The little disposablebatterytesters that you see on batteries or battery software are a bully example ofcombined technologies– several existing technology have been combined in a completely novel fashion ! electric battery testers depend on two special type of ink : thermochromicandconductiveinks . Thermochromic ink changes color reckon on its temperature . Conductive ink can conduct electricity . By applying layers of these special inks along with a level of normal ink using a fairly normal printing wardrobe , it is possible to make an extremely inexpensive publish design that change depending on the amount of electrical energy it encounter .
There are two types of thermochromic ink : liquid crystallization and leucodye . Liquid watch crystal based thermochromic ink is sore to very small changes in temperature , but it is fairly hard to construct . This makes it hone for use in items likethermometerswhere you need the sensitivity , but troublesome in an item that demand to be inexpensive and in which a big , abrupt change in temperature will occur . Leucodyes are specially phrase inwardness that vary from a specific colour , like blue , to a well-defined state when subjected to a temperature change of about 5 degrees F or more . Thermochromic ink can be formulate to change color at specific temperature . For shelling testers , the desired temperature is unremarkably around 100 - 120 degree F.
To make a electric battery tester , you start with a layer of conductive ink that gets progressively narrower as you move across the tester from " right " to " big . " In the picture above the tester has 3 bars . In other examiner the ink is wedge - shaped . The narrowest point suggest the weak charge ; the widest area argue a full mission . When current passes through the thin layer of conductive ink , resistance in the ink creates heat . A small amount of current can generate enough passion to pretend the smallest area of thermochromic ink ; but , as the surface area widens , more current is postulate to change colors .
On top of the conductive ink is a layer of normal ink that conveys the design . In most battery testers , this is some type of " fuel gauge " graphic or schoolbook that argue that a battery is undecomposed . The design can be anything , since the normal ink level does not impress the room the conductive and thermochromic layer interact .
in the end , there is the thermochromic layer . In the photo of the battery tester above , the thermochromic level is black when nerveless . By touch a battery to the conductive ink on the back of the paper , a connexion between the confident and negative terminal is created . As a electric current is generated , the thermochromic ink will turn readable . This reveals the design that is print in normal ink . If there is enough current , most or all of the thermochromic ink will hot up to the temperature needed to become semitransparent .
One question you might have right now is , " Does n’t the barrage tester enfeeble some of the battery ’s vigour ? " The reply is , " yes , but not enough to count . " If you tested the battery every 5 minutes it might be a job , but most people do n’t do that .
One type of bombardment quizzer available now has the tester right on the barrage fire . You press two minor superman show on the battery to try it . These point finish a circuit between the battery and the tester , and electrical energy flows through the conductive ink in the same way as in the quizzer discuss above .
See the next page to see more about batteries and related to entropy .
