Battery Life Estimator

📖 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What does battery capacity (mAh) mean?

mAh stands for milliampere-hour. It's a measure of charge capacity, indicating how much current a battery can provide for a certain amount of time. For example, a 2000mAh battery can theoretically supply 2000mA for 1 hour, or 200mA for 10 hours.

2. How is battery life estimated?

The basic formula is: Battery Life (in hours) = Battery Capacity (mAh) / Average Load Current (mA). This provides a simple, ideal estimate.

3. Why is the real-world battery life often shorter?

The simple calculation is an estimate. Real-world factors like battery age, operating temperature, internal chemical resistance, and the battery's self-discharge rate all reduce the effective capacity and shorten the usable life.

4. What does the "efficiency / derating" factor account for?

This factor helps create a more realistic estimate by accounting for the real-world losses mentioned above. An efficiency of 80-90% is often used to account for the fact that you can't extract 100% of a battery's rated capacity.