Jan 23^rd, 2017 at 3:54am

Mick wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 5:16pm:

Logic wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 4:38pm:

Mick wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 10:06am:

Logic wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 1:37am:

Attached is a file for this car earlier in the week.

Do these look like the files you gave us?

Yes Mick exactly

What is the size of the file you posted for the data and which one on the list would it be?

TXT and 736kb

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Tom Roberts Autonerdz Administrator Picogroup Offline Autonerdz Founder Posts: 8,595 Olympia Washington USA Gender:	Re: Amp clamp for battery drain? Reply #24 - Jan 23^rd, 2017 at 9:40am .txt attachments now enabled.
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Mick LSD Guide Offline I learn every day Posts: 7,471 Toronto 400ft Ontario Canada Gender:	Re: Amp clamp for battery drain? Reply #25 - Jan 23^rd, 2017 at 10:13am Logic wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2017 at 3:54am: TXT and 736kb Logic None of them files are any where near that size. Now that Tom has aloud TXT files could you place it here for me.
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Logic LSD Guide Picogroup Offline Posts: 4,143 Bentleigh Victoria Australia	Re: Amp clamp for battery drain? Reply #26 - Jan 24^th, 2017 at 12:06am Mick wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2017 at 10:13am: Logic wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2017 at 3:54am: TXT and 736kb Logic None of them files are any where near that size. Now that Tom has aloud TXT files could you place it here for me. No problemo attached
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Logic

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Re: Amp clamp for battery drain?
Reply #27 - Jan 26^th, 2017 at 11:40am

Mick wrote on Jan 21^st, 2017 at 6:47am:

Logic wrote on Jan 21^st, 2017 at 5:23am:

Current shunt is the most accurate method for measuring current.

You know when you go to a class and one person asks for a verification on a quote made by the instructor and half the class around him think to themselves they are so glad you asked, well maybe this is one of those times.

Could you go into detail on this above procedure, maybe with examples of scope findings and pictures of equiptment used?

Please and thank you Cool

Try this first

http://www.ni.com/tutorial/7114/en/

You will see that a current shunt is a very accurately known resistor.

if you measure the voltage drop across this resistor then you can use Ohms law to calculate the current.

A multimeter uses a current shunt.

Every time I reach for fluke to use the current shunt in it the fuse is blown, probably from someone in the workshop using my multimeter for a voltage measurement with the leads in the current measurement jacks....blowing the expensive fuse that requires unscrewing the back of the multimeter to replace..

i'm done with it and use stand alone current shunts along with the Pico current clamps..

there are no batteries, oreintation or drif issues with a current shunt

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Mick

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Re: Amp clamp for battery drain?
Reply #28 - Jan 26^th, 2017 at 1:09pm

Logic wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2017 at 3:54am:

Mick wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 5:16pm:

Logic wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 4:38pm:

Mick wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 10:06am:

Logic wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2017 at 1:37am:

Attached is a file for this car earlier in the week.

Do these look like the files you gave us?

Yes Mick exactly

What is the size of the file you posted for the data and which one on the list would it be?

TXT and 736kb

OK I opened the file you put up You didnt yet explain what was going on in there but if I was to say the time is over a couple of days and after the first night it was restarted but prior to that the battery voltage got below 12V sitting.

It started and charged then sat overnight again and I see a couple of spikes in the battery voltage.

Where is the device collecting the data from? battery DLC???

Here are a couple of screen shots.

Would you be kind enough to explain what we are seeing here please

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voltage_drain_or_battery_weak_cell.jpg (285 KB | 339 )

4am_and_a_valtage_rise_for_maybe_15mins.jpg (279 KB | 246 )

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Re: Amp clamp for battery drain?
Reply #29 - Jan 26^th, 2017 at 10:47pm

Mick,

What I have given you is simply a plot of voltage verses time.

We are connected to the positive and negative sides of the battery.

The car has been driven and to the left of Sunday 0:00 when the engine is turned off the gradient of the battery voltage reduction is significant.

The battery then went flat

After the car was restarted and the battery charged the sleep current consumption was normal as seen by the lack of gradient.

What did you theorise from the capture?

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