Milliamps and amps are units used worldwide to measure electrical current strength.
Amperes are the base unit used to measure electric current in the International System of Units. A milliampere is a modified version of the ampere used to measure things with smaller amounts of electrical current, so you don’t have to record in tiny decimals or resort to exponents.
We’ll teach you everything you need to know about amps, milliamps, and how to convert Milliamps to Amps. You can also take a look at the conversion from KWh to Amps to expand your knowledge.
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Convert mA to A/Convert Milliamps to Amps
Convert A to mA/Convert Amps to Milliamps
What Is a Milliampere?
A milliampere (mA) is one-thousandth of an ampere. The prefix “milli” means one-thousandth of whatever base unit it precedes. Milliamperes are used to measure small amounts of electrical current, making it easier than using small decimals of amps.
If you want to convert Wh to mAh, use this formula:
mAh = Wh/(V x 1,000)
For instance, a 5Wh battery at 5 volts:
mAh = 5/(5 x 1,000) = 1,000 mAh
What Is an Ampere?
An ampere or amp (A) is the base unit to measure electric current in the International System of Units (SI), so it’s used worldwide for measuring power. It was named after the famous French physicist André-Marie Ampère.
Since amperes are power units and power is a product of current and voltage, you can easily calculate your amperes using the expression below if you know your watts and voltage.
Amps = Watts/Volts (A=W/V)
A battery’s capacity is often recorded in watt-hours (Wh), or the number of watts used in one hour, rather than amp-hours. While you can record battery capacity in amp-hours (Ah), most devices we use are reported in W and kW, making it easier for consumers to understand when we report capacity in Wh or kWh.
What Is Milliamps to Amps (mA to A)
Milliamps (mA) measure the amount of current flowing through an electrical conductor and can even determine the rate of electron flow.
The milliampere is commonly used as a unit of rating for battery capacity in small devices such as smartphones, clocks, radios, laptops, etc. The mAh rating varies depending on the type and construction of the battery. In the metric system, milliamp is a prefix for parts per thousand.
Ampere or Amp is the basic unit of current and is used to designate the amount of current in an appliance. The amount of current flowing in a circuit depends on voltage and resistance. An ampere (abbreviated A) is a relatively large amount of current flow. An ampere is often referred to as an ampere and is equal to one coulomb of flow per second.
Solar panel output is usually measured in milliamperes, but it needs to be converted to amperes during system design to be compatible with the grid or other electrical devices.
Amperage and Ohm’s Law
According to Ohm’s law, the current between two points in a conductor is directly proportional to the voltage and inversely proportional to the resistance.
Ohm’s law is expressed as follows:
I = V / R
In other words, current (abbreviated in amps) equals voltage (abbreviated in volts) and resistance (abbreviated in ohms).
But 1 ampere equals how many milliamps? Amperage is equal to milliampere current divided by 1000; mathematically, 1 milliampere is equal to one thousandth of an ampere, or 1 ampere is equal to 1000 milliamps.
Ampere = milliampere ÷ 1000
How Do You Convert mA to A/Convert Milliamps to Amps?
Since a mA or milliampere is one-thousandth of an amp, simply divide your mA by 1000.
A = mA/1000
For example, if you have 20mA:
A = 20mA/1000(mA/A) = 0.02A
Or, for 2000mA:
A = 2000mA/1000(mA/A) = 2A
Below are some of the typical mA to A conversions/milliamp to amp conversions.
| Milliampere [mA] | Ampere [A] |
| 0.01 mA | 1.0E-5 A |
| 0.1 mA | 0.0001 A |
| 1 mA | 0.001 A |
| 2 mA | 0.002 A |
| 3 mA | 0.003 A |
| 5 mA | 0.005 A |
| 10 mA | 0.01 A |
| 20 mA | 0.02 A |
| 50 mA | 0.05 A |
| 100 mA | 0.1 A |
| 250 mA | 0.25 A |
| 500 mA | 0.5 A |
| 750 mA | 0.75 A |
| 1000 mA | 1 A |
How Do I Convert A to mA/Convert Amps to Milliamps?
Similar to the mA to A conversion, you can use a formula to convert amps to milliamps ( A to mA ).
Formula: mA = A × 1000
Example 1: Converting 5A to mA
mA = 5A × 1000 = 5000 mA
Example 2: Converting 10A to mA
mA = 10A × 1000 = 10,000 mA
Example 3: Converting 1.5A to mA
mA = 1.5A × 1000 = 1500 mA
Although amperage is common in electrical systems, there are times when you need to convert amperage to milliamps. This is critical when you are dealing with multiple values. Converting a mix of small and large currents ensures consistency and simplifies comparisons.
Below are some common A to mA conversions.
| Amps (A) | Milliamps (mA) |
| 0.01 A | 10 mA |
| 0.05 A | 50 mA |
| 1 A | 1000 mA |
| 2 A | 2000 mA |
| 3 A | 3000 mA |
| 4 A | 4000 mA |
| 5 A | 5000 mA |
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Amps Is 50 mA?
Since a milliampere (mA) is one-thousandth of an amp, divide mA by 1000 to get amps. In this case, 50/1000 is 0.05 amps.
Is 1 Amp the Same as 1000 Milliamps?
Yes, 1 amp is the same as 1000 milliamps. This is because a milliamp is one-thousand of an amp. So 1000 milliamps/1000 = 1 amp.
Are 500 Milliamps the Same as .5 Amps?
Yes, 500 milliamps is the same as 0.5 amps because a milliamp is one-thousandth of an amp. To convert between the two, divide mA by 1000. Here 500mA/1000ma/A = 0.5A
Final Thoughts
Now you know what amperes and milliamperes mean and how to convert between the two. It’s super easy since a milliamp is simply one-thousandth of an amp.
Even though amps are the standard (SI) unit to measure electrical current, we typically report capacity in products like Sungold solar panels in watt-hours (Wh) and kilowatt-hours (kWh) because our devices are reported in W and kW rather than amps. This makes it easier to understand how our products can power your devices.
Essential Solar Panel Electrical Knowledge：
Milliamps to Amps | Solar Panels Series vs Parallel | Volts to Watts | kWh to Amps | BTU to Watts
