Atec BITE User Manual
BITE® 2 and BITE 2P
Battery Impedance Test Equipment
BITE® 2 and BITE 2P
Battery Impedance Test Equipment
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Determines condition of lead-acid and
NiCd cells up to 7000 Ah
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On-board Pass/Warning/Fail indications
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Robust, repeatable instruments
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On-line testing
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Checks charger condition by measuring
ac ripple current
BITE 2P
BITE 2
DESCRIPTION
The BITE 2 and BITE 2P Battery Impedance Test
Equipment determine the condition of lead-acid and
nickel-cadmium cells up to 7000 Ah. An advanced feature
set has been developed that includes Pass/Warning/
Fail calculations based on a user-entered baseline value,
advanced printing functions and more. The case of the
BITE 2P consists of both the transmitter and a carrying
case for all of the standard accessories and some of the
optional accessories, in an all-in-one unit. The BITE 2 and
its accessories fit into a sturdy canvas case with a shoulder
strap.
The instruments work by applying a test signal across the
battery string while on-line, then calculates impedance
based on simultaneous measurements of current and
resulting voltage drop of each cell/jar. They also measure
dc voltage and interconnection (strap) resistance to help
determine the overall condition of the entire battery string’s
electrical path from terminal plate to terminal plate.
In addition, the BITE 2 and BITE 2P measure ac ripple
current which, if too high and over an extended period of
time, can damage the battery by heating it. (An increase of
battery temperature by 18ºF/10ºC will halve the life of leadacid batteries.) Battery manufacturers generally recommend
a limit of 5A of ac ripple current for every 100 Ah of battery
capacity. The first measurement that the instruments take is
ac ripple current which should be trended.
The BITE 2 and BITE 2P receiver stores the readings in
its internal memory. These measurements, along with
other maintenance data such as ambient and pilot cell
temperatures and ac ripple current, assist in determining
the overall condition of battery systems. Megger
recommends that impedance measurements with the
BITE 2 or BITE 2P be made part of a battery maintenance
program with readings taken and recorded semiannually for
flooded batteries and quarterly for VRLA.
Unlike load cycle testing that involves substantial downtime
and repeated discharges, using the instruments require
no battery discharge, nor do they stress the battery in any
way compared to other techniques. With a test time of
less than 15 seconds for each cell and intercell connector,
one person can easily, quickly, and precisely measure
internal cell impedance, dc terminal voltage and intercell
connection resistance without taking the battery system off
line and evaluate charger condition also.
Naturally, everything you need to perform these tests is
included with the basic instruments. There is a full line of
optional accessories to enhance the capabilities of the BITE
2 and BITE 2P. Both have the ability to download to a PC
for data interpretation and to ProActiv™, Megger’s battery
database management software. Additionally, the BITE 2P
has a built-in printer to review the active test and also to
leave a hard copy record at the site.
Receiver
The battery-operated receiver incorporates the potential
leads, clamp-on current sensor, and data storage
capabilities. It stores more than 2000 sets of data (cell
impedance, cell voltage and interconnecting strap
resistance, date and time stamps) in up to 300 tests. It also
allows for printing the active test for easy review and retest.
Selective printing of any test and deleting oldest tests are
now included features to maintain in memory the most
critical tests.
BITE® 2 and BITE 2P
Battery Impedance Test Equipment
At any time while performing a test, the operator can
review the current test results by using arrow keys and
scrolling back through the active test screen. The operator
can also print the active test using the BITE 2P transmitter
printer. If needed, the operator can retest any of the cells
and straps in the current test. Stored data can also be
downloaded via the RS-232 connector directly to a personal
computer or the BITE 2P transmitter printer.
One additional feature of the receiver is that if you are
called away while in the middle of the test, simply shut
down the instrument and it will remember where you left
off in the test.
The clamp-on current sensor is connected to the receiver
during testing and clamped around a convenient intertier
or intercell connection within the loop created by the
transmitter’s current source leads and the battery string. If
the intercell or intertier connection consists of more cables
than the diameter of the clamp-on current sensor can
encompass, the receiver has a split-strap function.
There are optional RopeCTsTM available for large buss work.
With the optional bar-code wand, additional information
such as location ID, user ID, ambient and pilot cell
temperatures can be recorded and stored. There is space
on the printout to enter specific gravity readings.
Battery Analysis Report
Location ID:
User ID: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Notes: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Ambient Temp: Pilot Temp:
Ripple Current: .01A Test AC Current: 9.8 A
Multiplier: 1 B/W/F: 11.00 mW/20%/40%
Cell Sp.Gr. Zb mW P/W/F % RS mW Volts DC Time
001 12.09 P 09 0.412 13.52 11:13
002 12.22 P 11 0.407 13.34 11:14
003 14.02 W 27 0.405 13.59 11:14
004 14.54 W 32 0.403 13.48 11:15
005 12.60 P 14 0.042 13.27 11:16
006 12.09 P 09 0.405 13.38 11:17
Minimum Average Maximum
12.09 12.93 14.54
-10 0 10 20 30
001
002
003
004
005
006
Figure 1. Sample battery analysis report
05-SEP-2000
Cell Impedance Summary
Percent Deviation from Average
Transmitter
The transmitter provides the capacitively coupled ac test
signal to avoid transients on the dc buss and applies it to
the cells under test via the source leads. Both the BITE 2
and BITE 2P transmitters have an LCD and built-in receiver
charger, while the BITE 2P transmitter features a built-in
printer.
Data, measured and stored in the receiver can be exported
to a PC. It can also be printed to the BITE 2P transmitter
printer where it can be reviewed. Figure 1 shows a sample
printout of a full battery analysis report.
APPLICATIONS
A battery’s internal impedance increases with decreasing
capacity due to various conditions such as age, ambient
temperature, discharge history, etc. See Figure 2. Both the
BITE 2 and BITE 2P measure impedance values and dc
voltage for lead-acid and nickel-cadmium cells up to 7000
Ah capacity.
Impedance finds electrical path problems due to plate
sulphation, post-seal corrosion, dry-out, and poor intracell
and intercell connections. This information lets the operator
determine maintenance needs such as:
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Cell replacement criteria based on impedance trends.
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Jumpering out a cell or two.
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Clean and/or retorque intercell connectors.
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Shorten the maintenance interval, etc.
Typical installations that can be tested using the BITE 2
and BITE 2P include:
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Electrical power generation plants.
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Substations: utility, railroad, industrial
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Telecommunications facilities: CO, Wireline, Wireless,
MTSO
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UPS systems
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Railroad: Signals and Communications, substation
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Aircraft power supplies
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Marine, military
FEATURES AND BENEFITS
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On-line testing requiring no downtime.
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Enhanced printing and memory functions.
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Calculates impedance automatically and stores results
for on-site review.
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Requires no battery discharge.
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Receiver has an RS-232 connector for downloading stored
data to a personal computer.
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Reduced test time: less than 15 seconds for each cell.
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Measures impedance and dc voltage values for all lead-acid
and nickel-cadmium cells up to 7000 Ah.
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Stores more than 2000 sets of readings in up to
300 tests.
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Checks charger condition by measuring ac ripple current.
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