The life of a battery in a mobile phone or a battery in a car directly depends on such technical characteristics as capacity. Battery capacity refers to the amount of energy that a device can hold and release in a given unit of time. The higher the capacity, the longer the battery lasts.
Battery capacity is its most important characteristic, which determines how long the battery can provide energy to a particular device. The amount of energy stored by a battery is called electrical capacity.
Battery capacity indicators
Battery capacity is measured in ampere hours. This means that the storage battery will give up the specified capacity in a given time, that is, in the form of a formula, it will look like the product of the current strength A (Ampere) and time (hour). For example, a battery with a capacity of 50 Ah (Ampere hours) can provide a 1A (Ampere) load of the device for 50 hours. At this point in time, the battery market can offer batteries with a capacity of 1 - 2000 Ampere hours.
By the voltage of the battery, you can judge its capacity at a given time, as well as the degree of its charge. The higher the battery charge, the higher the voltage that the battery delivers at the terminals. To control the charge, special chargers are used: a multimeter and a hydrometer.
Battery charge monitoring
To avoid overcharging the battery, a charger with charge control is used. All phones, tablets, laptops and almost all car chargers are equipped with it. This device allows you to control the process of accumulating electrical capacity by the battery.
The control takes place by the voltage at the battery contacts, for example, when the battery is 100% charged with a voltage of 12 Volts, at the time of charging, the battery will show a voltage of 12, 7 Volts. This will mean that the battery is fully charged and the charger will stop supplying power to it.
Using a multimeter (tester), the battery charge is also monitored by voltage. With its help, measure the voltage at the contacts of the battery at the time of its charging.
With the help of a hydrometer device, the charging medium of the storage battery is controlled directly. The hydrometer shows the characteristics of the density of the electrolyte in the battery. The higher the density, the more charge the battery will take. For example, a battery with a voltage of 12 volts at 100% charge has an electrolyte density of 1.265.
The density of the electrolyte can be checked in stationary batteries. When checking the container, be careful not to get the electrolyte on your skin and clothing, as it can cause chemical burns.
If your battery often runs out of power, that is, does not hold the load, this is a sign that it needs to be replaced.
