Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Voltage and Amps Differences?

What is the difference in a charger where one is 24V 2.5amp and the other is 12V 5 amp?

Voltage is the force of the push on the electrons. In a light bulb, it will burn brighter at a higher voltage. In an electric motor, it will spin faster at a higher voltage.

Amperes is the flow rate of the electrons. In a battery, Amp hours or milliamp hours is the storage capacity of the cell in potential chemical energy. The higher the capacity or amp-hour rating, the more run time you will achieve. In a rechargeable battery, increased capacity also equates to increased charge times.

Watts, or power (P) is the multiplied elements of volts (V) and amps (I). P = V x I

So 24V, 2.5Ah and 12V, 5Ah, they BOTH produce 60 Watts of power.

The 24 volt will spin faster or burn brighter but for half the time.

The 12 volt will spin slower of burn dimmer but for twice the time.