mikemgb Posted August 1, 2016 Share #21 Posted August 1, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) The Unipal does look good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 1, 2016 Posted August 1, 2016 Hi mikemgb, Take a look here Charging the SL battery whilst backpacking - is there a solution?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Chuck Albertson Posted August 1, 2016 Share #22 Posted August 1, 2016 Don't know where you're located, but Lloyd Chambers reviewed some solar chargers on his blog the other day (subscription site): http://diglloyd.com/ I think some of the other commenters have a different idea of what a backpacking trip is. Here in the States, it means hiking in the wilderness, where there is no electricity and the only 12-volt batts are the ones that haven't been stolen by tweakers from cars parked at the trailhead. Elsewhere, a backpacking trip is the Grand Tour kids take during their gap year, and usually involves low-rent accommodation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted August 1, 2016 Share #23 Posted August 1, 2016 Whilst not wishing to be a party pooper, I would treat two contact lithium chargers with a considerable degree of caution. Back in the early days of the M8, the original supplied Leica charger was a horrible thing about the size of half a brick. This had to be plugged directly into the outlet, as the prongs formed part of the charger and lastly it was unreliable (mine had to be replaced under warranty). A number of folks looked for alternatives. One attractive looking one was a Hahnel universal charger which could charge two M8 batteries at once, was reasonably sized and had a flying mains lead. The problem was that a significant number of users found that it damaged their M8 batteries, so that the capacity was reduced, even after just a few charges. Some batteries would not charge up at all afterwards on the Leica Charger. The SL charger has two control contacts as well as the power contacts. I believe one is a thermal sensor control and the other a coulomb counter sensor, which manages the total charge applied to the battery. The universal chargers work on voltage only and don't control the charge anything like as accurately as the Leica charger does. Given the cost of the SL batteries, I would be very wary of charging them on a two contact charger. Wilson 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramarren Posted August 1, 2016 Share #24 Posted August 1, 2016 Whilst not wishing to be a party pooper, I would treat two contact lithium chargers with a considerable degree of caution. Back in the early days of the M8, the original supplied Leica charger was a horrible thing about the size of half a brick. This had to be plugged directly into the outlet, as the prongs formed part of the charger and lastly it was unreliable (mine had to be replaced under warranty). A number of folks looked for alternatives. One attractive looking one was a Hahnel universal charger which could charge two M8 batteries at once, was reasonably sized and had a flying mains lead. The problem was that a significant number of users found that it damaged their M8 batteries, so that the capacity was reduced, even after just a few charges. Some batteries would not charge up at all afterwards on the Leica Charger. The SL charger has two control contacts as well as the power contacts. I believe one is a thermal sensor control and the other a coulomb counter sensor, which manages the total charge applied to the battery. The universal chargers work on voltage only and don't control the charge anything like as accurately as the Leica charger does. Given the cost of the SL batteries, I would be very wary of charging them on a two contact charger. Wilson I tend to agree. But if you really need a more portable solution, it's a risk that you can consider. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemgb Posted August 1, 2016 Share #25 Posted August 1, 2016 Whilst not wishing to be a party pooper, I would treat two contact lithium chargers with a considerable degree of caution. Back in the early days of the M8, the original supplied Leica charger was a horrible thing about the size of half a brick. This had to be plugged directly into the outlet, as the prongs formed part of the charger and lastly it was unreliable (mine had to be replaced under warranty). A number of folks looked for alternatives. One attractive looking one was a Hahnel universal charger which could charge two M8 batteries at once, was reasonably sized and had a flying mains lead. The problem was that a significant number of users found that it damaged their M8 batteries, so that the capacity was reduced, even after just a few charges. Some batteries would not charge up at all afterwards on the Leica Charger. The SL charger has two control contacts as well as the power contacts. I believe one is a thermal sensor control and the other a coulomb counter sensor, which manages the total charge applied to the battery. The universal chargers work on voltage only and don't control the charge anything like as accurately as the Leica charger does. Given the cost of the SL batteries, I would be very wary of charging them on a two contact charger. Wilson This is why I would only use mine while travelling. I will say though, the batteries do not get hot while charging so I wouldn't expect problems from them being overheated. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pop Posted August 1, 2016 Share #26 Posted August 1, 2016 Would something along this line help? - http://www.everredtronics.com/EN/TEM/thermoelectric.generator.html I have seen somewhere a picture of what I think was a Russian invention: A petrol lamp which generated sufficient power to operate a small radio receiver with valves. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted August 1, 2016 Share #27 Posted August 1, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) I wonder why Leica omitted the 12V input to the SL charger? Other DSLR makers who use 7.2V batteries, have chargers with 12V inputs, so there is no technical impediment. Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted August 1, 2016 Share #28 Posted August 1, 2016 (edited) Would something along this line help? - http://www.everredtronics.com/EN/TEM/thermoelectric.generator.html I have seen somewhere a picture of what I think was a Russian invention: A petrol lamp which generated sufficient power to operate a small radio receiver with valves. I had a car cold box which worked on the reverse principle - thermo-electric cooling (Peltier-Seebeck effect). Wilson Edited August 1, 2016 by wlaidlaw Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmahto Posted August 1, 2016 Share #29 Posted August 1, 2016 Thanks! Further research shows there's also this one from Hähnel: the UniPal Plus. https://www.amazon.com/Hahnel-Unipal-Universal-Battery-Charger/dp/B009LM3V5E Pricier but it seems a bit nicer design. I have used Unipal charger with M240 and Sony. It works well and I use it as second charger. It seems to be universal enough so it should work for SL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewing_machine Posted August 1, 2016 Author Share #30 Posted August 1, 2016 Gosh, many thanks for your answers Just to clarify I will be 100% away from any power of any sort other than what I carry... I do have the UniPal Plus but I can't get it to fit the SL battery - unless I am missing something - as the charging prongs are too low down to connect with the charging points of the SL battery, which sit too high in the charging cradle to allow them, to connect (I hope this makes sense!); but then I don't know how to get power to UniPal Plus... Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewing_machine Posted August 1, 2016 Author Share #31 Posted August 1, 2016 Many thanks Elmer-It (apologies, I'm not sure what else to call you!)... that suggestion seems very good, I could precharge the A2, that seems a really good solution. What lead do you use from the powerpack to the SL charger? Many thanks, this gives me hope!Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmer-it Posted August 2, 2016 Share #32 Posted August 2, 2016 Dear Pete, The Lifepower A2 has a built in AC socket in which you just plug in the leica SL charger. That is why you need a battery pack with inverter, the inverter modulates the DC output to an AC output in which you can plug in anything (up to a certain power draw) which you could plug into the wall socket. What i did was: - 3 fully charged batteries - Charge lifepower A2 via wall socket (charger is included) just before leaving. I actually charged it 3 times each time discharging in by plugging in a desk lamp overnight. On the road: - Recharge SL batteries by plugging in the SL charger in the laifepower A2 - Charge laifepower A2 whenever possible using solar panel. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmer-it Posted August 2, 2016 Share #33 Posted August 2, 2016 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmer-it Posted August 2, 2016 Share #34 Posted August 2, 2016 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmer-it Posted August 2, 2016 Share #35 Posted August 2, 2016 Dear Pete, Check out : http://lifepower.be/product/a2-25600-mah/ for more info. Good luck on your trip! Best regards, Ernst Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted August 2, 2016 Share #36 Posted August 2, 2016 Dear Pete, Check out : http://lifepower.be/product/a2-25600-mah/ for more info. Good luck on your trip! Best regards, Ernst How long (without any sun) would you estimate that the Lifepower A2 would run a Leica battery charger for or alternatively how many SL charges from near empty do you feel you could do? I am going back to Myanmar in November but in a much more remote area than last time, doing a classic car rally from Tachilek in the far north east to Yangon. I was thinking of fitting an inverter in our car (an ex-works 1970 Safari Rally Mercedes 280SL) but the Lifepower might be easier. Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemgb Posted August 2, 2016 Share #37 Posted August 2, 2016 How long (without any sun) would you estimate that the Lifepower A2 would run a Leica battery charger for or alternatively how many SL charges from near empty do you feel you could do? I am going back to Myanmar in November but in a much more remote area than last time, doing a classic car rally from Tachilek in the far north east to Yangon. I was thinking of fitting an inverter in our car (an ex-works 1970 Safari Rally Mercedes 280SL) but the Lifepower might be easier. Wilson I have an inverter in our 1971 MGB that we use for Endurance Rallies, it's small, hidden and very handy when you are in the middle of nowhere. If you want to charge overnight without draining the battery a dual battery system with an isolator to make sure the inverter does not run off your starting battery is not difficult to install. If I'm going to be away from a source of power for a long time I would rather have the inverter than battery packs, that way I know I will not run out of power. I also have an off-road vehicle used for camping and touring, that is equipped with an inverter on a separate deep cycle battery, but that is charged from a solar panel mounted on the roof, that's probably not something you'd want to do to a classic Mercedes..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmer-it Posted August 2, 2016 Share #38 Posted August 2, 2016 How long (without any sun) would you estimate that the Lifepower A2 would run a Leica battery charger for or alternatively how many SL charges from near empty do you feel you could do? I am going back to Myanmar in November but in a much more remote area than last time, doing a classic car rally from Tachilek in the far north east to Yangon. I was thinking of fitting an inverter in our car (an ex-works 1970 Safari Rally Mercedes 280SL) but the Lifepower might be easier. Wilson Difficult to say, as i didn't try (as i topped up via the solar panel when possible). Theoretically the leica SL battery is 1860 mAh, the Lifepower 25000 mAh so ... the capacity is >10-fold. However, my guess would be that you could realistically expect to charge 6-7 batteries max (just a feeling, not scientifically or experimentally underpinned. For me - in the context of a hike in the wilderness without source of power for 8 days- weight and size were very important and this dictated my choice, but if you have a car with you, i would probably go the car-inverter route (no pun intended). Best regards, Ernst 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted August 2, 2016 Share #39 Posted August 2, 2016 I have an inverter in our 1971 MGB that we use for Endurance Rallies, it's small, hidden and very handy when you are in the middle of nowhere. If you want to charge overnight without draining the battery a dual battery system with an isolator to make sure the inverter does not run off your starting battery is not difficult to install. If I'm going to be away from a source of power for a long time I would rather have the inverter than battery packs, that way I know I will not run out of power. I also have an off-road vehicle used for camping and touring, that is equipped with an inverter on a separate deep cycle battery, but that is charged from a solar panel mounted on the roof, that's probably not something you'd want to do to a classic Mercedes..... Mike, Thanks for the suggestion. I don't think there is enough room to fit an extra battery in the 280SL. This is a car that always does long distance rough road rallies. It has done a number of Peking to Paris, Safari Classics, Himalayan, Transamerica, Carrera Panamerica, Cape Town to Cairo rallies etc. It carries a lot of spares like drive shafts, crown wheel and pinion, lots of bearings, gasket sets, a front and a rear wheel hub etc, plus all the tools to fit them, so space is at a premium. It has a full triangulated roll cage inside as well, so not much room there either. Phones we can charge from a 12V USB, so it is really only camera batteries for my SL and my brother's Nikons. I was thinking of this inverter https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ring-RINV120-Compact-Inverter-laptops/dp/B002XDERD8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1470149219&sr=8-4&keywords=Ring+inverter which we would only run during the day anyway. We could easily run two camera battery chargers off it at one time. We lent the 280SL to a friend to do the Scottish Malts in 2014. We told him to turn off the master switch every night to power down the navigation equipment but he kept forgetting. I have had quite enough of push starting that car! This is the car in question at the Skye stop on the Scottish Malts. Wilson Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/263070-charging-the-sl-battery-whilst-backpacking-is-there-a-solution/?do=findComment&comment=3089526'>More sharing options...
FrozenInTime Posted August 2, 2016 Share #40 Posted August 2, 2016 If size and weight are more important than cost ( you want it to be small and light for backpacking right ), I would modify the Leica charger and jumper out a connection for external DC. As the battery that's being charger is a two cell li-ion type, it a reasonable assumption the actual charge circuit can run off 12v directly. You can then use a 12v regulated solar panel. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.