Battery Capacity

batteriescapacityvoltage

I'm new here but I have read some interesting posts on this website so you all might be able to help me.
I need to calculate the battery capacity I need to run the device.
My load is 300mA at 20ms and 1mA for the rest of the time from 4 AA batteries. If this test is running for 15 days, I need to calculate the voltage left on the battery after 15 days. Thanks for your time and let me know if anymore information is needed.

Edit: According to a comment below, the 300mA pulse occurs 35 times per minute.

Best Answer

So 35 times per minute is a period of 1.714 seconds, or 1714 ms. During that period, the current is 300 mA for 20 ms, and 1 mA for 1694 ms. So the average is:

300 mA * 20 ms + 1 mA * 1694 ms = ~ 4.5mA.

Typical AA batteries are roughly 2000 mAh (depending on numerous details). So that is around 445 hours of battery life. 15 days is 360 hours. So that means 360/445 = 81% of the battery capacity will be consumed during the 15 day interval.

You will have to look at a battery discharge chart to come up with an estimate of cell voltage after 81% depletion. Off the top of my head I would guess 1.2V per cell, so a total of 4.8V remaining.

If you need a better estimate, you should refine the answer using data from the actual cell you plan to use. But don't be surprised if the real voltage differs slightly from what you predict, no matter how carefully you calculate everything.