Supplied charger not charging enough? at DVinfo.net

Peter Rush · August 23rd, 2013, 07:25 AM

This is a strange one - batteries charged with the supplied charger show 100% when put in the camera but If I wait for them to charge and then put them on my VQ850 (came with my Z1) they continue charging for another half hour before they're full - Tried this with a few batteries - same issue?

Any thoughts?

Chris Harding · August 23rd, 2013, 08:04 AM

Hi Pete

My chargers are AC-VL1 and your Z1 charger looks much fancier ... Dunno if it helps much but my chargers are made in China and have no LCD display either ...I seldom flatten a battery anyway at a wedding so they could quite easily be under charging. Have you tried leaving the battery for 10 minutes and putting it back in the same charger? Mine seem to charge a little extra.

I think I would trust the 805 (probably made in japan) over the VL1 made in China!! The 805 from Sony is over $200 so I would suspect it's a better charger. Just use the 805! I have just finished charging a battery here and it measures 8.4 volts on my digital multimeter which is fully charged. Can you measure yours when it's "so-called" charged in the 50's charger and see if it also has 8.4 volts?

Chris

Don Bloom · August 23rd, 2013, 08:25 AM

I still use Sony and knock off Sony batteries for my lights and I have 4 different chargers including a real Sony dual battery charger and I can fully charge batteries on any one of them then take those same batteries and put them on another on of the chargers and it will show that it's charging at least for a few minutes. The batteries are fully charged regardless. BTW the same thing happens when I charge my V-Lok batteries even if the battery I'm putting on the charger was fully charged and hadn't been used at all.
I wouldn't worry about it. As long as the charger indicates the batteries are fully charged I'd say you're good to go.

Marlon Martins · August 23rd, 2013, 04:58 PM

this i believe is due to charging current,

faster chargers have higher current, so they charge faster, and when battery reach 4.2v per cell, the current start to drop till 10% of original current, then stops. this is the standard CC/CV li-ion charging algorithm

if later you use a charger with lower charging current, the last step is still performed, as finishing current have a lower value. so it still charge the battery maybe 1% to 2% more, but it takes time, as lower current takes longer to get to 10% on higher power batteries

as long batteries are within voltage ranges (4.15v ~4.25v cell) they are correctly charged.

2 cells batteries like the ones for EA50 should measure from 8.30v to 8.50v after charged (most likely 8.40v)

i did a small voltmeter with a cheap charger slot for the battery, its good to see the voltage to "know for sure" the battery is charged. any charger can have a "bad day" and mess it up sometime... ;P

August 23rd, 2013, 07:25 AM	#1
Peter Rush Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: UK/Yorkshire Posts: 2,069	Supplied charger not charging enough? This is a strange one - batteries charged with the supplied charger show 100% when put in the camera but If I wait for them to charge and then put them on my VQ850 (came with my Z1) they continue charging for another half hour before they're full - Tried this with a few batteries - same issue? Any thoughts?

August 23rd, 2013, 08:04 AM	#2
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Supplied charger not charging enough? Hi Pete My chargers are AC-VL1 and your Z1 charger looks much fancier ... Dunno if it helps much but my chargers are made in China and have no LCD display either ...I seldom flatten a battery anyway at a wedding so they could quite easily be under charging. Have you tried leaving the battery for 10 minutes and putting it back in the same charger? Mine seem to charge a little extra. I think I would trust the 805 (probably made in japan) over the VL1 made in China!! The 805 from Sony is over $200 so I would suspect it's a better charger. Just use the 805! I have just finished charging a battery here and it measures 8.4 volts on my digital multimeter which is fully charged. Can you measure yours when it's "so-called" charged in the 50's charger and see if it also has 8.4 volts? Chris

August 23rd, 2013, 08:25 AM	#3
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Re: Supplied charger not charging enough? I still use Sony and knock off Sony batteries for my lights and I have 4 different chargers including a real Sony dual battery charger and I can fully charge batteries on any one of them then take those same batteries and put them on another on of the chargers and it will show that it's charging at least for a few minutes. The batteries are fully charged regardless. BTW the same thing happens when I charge my V-Lok batteries even if the battery I'm putting on the charger was fully charged and hadn't been used at all. I wouldn't worry about it. As long as the charger indicates the batteries are fully charged I'd say you're good to go. __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

August 23rd, 2013, 04:58 PM	#4
Marlon Martins Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Torres, Brazil Posts: 115	Re: Supplied charger not charging enough? this i believe is due to charging current, faster chargers have higher current, so they charge faster, and when battery reach 4.2v per cell, the current start to drop till 10% of original current, then stops. this is the standard CC/CV li-ion charging algorithm if later you use a charger with lower charging current, the last step is still performed, as finishing current have a lower value. so it still charge the battery maybe 1% to 2% more, but it takes time, as lower current takes longer to get to 10% on higher power batteries as long batteries are within voltage ranges (4.15v ~4.25v cell) they are correctly charged. 2 cells batteries like the ones for EA50 should measure from 8.30v to 8.50v after charged (most likely 8.40v) i did a small voltmeter with a cheap charger slot for the battery, its good to see the voltage to "know for sure" the battery is charged. any charger can have a "bad day" and mess it up sometime... ;P