Battery Issues

[ldhrads]

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Three of my six Leica original batteries have now swollen so I cannot get them in my MM or M9! If I do shove them in I can’t get them out without a fight. I’ve always bought original Leica batteries but at 150-175 USD I’m hesitant given what’s happening to mine. Any suggestions?

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[pico]

You have my attention! Swollen batteries? May I ask if you use a Leica charger? Thank you.

Edited October 7, 2018 by pico

[jdlaing]

Me too. I could see one, maybe two on the extreme, but not three.

I might suspect a charger or voltage fault.

 

Quick question..........are you going through light bulbs in your house at an accelerated rate?

[pico]

I might suspect a charger or voltage fault.

 

I thought the battery had the charge control chip. No? And to confuse things, Leica claims their battery cannot be overcharged, but does not mention rate.

Edited October 7, 2018 by pico

[jdlaing]

I thought the battery had the charge control chip. No? And to confuse things, Leica claims their battery cannot be overcharged, but does not mention rate.

Agreed. But if that chip is bad and he has dirty power, ie: voltage variations, the batteries might swell.

 

I had that problem in Houston with a bad ground mount transformer. I was burning up light bulbs twice as fast and had to get the power company to change out the transformer.

[ldhrads]

You have my attention! Swollen batteries? May I ask if you use a Leica charger? Thank you.

Only have ever used Leica original batteries and charger.

[ldhrads]

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Me too. I could see one, maybe two on the extreme, but not three.

I might suspect a charger or voltage fault.

 

Quick question..........are you going through light bulbs in your house at an accelerated rate?

No problems with voltage in house.  

[schattenundlicht]

Three of my six Leica original batteries have now swollen so I cannot get them in my MM or M9! If I do shove them in I can’t get them out without a fight. I’ve always bought original Leica batteries but at 150-175 USD I’m hesitant given what’s happening to mine. Any suggestions?

Please never put a battery that shows the slightest amount of swelling into a charger again! It is a sign of internal gas-out of a potentially inflammable electrolyte mix. The battery housing is under significant pressure now.

 

This may be due to previous overcharging, overheating (think car & summer), failure of battery electronics (unlikely with three batteries simultaneously) or advanced age, when the separator membranes inside the battery may become brittle.

 

Are all the batteries roughly the same vintage? How many charge/discharge cycles did they approximately go through?

[gvaliquette]

I had the same problem with an iPhone battery - it was swollen.  I went to the Apple store to get the battery changed, but they refused to do it, saying that the battery was unstable and might explode in the technician's face!  Instead, they gave me a brand new iPhone for the price of the battery replacement!

Please don't use these batteries anymore.

Guy

[AceVentura1986]

Back when my Mono and ME were both having their sensors changed I started using my old and trusty M8. One day I inserted a battery and noticed it was a bit snug. I didn’t think much of it. Later when I snapped off a few shots I suffered a shutter failure. The camera is now useless and given the cost of repair, just sits on a shelf.  

Much later when I got my Mono out, I inserted another battery and felt it was just a bit snug. Took it out and trashed it. I label all my batteries so I could estimate the date of purchase. They were approximately three years old. 

I’ve since ordered new batteries and don’t use any of my old ones anymore. Word to the wise, if it’s at all snug, trash it and order a new one.