External power and power monitor for SL2

[scott kirkpatrick]

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There's a discussion in another thread (probably video) about how to supply external power either outdoors with a battery pack or indoors with AC. The conclusion was that only the PD interface on your power source will run the camera instead of just recharging the batteries somewhat.  One post lead to a YouTube contribution in which someone was measuring the voltage presenting and amperage carried across a USB cable!  Amazon has that unit (and other, fancier ones) for $6, in sub-prime.  (It is listed as prime, but takes 5 days to show up.  Mine was sourced in Dallas TX, sent somehow to LA ,  then handed to the USPS and mailed to me in Houston TX!)  But it does what it is supposed to do:

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R1030002 by scott kirkpatrick, on Flickr

Just recharging a nearly full battery in the camera from an Anker 20000 PD takes a steadily decreasing amperage, delivered at 5V.  Turning the camera on increases the current by .5 to .6 amperes, seemingly not depending very much on what activities are going on.  I started up the WiFi, for example (Fotos in Remote mode), and the current didn't change.

R1030004 by scott kirkpatrick, on Flickr

Edited March 1, 2020 by scott kirkpatrick

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[DadDadDaddyo]

Thank you for this.

A question, as one who had thought about trying a power bank. From the steady, rather than falling, current level can we conclude that the camera is both operating and continuing to charge? Or rather does it mean the camera has switched from charging to operation?

In another post I read that the charging must be initiated first, with the camera switched off, for the charging to continue after the camera is switched on.

Does that align with your findings?

Again, thank you for exploring this. I'm considering the use of a power bank for extended sessions.

[nicci78]

You just discovered the nightmare of USB C : everything look alike. But nothing is really compatible with each other. 
Poorly design port. Not really future proof. I guess that we have to design another one to take over the mess. 
Another issue : USB C ports will loosen with time. Just check how awful it is to keep an external drive connected to an old MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt 3 only 

[michali]

11 hours ago, nicci78 said:

You just discovered the nightmare of USB C : everything look alike. But nothing is really compatible with each other. 
Poorly design port. Not really future proof. I guess that we have to design another one to take over the mess. 
Another issue : USB C ports will loosen with time. Just check how awful it is to keep an external drive connected to an old MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt 3 only 

Agreed, the connections are all too flimsy. I've just purchased a couple of extra batteries and not be bothered with this.

I also carry a Nitecor USB Travel Charger charger in the bag which charges the batteries off the Zendure Power Bank 

The other option of course is to purchase an SL2 Battery Grip.

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Edited March 2, 2020 by michali

[scott kirkpatrick]

16 hours ago, DadDadDaddyo said:

 From the steady, rather than falling, current level can we conclude that the camera is both operating and continuing to charge? Or rather does it mean the camera has switched from charging to operation?

I think it switches from charging to operating, leaving the battery alone (or perhaps using it if the current from the power bank is not sufficient).  I charged the battery in the camera to completion (zero current) with the camera switched off.  Then turned the camera on and saw the same current (just under 1 amp) as before when the battery was partly discharged.  Since the power bank seems to offer a fixed current, I'll have to try some video to see if it still runs the batteries down with the PD bank attached.  I tried WiFi and didn't see anything changing. 

Edited March 2, 2020 by scott kirkpatrick

[nicci78]

It is just that USB-C form factor hides many standards with many variation : USB 3 will all its silly variants, Thunderbolt 3, DisplayPort, PowerDelivery, etc... But each standards have their own cable requirements. So it is often the culprit ! But they all look the same. 

Add an adapter and you are screwed by the adapter own way to handle the different standards.

Apple is also a culprit, by providing PowerDelivery only USB C cable, with its MacBook Pro. You will not be able to tell it appart from USB-C/USB 3 cable and from Thunderbolt 3 one. Go figure. 

Some people, just have to label the cable to know which one is which. 

Even then, there is the device problem. Is the SL a real powerdelivery device ? Or it is just a powered on USB 3 ? different stuff once again. But a real nightmare. Better to ask Leica, how many USB-C standards the SL2 really support. 

And then is it a USB 3.0 or a USB 3.2 gen 1x1 or 1x2 or gen 2x1 or 2x2 ? Yes this naming scheme is crazy

 

And don't forget that USB 4 is coming too. It is just Thunderbolt 3 renamed... 😅

Edited March 2, 2020 by nicci78

[nicci78]

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According to SL2 technical data pdf : SL2 is not Power Delivery. It only supports USB 3.1 Gen 1x1. Previously named USB 3.1 Gen 1 aka USB 3.0 🤔

So only 5 GBit/s is not really glorious. And USB 3.0 capability is quite limited. Once again Leica decided to use subpar chip for its I/O : Wifi and Bluetooth one is crappy too. A shame even against 200€ cheap chinese smartphone...

Edited March 2, 2020 by nicci78

[Photoworks]

45 minutes ago, scott kirkpatrick said:

I think it switches from charging to operating, leaving the battery alone (or perhaps using it if the current from the power bank is not sufficient).  I charged the battery in the camera to completion (zero current) with the camera switched off.  Then turned the camera on and saw the same current (just under 1 amp) as before when the battery was partly discharged.  Since the power bank seems to offer a fixed current, I'll have to try some video to see if it still runs the batteries down with the PD bank attached.  I tried WiFi and didn't see anything changing. 

since I only have one SL2 battery I have been using power banks true out the day. 

Most power banks have a self regulating chip in them that detect the current.  It is recommended to plug in both ends UBS-C cable before powering on the camera to start charging .

check the cables you are using, many of them are not right for the camera. 

I would plug in the power bank at 1/2 battery power in camera, and be able to charge to full in 1 hour while using for photos.

that said the power consumption of the camera varies on shooting modes, 4k recording and burst shooting may be to much for the power bank to keep up.

[scroy]

3 hours ago, nicci78 said:

 

And don't forget that USB 4 is coming too. It is just Thunderbolt 3 renamed... 😅

No. Its not. 

Quite a bit different as there are protocol changes, but there is a legacy mode  which enables TBT3 compatibility.

 

[caissa]

I think it should be mentioned that USB PD is the keyword. You need a power bank or USB charging device with the latest generation of USB PD port. Then it works flawlessly with the SL2. (Use the other ports only for your mobile phones.)

The latest version (3.0) of USB PD standard is from 2019, so older devices will not work correctly.

Edited March 9, 2020 by caissa

[tommydom]

I agree with @caissa, but what is missing is Leica confirming exactly what the power requirements are for the camera. Only by testing did I get a solution for powered operation - using a PD compliant power source is required. Nothing in the specifications/data sheet or instruction manual calls out any specifics.

Tommy.

[helged]

Hello folks! Any suggestions how to (conveniently) power the SL2, off-grid, for a period of, say, a month? I am thinking of time intervall shooting, so the battery may keep the camera going for some days, but certainly not for weeks and more. Battery pack with PD should work, but for how long? And what about low temperatures (say down to minus 20 deg C)? 

[LocalHero1953]

On 3/1/2020 at 8:23 PM, nicci78 said:

You just discovered the nightmare of USB C : everything look alike. But nothing is really compatible with each other. 
Poorly design port. Not really future proof. I guess that we have to design another one to take over the mess. 
Another issue : USB C ports will loosen with time. Just check how awful it is to keep an external drive connected to an old MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt 3 only 

I agree the mechanical design is flimsy, but I learned something with my smartphone. It got to the stage where any USB cable would barely stay in the phone socket to charge - it kept dropping out. I assumed I would need to replace the phone soon, but in desperation I scraped around its socket with a tooth pick and pulled out a few grams of fluff, probably from my pockets - a bit like navel fluff, I guess. Since then the cable connects securely, like new.

Q. Why is navel fluff always blue even when your shirts aren't?

[tommydom]

8 hours ago, helged said:

Hello folks! Any suggestions how to (conveniently) power the SL2, off-grid, for a period of, say, a month? I am thinking of time intervall shooting, so the battery may keep the camera going for some days, but certainly not for weeks and more. Battery pack with PD should work, but for how long? And what about low temperatures (say down to minus 20 deg C)? 

Goal Zero has a number of options that include different battery options as well as solar recharging for the battery pack. I'm not sure of the operating temperatures, so you might have a look at their specifications. I purchased a battery pack and it serves the SL2 well delivering power during operation as well as recharging. I have not purchased a solar panel, so I can't say from experience anything about them.

[caissa]

On 6/1/2020 at 6:14 AM, helged said:

Hello folks! Any suggestions how to (conveniently) power the SL2, off-grid, for a period of, say, a month? I am thinking of time intervall shooting, so the battery may keep the camera going for some days, but certainly not for weeks and more. Battery pack with PD should work, but for how long? And what about low temperatures (say down to minus 20 deg C)? 

I did not try such long time series. But you could change the external PD device (I use Anker) every week. Or maybe check more often (at the beginning maybe every day), but I am sure it will last at least 2-3 days.

I use the devices usually from my coat pocket, so I do not know about very low temperatures. But I am sure the provider of the device will give a working range of temperatures. But -20 Celsius over one month seems very special. And probably needs special wrapping, maybe including some sort of heating. Maybe look into a seismic forum. They often use devices for many months in harsh environment, and not always on warm volcanoes. Or in (arctic) wildlife fora. With these temperatures I would actually be a bit worried about the SL2.

[scott kirkpatrick]

First, some numbers.  The SL battery is specced at 1860 mA-hours (at 7-8 volts operationing level.)  The Anker 10000 holds 10,000 mA-hours, so that's about five battery-loads.  I don't know if solar chargers come with some sort of switch so that they can recharge your external source at the same time as it is delivering power to the camera.  The biggest external batteries are 3-4 times this capacity.  So this all depends on how often the camera is triggered and how often it shoots when it is active, which have to be determined experimentally.  Since the internal and external batteries are pretty much the same technology, experiments with in internal batter to determine the effect of -20 C will also apply to an external unit.

[jmm1]

I noticed this "Battery Power insufficient for 4k.." message now that I using a LUMIX 70-200 f2.8 (with/without TCx2)on my SL2.

Surprisingly I don't get it with the Lumix 24-105 and 20-60 but it is a problem with the Sigma 45mm.

Isn't that weird?

I also thought that the USB-C charger would charge the battery while it was plugged in and camera switched on but just realised thats not the case.

Hope someone knows a fix.

John

[jaapv]

No - it is not weird

Long Sigma zooms consume a lot of power for AF and OIS. My CL warns for a high-power consumption lens whenever I mount the 100-400, and I do need a couple of batteries in my pocket when I  use it.

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[Mdol]

On 6/1/2020 at 6:14 AM, helged said:

Hello folks! Any suggestions how to (conveniently) power the SL2, off-grid, for a period of, say, a month? I am thinking of time intervall shooting, so the battery may keep the camera going for some days, but certainly not for weeks and more. Battery pack with PD should work, but for how long? And what about low temperatures (say down to minus 20 deg C)? 

Hi,

For this kind of job, I think the best would probably be a dedicated system. We do that for a client, and it's working pretty well for one year, without any external power supply. There is a small solar panel and a battery inside the box. It passed the last winter with temperatures going down -10ºC. The system contains a GSM modem and send the pictures in RAW every hours (or when you want) to a ftp server. So images are secure. BUT, it works only with a Nikon or a Canon, and I don't think SL2 would be supported.

regards, m.