Triplett 3221 - Manual

INTRODUCTION:
The BQ-200A PLUS is an accurate, hand held digital voltmeter designed to mea-
sure 6 volt and 12 volt vehicular batteries. The voltages thus measured can be
used as an indicator of the state of charge of the battery. Because faults in the
vehicle’s wiring or charging system can cause the voltage on the battery to ex-
ceed 100 volts when the vehicle is running, protection circuitry is incorporated
into the BQ-200A PLUS to reduce the possibility of damage to the “BQ” in the
event of an “overvoltage”.
When the BQ is fed a voltage in excess of about +40VDC or 40VAC RMS, it will
beep to inform the user that an overvoltage condition exists. At the same time,
the meter will “shut down”, causing the display to go blank, until the overvoltage
condition is removed.
The BQ-200A PLUS is designed to measure DC voltages ONLY!
IT WILL NOT MEASURE AC VOLTAGES! However, the BQ is protected
from damage caused by the application of AC voltage, up to a
maximum voltage of 240 volts. This means that it is protected against
the application of household AC power, which is nominally 120 volts.
PREPARING FOR USE:
The BQ is shipped with the tapered metal terminal already screwed into the
negative connection of the case. Make sure this terminal is snug.
Screw the provided test lead into the positive connection on the top of the BQ’s
case, making sure it is snug.
A replacement terminal and test lead is available from Triplett as PN 79-727.
USING THE BQ-200A PLUS:
Holding the BQ in one hand, press the BQ’s tapered terminal firmly against the
negative (-) terminal of the circuit to be tested, while, with the other hand, press
the BQ’s test lead against the positive (+) terminal to be tested.
If the voltage is between 5.75 and 19.99 volts, the BQ will accurately display the
measured voltage. If the voltage is below 5.75 but greater than 4.00 volts, the
BQ may display the measurement at greatly reduced brightness, but the accu-
racy of the measurement is questionable. Voltages less than 2.00 volts cannot
be properly measured and will not even light up the BQ’s display.
Voltages exceeding 19.99 volts will cause the BQ to “overrange” or “shut down”.
A voltage between 19.99 volts and approximately 30 volts will cause the BQ to
overrange. When this happens, all of the display digits will turn off, except for a
number “1” at the left hand side of the display. A voltage between 40 volts and
240 volts will cause the BQ to shut down. When this occurs, the display will shut
off entirely, and the BQ will start beeping. Once the voltage causing the overrange
or shutdown condition is reduced or removed, the BQ will function normally.
DC voltages exceeding 240V should not be applied to the BQ or damage may result.
1) Limit measuring time to 5 minutes.
2) Do not exceed measurement limit of 20 VDC.
3) Do not allow overvoltage to exceed 30 seconds in duration.
If the BQ is hooked up backwards (i.e., connected in reverse polarity), the dis-
play will be blank except for the Minus sign at the left hand side of the display.
The beeper will not sound with a reverse polarity connection.
Application of 60Hz AC voltage to the BQ will not cause damage if the voltage is
less than 240 volts. When AC is applied to the BQ, the display will light at re-
duced brightness; however, the reading will display as negative (i.e., the nega-
tive symbol will be lit up) and the displayed value will typically be less than 1 volt
. . . even when more than 100 volts is present! If the AC voltage exceeds ap-
proximately 30 volts, the beeper will sound.
CAUTION: LARGE AC VOLTAGES WILL READ AS ZERO VOLTS ON THE BQ!
MEASURING VEHICULAR BATTERIES:
To properly measure a vehicular battery, the battery’s “posts” must be clean and
free of corrosion. It is best to touch the BQ’s tapered terminal and test lead
directly to the battery posts, not the cable clamps attached to the posts. Corro-
sion between the battery posts and the clamps could produce an inaccurate
reading. In fact, knowing this, the user can test for corrosion by comparing the
reading obtained on the posts with the reading obtained on the clamps. They
should agree within ±0.05 volts.
Many newer vehicles do not allow direct access to the battery. Connection points
to the battery are provided within the engine compartment, but the battery itself
may be inside of the vehicle’s front fender. The battery voltage may be mea-
sured at these points, but keep in mind that corrosion on the battery posts may
produce inaccurate readings. The battery itself may have to be measured before
making any judgements about its condition.
BQ-200A Plus
Battery Tester
Cat. No. 3221
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
TRIPLETT