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question for you electrical engineers out there
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:12 pm
by Mark
say i use a 9 volt battery to power a small 12volt fan that draws 0.10amps, is there any way to tell about how long the battery would last, i know nothing about Ohms law or whatever so i thought i would ask.
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:37 pm
by J-high
you would get about 5 hours maybe with a 9v battery with a .10a load.
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:40 pm
by Rainbow
Depends on other factors, what kind of 9 volt battery? Regular , alkaline, Nicad etc.
A typical 9 volt battery is 400 ma/hrs. Without being exact @ 9 volt your motor will draw a little more so a typical battery will last a little over 3 hours maybe as much as 4
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:41 pm
by Faust
im not even close to being an electrical engineer, but if im not mistaken, it depends on the VA rating on the battery, yes?
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:42 pm
by Mark
it is a regular alkaline battery, i am curious how you guys figured that out , can to share with a lay person

Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:44 pm
by CableDude
[m]
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:44 pm
by Mark
here is what i could find

Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:45 pm
by Mark
CableDude wrote:[m]
done that dude

Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:47 pm
by CableDude
[h]
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:47 pm
by Mark
CableDude wrote:[h]
yes LOL
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:47 pm
by Rainbow
Yes an Alkaline battery is about 575 ma/hrs so that would give you about 5 and a half hours.
The 400 ma/hrs was for a standard carbon battery.
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:47 pm
by J-high
a typical 9v battery has a .55Ah rating. This is the total power the battery contains and can deliver continuously.
.10a load continuous on a .55Ah battery = 5 to 5.5 hours
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:48 pm
by Faust
ah, thats right, forgot the "hours" part of it. essentially the measure of the length of time a battery can supply a given current. you see it a lot on UPS batteries and cordless phone batteries.
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:49 pm
by Mark
wow, thanks guys, you have made my work easy

Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:49 pm
by Rainbow
J-high wrote:a typical 9v battery has a .55Ah rating. This is the total power the battery contains and can deliver continuously.
.10a load continuous on a .55Ah battery = 5 to 5.5 hours
Not a typical one, by typical I believe you mean standard carbon zinc that is 400
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:49 pm
by CableDude
4chan?
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:51 pm
by Mark
CableDude wrote:4chan?
ewwww, gross

Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:51 pm
by CableDude
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:54 pm
by J-high
typical as in alkaline (duracell) or (energizer).
Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 10:17 pm
by RoundEye
Here’s another thing that may throw a wrench into the figures. Say the fan draws .9 watts, as the battery goes down in voltage it will draw more current in order to try and maintain that wattage.
Ohms law
Fan wattage at 9 volts
E x I = W Voltage times current equals wattage 9 x .10 = .9 watts
Current at lower voltages
W / E = I Wattage divided by voltage equals current .9 / 9 = .1
W / E = I Wattage divided by voltage equals current .9 / 7 = .13
W / E = I Wattage divided by voltage equals current .9 / 5 = .18
W / E = I Wattage divided by voltage equals current .9 / 3 = .3
As you can see it’s really small numbers with a battery but as the voltage goes down the current goes up. The fan will try to maintain the wattage it’s designed for. As the battery drops in voltage it will discharge even faster. Wattage is the amount of work done and the load (fan) will always try to maintain that load.
Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 10:20 pm
by nightowl
That battery is also going to be very hot due to the 12 volt fan drawing more engergy then the battery is rated for!