The last time we’ve looked at anything from TOPDON, we spent some time with its battery charger. While you might think that nothing could possibly ever be interesting with a charging tool, we quite liked what TOPDON’s done to it. In that case, could we have already made our minds up about their latest automotive gadget, the BT300P battery tester?
Well, perhaps we did. Car batteries are one of those replenishable bits of a car that get swapped out more so than anything else around it. Yet, and when it comes to keeping on top of its needs, one can find it difficult to know how it’s doing. “Is it charging”, or “is it going to die soon” are asked around a lot. So, could something like the TOPDON BT300P be of value to add to your garage?
Wait… It’s Also A Printer?
Go ahead, I bet you can’t guess what the “P” in BT300P entails. Not a clue? Well, the answer lies right at the top of the BT300P. Yep, it’s a part-time printer, with a roll of receipt-like paper that whirrs out of its little cradle at your behest. Honestly, a cashier could’ve easily mistaken this for a payment terminal. But you’re not using it to swipe your cards, but instead, it’s here to scan your battery.
But why would you need a battery tester that could print out a health status of a car battery? Well, we’ve come up with a few scenarios where it might prove handy…
- If you’re a mechanic, imagine the ease of chatting with your customer when you have a health report of the battery on hand.
- Or, perhaps you’re a fastidious owner who wants to meticulously keep every single detail of their car’s service history.
- Aha, but let’s say you’re managing a huge corporate fleet or is lucky enough to have an entire car collection to enjoy. It’d be nice to keep track of each one with a pinch, no?
- Maybe you’re that one capable gearhead in the entire family, that everyone calls up anytime their cars are acting up.
Usually, a tool like the TOPDOWN BT300P is more at home at a commercial lot. Say, a dealership or a workshop. In any case, and whether you’re a professional mechanic or an enthusiast that loves DIY, then this might be worth checking out. You’d be surprised how convenient and useful it will be to print out a health check on your car’s battery.
Of Course, It’s Pretty Good At Testing, Too
It turns out that testing and analysing a car battery thoroughly is no easy feat. It’s not just a case of plugging in your multimeter and reading off the voltage. For a more complete view, battery testers like the BT300P prove to be worthwhile commodities. TOPDON’s finest can perform three distinct tests on your battery…
Battery Test – This basically pulls off the voltage capacity, as well as the cranking amps of the battery. It can then tell you if the battery is, or isn’t healthy.
Cranking Test – When the car turns on, the BT300P can tell you how much power is drawn, and how the battery is performing.
Charging Test – It should help you test out the alternator. It’s especially great to have when you’re diagnosing for problems, and can’t tell if the battery or alternator is at fault.
Along with these tests, the BT300P can give you a step-by-step guide on what you’d need to do to proceed with each test. The Charging Test is a great example. For example, it can tell you to keep the revs at around 2,500RPM, so it could give out a reading on how the alternator’s doing at topping up the battery.
TOPDON BT300P – The Best Do-It-All Battery Tester?
Automotive maintenance is a fascinating rabbit hole to fall into. If you’ve spent any time reading up the many troubleshooting guides we’ve written so far, you know that it can be a chore. Why is your car not starting… Is the battery dead, could the alternator not be charging, or is there a short-circuit somewhere? Pinpointing them can be hard, so why not make things easier on yourself?
In our case, the TOPDON BT300P has been a fantastic companion. At first glance, it might seem one-dimensional in its purpose. Nevertheless, the world isn’t quite complete without it. Plus, it can test the battery on your car, truck, bike, lawnmower, or even a yacht! For £79, it’s more than a fair price for a tool that’s this versatile, and can seemingly do anything you’d expect of it.
