New battery blues (or reds)

[Rgarner]

The battery I got at Batteries and Bulbs (or whatever) is a 3.8 v, not 3.85 as I earlier reported. It's X2 Power with nfc support and a lifetime guarantee. Is there a way to test it besides trying to spin it? Is there some cheap device that I could get to use on that or any other phone battery? Enclosed please find some images of it and the packaging. I'm going to take it back today because I need the money unless somebody here has a good reason why I should keep it.

 

[lunatic59]

Any decent volt/ohmmeter should be able to tell you the output voltage. I'm not sure I understand the question though. To test it you need to open the package so why not just put it in your phone?

 

[Fox Mulder]

You can't really test it other than trying to use it, and if your phone is still dead then it probably won't matter. The battery could be dead in the package from sitting on a shelf for years, that doesn't mean it's bad.
The voltage is fine, it's single Li-ion cell and they have a nominal voltage of about 3.7-3.8V. When fully charged it will be higher, maybe 4.0V or a bit more. As the battery discharges it levels off around the nominal voltage then nosedives as it approaches full discharge.
But none of the above matters if the phone won't charge it.

 

[KBU2]

As it would be a miracle scenario to test a product before even using it would be a God sent. There used to be a Consumer Guide that was out that had ratings on almost every product that hit the market, but I'm not sure if that still around anymore.

 

[Rgarner]

I guess what I want then is an ohm or volt meter. Where would I get it and what would it cost? I just want to be able to test batteries, ideally through the package, sure, but in reality taking them out would be fine. If I don't know if the battery or the phone is good, it might not help to put an "unknown" battery in an "unknown" phone. By the way, would such a meter be able to test the phone itself?

 

[lunatic59]

Home depot has some inexpensive meters

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Power-Gear-500-Volt-Digital-Multimeter-50953/203735809

You'll want a digital one for accuracy.

 

[Fox Mulder]

I wouldn't bother. All a meter will tell you is the open-circuit voltage of the battery, it will not tell you how well it holds a charge or how much power it can deliver. Also should you accidentally short the terminals of a charged battery while attempting to test it (for example by accidentally having the meter in current mode instead of voltage) the battery can be damaged or even explode. (Don't want to scare you but it is true that Li-ion batteries need very careful handling).
There really is no piece of equipment available to consumers that can fully test the condition of these batteries, that is other than the device that the battery goes into. If it's good it will charge and work in the phone, if it's bad it won't.