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charging leica m from 24V source?


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Hi

Could anyone tell me if it is safe to plug a 24V battery into the Leica M240 charger?

The battery output is 24v/3.75A

 

I've heard that while marked 12V, the charger works on 12v and 24v.

 

Why am I doing this?  Using a large portable battery to charge multiple devices on a long trip.

 

Is it safe?  Any undue effects?  Will it work?

 

Thanks

 

Jon

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The only way to know is to try.

Maybe it works.

Franco

 

oooh, I dunno! I loaned a digital camera to a colleague who was going to Tibet - you know, the country where you have to change trains because track widths change.  He returned with the broken camera saying, "I don't know what happened. I plugged it in an it got real bright for a second. Then nothing."

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I know - that's the sort of thing I'd use, if the literature about the M240 didn't say it was a 24-12V car charger.

I'm pretty sure I would find out - one way or the other - what would happen if I just plugged it in, but I'm hoping that someone with experience or knowledge can respond.

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I know - that's the sort of thing I'd use, if the literature about the M240 didn't say it was a 24-12V car charger.

I'm pretty sure I would find out - one way or the other - what would happen if I just plugged it in, but I'm hoping that someone with experience or knowledge can respond.

The literature says it's a 100-240 V AC (50 or 60 Hz) and a 12 V DC 1.3A charger. See the technical data in the user's manual on about p. 254.

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AH - I see the manual also says "

The car charging cable supplied may only be operated with 12V electrical systems,"
 
 
BUT
 
 
EU and US power cords and car charging cable for 12-24 Volts are included
 
 
Got through to Leica tech support in 12v, they go with what the manual says - 12V
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Some of our commercial trucks and most tractors and big utility vehicles use 24V systems. The rest of the automotive systems are 12.6V. Running/charging states are a couple volts higher.

 

When Leica states 12 to 24V DC I believe they mean just that. The charger steps the voltage down, possibly to 5.5V.

 

I avoid all this on the road by using my vehicles 115v AC system.

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The charger that came with my M 262 specifically states a DC input of 12v 1.3A.  The cigarette plug cord does not contain any specifications.  I would not plug the charger into a 24V circuit unless I first verified that there is some kind of step-down circuit in the cigarette plug by measuring the actual voltage output.  My guess is I'd read 24V, i.e. there is no step-down circuitry in the plug.

 

Charger AC input range is 100-240V, 50/60 Hz, 300 mA

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You should NOT try that! It will fry your charger. The AC power is automatically switching from 100 to 240V, depending on which part of the Earth you are. But the DC power input for this charger is 12V! The user manual actually states on page 234 under FOR THE CHARGER:

 

• The car charging cable supplied

– may only be operated with 12V electrical systems,

 

So don't do it without a DC converter from 24V to 12V.

 

The German manual states the same thing that it is only allowed to be used with 12V electrical systems.

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Otherwise if you want something which is more "Leicastandard" we use this, made in Germany, DCDC-converter for our diesel engines, it comes in a metal casing is IP69 classified and the connector is of industrial standard (bayonett with sealings) :p :

 

26822396644_9537ca711d_b_d.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

In the EU the charger by law has to have a label on it for the the power it is rated for. So if the charger does not say it is rated for 24v then I am afraid that it is not rated for 24v.

 

Here is a converter for 24v to 12v which should save anything going bang:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Voltage-Dropper-Converter-Reducer-Inverter/dp/B0034BACP0

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