Mah Vs. Amp Vs. Volt

[jclifford94]

So I work in a vape shop. I get a lot of questions about which batteries are best for sub-ohming and which last the longest, etc. I've been doing some reading and can't get a clear cut answer of how mah, amps, and voltage effect the performance of mechanical or regulated mods. If someone could break down the differences for me in simple terms that I can explain to customers, that would be great.

Thanks

 

[Sgt.Rock]

Milliamp Hours is the storage capacity (ie: 1000 mah = 1 amp for 1 hour)
Amp rating (continuous and surge) tell how much power can be supplied at any given moment
Volts is Volts

 

[anumber1]

Milliamp Hours is the storage capacity (ie: 1000 mah = 1 amp for 1 hour)
Amp rating (continuous and surge) tell how much power can be supplied at any given moment
Volts is Volts

Just to expound a lillte for the the OP:

The lower the resistance of the build (when using a mech mod) the more power drawn from a battery (expressed in Amps). The more power drawn, the more mAh used in a given cycle (tug, Drag, puff). It is about the same with a regulated mod but figuring the amp draw is much mpore complicated as the chip in a regulated mod may draw much more power as the battery voltage drops in use.

A higher milliamp rated battery will provide a longer runtime. But runtime is always dependent on the load placed on the battery. A 10a draw will deplete a battery much faster than a 1a draw.

 

[State O' Flux]

So I work in a vape shop. I get a lot of questions about which batteries are best for sub-ohming and which last the longest, etc. I've been doing some reading and can't get a clear cut answer of how mah, amps, and voltage effect the performance of mechanical or regulated mods. If someone could break down the differences for me in simple terms that I can explain to customers, that would be great.

Thanks

With 18XXX mech mods, voltage is a relative constant. mAh is relevant, but only in the context of time. Wattage is another value that is relevant... but is not really taken into consideration with an unregulated mod.
What is important is current. For every resistance, there is a minimum required current output, as determined by Ohm's Law formulas.

The constant of volts, divided by desired resistance, equals minimum required continuous amperage, or... V (volts) ÷ Ω (resistance) = I (current or amperage).

If you have a 0.2Ω resistance atomizer, per the formula, using 4.0v as your constant, you'll need a IMR battery that supports a minimum continuous current output of 20 amps.

This does not take into account the momentary or "pulse" output of a battery... rated in current within a restricted time frame.
Momentary ratings are best left to those with a good deal of battery experience - so stick with continuous ratings for now... it's safer for your customers, who's knowledge can be very limited.

 

[Baditude]

Here is some relevant battery information for you:

Battery Basics for Mods: IMR or protected ICR?

Deeper Understanding of Mod Batteries

Explain it to the Dumb Noob: Ohms Law calculator

Ohm's Law for Dummies (Vapers)

Information Resources for Your First RBA

Purple Efest Batteries Not As Advertised

 

[Dristwaz]

mAh is the capacity rating of the cell. Volt is the difference of electrical potential between two points (i.e. the + and - ends of the battery) and is commonly expressed as the 'Nominal' voltage of the cell (3.7v for Lithium chemistry cells), and amps is the amount of current.

There are several things that will affect the cell that you're using with the biggest two you can control being the discharge rate you subject it to and the cell's capacity. Other things such as internal resistance, construction and chemistry are largely out of your hands.

Without going into a detailed explanation on why, it is better to get a larger capacity cell than a lower one. Bigger capacity cells will have a lower internal resistance, can handle high current loads better and will last longer in terms of recharge cycles. If you'd like to learn in detail about batteries, I'd recommend Battery University's website located here: Battery Information Table of Contents, Basic to Advanced