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CGRetired -> RE: Li-Po Battery Capacity Meter (8/17/2006 7:26:59 PM)
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Think of this as a bucket of water. Fill the bucket with water until it's full (fully charged battery). Now if you decide to empty the bucket, how much you pour out will be the current flow. The pressure behind the water (in this case, gravity) is the voltage. If you take a hose, and put on a nozzle like you would use on a garden hose to wash your car, you squeeze the handle and water comes out. The pressure behind the water is the voltage. The amount that comes out of the hose is the current flow. The higher the voltage the more current that will flow until you reach the maximum capacity of the flow or run out of water. You can only get out as much water as the hose will allow to flow. If you add pressure, the water will come out faster but you can only get so much out based on the limitations of the size of the hose. Same with wires and batteries. Checking the open circuit voltage (nothing attached to the battery) is synonymous to the pressure behind the valve before opening it. Once you open the valve, or attach the battery to a load, motor and ESC for instance, current will begin to flow and, depending on the load (motor and speed control setting), the amount of current, and the voltage measured, will change. The more current you draw at any given time, the less the voltage will be (slight differences) until you completely drain the battery or source. If you have an 1100 mah battery, that is 1.1 amps, you consume 1100 ma and the battery is drained. If you pour out the entire contents of the bucket, it's empty.. drained. Over simplication to some of you, but perhaps someone will wake up and realize the meaing of the above. As Red said.. there is a difference between voltage and current. Current will define capacity and vice versa.
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