The polarization and discharge characteristics of solid-state batteries are examined by means of a conventional load resistor technique with high-performance mV or muA meters. In the present paper, to overcome the need for high-performance meters, a compact discharge-polarization unit is constructed. The new discharge unit does not require any other high input impedance accessories like, mV or muA meters. It is used to study the polarization and discharge characteristics of silver-ion conducting electrolytes such as: (a) the polycrystalline system: ((CH3)(4)N)(2)Ag13I15; (b) the silver boro-vanadate glassy system: AgI-Ag2O-B2O3-V2O5; (c) the silver boro-molybdate glassy system: AgI-Ag2O-B2O3-MoO3. Solid-state batteries are fabricated with different cathode materials at various compositions and battery performance is studied with the new battery discharge unit.