C Rating? Why! Oh why?

[Steam Turbine]

Ok!

As I understand it the C rating of a battery is meant to figure out how many amps you can safely draw from a battery:

Take the C rating and multiply it by the amp/hours (mah/1000) of the said battery and voila! You get the maximum amp draw that your battery can handle safely.

So here is my question. What else is it for? If it's just for that, why not just go straight to the point and identify batteries with it's maximum amp draw instead of assining it a esoteric c rating?

 

[BigCypress]

I'm with ya. I never could figure out why c rating is used.

 

[BuzzKilla]

"C" ratings can also be used to describe charging.
optimal charging rates for lithium batteries is "1C". high drains might be a bit higher but i like the 1C rule.
since batteries come in different capacities, using the "C" rating is more convenient and easier to remember.

1000mah charged at 1C is 1 AMP
1500mah charged at 1C is 1.5 AMPs
6000mah charged at 1C is 6 AMPs
and so on....

the C (capacity) is just part of the math formula to be able to calculate Amp charging and discharging...
nothing more, nothing less.

Since the chemistry stays the same between one line of battery, and only the capacity changes, to suit the users needs.
Its easier for the manufactuer to just change the mAh rating, and leave the rest the same...(my assumption)

 

[Steam Turbine]

Makes sense! Thanks

 

[BigCypress]

ah ha! I knew someone could explain it to me.