A battery is one of the most important elements in any device. The scope of its application is quite wide, ranging from quartz watches to powerful reactive power compensators at industrial substations. Much depends on the ability to accumulate electrical energy, in particular, the device’s operating time until the battery is charged. This time directly depends on a parameter such as battery capacity. The greater the amount of stored energy in it, the longer it will be able to work until the next recharge.
Currently, there is a tendency to reduce the size of the battery while increasing its capacity. This is achieved through the use of various materials and improvements in the technology of manufacturing devices. In the market of mobile devices, nickel-cadmium batteries with good operational parameters are successfully used. Battery capacity is measured in the ratio of the rated current to the maximum amount of time. In other words, the manufacturer of the device indicates how much time the battery can work without recharging at the rated load current.
It is also necessary to take into account the features of battery operation. Typically, the manufacturer himself indicates in which mode it is necessary to use the device and in which case it can be recharged. Violation of the operating mode leads to the fact that over time, the battery capacity decreases. This leads to a quick failure of the device.
For example, we can say that the battery capacity of a laptop does not change over a long period of time, if properly operated. It is not recommended to constantly keep the laptop connected to the mains. This will lead to a quick loss of the device, as the battery capacity will decrease significantly. The most optimal for such devices is the full charge mode of the battery, which is replaced by its maximum discharge. The same can be said of all nickel-cadmium-based batteries.
Some camcorders, mainly Korean-made ones, are equipped with a special device that completely and optimally discharges the battery after use. A fully discharged battery can be stored for a long time until the next use of the camcorder.
There are special devices that can measure battery capacity. They determine this parameter by the control discharge method. A fully charged device is placed in the device, which begins to measure the discharge current, voltage and discharge time. As soon as the battery voltage drops to a certain value, the test ends. Management of modern battery capacity meters is made on the basis of controllers. They accurately determine the required parameter and display the result on the display. In the same way, the measurement process itself can be monitored. Typically, the measurement time does not exceed one to two hours.