Battery recharge cycles

[GeorgeTelis]

I am pretty sure that i am not the only one bothered with the 200 photos battery life of the H system, not a big deal though if you include a second and third battery to your costs.
At the moment 2 batteries serve my work quite well . I was just wondering how many times an H battery can be recharged before it starts dying? 

Thanks.
George

[Douglas Fairbank @ Classic V]

George, the batteries are normally very good, have you done the battery reset?

check this topic.

http://www.hasselbladdigitalforum.com/index.php/topic,101.0.html

[Michael H. Cothran]

I'm also brand new to the H system. I was told the same "trick" by Hasselblad USA. I've done it on my initial battery, and for the first time it actually indicated "100%" charge. I bought a second battery which I charged for the first time a couple of nights ago. Yesterday I went out shooting for fun, AND for further familiarizing myself with the new system. I took about 100 or so images. It drained my newer battery to the point where my grip screen said to Replace the Battery. When I got home, my original battery was already down to 35% level. I've just recharged my newer battery for over 12 hours, and performed the same procedure on it this morning. It is now charging again.
Hopefully, the recharging times will decrease, AND the amount of shots I get per battery will increase. I'm tempted to purchase yet a third battery, but @ $225 US, it's just too costly. What I would like is a second charger, but even they're $185 US thru Hasselblad USA.
I thought I might make a trip to Radio Shack, along with my Hasselblad charger, plus battery specs, to see if they have a compatible charger for less.

[Monty Rakusen]

I regularly get 300 plus frames per battery. All mine are over 2 years old and are regularly reset.

Monty Rakusen

[NickT]

Do note that the batteries do take a few charge/discharge cycles before coming up to capacity so if you have brand new batteries you should expect performance to improve.

[Michael H. Cothran]

I asked this question elsewhere, but have no replies yet. This may be a more appropriate place to ask:

When or how often, should one reset the battery chip? Other than being a new battery, are there any telltale signs that the chip needs resetting?

Also, let me be sure I'm understanding the procedure correctly:
1. I recharge the battery for 12 hours or longer
2. I hold down the two buttons while inserting the battery. I do hear the repetitive beep.
3. This is where I'm confused - I then continue charging the battery for another 12 hours?? Or, is the battery ready to go after #2 above?

Thanks.

[Michael H. Cothran]

Sorry guys, I do have one other question!

As the battery gains in capacity and strength, does the charging time decrease at all, or will it always require about 12 hours from empty to full capacity?

[NickT]

I asked this question elsewhere, but have no replies yet. This may be a more appropriate place to ask:

When or how often, should one reset the battery chip? Other than being a new battery, are there any telltale signs that the chip needs resetting?

Also, let me be sure I'm understanding the procedure correctly:
1. I recharge the battery for 12 hours or longer
2. I hold down the two buttons while inserting the battery. I do hear the repetitive beep.
3. This is where I'm confused - I then continue charging the battery for another 12 hours?? Or, is the battery ready to go after #2 above?

Thanks.

Hi Michael
The process re-sets the batteries internal uh circuit and tells it that it is completely drained and ready for a full charge (even though it might not be fully drained).
You then put the battery back on charge until the charge unit light goes from solid (charge) to blinking (trickle).

[NickT]

Sorry guys, I do have one other question!

As the battery gains in capacity and strength, does the charging time decrease at all, or will it always require about 12 hours from empty to full capacity?

The 12 hour thing is really just to make sure the battery is at absolute full charge before re-setting. Day to day I will grab a battery to use the moment it goes to trickle (charger light blinking).
HTH
Nick-T

[Douglas Fairbank @ Classic V]

Each type of battery chemistry has it's own type of charge/discharge characteristics. Rechargeable Lithium cells will take 80% charge very quickly but to get to a full 100% takes much longer so that is why Hasselblad suggest charging for a full 12 hours, or even more to be sure the battery is fully charged, that trickle charge step is very important and overcharging should not be possible. Obviously putting a fully charged battery on an H camera and firing it till there is no charge left is a very crude and unscientific test method and in no way replicates the way a camera will be used in the field. A laboratory would test a battery by measuring the charge put in and the discharge given out over several cycles relative to the manufacturers spec' using a computer controlled charger and in my experience these H series Lithium batteries are some of the best I have ever seen, much better than NiMh. Where things can go awry is where the natural and expected dissipation of a charge cannot be measured (a charged battery in store will lose power over time) and the on-board fuel gauge loses touch with the actual available charge. The process of charging the battery to a real 100% level and resetting the gauge is the cure for this, make sure the contacts are clean.

[Michael H. Cothran]

Well, I went out for my second day of shooting with the new H4D last Sunday, with my newly purchased second battery at full charge (second full charge on it). It gave me all of 29 exposures before telling me to change the battery. That computes to 14.5% of full potential. My batteries have a long way to go to reach the expected 200 shots per charge.

I'm aware that I spend a decent amount of battery time for all the other camera functions - AF, metering, leveling, and navigating - but I would think that to some extent, this would be incorporated into the "200" shots per charge.

So yesterday I ordered a second charger. Now I will have two batteries and two chargers. This way I can have two fully charged batteries in 12 hours. When I'm on a multi-day landscape trip, I can recharge overnight, giving me two fully charged batteries each day.
Now, I just need to patiently wait for my current 29-shots-per-charge to increase to 200 before my planned Spring trips arrive.

[jeff.grant@pobox.com]

Michael, I carry around a small inverter in the car. You can buy ones that plug into a cigarette lighter socket with the 240 plug at the other end. Ebay has them, or it did last time I looked.

[Michael H. Cothran]

Michael, I carry around a small inverter in the car. You can buy ones that plug into a cigarette lighter socket with the 240 plug at the other end. Ebay has them, or it did last time I looked.

That's good to know. By inverter, do you mean you can charge the battery from the cigarette lighter? How long does it take to make any kind of difference on a dead battery?

I did go to Radio Shack (not sure if you have them in Australia). They could not help me with a charger, saying the 7.2 volt was odd. Which is why I bit the proverbial bullet, contacted Nicole again in New Jersey, and went with the Hassy charger for $186.

[jeff.grant@pobox.com]

Michael,

Here's a link: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/12V-DC-240V-AC-150w-Power-Inverter-Car-USB-Laptop-/200595351407?pt=AU_Boat_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2eb46a276f#ht_4006wt_1165

I don't know how long it takes to be usable again. I have two batteries. The one on the charger has been OK when I needed it. I have two chargers. I keep one in my bag and one at home. I've never seen a charger that can be used for the H on 12v. That's why I went for the inverter approach.

The inverters that I gave the link to are surprisingly good. I got mine in a local hardware store. Prior to that, I had a much bigger Belkin one but the little guy does a good job for battery charging.