(ET) Voltmeters/battery

[TVWAHL webtv net (THOMAS V WAHL)]

Hi,
Recently several of you suggested that it might be nice to know the
relative state of each battery in the pack. I too thought that would be
interesting to know since it is messy and time consuming to determine
that by hydrometer. So I  hooked up six voltmeters, one to each battery.
So.....they are indeed wonderful indicators of relative battery
condition especially under load. Hydrometer readings verify the
voltmeter readings. Usually one of the three cells go bad first in a six
volt battery. A voltmeter cannot indicate which one, of course, but it
does give a relative indication of what is going on. Under load the
relative strength of each battery in the pack is quite visible even with
the cheap meters I am using. If anyone is interested in knowing more I
can individually email digital photos and/or a schematic diagram (the
list owner does not permit this due to storage limitations).
Regards,
Tom