Hello, I am a writer for electricbike.com, and I have been waiting for someone to perform a series of tests on 18650 cells, so I could publish the results. I've promised compensation to several candidates who had already posted about testing cells, so they already had most of the required set-ups. And yet, they are very busy, just as I am.
I now find myself with some time on my hands, and money in my pocket. There are several often-quoted sources for the continuous and max output results of testing 18650 cells (perhaps ten different popular models). Rather than tell customers to trust that number, I'd rather post the temperature results at a dozen amp-draw levels, and then let the customer decide what the "true" amp-drain limits are.
I have a certain familiarity with electrical terms and components, but I am weak on electronics. Plus, when I search Google I get 1,000 results. I believe I need two devices:
1. A variable current-load for a single 4.1V cell with digital readout, perhap 1A-40A? Some way to data-log...
2. A surface mount temperature probe to be clamped to the side of an 18650 cell, with data-logging
3. Some way to capture and overlay the two data lines, so I can make those cool graphs we are all familiar with.
Any advice is appreciated. I have a soldering iron, and I'm not afraid to use it...