Charging Leica Q batteries on the road

[MLochmansPhoto]

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I have a question about charging Leica Q/CL batteries while on the road.

Is there a way to hook up the BC-DC12 charger on the usb - out port in my car or the usb - out on a power bank?

I know there are mobile chargers who can operate on the cars cigarette lighter, but that is not what I am looking for.

Thanks in advance.

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[jbripley]

I bought this USB based charger that’s been working great. https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0772KJ35V/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[marchyman]

I also use the Nitecore charger.  I have one for my Q and another for my M.

[Leica Guy]

30 minutes ago, marchyman said:

I also use the Nitecore charger.  I have one for my Q and another for my M.

+1. I use the same Nitecore charger especially when I’m traveling. Works perfectly although not particularly fast. That keeps the battery temp down which helps the batteries last longer. 

[MLochmansPhoto]

Thanks all for pointing me in the right direction. The Nitcore seems the way to go. 

Much appreciated.🙏👍

[Laurentß]

I got a better solution https://www.ebay.fr/itm/Akku-Ladegerät-für-Leica-BP-DC12-passend-für-Leica-Q-V-Lux-4-VLux-Leica-CL/372343132492?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Battery is not as strong as the official one, but can't beat this price.

I ditched the plug to use one from Apple's computer plug. It makes a tiny charger.
Car plug is great.

[MLochmansPhoto]

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12 hours ago, Laurentß said:

I got a better solution https://www.ebay.fr/itm/Akku-Ladegerät-für-Leica-BP-DC12-passend-für-Leica-Q-V-Lux-4-VLux-Leica-CL/372343132492?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Battery is not as strong as the official one, but can't beat this price.

I ditched the plug to use one from Apple's computer plug. It makes a tiny charger.
Car plug is great.

Thanks, but your solution is another one but not a better one for me. The Nitcore can be powered by usb using a power bank. Yours cannot.

As I said in my OP I was not looking for charging via the usual cigarette lighter plug.

Thanks though for the option, it might be helpful for others.

[TK!]

I like the Nitcore though I do not really understand what the numbers on the display want to say. Anyway „end“ seems to mean finished...

- tk

[Leica Guy]

The numbers show current voltage V, charge current in mA, cumulative charge applied in mAh. Meaning how many mA for how long. Then end. If your battery is fully discharged before you charge it, the final mAh reading is the charge capacity of your battery. Good for comparing with past charge numbers and with the mfg’s stated capacity. I just charged a Q2 battery and it read 1707 mAh. The battery wasn’t truly dead. The stated capacity is 1860 mAh so hopefully after a few cycles it’ll gain a little more capacity. Li-ion batteries do have a new break-in period and often add capacity after a few cycles. 

Edited May 18, 2019 by iQ2

[LexS]

The iQ2 info is very interesting. On that I bought 2 NiteCore chargers, good little things.

With all types of Li-Ion batteries it is best not to discharge them completely before recharging.

(of course I took for the LeicaQ that I have)

Edited May 21, 2019 by LexS

[Leica Guy]

1 hour ago, LexS said:

The iQ2 info is very interesting. On that I bought 2 NiteCore chargers, good little things.

With all types of Li-Ion batteries it is best not to discharge them completely before recharging.

(of course I took for the LeicaQ that I have)

It’s my understanding that most “smart” Li-ion batteries will not allow you to discharge into an unsafe or damaging region. When the Q2 says the battery is empty, that is really saying its at the safe lower limit of charge. It should do no damage to the battery. I am an Electrical Engineer by education, but I have no specific knowledge of the Q2 battery. My comments are based on a general understanding and where the technology is today for managing charging of such batteries. If anyone has more specific knowledge, I’d love to hear it. 

[LexS]

I am a University graduate in Physics but that does not help. I understand. My knowledge and experience are with portable computers and iPad, iPhones.

If the battery is protected then not by itself but by the electronics in the equipment. In modern macs (Apple) or Surface (Micosoft) you can set a warn level eg 20%.

But whatever, the issue is a basic property of Li-Ion batteries.

And I would like to thank you (again) for all your contributions in the Leica forums, I learned a lot since the end of last year....

add: more general info https://batteryuniversity.com/

 

Edited May 22, 2019 by LexS

[ramarren]

The Nitecore chargers work well ... I've had them for M240/262, SL, and CL batteries for a year now. The Leica OEM charger seems to be a little better at squeezing in the last minor erg of power (I suspect the folks at Nitecore decided to err on the safe side to ensure no damage to batteries), but the Nitecore chargers have done me well.

Another nicety with them is that you can charge your CL/SL/M batteries with an inexpensive USB backup battery as well (I now carry two of these, which cost less than $10 apiece, which nets about six to eight full charges of a CL battery from nearly exhausted)... an additional level of mobility options.