papimuzo Posted May 1, 2008 Share #1 Posted May 1, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Is there somebody knowing/having news about the long awaited battery charger proposed by Tim Isaac (cf: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/42667-any-sign-hahnel-twin-charger-yet-9.htm)? After a large and agreed need for such an object, I feel that this is left aside? Is it true? Otherwise don't you think that we could reshuffle the subject? How? Here? All the best. BTW on the subject, nothing new about this alternative: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/45309-universal-battery-charger-delkin.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 1, 2008 Posted May 1, 2008 Hi papimuzo, Take a look here What happend to Franken II?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Daniel Ortego Posted May 1, 2008 Share #2 Posted May 1, 2008 Frankly, I believe that we Leica M8 owners are in a smaller niche than we realize. Unless the battery is being used elsewhere, I don’t see how feasible this endeavor would be in such a small production run. Regards, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
think Posted May 1, 2008 Share #3 Posted May 1, 2008 I still think that contacting these guys about a solution might be a better bet. Product Details: SOLOXP Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
caparobertsan Posted May 2, 2008 Share #4 Posted May 2, 2008 I still think that contacting these guys about a solution might be a better bet. Product Details: SOLOXP[/QU Hello, I will become a M8 owner very soon and I have already ordered cheap battery from H&K. I have actually figured out how I can modify ordinal battery charger to charge M8 batteries. I hope I can try next week. I will let everyone know when I succeed this project. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted May 2, 2008 Share #5 Posted May 2, 2008 Personally, I wouldn't touch it; the safety certification and likely low quantities make it, for me, a non-starter for the price people are willing to pay. Even when I made one just for myself, I circumvented the safety issues by using a standard laptop brick to supply DC. Electricity is just not to be messed with. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
diogenis Posted May 2, 2008 Share #6 Posted May 2, 2008 What is it that is really wrong with the included charger? I don't really know how "much" niche we are, but I believe that most of us follow the exact same steps to change this and that: you know: an all leather case, a different "but better" exhaust for the car and so on. But consider that: 1. M8 is a simple machine and batteries do last 2. You can always buy a spare battery and leave it fully charged on the charger 3. The charger itself is "mobile" in that it also charge from your car's lighter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted May 2, 2008 Share #7 Posted May 2, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Electricity is just not to be messed with. Indeed, you only get to electrocute yourself once. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted May 2, 2008 Share #8 Posted May 2, 2008 What is it that is really wrong with the included charger? I can think of quite a number of things - search for my Travel Charger thread and you will see the horrors of the internals. Might work, probably not unsafe, but hardly a work of engineering perfection. It's large and it falls out of the wall socket (if you are in the US) If you leave a battery in the charger, it will not "trickle charge" - Li-Ion batteries don't do that, they go through a single charge cycle and with the Leica charger, if you leave a charged battery in an unplugged charger, the battery discharges back through the charger. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
papimuzo Posted May 2, 2008 Author Share #9 Posted May 2, 2008 What is it that is really wrong with the included charger? It is simply too bulky! Compared with Nikon, Canon, Pana,... this a true monster. I can't think to put it in my bag, as needing to travel light, I must take photographic stuff at minima. Being for some months far from my "base", I 'm already taking 4 fully charged batteries, but sometime it is not sufficient (given the fact that all batteries - Leica brand named! - are not equal in keeping the load). I don't want to buy more batteries: Customs are already looking at my face curiously at airport... Morever, it would be a good thing if the charger had a figure of 8 as means supply. Anyway, Daniel, Mark, you are probably right, the industrial run is too short to have a chance to get something. Long life to Franken I... All the best. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat_mcdermott Posted May 2, 2008 Share #10 Posted May 2, 2008 What is it that is really wrong with the included charger? The biggest issue for me is that it is too large. It takes up nearly as much room in my bag as the M8 itself. I've had chargers for Panasonic video cameras that charge two batteries at once and still plug straight into the wall that are less than half the size of the standard Leica charger. Is there really a technical reason it has to be that large? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
diogenis Posted May 2, 2008 Share #11 Posted May 2, 2008 I can think of quite a number of things - search for my Travel Charger thread and you will see the horrors of the internals. Might work, probably not unsafe, but hardly a work of engineering perfection. It's large and it falls out of the wall socket (if you are in the US) If you leave a battery in the charger, it will not "trickle charge" - Li-Ion batteries don't do that, they go through a single charge cycle and with the Leica charger, if you leave a charged battery in an unplugged charger, the battery discharges back through the charger. Will do. Apparently, it should really not be that difficult, to have produced indeed a compact charger using ICs (switched) instead of linear transformers, which I bet you show in your thread, and which I haven't looked at yet. Nokia has a nice outsource company (Home) that produces marvelous chargers. Something like that is indeed nice, but on the other hand, this one gives you all the plugs worldwide, that attach firmly to the unit, and then the unit attaches firmly to the wall socket, except maybe with the US plug, which is not the charger's fault. In europe the charger stays plugged in. It was also my thought and I remember I have read it somewhere in the manual that the charger allows to leave the battery on and that it trickle charges. I will make another run in the manual to confirm this. Papi, me too I prefer a better charger, if not anything something ecofriendly like Nokia's ones. But its not that big of a deal tbh, if it comes, welcome. And IF it ever arrives it will, because Leica much like any company in the western market needs a "green" face Edit: Mark I took a trip to Leica's manual and they don't clarify it, but they say, that we can leave the battery there. No problem. Charger just seems to stop the charging cycle: this is an excerpt: After completion of charging – about 3 hours – the yellow LED goes out. 5. The charger should then be disconnected from the mains. However, there is no risk of overcharging. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
diogenis Posted May 2, 2008 Share #12 Posted May 2, 2008 The biggest issue for me is that it is too large. It takes up nearly as much room in my bag as the M8 itself. I've had chargers for Panasonic video cameras that charge two batteries at once and still plug straight into the wall that are less than half the size of the standard Leica charger. Is there really a technical reason it has to be that large? None at all. In fact it can be made no bigger than the battery itself... and it should. On the bright side, look how small the camera is compared to the rest of the dSLRs Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted May 2, 2008 Share #13 Posted May 2, 2008 Apparently, it should really not be that difficult, to have produced indeed a compact charger using ICs (switched) instead of linear transformers, which I bet you show in your thread, and which I haven't looked at yet. Ah, you would lose your bet then. They do use a switched mode power supply instead of linear transformers and it's still huge. Keep in mind the charger is providing something like a paltry 3 VA to the battery. Edit: Mark I took a trip to Leica's manual and they don't clarify it, but they say, that we can leave the battery there. No problem. Charger just seems to stop the charging cycle: this is an excerpt: You don't want to believe what you read in instruction manuals. My turn to bet... Bet 1: I bet the person writing the manual didn't use an ammeter to measure the leakage current back into the charger when the charger is unplugged. Bet 2: I bet the person writing the manual doesn't know what an ammeter is, anyway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
diogenis Posted May 2, 2008 Share #14 Posted May 2, 2008 Lol!!! Throw me a link to your surgery thread... I don't seem to be able find it. I went for the battery, but there is no indication of capacity there, so I would guess again (even though I tend to lose my bets ) its something like 1Ah. I dunno what's the charging envelope for Li-on packs but even @ 1 amp its still pretty low power... What on earth do they got inside that thing? On the other hand its loaded with certificates, and you know the risks of charging or deep discharging lion packs. Maybe they followed the safe way to avoid risks of fire or explosions... As for leaking... I would have never imagine they leak like that. Why do they use 3 connectors? and in which terminals did you found the leakage? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravastar Posted May 2, 2008 Share #15 Posted May 2, 2008 It's very easy to see the reverse leakage, the green LED glows if you have a battery in the charger and the charger is unplugged from the supply. Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted May 2, 2008 Share #16 Posted May 2, 2008 They probably thought, how nice, this charger doubles as a flashlight... Here's a link to the original tread: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/17072-m8-travel-battery-charger.html#post178945 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
diogenis Posted May 3, 2008 Share #17 Posted May 3, 2008 Thanks for the link Mark. It's indeed a very stupid and bad design, and reminds me of Woz, and his book when he says that just because one can design and built something doesn't mean it is well done. He has to built it efficient too. And this is not an efficient design. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
diogenis Posted May 3, 2008 Share #18 Posted May 3, 2008 I also tested the link with an ammeter, only to find out an almost 0 leakage of 250 uAmps which was fluctuating. Then i inserted a charged batt and noticed that the green led was not lit at least on my charger. Therefore no matter how badly designed or how bulky, the charger honors its specs. Furthermore it must also be "Green", but haven't tested that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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