gvaliquette Posted April 28, 2013 Share #1 Posted April 28, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) Firstly, my batteries are genuine Leica batteries. I purchased my M9 and the 2 batteries in December 2010. I have been using both batteries equally, alternating them in the M9. Both have been holding a charge well. Now, I just recharged one battery, after a 50-75% discharge and it took the usual time to charge up. When I put it in the M9, I immediately got the "Attention - Battery low" message on the LCD. The M9 refuses to do anything: the shutter will not release, no backside menu options buttons are active, nothing, except the "Attention - Battery low" message. If I put it back in the charger, both lights come on steadily in less that a half-hour. I searched the forum archives, but did not find a relevant thread for my problem. If I put my other battery in the camera, everything is normal! Any suggestions??? Thanks in advance. Guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 28, 2013 Posted April 28, 2013 Hi gvaliquette, Take a look here M9 battery unexpectedly died!. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
skinnfell Posted April 28, 2013 Share #2 Posted April 28, 2013 This sounds to me more like a misbehavior of your M9 than your battery. This happened a couple of times to my M9 too. A firmware update solved it. Do you have the latest firmware installed? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted April 28, 2013 Share #3 Posted April 28, 2013 My experience suggests replacing batteries at least every 3 years, regardless of proper charging habits. I've had 2 batteries about this age that seemed fully charged, yet the camera (M8.2) was fine one moment and completely died the next. I put in a new Leica battery, recycled the old one, and all returned to normal. I won't let that happen again. Unlike you, however, I didn't get any low battery message; rather everything died, including the LCD and top display. So your issue may be different, but my advice on batteries remains the same. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted April 28, 2013 Share #4 Posted April 28, 2013 It happens. Return it to Leica. Maybe they will accommodate you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardkaraa Posted April 28, 2013 Share #5 Posted April 28, 2013 I would say it's a bit too early for a battery to die. Normally they should last 3 years from the manufacturing date. Maybe the battery is an old batch. You can check the manufacturing date that is imprinted on the battery in week/year format. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plewislambert Posted April 28, 2013 Share #6 Posted April 28, 2013 Is there any view on whether cheap replacement batteries are more inclined to cause trouble than genuine M9 batteries? Philip Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCharlton Posted April 28, 2013 Share #7 Posted April 28, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) Happened to me too. New Leica M9 battery just stopped charging after a few days use. Thankfully B&H Photo swapped the battery for good one. Makes you wonder about Leica these days... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvaliquette Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share #8 Posted April 28, 2013 ... Do you have the latest firmware installed? I am using firmware 1.174, and have been happy with that version. What puzzles me is that that battery had been performing perfectly normally, holding a full charge without any problem. I am open to any and all suggestions, short of returning my M9 to Solms :-( Guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted April 28, 2013 Share #9 Posted April 28, 2013 What puzzles me is that that battery had been performing perfectly normally, holding a full charge without any problem. Same as mine....twice. Same advice. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvaliquette Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share #10 Posted April 28, 2013 Same as mine....twice. Same advice. Jeff Thanks for sharing your experience, Jeff. But when batteries "die" of old age, they generally loose charge holding capacity gradually before going belly-up! My battery was fine, I recharged it and it took the normal time to reach full charge, and then, when I put it in the M9, I got the "Attention Battery low" message immediately. To me, that does not look like a battery dying of old age, but rather more like a fault in the battery monitoring circuitry in the battery, or, worse, in the camera. My only reassurance is that my other battery behaves perfectly normally! Guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tele_player Posted April 28, 2013 Share #11 Posted April 28, 2013 Yes, non-Leica batteries never work 100% correctly in an M9, though many people claim not to be bothered by the misbehavior. Before anybody jumps on me - I'd love to hear of an alternative M9 battery that doesn't need to be fully discharged in order to get the battery level reading to work correctly. I haven't heard of one yet. -Robert Is there any view on whether cheap replacement batteries are more inclined to cause trouble than genuine M9 batteries? Philip Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted April 29, 2013 Share #12 Posted April 29, 2013 Is the defunct battery a real Leica product? One way to tell is by looking at the CE mark. Fakes have the spacing (kerning) of the characters wrong not as a matter of ignorance, but as an intent to deceive. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrogers Posted April 29, 2013 Share #13 Posted April 29, 2013 I am using firmware 1.174, and have been happy with that version. What puzzles me is that that battery had been performing perfectly normally, holding a full charge without any problem. I am open to any and all suggestions, short of returning my M9 to Solms :-( Guy Before sending it to Solms, I'd try 1.196. It specifically addressed power management issues with weak batteries, and however unlikely, it may behave differently with your battery. If it doesn't make a difference, you can always go back to 1.174 (assuming you have or can get it). In the 1.196 update notes, Leica says explicitly to replace batteries after three years, and sooner with heavy use. Firmware earlier than 1.196 will continue to shoot with a failing battery, and you can end up with photos ruined by some really ugly banding. Been there, not fun... I agree the battery should fail gradually, and should last a bit longer. But with the other battery working fine, a camera problem seems unlikely. If 1.196 doesn't help, replace the battery. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramesh Posted April 29, 2013 Share #14 Posted April 29, 2013 (edited) Your batteries are at least 2 1/2 years old (excluding time sitting on the store shelf) and nearing end-of-life even if you have not used them. Suggest draining them completely and then recharging. If still they don't work, you may have to get new ones. Edited April 29, 2013 by rramesh Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted April 29, 2013 Share #15 Posted April 29, 2013 (edited) But when batteries "die" of old age, they generally loose charge holding capacity gradually before going belly-up! Apparently not to me...twice...both Leica batteries, and both approaching 3 years. Your theory is nice; I'll base my belief and future practice on actual experience. Jeff Edited April 29, 2013 by Jeff S Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted April 29, 2013 Share #16 Posted April 29, 2013 (edited) Firstly, my batteries are genuine Leica batteries. I purchased my M9 and the 2 batteries in December 2010. I have been using both batteries equally, alternating them in the M9. Both have been holding a charge well. Now, I just recharged one battery, after a 50-75% discharge and it took the usual time to charge up. When I put it in the M9, I immediately got the "Attention - Battery low" message on the LCD. The M9 refuses to do anything: the shutter will not release, no backside menu options buttons are active, nothing, except the "Attention - Battery low" message. If I put it back in the charger, both lights come on steadily in less that a half-hour. I searched the forum archives, but did not find a relevant thread for my problem. If I put my other battery in the camera, everything is normal! Any suggestions??? Thanks in advance. Guy Is there a way for you to pretty much discharge that battery before charging it fully again? Maybe that helps? You also could try out temporarily whether an older firmware version makes a difference and shakes it loose. I would use version 1.162 for that. My two batteries for the M9 are 3.5 years old and going strong. However, I had a Nikon D40 battery fail after 6 years. It swelled up so that it was very hard to remove from the camera. Luckily no fluid leaked out and the camera wasn't damaged. Edited April 29, 2013 by k-hawinkler Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvaliquette Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share #17 Posted April 29, 2013 @ pico: Yes, the real thing, 14464. @ xrogers: Yes, I do have 1.196 on my laptop (as well as all earlier versions). I'll install it and come back with the results. @ rramesh: Both batteries were purchased at the same time and both were used regularly. Jeff: Good point! Experience beats theory every time! Jeff and k-hawinkler: How do you discharge the battery completely outside of the camera. It has now been in the camera for > 24 hours, with auto-standby disabled, and shows no evidence of being completely discharged. Thank you all for your suggestions. Guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted April 29, 2013 Share #18 Posted April 29, 2013 As some folks have learned, if you leave the shutter halfway depressed while in the case, you'll end up with a dead battery. You might be aware that the manual (M8.2) states that " a new battery only reaches its full capacity after it has been fully charged and - by use in the camera - discharged again two or three times. This discharge procedure should be repeated every 25 cycles." Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted April 29, 2013 Share #19 Posted April 29, 2013 @ pico: Yes, the real thing, 14464. @ xrogers: Yes, I do have 1.196 on my laptop (as well as all earlier versions). I'll install it and come back with the results. @ rramesh: Both batteries were purchased at the same time and both were used regularly. Jeff: Good point! Experience beats theory every time! Jeff and k-hawinkler: How do you discharge the battery completely outside of the camera. It has now been in the camera for > 24 hours, with auto-standby disabled, and shows no evidence of being completely discharged. Thank you all for your suggestions. Guy Hi, I would suggest reading this article http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m9-forum/175076-non-leica-m9-battery-test.html#post1663407 in its entirety. I sure miss Washington's contributions. One way to proceed is to do this search: 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! You should get: Now read all the posts in which the word discharge is flagged in red, especially posts #28, #31, #33, #34, #56, #57, #64, #71, #73, #74, #99, #101. You get the idea. Good luck. And please let us know what you find out. Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! You should get: Now read all the posts in which the word discharge is flagged in red, especially posts #28, #31, #33, #34, #56, #57, #64, #71, #73, #74, #99, #101. You get the idea. Good luck. And please let us know what you find out. Thanks. ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/203608-m9-battery-unexpectedly-died/?do=findComment&comment=2310400'>More sharing options...
gvaliquette Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share #20 Posted April 29, 2013 xrogers: I loaded firmware 1.196 onto my M9, no change, no improvement. K-H: Thank you very much for that link. Interesting indeed! I will rig up the battery discharging circuit that washington used, including light bulb (as a load), copper braids (for contacts), and voltmeter (for monitoring), but this will not happen for a few weeks. In the meanwhile, I'll simply buy a new Leica battery, but I will try to rescue my older one. All: look for this thread to pop back up at the top when I post the results of my "out-of-camera" discharge cycle. I'll keep you all posted. Guy 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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