What is a 12 Volt Battery?
A 12 volt battery is an irregular battery used in specific electronic applications. Of all the types of batteries, the 12 volt battery is one that looks very different depending on its use. In some ways, it is one of the most diverse of all batteries. It can be large or small, heavy or light. In some cases, they may look nearly like regular AA batteries. One of the most common uses of a 12 volt battery is for transportation applications, such as in cars and boats. In these cases, the battery may be able to be recharged as current is only needed to start the vehicle. After that, the alternator takes over and runs the electrical system, if it is functioning properly. The alternator also puts a charge back into the battery. The sizes of 12 volt batteries vary widely based on the amp hours they are designed to produce. They can be very heavy and large, such as those found in cars. They can also be relatively small, such as batteries found in some electrical children’s vehicles that run in
Many radios are made to operate from the common automotive “12 Volt” electrical system. Some voltages found are: • 14.8 Volts when engine is running and vehicle battery is being charged • 13.6 Volts when battery is charged but not being charged or drained • 12.0 Volts minimum discharge voltage to allow full recharge • 10.0 Volts minimum usefull voltage if willing to kill battery to get something from it So if a radio, or other electrical equipment, is going to work with the automotive electrical system it needs to be able to accomodate a voltage range of 10 to 15 volts. For military vehicles that use “24 Volt” systems the range would be 20 to 30 Volts. If a battery manufacturer was going to make a battery for a radio that was designed to work on a “12 Volt” automotive system they could make the terminal voltage very close to 12 Volts, but since the radio can work with 15 Volts a much better choice would be to make a 15 Volt battery. This is the Case with the BA-5590. They could have us
