Leica M11 USB-C charging problems

[Buster72]

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I’m having the exact same problem with my new M11.  It will not charge via USB C no matter how many combinations of different chargers and cables I use.  Assuming that this is a firmware issue based on the problems all on this thread seem to be having.

[elmars]

Did You enable USB charging in the firmware settings?

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[Simon_Germany]

2 hours ago, Buster72 said:

I’m having the exact same problem with my new M11.  It will not charge via USB C no matter how many combinations of different chargers and cables I use.  Assuming that this is a firmware issue based on the problems all on this thread seem to be having.

Yes, it sounds like it. Just to update: 

I have not been able to solve it. 

USB charging is enabled in the settings and I have tried numerous combinations of chargers and cable. I have also tried resetting the camera several times. 

I was told by Leica in December that it is a firmware issue that will be fixed, but the last firmware update did not fix it. 

Anyone here able to solve it?

[Photoworks]

1 hour ago, Simon_Germany said:

Yes, it sounds like it. Just to update: 

I have not been able to solve it. 

USB charging is enabled in the settings and I have tried numerous combinations of chargers and cable. I have also tried resetting the camera several times. 

I was told by Leica in December that it is a firmware issue that will be fixed, but the last firmware update did not fix it. 

Anyone here able to solve it?

I have noticed that if it works with the charger from Leica, it will work for the camera.

Some power adapters just don't work.

[Simon_Germany]

38 minutes ago, Photoworks said:

I have noticed that if it works with the charger from Leica, it will work for the camera.

Some power adapters just don't work.

Just to confirm: I can charge the battery with the external Leica charger BC-SCL7 M11 that came with the camera. That works with almost all USB power adapters for me, like the Apple 20W USB-C Power Adapter, and generally the system is not too picky. 

I cannot charge the battery inside the camera at all, no matter which cable or power adapter I use, having tried more than a dozen different combinations of cables and power adapters. There is definitely a malfunction there (software according to Leica, but I would not rule out hardware as only some users seem to be affected).

 

[jakontil]

I always have to turn the m11 on after plugging the usb c to initiate charging, at least since the latest firmware, prior, it was more like a hit and miss…. 

[Simon_Germany]

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17 hours ago, jakontil said:

I always have to turn the m11 on after plugging the usb c to initiate charging, at least since the latest firmware, prior, it was more like a hit and miss…. 

Yes, I understand that helps in some cases. Again, for my copy of the M11 no combination of turning it on and off, after or before charging, no combination of cables and power adapters and completely resetting the camera works. I wonder how many others have the same issue? Leica states that it is a software issue that they know and are working on. 

[FlashGordonPhotography]

4 hours ago, Simon_Germany said:

Yes, I understand that helps in some cases. Again, for my copy of the M11 no combination of turning it on and off, after or before charging, no combination of cables and power adapters and completely resetting the camera works. I wonder how many others have the same issue? Leica states that it is a software issue that they know and are working on. 

I’m not so sure about the *software* excuse. My M11 and M11M both charge just fine directly off pretty much any PD charger. The original charger and charge brick are still in the box for both cameras. Not had an issue at all. That’s while doing each firmware update as they come out.

I’d be trying a different battery in a Leica store.

Gordon

[antonioxrosa]

Hi, I have the same concern. Can you share the specifications of the poiwerbank you use?. Thanks 

[scott kirkpatrick]

I had finished charging the battery after coming in from shooting, but here is what I see with a USB volt/ammeter in the socket, Leica charger brick cabled into the ammeter:

start with power switched OFF  red light goes on, no green light, current of about 0.3 A flows for a minute, then goes to zero.  red light goes out.

try again.  unplug and replug, switch still OFF.  red light comes on.  0.3 A current drain.  switch ON, red light blinks, green light comes on and stays on, steady. Red light goes out. With the lens cap off and something to show on the VF2 or the back screen, it draws about 1.3 A, with lens cap on and nothing to show, about 0.4 A.  It doesn't seem to shut off further.  When I switch off, red stays off, green goes off, and no current flows, because this battery is fully charged. 

I'll try again with battery down more than 20%.  

Firmware 1.6.1 used.  It may be worth checking again when 1.6.2 is downloadable.  Incidentally, the user manual version 1.0 for the M11 is no longer available for download (on the English Leica-camera site).  Maybe some of these changes are being documented.

[adrianh]

I have a couple USB-C cables on my desk, and both charge the M11. My M11 charges from every USB-C I’ve tried until now as every other USB-C device I’ve used. I plug it in, and at some point, is is fully charged. I am using my laptop chargers, or my monitor that charges also my laptops. However, I have not done any scientific test, and I have no tried small chargers as those used for Webcams or old phones. 

[scott kirkpatrick]

Well, I use my Leica charger brick and its cable, and now that my M11 is down just below 80%, I tried with the camera switched off.  Red light on, small current, then red light off, larger current and the green light comes on, with a slow oscillation (pulse about 20 bpm.).  Voltage, current started at 4.98. 1.72 but are slowly decreasing.  now 1.5 amps while battery has reached 90%, 1.0 amps at 95%, 0.6 amps as we start to show 100% charge.  Somewhere between .3 and .4 amps, the green light stops pulsing, and just burns steadily. At a current of 0.28 amps, the green light goes out, and the current drops to zero.  This seems to be the same cycle that the charger would follow with the battery outside the camera.

I'll try charging from an Anker battery next time. 

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by scott kirkpatrick

[Laser cow]

I have discovered the same issue, usually I charge the battery in the charger but I decided to travel light so I went to China without it.

In my case I had tried charging from a low current hotel room USB-A port and assumed it didn’t have enough juice or was defective. When plugging that in, or my iPhone via fotos cable, the battery indicator shows the cable connected for a moment before going off again and the camera will not charge. However now I have borrowed a Nintendo Switch charger and I see more clearly what is happening. With the higher current charger the “plugged in” symbol  remains on and the green light pulses as it should. Then after 5-10 minutes the charging stops again. I am able to charge the battery by 5-10% at a time if I’m lucky.

 

My assumption was initially that there was a safety circuit on the battery being triggered that could indicate a short or a battery health problem but it doesn’t add up. I now suspect it is a voltage drop that may indicate an issue in software or PMIC. If it is a PMIC problem then I doubt I’ll see a fix any time soon.

 

I will test it with the Leica wall charger when I get back to Norway, as well as testing the standalone battery charger to make sure this isn’t a new issue with the battery, and if I still see the same problem I will take it to the Leica store and see what they say. 
 

Will update if I discover anything worth mentioning.

[stevieraveon]

I have input that may help. I think the wattage may be part of the equation.

My old iPad adapter 5V 3A 1W - Will not charge

My newer iPad USB-C adaptor 20W works.

Just got an Anker 736 (100W) works.

 

[Al Brown]

To verify if the cable is charging your device try a USB-C cable with wattage indicator. I am in the process of replacing all my USB cables with these fast cables.

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[jakontil]

5 hours ago, stevieraveon said:

I have input that may help. I think the wattage may be part of the equation.

My old iPad adapter 5V 3A 1W - Will not charge

My newer iPad USB-C adaptor 20W works.

Just got an Anker 736 (100W) works.

 

I have the same experience with this, when charging using 18w, barely starting i have to turn off n back on to reignite, no problem with bigger wattage charger though

[Photoworks]

I have found on the cable with W indicated that the PD battery you use makes a big difference.

I was using a small Anker PD battery from a few years ago. was getting 3W when the camera was off and 1W when the camera was on

With my new Zendure 100W PD battery, I get 5W charging when the camera is off and 1W when the camera is on.

This was pretty consistent with Leica and sony cameras across.

[Squad]

I have the exact same issue since I got my M11 a couple of months ago (in fact I felt like a fool buying such an expensive tool, just to discover that it had such an apparent issue that none of the bodies of other manufacturers I own have, but this is a story for another day).

For me it also usually works when I turn the camera on while the cable is plugged in, and then turn it off. Sometimes this doesn’t work though, so I got into the (time-wasting) habit of checking the LED for a couple of seconds after I turn it off again.

The cynic in me thinks Leica doesn’t care enough about this issue, because they want to show off how awesome that magnetic battery tray is 😅

It sounds like OP has a slightly different issue as all other posters here that have reported about their in-body USB charging issues. I certainly wouldn’t rule it out.

And to add just one more data point: for me the wattage doesn’t change anything. I’m currently traveling with a Belkin charger that has multiple 100W ports, and one 20W port, yet the issue still exists.

For me it’s definitely not a charger / cable issue. So it has to be either firmware, or hardware.

[steveBK]

USB-C is sort of a mess in that it uses the same plug for power & data, but the cables & devices support all sorts of different standards.

Some cables are power only, some are data only.  Some are low power.  Some support data, but only USB2 speed.  I have even found cables which only work when plugged in "right side up" despite the plug being bidirectional.  

I have found buying well reviewed (usually higher cost), specified fast data & high power rated cables to be a basic requirement in the USB-C ecosystem.  Otherwise many devices that ship with USB-C cables come with garage cables.

Another issue I have found in other USB-C PD devices is when both devices are battery powered, and you plug them in together.. sometimes the charge goes in the wrong direction.  Goalzero has had issues where its giant 1.5kWh battery starts to suck power out of my MacBook instead of the other way around.  Sometimes the plug-in & power up sequence plays a part there.

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[cj3209]

We may be overcomplicating the issue.  I'm using a 10K portable Anker battery and it charges both my M11 and M11m.

I think M11s that don't charge via USB C need to be looked at by Leica, I'm sorry to say.

Best of luck to you.

JL

Edited September 3, 2023 by cj3209