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Ampere or Amp - An Ampere or an Amp is a unit of measurement for an electrical current. One amp is the amount of current produced by an electromotive force of one volt acting through the resistance of one ohm. Named for the French physicist Andre Marie Ampere. The abbreviation for Amp is A but its mathematical symbol is "I". Small currents are measured in milli-Amps or thousandths of an Amp. Amp Hour or Ampere-Hour - A unit of measurement of a battery's electrical storage capacity. Current multiplied by time in hours equals ampere-hours. One amp hour is equal to a current of one ampere flowing for one hour. Also, 1 amp hour is equal to 1,000 mAh Battery - A device that transforms chemical energy into electric energy. The term is usually applied to a group of two or more electric cells connected together electrically. In common usage, the term "battery" is also applied to a single cell, such as a household battery. Battery Types - There are, in general, two type of batteries: primary batteries, and secondary storage or accumulator batteries. Primary types, although sometimes consisting of the same active materials as secondary types, are constructed so that only one continuous or intermittent discharge can be obtained. Secondary types are constructed so that they may be recharged, following a partial or complete discharge, by the flow of direct current through them in a direction opposite to the current flow on discharge. By recharging after discharge, a higher state of oxidation is created at the positive plate or electrode and a lower state at the negative plate, returning the plates to approximately their original charged condition. Battery Capacity - The electric output of a cell or battery on a service test delivered before the cell reaches a specified final electrical condition and may be expressed in ampere-hours, watt-hours, or similar units. The capacity in watt-hours is equal to the capacity in ampere-hours multiplied by the battery voltage. Battery Charger - A device capable of supplying electrical energy to a battery. Capacity - The amount of electrical energy the battery can deliver over a certain period of time (One Charge Cycle).
Battery capacity is normally listed as amp-hours - Ah (or milli amp-hours-mAh) or as watt-hours - WH,Whr. Cell - An electrochemical device, composed of positive and negative plates and electrolyte, which is capable of storing electrical energy. It is the basic "building block" of a battery Charge cycle - This describes the complete charge and discharge cycle of the battery. Fully draining the battery then recharging it is one charge cycle. Cycle Life - For rechargeable batteries, the total number of charge/discharge cycles the cell can sustain before it's capacity is significantly reduced. End of life is usually considered to be reached when the cell or battery delivers only 80% of rated ampere- hour capacity. NiMH batteries typically have a cycle life of 500 cycles, NiCd batteries can have a cycle life of over 1,000 cycles. The cycle of a battery is greatly influenced by the type depth of the cycle (deep or shallow) and the method of recharging. Improper charge cycle cutoff can greatly reduce the cycle life of a battery. Charge Rate - The current applied to a secondary cell to restore its capacity. This rate is commonly expressed as a multiple of the rated capacity of the cell. For example, the C/10 charge rate of a 500 Ah cell is expressed as,
C/10 rate = 500 Ah / 10 h = 50 A.
Charge, state of -- Condition of a cell in terms of the capacity remaining in the cell. Discharge - The conversion of the chemical energy of a cell into electrical energy, which can then be used to supply power to a system. Technology - It refers to the technology that has been implemented in a particular device Volt - The unit of measurement of electromotive force, or difference of potential, which will cause a current of one ampere to flow through a resistance of one ohm. The relationship between watt, amp, and volt is shown in the mathematical equation below. watt = amp * volt. Using the equation above and knowing two of the three variables, you can calculate the third variable. When you compare between two battery packs for your digital camera or your digital camcorder, the voltage is the same and known. Therefore it is a matter of plugging in the capacity specification in Wh or mAh to obtain the capacity in the other unit.
Named for Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745-1827). Voltage Provided - The amount of electrical energy the battery can deliver over a certain period of time (One Charge Cycle) Watt - A measurement of total power. It is amperes multiplied by volts. 120 volt @ 1 amp = 12 volts @ 10 amps.
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