Proper battery sizing is crucial for the reliable operation of your Potter SCA and DCA Single Channel and Dual Channel Amplifiers, ensuring sufficient standby and alarm durations. To determine the minimum battery size, consult the battery calculation worksheet within your amplifier's instruction manual. Here's a simplified guide to help you through the process:
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Identify Standby and Alarm Currents: Find the standby and alarm current draw specifications for your specific amplifier model in the manual. For example, a Potter SCA-2525 typically has a standby current of 58mA and an alarm current of 608mA.
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Calculate Total System Currents: Sum the standby currents and alarm currents for all amplifiers connected in your system to get the total system current requirements.
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Convert to Amps: Convert both the total standby current and total alarm current from milliamps (mA) to amps (A) by multiplying each value by 0.001.
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Determine Standby and Alarm Durations: Define your desired standby time in hours (e.g., 24 hours) and alarm time in minutes (e.g., 15 minutes).
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Calculate Amp-Hours (AH): Multiply the total standby amps by the desired standby hours and multiply the total alarm amps by the alarm time in minutes. Then, divide the result for the alarm calculation by 60 to convert it into amp-hours (AH).
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Factor in Efficiency: Divide both the total standby AH and total alarm AH calculations by an efficiency factor of 0.80 to account for battery discharge characteristics.
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Final Calculation - Required AH: Add the total standby AH and total alarm AH values, after accounting for the efficiency factor, to determine the total AH rating required for your battery. This final AH value represents the minimum battery capacity needed to meet your standby and alarm time requirements for your Potter system. Always refer to the specific instruction manual for your model for precise values and the most accurate calculations.
