What is the little switch on the side of my camcorder battery?

Question

on the side of my camcorder battery there is a little switch that you can slide with a fingernail. when you switch it one way it shows a red mark. what is this switch for? thanks!

Answer 1

Some batteries (like the ones I use) have a series of LEDs - I can push a little button and the LEDs light up and tell me how much of a charge the battery has.

This "switch" is probably used to tell you whether the battery has a charge or not - but it is the "manual method".

When the battery is in your camcorder, you can see the battery level. When the battery runs out, the camcorder will have an indicator. When you take that battery out  and put in a fully charged battery, how can you tell not to grab it when the next battery runs out? Check the side you moved the switch to... then, when you recharge, flip the switch to the other side because it is fully charged and ready to go...