What is “C” rating when referring to batteries?
“C” rating is simply a way of talking about charge and discharge rates for batteries: l 1C = 1 time the rated mAh capacity of the battery. So a 900mAh battery at 1C can discharge 900 milliamps, or 0.9 amps for 1 hour. Most batteries, unless specified, have a C rating of 1; l 1C for a 2600mAh battery would equal 2.6 amps for one hour; whilst l 2C for a 2600mAh battery would equal 5.2 amps for 30 minutes from 1 hr. As seen, while the C rating can effectively double the working capacity of a given battery, it also reduces the effective time the battery has of working at the increased load. The opposite holds also true when using “fractional C”: l while 1C for a 2600mAh battery can produce 2.6 amps for one hour; l 0.5C for a 2600mAh battery equates to 1.3 amps for 2 hours, effectively doubling battery run time but decreasing the current being applied to a given workload.
