Sealey Bt102 Digital Battery And Alternator Tester 12V

Very keen price and extremely quick delivery from ONE SAFE SOURCE (despite the slightly odd name of this supplier!) The tester appears to work well - does what it says on the tin. Except that there is no tin - the tester would benefit from coming in some kind of storage case, box or at least a bag, to stop the leads dangling untidily when not in use. And it would benefit from having slightly longer leads. As Keith B says in his very helpful 2014 review, this tester - as distinct from the otherwise very similar BT101 - will also test a car's starting system and charging system. Sealey's newer BT103 battery tester (reviewed in the July 2016 issue of Car Mechanics) seems to be neat and slick to use and has an LCD display (easier to see in bright sunlight than the red LED display of the BT101 and 102) but only tests the battery, not the starting & charging systems. Which is why I bought the older but more versatile BT102. Some other reviewers have severely criticised the poor visibility of the red LED display on the BT102, but once you realise that you need to shade it from bright sunlight in order to be able to read it, that is a trivial issue with what is a neat, small, reasonably priced, useful, versatile and fairly straightforward-to-use piece of equipment. If it saves you buying a new battery when you don't need to (a battery may be perfectly sound but just need charging) or if it saves you wasting time struggling with a battery which may look OK and be fully charged but which is actually clapped out and unable to hold its charge or to deliver a decent starting current, then this little tester will have earned its keep. Especially if you share it with your mates or a neighbours. Recommended.

does what it says on the tin, checks voltages, gives a cold start voltage and I bought it to check cca, seems to be correct. In the end I decided alternator charge voltage was on the low limit, so pointed me in the right direction as the battery seemed good

Well I had VW come out and they said the battery was good, but using this to see that the battery had lost over 100Ah cold cranking it was clear the battery was cream crackered, new battery installed and I've never looked back since! Worth the money.

i ordered this product for £52 been to work all day to find the parcel left on my doorstep

Faulty. Refund given. Display not clear

This seems to work very well for car batteries, which my river boat engine has, but it's not designed to work with leisure batteries, which my yacht has. With no starting handle, and no decompressor, its nice to be able to check that if starting isn't fairly fast, it's something other than the battery's CCA that's at fault. If I'd had this sooner, I'd have saved myself six weeks worry and head scratching through December and January. The Yanmar in the Yacht has a decompressor and a starting handle, so CCA is less important.

Love this gadget, answers a lot of expensive questions

This Sealey BT102 is one of a newer breed of digital car battery and starting/charging system testers. A primary function of this hand-held device is to conduct a Cold-Cranking Amps ("CCA", in effect the "current" available) battery test, and it does this by measuring the internal conductance of the battery (the inverse of resistance; it's a measure of how much and how quickly that energy can still be delivered by the battery). The value of this kind of test is that it shows the actual CCA capacity still available, taking into account any possible internal battery faults (eg. sulphation, loss of paste, corrosion) which conventional lower-cost battery testing methods such as acid-gravity, drop-tests, and voltage testers do not always do. The result of this very accurate yet quick-to-do CCA test is to give a very good indication of overall battery capacity and health relative to its "as new" condition (ie. the CCA value stated on the label). The test is done by passing a low-current signal through the battery, so unlike the conventional "drop-test" method (which relies on placing a high current load onto the battery), the test can be repeated several times to confirm the results without any need to recharge the battery between tests. This Sealey BT102 also includes the additional features necessary to test the car's alternator and electrical charging/starting system, which the similar looking, marginally cheaper Sealey BT101 doesn't. The BT102 is suitable for use with 12v batteries between 200-1200 CCA*, standard open/maintenance free and sealed Lead-Acid, AGM and Gel batteries too, and is reverse-polarity protected. There are many far more expensive models intended for professional auto-technician use (which also test 6v and 24v batteries, and lesser and larger CCA capabilities), but few offer a level of features that covers virtually all the demands of most ordinary and car-enthusiast users at this comparatively low cost, that will perform these tests to a similar professional standard. In use, the Sealey BT102 takes its' own power from the vehicle battery (if the battery is below 7v, it must be recharged first); there's no need to physically disconnect or remove the battery, but the connections to the battery/clamps must be very clean to avoid false conductive readings. Connecting the device to the battery instantly displays the battery's voltage. Selecting "BATT" (Battery Test), simply enter the battery type and CCA value stated on the battery's label, and the device will instantly respond by displaying the actual CCA still available, and a separate "OK" or "FAIL" LED indication. Switching to "SYST" (System Test), cranking the car will display the lowest voltage reading measured, again displaying a separate "OK" or "FAIL" LED. Further tests with the engine running will check that the charging voltage from both alternator and regulator (both with and without load) are within an acceptable range, again displaying actual voltage and a separate "OK" or "FAIL" LED. The Sealey BT102 includes well-written, detailed step-by step instructions that many non-technical users should easily be able to follow. My model also came with a protective red rubbery bumper already fitted to protect the device from knocks and bumps (shown in the smaller pictures but not the picture above). Note that the main display is a 4-digit LED type rather than the more informative LCD style fitted to some higher cost testers - some have complained of difficulty in reading it in strong sunlight, but it's not a problem I've personally encountered; I think the lower cost LED display is an acceptable manufacturing compromise given the low price weighed against a very similar high level of testing performance. A protective storage case/bag would be useful, but isn't provided. The leads are each roughly 40cm long - more than adequate for the job; they are fitted with good quality, fully insulated clamps which are toothed for excellent battery post grip (necessary for accurate test results). A much longer cable would be useful so that one person could use the device whilst sitting in the driving seat and cranking the engine for the alternator/charging system tests, but as the required readings are held on the display this isn't really a problem (much more expensive devices do include storage cases and much longer leads, but at this price level it would be churlish to complain). As it is, the Sealey BT102 looks a sufficiently rugged, well-built device that provides reliable, repeatable indication of both battery and the car charging/starting systems state of health to provide early indication of possible trouble, and confirms where failure is about to or may already have occurred. I'm sure that for some car/boat/campervan owners it may seem like an extravagance to want to buy/own a conductance tester such as this - especially since its use will for many only be very occasional, and tests like these are often offered by battery resellers, garages and auto-technicians with similar devices - sometimes even for free. But for those with one or more troublesome batteries, or those home-mechanics trying to trace a persistent electrical charging fault, it's an excellent entry-level tool that delivers easily understood, professional results at - in context - I think a very reasonable price. * The 200-1200 CCA test capability mentioned is the commonly used SAE rating: You can also choose to use/select alternative rating standards as follows (if the battery under test is rated this way): EN @ 185-1125CCA, IEC @ 130-790CCA, DIN @ 110-670CCA, MCA/Marine @ 240-1440CA.

Good