Stock Batteries going bad? at DVinfo.net

Colin McFadden · November 6th, 2006, 01:09 PM

I've now had two of the included BP-950G batteries crap out on me. They claim to be fully charged, but won't power up the camera. I've tried with a few different XL-H1s, so I'm pretty sure it's the battery. Has anyone else had this happen?

Dan Keaton · November 6th, 2006, 06:51 PM

I have been using my BP-950g as the primary battery for the XL H1 since July.

I have not had a problem, at least so far.

Are you using the Canon supplied charger exclusively, or are you charging the battery with a non-Canon charger?

Mike Teutsch · November 6th, 2006, 07:12 PM

I would check for a bad charger!

Mike

Colin McFadden · November 6th, 2006, 08:57 PM

I've been using the Canon stock charger and also the Canon CH-910 dual charger. I also have a bunch of the 970s, and none of those has failed yet, so I'll keep an eye on it for now. The cameras are being used by students, so perhaps they are using the batteries in place of bowling balls or something ...

Craig Chartier · November 6th, 2006, 11:17 PM

I believe it is not the charger, If you notice when removing one of these batteries it is usually very warm if not hot. Much more so than if you had the same battery on say an XL2. I believe the fast rate of discharge due to the H1 requiring more power, is overheating the battery and causing a short life span.

We run the IDX adapter and the smallest v-lock they make. Lasts a long time, and no overheating.

Dan Keaton · November 7th, 2006, 08:23 AM

Last Wednesday, I was on a film shoot with my XL H1.

The camera was on, almost all of the time, from 4:30 pm to 1 am. I changed the battery once. I started off with the BP-970G then switched to a BP-950G when the battery charge indicator (in the viewfinder) was at 25%.

I was using the standard viewfinder and not the FU-1000. I ran tape for only 1 hour, the rest of the time I was feeding a live feed to two plasma tv's that were being shot by two Panavision cameras.

When I removed the batteries, they were very slightly warm. They were not hot. The ambient temperature was in the 70's.

On Thursday, I did the same. However the temperature got down to 39 degrees F., so the batteries did not have a chance of getting warm.

I have never had a hot Canon battery. Of course, the battery drain with the FU-1000 is greater (possibly double), and any other accessories would cause a high drain.

It is my opinion, that a stock XL H1 should not cause the Canon batteries to get hot.

If I ever notice one of these batteries getting hot, I will change to a different battery in order to allow the battery to cool.

Steve Rosen · November 7th, 2006, 10:08 AM

I've got two 950s and two Anton Bauer Hytron50s... They have all been used constantly since I bought the H1 last December.. I use the 950s often, when I want the camera light, and the 50s when I need to leave the camera on for extended periods, or when I'm powering a 7" monitor...

I've had zero problems with the 950s, and they're never particularly over-warm that I've noticed... the Hytron 50s are beginning to get weaker, shorter use times (but I ask alot of them), but not the stock batteries..

Interesting that you're having problems with yours... Hope you get it solved... They are relatively cheap, but still...

Lauri Kettunen · November 7th, 2006, 11:30 AM

Colin,

Any chance that your batteries have dropped or hit something? Lithium batteries include an electronic circuit which prevent deep discharge. For, lithium batteries may explode if they get deeply discharged. The electronic circuit switches the batteries off before the voltage gets too low. Consequently, there is a chance that if the circuit is damaged the batteries do not function any longer.

When the XL 1 came out, I bought several Canon batteries and used them for eight years. The new battery type should also last much longer than a year unless the battery is used very stupidly. (The number of charge-discharge cycles is finite. My guess is that the number of cycles is in the class of 500-1000.)

Alex Dolgin · November 7th, 2006, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig Chartier

I believe it is not the charger, If you notice when removing one of these batteries it is usually very warm if not hot. Much more so than if you had the same battery on say an XL2. I believe the fast rate of discharge due to the H1 requiring more power, is overheating the battery and causing a short life span.

We run the IDX adapter and the smallest v-lock they make. Lasts a long time, and no overheating.

The Li-Ion chemistry is different from the others in its high efficiency during both charging and discharging. It means that there is no way a Li-Ion battery will get warm as a result of charging/discharging. The only reason you can feel warmth is if the charger gets warm, and heats it up. Same true for the camera. While this does not answer the original question, it takes one unknown out of equation...

Chuck Wall · November 7th, 2006, 04:07 PM

HI

Just sent back a 950 that was charged two or three times and charged
only on the stock canon charger...

Same problem just dead..

Chuck

Paul Doherty · November 8th, 2006, 02:18 AM

My 950 has been working since February and has been recharged many times without problems.

Jonathan Kirsch · March 12th, 2007, 02:41 PM

I have the same probs as the OP. I have two after-market BP-930s made by a company called Digipak. Got them a year ago. One crapped out after 4 months (charger says it's charged...but won't turn the camera on. Can't even open the tape door). Now, a week ago, the second one did the same thing. Charger says fully charged. Doesn't send power to the camera. They have not been dropped or hit with anything either. Anyone have an answer besides "Shouldn't have bought non-Canon batteries."?

Thanks.

Jonathan

Dan Keaton · March 12th, 2007, 02:49 PM

I believe that I can help.

If you battery is basically an "Open Circuit", then when you place it on the charger, it will almost immediately state that it is fully charged.

So the "Battery Charged Light" indicates that the battery is fully charged, or the battery has an "Open Circuit" and cannot be used!

They key here is that since it is an open circuit, then charger does not have any load on it and the "End of Charge" circuit reports that the battery is fully charged.

To test for this, use a voltmeter to check for the voltage of the battery.

If it reads zero, (and only if it reads zero!), then check the battery with an ohmmeter. If it reads high, such as 250,000 ohms, or 250 kiloohms or any other high value, then the battery has a "Open Circuit".

This can be caused by dropping the battery, or if the battery has a fuse, or some other protective circuit, then the fuse is blown.

Jonathan Kirsch · March 12th, 2007, 03:49 PM

Thanks, for the quick reply, Dan. Unfortunately I don't have a voltmeter or an ohmmeter, but I'm going to go with the blown fuse theory.

And I accidently posted in the wrong forum...it was supposed to be in the XL2 Watchdog forum...sorry. Found this thread through the search. But glad to have an answer anyway.

Jonathan

Kevin Martorana · March 12th, 2007, 07:23 PM

I 've had the same problem. Used the stock canon battery about 2 times.
The battery is brand new...since June 06. (we us Anton Bauer) on the back of the H1...

Charger says it's fully charged....but when you put a meter on it...is shows it's totally dead. I sent an email to our dealer...hopefully Canon will replace it... ;(

November 6th, 2006, 01:09 PM	#1
Colin McFadden Sponsor: divergent media Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: St. Paul, MN Posts: 201	Stock Batteries going bad? I've now had two of the included BP-950G batteries crap out on me. They claim to be fully charged, but won't power up the camera. I've tried with a few different XL-H1s, so I'm pretty sure it's the battery. Has anyone else had this happen? __________________ Divergent Media Support www.divergentmedia.com

November 6th, 2006, 06:51 PM	#2
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	I have been using my BP-950g as the primary battery for the XL H1 since July. I have not had a problem, at least so far. Are you using the Canon supplied charger exclusively, or are you charging the battery with a non-Canon charger? __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

November 6th, 2006, 07:12 PM	#3
Mike Teutsch Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Port St. Lucie, Florida Posts: 2,614	I would check for a bad charger! Mike __________________ Chapter one, line one. The BH.

November 6th, 2006, 08:57 PM	#4
Colin McFadden Sponsor: divergent media Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: St. Paul, MN Posts: 201	I've been using the Canon stock charger and also the Canon CH-910 dual charger. I also have a bunch of the 970s, and none of those has failed yet, so I'll keep an eye on it for now. The cameras are being used by students, so perhaps they are using the batteries in place of bowling balls or something ... __________________ Divergent Media Support www.divergentmedia.com

November 7th, 2006, 08:23 AM	#6
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Last Wednesday, I was on a film shoot with my XL H1. The camera was on, almost all of the time, from 4:30 pm to 1 am. I changed the battery once. I started off with the BP-970G then switched to a BP-950G when the battery charge indicator (in the viewfinder) was at 25%. I was using the standard viewfinder and not the FU-1000. I ran tape for only 1 hour, the rest of the time I was feeding a live feed to two plasma tv's that were being shot by two Panavision cameras. When I removed the batteries, they were very slightly warm. They were not hot. The ambient temperature was in the 70's. On Thursday, I did the same. However the temperature got down to 39 degrees F., so the batteries did not have a chance of getting warm. I have never had a hot Canon battery. Of course, the battery drain with the FU-1000 is greater (possibly double), and any other accessories would cause a high drain. It is my opinion, that a stock XL H1 should not cause the Canon batteries to get hot. If I ever notice one of these batteries getting hot, I will change to a different battery in order to allow the battery to cool. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia Last edited by Dan Keaton; November 7th, 2006 at 10:09 AM.

November 6th, 2006, 11:17 PM	#5
Craig Chartier DVi Contributor Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Austin Texas Posts: 374	I believe it is not the charger, If you notice when removing one of these batteries it is usually very warm if not hot. Much more so than if you had the same battery on say an XL2. I believe the fast rate of discharge due to the H1 requiring more power, is overheating the battery and causing a short life span. We run the IDX adapter and the smallest v-lock they make. Lasts a long time, and no overheating.

November 7th, 2006, 10:08 AM	#7
Steve Rosen Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Monterey, California Posts: 895	I've got two 950s and two Anton Bauer Hytron50s... They have all been used constantly since I bought the H1 last December.. I use the 950s often, when I want the camera light, and the 50s when I need to leave the camera on for extended periods, or when I'm powering a 7" monitor... I've had zero problems with the 950s, and they're never particularly over-warm that I've noticed... the Hytron 50s are beginning to get weaker, shorter use times (but I ask alot of them), but not the stock batteries.. Interesting that you're having problems with yours... Hope you get it solved... They are relatively cheap, but still...

November 7th, 2006, 11:30 AM	#8
Lauri Kettunen Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Kangasala, Finland Posts: 445	Colin, Any chance that your batteries have dropped or hit something? Lithium batteries include an electronic circuit which prevent deep discharge. For, lithium batteries may explode if they get deeply discharged. The electronic circuit switches the batteries off before the voltage gets too low. Consequently, there is a chance that if the circuit is damaged the batteries do not function any longer. When the XL 1 came out, I bought several Canon batteries and used them for eight years. The new battery type should also last much longer than a year unless the battery is used very stupidly. (The number of charge-discharge cycles is finite. My guess is that the number of cycles is in the class of 500-1000.) Last edited by Lauri Kettunen; November 7th, 2006 at 01:24 PM.

November 7th, 2006, 04:07 PM	#10
Chuck Wall Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 111	HI Just sent back a 950 that was charged two or three times and charged only on the stock canon charger... Same problem just dead.. Chuck

November 8th, 2006, 02:18 AM	#11
Paul Doherty Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Sherburn, England Posts: 136	My 950 has been working since February and has been recharged many times without problems.

March 12th, 2007, 02:41 PM	#12
Jonathan Kirsch Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 204	I have the same probs as the OP. I have two after-market BP-930s made by a company called Digipak. Got them a year ago. One crapped out after 4 months (charger says it's charged...but won't turn the camera on. Can't even open the tape door). Now, a week ago, the second one did the same thing. Charger says fully charged. Doesn't send power to the camera. They have not been dropped or hit with anything either. Anyone have an answer besides "Shouldn't have bought non-Canon batteries."? Thanks. Jonathan

March 12th, 2007, 02:49 PM	#13
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	I believe that I can help. If you battery is basically an "Open Circuit", then when you place it on the charger, it will almost immediately state that it is fully charged. So the "Battery Charged Light" indicates that the battery is fully charged, or the battery has an "Open Circuit" and cannot be used! They key here is that since it is an open circuit, then charger does not have any load on it and the "End of Charge" circuit reports that the battery is fully charged. To test for this, use a voltmeter to check for the voltage of the battery. If it reads zero, (and only if it reads zero!), then check the battery with an ohmmeter. If it reads high, such as 250,000 ohms, or 250 kiloohms or any other high value, then the battery has a "Open Circuit". This can be caused by dropping the battery, or if the battery has a fuse, or some other protective circuit, then the fuse is blown. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

March 12th, 2007, 03:49 PM	#14
Jonathan Kirsch Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 204	Thanks, for the quick reply, Dan. Unfortunately I don't have a voltmeter or an ohmmeter, but I'm going to go with the blown fuse theory. And I accidently posted in the wrong forum...it was supposed to be in the XL2 Watchdog forum...sorry. Found this thread through the search. But glad to have an answer anyway. Jonathan

March 12th, 2007, 07:23 PM	#15
Kevin Martorana Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Lancaster, PA Posts: 250	I 've had the same problem. Used the stock canon battery about 2 times. The battery is brand new...since June 06. (we us Anton Bauer) on the back of the H1... Charger says it's fully charged....but when you put a meter on it...is shows it's totally dead. I sent an email to our dealer...hopefully Canon will replace it... ;(