Battery Technology Explained

Not all batteries are created the same. Conventional Alkaline or Lithium primary batteries (non-rechargeable type) will deliver a constant feed for most of the cameras used on a traffic survey regardless of demand. Rechargeable batteries can also be used for survey projects but be aware these tend to self-discharge at about 2% per day and may have detrimental power loss over time.

However, there will be problems with some rechargeable lithium based  power packs when used with compact timelapse cameras.

The Brinno and Afidus cameras draw a small amount of battery current during use, but even less when in standby mode.

For example. standby mode will be initiated if a daily timer is used ie between 17:00 and 09:00 if you are using a 09:00 to 17:00 daily timer. Some battery packs will automatically turn off if the current level falls below a certain point and will require a manual start to kick them back into life.  This means that the camera will not turn back on again between its daily recordings.

To get over this, all batteries need to be ‘always on’ enabled. The first battery to have this feature was the Voltaic V15 battery. Routesafe bought out their 100 Watt ‘always on’ battery in 2019 which delivers a USB (5 Volt) output continually.

If you are wondering about the use of Watts, Amps or Volts terminologies, then this might help.

• Volts are the units of quantity capable of being delivered
• Amps are the rate in which this quantity can be delivered
• Watts are the unit of power that can be derived from the battery.   

Watts are an easier unit to work in as there are direct comparisons between a unit drawing power and a unit delivering it. If this is confusing, don’t worry, here is a simple example of how this can work out for you:-

 

The Brinno TLC200 pro draws 15 Watts of power from 4 x AA batteries – which gives around 18 hours of ASAP use.

If this camera is connected to a Routesafe 100 watt battery then the life will be around 6 times greater (100/15 = 6.67)

This is not a precise figure however as there is a little current drawn during standby.

 

Battery technology is improving all the time and Eugento have now released a 370 Watt battery with the ‘always on’ feature.  This means that this will deliver around 24 times more than just using AA batteries which is almost 18 days of use. 

This new battery also has a metal case and rugged construction which is essential for regular use. Avoid batteries which are only shrouded in heat shrink as these may be prone to physical damage during transit. Find out more about the new Eugento 370w Battery

 

We are also developing a 185 Watt version of the battery range which will be available in September on completion of all our safety and packaging tests.