yisgood
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posted on December 12, 2002 01:33:28 PM
I have a number of batteries that are all the same voltage but have different mA ratings. They all work in the same devices. I always thought mA had to do with how long the batteries lasted. I have a digital camera with an AC adapter marked 1600mA 6 volts. I have a 6 volt AC adapter that is marked 500 mA. Will using this damage the camera? What exactly is mA measuring?
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max40
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posted on December 12, 2002 01:45:17 PM
mA stands for milli-amps. A milli-amp is 1/1000 of an ampere. An ampere is a rating of power. Example: your blow drier is 1200 amps. It uses that amt of power when running. I'm no expert, but if your camera asks for a certain amt of power to operate, and you don't supply enough, it probably won't operate properly. I know that if you don't supply enough VOLTAGE to an electric motor, you can damage it, but not sure if low amps will do the same.
Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular
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replaymedia
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posted on December 12, 2002 01:47:07 PM
mA = MilliAmperes, which is just as important as the Voltage rating.
If you use the 500mA adaptor on a 1600mA device, there probably won't be enough power to make the camera work (Those flashes take some serious juice). It "most likely" won't hurt the item, but it probably won't work.
Now if you used a 1600mA adaptor iwith a device rated for 500mA...
Can you say ---ZZZAP---?
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yisgood
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posted on December 12, 2002 01:51:27 PM
I get what you're saying but let me rephrase:
I have a bunch of AA Nimh batteries that are rated from 1000mA to 1800mA. If the camera "needs" a certain mA rating, then which is it? They all work. Nothing in the camera's literature says anything about this.
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replaymedia
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posted on December 12, 2002 02:28:13 PM
**I AM NOT AN ELECTRICIAN **
I'm guessing here, but I'd guess the higher mA has the higher "Charge" and will last longer.
I know if I use cheapie batteries in my camera, I get only four or five flashes and the batteries are dead. If I use Alkaline batteries, it works as you'd expect.
This is probably something similar.
As long as they're rated AAA or AA or whatever, you shouldn't have any problems using the higher mA battery.
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tomwiii
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posted on December 12, 2002 03:36:18 PM
I don't know ANYTHING about it, but you gave me either GAS or a HEART ATTACK!
 
"What we have heah is a fail-ure to communicate!"
http://tinyurl.com/315v
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bear1949
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posted on December 12, 2002 03:56:11 PM
The indication of 1000mA or 1800mA is really an indication of the storage capacity of the batteries. A 1800mA battery will last almost twice as long under normal usage as the 1000mA battery.
Like the battery rating of an automoble battery. A car with a small engine can use a 600 Amp battery, while a large car with a larger enging & electric everyting will need 900 amp battery to start it.
[ edited by bear1949 on Dec 12, 2002 04:09 PM ]
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sparkz
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posted on December 12, 2002 03:58:55 PM
Use a battery with a rating equal to or greater than the current flow requirements of the camera. If the camera needs 1600ma, then use the 1800 ma batteries. Using anything smaller, such as the 1000ma batteries will shorten the battery life.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
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koto1
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posted on December 12, 2002 04:06:05 PM
Like sparkz and bear1949 said. The mA rating just tells you how much juice the battery can hold, hence the higher the mA ratings the longer it should last. The nickel metal hydride rechargeables have a higher mA rating than the older nickel cadmium rechargeables.
"Who's tending the bar?  Sniping works up a thirst"
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yisgood
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posted on December 12, 2002 04:28:20 PM
I understand how mA can be a measure of how much juice a battery holds. But what does it mean when it is on an AC adaptor. The adaptor doesn't "hold" juice and it lasts as long as it is plugged into the wall. I know that volts are a measure of power and plugging a 9v plug into a 6v device can blow it out. So I still don't quite get what mA indicates on a power plug.
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rocketguy
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posted on December 12, 2002 06:35:54 PM
Hi visgood,
This is slightly simplified so those that may be in the electrical field bear with me. The term mA stands for milliAmperes. It's a measure of current, simply stated it's how much electricity is flowing through a wire in a given time period, usually an hour. V stands for volt(age), think of it as how hard the current is being pushed through the wire. Think of a wire as your kitchen faucet, you can get maybe 2 or 3 gallons of water per minute out of it (current), at a pressure of about 20 pounds per square inch (voltage).
The 1600mA marked on your battery pack means the pack will supply 1600 milliamps of current with a force of 6 volts pushing it for one hour. If your camera consumes 800mA of current in one hour then the battery should last two hours: 800mA X 2 hours = 1600mA per hour.
Your adapter supplies 500mA of current per hour so it's going to take a little over three hours to completely charge a dead battery: 1600mA / 500mA = 3.2 hours. If your're using the adapter to power the camera then you'll need to know how much current the camera uses, it should be in the manual. Using the 500mA adapter is safe, it just may not be enough current to make the camera work. I hope that helped, sorry if I went too long.
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sanmar
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posted on December 12, 2002 06:45:28 PM
visgood: Are you referring to a converter for you camera, or a recharger?? If it is a converter, quit worrying. I use one all of the time. Really saves on batteries. I can take hundreds of pics for my auctions w/o changing batteries. The LED screen & the down load are what will eat up batteries. Unless you have rechargeable batteries, A DC converter is the way to go
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sparkz
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posted on December 12, 2002 06:55:49 PM
I would like to interject at this time a warning to anyone reading this thread. Examine your batteries carefully and identify them as to type. Keep your NIMH, NICAD, Rechargeable Alkaline, and regular alkaline seperate. NEVER mix two different types together in the same device, regardless of the mah ratings. The first three types mentioned are rechargeable, and each has it's own charger specifications. Always use the correct charger for the battery you are charging. These things can explode if recharged incorrectly. Also, never try to recharge the regular alkaline batteries. AW, Ebay, and Paypal fees take enough out of our pockets. No need to cut the local emergency room in on our profits.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
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yisgood
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posted on December 12, 2002 07:02:09 PM
Thanks Rocketguy and everyone else.
Here's the story:
Someone emailed me that their AC power adaptor (not recharger) doesn't work and they can't find a replacement since the camera is no longer being made. I asked them what voltage it is and they told me it says 6v. I found a plug that can be set to several voltages. including 6V, but it is only rated at 500mA. I don't want to send it off to them if it won't work. I think they only want it for downloads. I can't see someone walking around taking pictures while connected to an AC cord. So as long as they are not using the flash, it sounds like it won't be a problem.
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sparkz
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posted on December 12, 2002 07:15:56 PM
The power supplies that provide multiple voltages are not well enough regulated to be used on a camera. These voltages are usually set with small zener diodes which can fail if overloaded and put 14 volts on that 6 volt pin. Go to radio shack and get a 6 volt D.C., 1.2 amp adaptor with the proper plug and sent it to him. Take a camera with you to make sure you get the proper plug. If you don't have one, tell him to take the adapter to a RS at his end, get a replacement, and send you the bill. If you try to use an underated adapter, you could ruin that camera. A 500 mil adaptor on a 1 amp camera will pull that 6 volts down to about 4.5 volts before it overheats and melts.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
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Libra63
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posted on December 12, 2002 08:59:41 PM
Have them go to Radio Shack and buy an AC adaptor. Take the old one with and they should be able to match it up.
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yisgood
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posted on December 13, 2002 08:57:35 AM
thanks for all the replies. I advised them to go to Radio Shack and find an exact match.
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