Build a business giving mobile phone batteries a second life

Smartphones draw more power than a cell phone and the runtime can be shorter even with a larger battery because transmitting data uses roughly twice the energy to talking. The battery in many handsets is the only replaceable part and it gets the most blame when the expected runtime cannot be met. In the absence of point-of-sale battery testing, the packs are often replaced, only to have the problem recur.

Storefront battery testers check the battery in about 5 minutes with rapid-test methods. Most are compact single-bay units that are simple to operate (Figure 9-32). With PC, advanced analyzers print service reports, store customer information and connect to the Internet.

Figure 1: Cadex C5100 evaluates state-of-health of lithium-ion batteries.

The analyzer rapid-tests, charges and cycles batteries. A universal battery adapter (RigidArm™) allows easy interface to cellular batteries. QuickSort™ tests batteries in 5 minutes. (See BU-907: Testing Lithium-based Batteries.)

Courtesy of Cadex

Storefront testing gives a customer a clear assessment of the battery performance. Short runtimes could be caused by the device drawing excess current due to location or an intrinsic fault. Knowing the limitation satisfies the user and ends the suspicion that the battery might be at fault. Testing also saves money as only faded packs are replaced.

Figure 2 illustrates a storefront service model that tests a battery while the customer waits. If the battery is low on charge, a store clerk may ask the customer to browse in the store while giving the battery a quick charge, but if the pack has a genuine fault, an alternate pack can be given from a pool of previously tested batteries. These pre-tested packs have proven to be as reliable as new ones.

Figure 2: Storefront service.

Batteries are serviced while the customer waits. A faulty pack is replaced from the pool of previously serviced batteries. Storefront testing reduces handling, lessens disposal and improves customer satisfaction.

Source: batteryuniversity.com