thrid Posted May 4, 2015 Share #1 Posted May 4, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) Has anyone recharged the M240 batteries via a large battery pack in a remote area? Many companies like Brunton or Goal Zero sell high capacity batteries with some of them holding as much as 32000 mAh. There are also many manufacturers making power packs with USB ports etc. that are primarily intended to power phones, tablets etc. The M batteries are 7.4v and 1800 mAh and it seems like it would be a lot easier and significantly cheaper to carry 2-3 M batteries and recharge them off a single high capacity unit, than juggling 10 or 20 individual M batteries. Many of these high capacity batteries can be purchased for under $300 dollars, whereas a single M battery runs between $170-200 dollars. Also once you have access it a power source It would be a lot simpler to have to recharge only one big battery, than multiple smaller units. The M charger will run on AC or DC. Batteries with DC output and a cigarette lighter plug seem to be less common and units with an AC outlet are rare and quite expensive. The most common outlets found on these batteries are USB and your standard type power pin as found on laptops and countless other electronic devices. But I believe that USB is AC and you would need to convert it to DC to use the cigarette lighter adapter for the M charger. The Goal Zero Sherpa 100 Power Pack seems to be the closes I could find to what I need, but at 8800mAh the capacity is somewhat low. Has anyone here been down this road before? thx Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 4, 2015 Posted May 4, 2015 Hi thrid, Take a look here Charging M batteries via large battery pack?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
pico Posted May 4, 2015 Share #2 Posted May 4, 2015 But USB is AC and you would need to convert it to DC to use the cigarette lighter adapter for the M charger. Power via USB is DC. (USB has four pins. Two inside for communication, and the two outside pins are DC power.) To charge using an external battery you will need the Leica charger which has the 5.5mm plug (or someone smart to make a smaller direct 12V or 24V DC to Leica battery connector) Until someone comes up with the above we need a the 5.5mm plug to go into the Leica charger and the battery. Capacity requirement of the large battery is a question I cannot answer. Perhaps someone else can help. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrid Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share #3 Posted May 4, 2015 Thanks Pico. I have found a few of these power packs with a 12v DC power pin outlet. It seems like all that is needed is a cable to connect the M charger. Many of these units come with a variety of adapter pins and I'm pretty certain that one of them would fit. thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darylgo Posted May 4, 2015 Share #4 Posted May 4, 2015 The Anker® 2nd Gen Astro Pro 15000mAh is a quality charger that includes a cable that matches the DC port of the Leica M240 battery charger. There is higher capacity available at greater size. When battery charging is 100% it turns off power to the charger, a feature that I don't believe happens on AC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrid Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share #5 Posted May 5, 2015 thanks. I came across this one also http://www.hypershop.com/MBP2-100.html It has 12v DC in and out so I assume it can be recharged from a cigarette lighter, which is pretty important if you are on the road and away from an AC outlet. But i need to verify for certain if the hypershop has that capability. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanJW Posted May 5, 2015 Share #6 Posted May 5, 2015 I see the point but I wonder if it is overkill. The capacity of the M battery is far superior to the smaller M8/9 style. Needing ten or twenty batteries for a day would be highly unusual. Yesterday I did more than 500 frames over about 5 hours on about 1 1/2 batteries, with extensive EVF use. The EVF adds considerably to power consumption. I know that is just anecdotal but I could not ever imagine needing more than three batteries. Even with a connection to a power pack, a big limiting factor is you can't charge more than one at a time unless you can figure out multiple connections for multiple chargers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pop Posted May 5, 2015 Share #7 Posted May 5, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) I see the point but I wonder if it is overkill. The capacity of the M battery is far superior to the smaller M8/9 style. Needing ten or twenty batteries for a day would be highly unusual. Yesterday I did more than 500 frames over about 5 hours on about 1 1/2 batteries, with extensive EVF use. The EVF adds considerably to power consumption. I know that is just anecdotal but I could not ever imagine needing more than three batteries. Even with a connection to a power pack, a big limiting factor is you can't charge more than one at a time unless you can figure out multiple connections for multiple chargers. Going from the first post in this thread, I would assume that it's about outings which take more than one day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted May 5, 2015 Share #8 Posted May 5, 2015 I can recharge from a power outlet in the car formerly known as lighter. If the 240 has no such outlet for connection and for there uses, I have a power inverter from Frys Electronics, $20. It has multiple outlets. Now if it is a long enough "hike" and you do not have transportation, there are solar rechargers and film cameras. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted May 5, 2015 Share #9 Posted May 5, 2015 The Anker® 2nd Gen Astro Pro 15000mAh is a quality charger that includes a cable that matches the DC port of the Leica M240 battery charger. There is higher capacity available at greater size. When battery charging is 100% it turns off power to the charger, a feature that I don't believe happens on AC. Daryl Just curious if you have had a chance to successfully try this unit out with an M charger? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrid Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share #10 Posted May 5, 2015 I see the point but I wonder if it is overkill. The capacity of the M battery is far superior to the smaller M8/9 style. Needing ten or twenty batteries for a day would be highly unusual. Hey Alan. I'm looking in to this for extended off the grid travel. The 240 batteries are quite good and 2-3 should go a long way, but there are two issues here. 1) If you are on the road and have only limited access time to a power source it is a lot easier to handle the logistics of recharging a single large battery than multiple small ones. 2) 240 batteries cost between $170-200. If you wanted 10 batteries for an extended off the grid trip you are looking at roughly $2000. A single high capacity power pack that holds 10 times as much as single M battery is available for less than $300. You can also use the power pack to charge other devices like a GPS etc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmahto Posted May 5, 2015 Share #11 Posted May 5, 2015 I have similar need when I am hiking and out in the wilderness for a longer time (up to a week). I investigated the solar charger option and concluded that it is not practical due to slow charging even if you have a very large panel requiring you to stay put in one place for whole day. If you are moving everyday then it is impractical. The only solution is to carry multiple charged batteries which are light. For me two batteries are enough for 3-4 days (I don't use LV and avoid chimping). However three battery for a week long trip should be ok for my need. In comparison, for my sony NEX-6 I have 4 batteries since they are smaller and consume more due to star trail kind of usage. For hiking I carry appropriate extra batteries (camera battery, AA, AAA etc.) rather than one generic large battery. It is easier to manage. I have also explored the possibility of operating the camera from external battery directly. In the case of sony NEX-6, I have an external power supply adapter that replaces the battery inside the camera with wire running out which can be connected to external power source or another battery. I needed this to keep the camera open for a longer time during time lapse. Since I do not use my M240 for this purpose, I didn't bother to find out whether M can be powered by external source directly. And if you are close to vehicle then charging from car battery is no brainer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkjod Posted May 5, 2015 Share #12 Posted May 5, 2015 I don't have a M240...but I do have an Amazon wish list set up just incase some large pay day comes in and I can afford one This is something I have thought about quite a bit, and this is the solution I think I'm going to use when that day comes. Here is my solution: Anker Astro Pro2 20000mAh Multi-Voltageor RAVPower® Xtreme 23000mAh 3-Port Portable External Battery Charger with Multi-Voltage If you are truly off the grid, or hiking in the back country than it would be possible to charge either of these with the following: X-DRAGON High Efficency 20W Solar Panel Charger If anyone is interested, here is the wish list: http://amzn.com/w/2WEXGL0144O5K Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
krieves Posted May 5, 2015 Share #13 Posted May 5, 2015 I have one of these to power strobes but you can use to charge most devices. Plus it generate pure sine wave power. http://www.paulcbuff.com/vm120.php Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darylgo Posted May 6, 2015 Share #14 Posted May 6, 2015 Daryl Just curious if you have had a chance to successfully try this unit out with an M charger? I have tried it with the M9 charger, the M240 charger and the Leica S charger, it works with each one. The key is the connecting cord included, it is perfect for the Leica chargers. I attempted to purchase a second cord but found none, an email to Anker about a backup cord was nicely replied and they sent one gratis. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted May 6, 2015 Share #15 Posted May 6, 2015 I have one of these to power strobes but you can use to charge most devices. Plus it generate pure sine wave power. http://www.paulcbuff.com/vm120.php Thanks so much as I also have one of these and it never occurred to me to try it with devices other than strobe lights. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrid Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share #16 Posted May 6, 2015 Daryl Can the Anker unit be recharged from a DC cigarette lighter or only an AC outlet? thx Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darylgo Posted May 7, 2015 Share #17 Posted May 7, 2015 Thrid, I use the included ac adapter to charge the Anker, however the Leica DC cigarette lighter also charges the Anker. When charging the Anker, the Leica batteries can be attached and charged from the Anker after it hits a certain charge level, I believe it is 60%. The battery is quite heavy and has a heft similar to the Leica M body, it feels dense, and similar to Leica it has a quality feel. The AC adapter is large and quite cumbersome, not heavy and the prongs do not retract so it is bulky, the prongs will detach so the unit can be made smaller. I find Leica battery charging is the same speed as AC, and iirc I was able to charge the M240 battery 5 times. The unit tends to lose charge quickly in storage, last charged 3 days ago to 100% it is now at 98%. I purchased this for several purposes, mainly remote location shooting, and it solves the issue of inconveniently placed ac sockets in hotels. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmahto Posted May 8, 2015 Share #18 Posted May 8, 2015 Just curious. Why do you think a battery weighing almost as M, and charges M battery 5 times (maybe less in week since it looses charge) is better than not carrying 5 M battery in the first place? Is it because you have a need to charge some other device as well? I am assuming that you are away from a vehicle, which has a huge battery already for charging. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darylgo Posted May 8, 2015 Share #19 Posted May 8, 2015 Just curious. Why do you think a battery weighing almost as M, and charges M battery 5 times (maybe less in week since it looses charge) is better than not carrying 5 M battery in the first place? Is it because you have a need to charge some other device as well? I am assuming that you are away from a vehicle, which has a huge battery already for charging. When referring to the weight, it has a density similar to the M body, I don't believe it weighs the equivalent. it's smaller than 5 batteries, much less expensive (less than $100) and you are correct about multiple purposes and travel away from vehicles. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albireo_double Posted June 6, 2015 Share #20 Posted June 6, 2015 On my travels, I often use the Sherpa 100 battery pack to charge the M240 batteries - using the standard Leica charger and the Sherpa 220V inverter that attaches to the Sherpa battery unit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.