Electrical – How to test the drill and batteries for faults

electricalpowertoolstools

Apologies if this is off-topic.

I was given a used standard cordless 12v drill and 2 batteries, without the battery charger. The drill didn't work at all with one battery, and just turned slowly for about 2 seconds with the other, so I assumed the batteries were flat and so ordered a new charger.

However, this didn't seem to work. Having got a replacement charger to eliminate that, I found it still doesn't work. I assume it's the drill that's the issue, but it could conceivably be the batteries.

What do I need to do to test the batteries and drill with a multimeter?

Best Answer

Testing batteries with a multimeter

  1. Charge the batteries for a bit (follow the manufacturers instructions for the recommended charge time).
  2. Set your multimeter to a low DC voltage setting.
  3. Touch the black probe to the negative terminal on the battery, and the red probe to the positive terminal.

If the reading on the multimeter is at or above the voltage listed, the battery is good. Otherwise, you'll want to replace the battery (Don't forget, many home improvement stores offer battery recycling).

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