JayBird Posted March 4, 2023 Share #1 Posted March 4, 2023 Advertisement (gone after registration) Has anyone here used a 3rd party brand for replacement or extra battery. I have read some positive reviews of the Wasabi battery being used in other brands. I was curious if others have tried them in Leicas. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 4, 2023 Posted March 4, 2023 Hi JayBird, Take a look here Replacement Battery for M10. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
sometimesmaybe Posted March 4, 2023 Share #2 Posted March 4, 2023 i've used Wasabi on other cameras like my GFX. they work well. haven't seen any swelling etc, but i don't have any experience with their Leica batteries Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimar Posted March 4, 2023 Share #3 Posted March 4, 2023 Seems somewhat academic as they don’t make a battery for the m10? https://www.wasabipower.com/en-ca/search?type=product&q=BP-SCL5 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakontil Posted March 4, 2023 Share #4 Posted March 4, 2023 No 3rd party battery yet for m10 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayBird Posted March 5, 2023 Author Share #5 Posted March 5, 2023 Thanks for the replies. I did some more searching after posting the question. I couldn’t find one. So I just ordered one as my local dealer is out. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpitt Posted March 5, 2023 Share #6 Posted March 5, 2023 (edited) No experience with the M10, but I have bought several used sets, and some included third party batteries. They were never very good (lasting long). My main use for them is as a spare battery for when my native one is empty. Certainly if you have only one native battery it is worth it to have one. I can shoot at will with my good battery until it runs out completely. Then I switch to the spare and go into battery saving modus, taking only the shots I really must have before I can recharge my main battery again. Edited March 5, 2023 by dpitt Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leitz. Posted March 6, 2023 Share #7 Posted March 6, 2023 Advertisement (gone after registration) On 3/5/2023 at 4:14 AM, JayBird said: Has anyone here used a 3rd party brand for replacement Doesn’t exist Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyturk Posted March 8, 2023 Share #8 Posted March 8, 2023 Leica suppresses the ability to make aftermarket BP-SCL5 batteries by putting "smarts" in the batteries themselves. M10 camera bodies communicate electronically with batteries in addition to drawing power from them. A battery that provides power but lacks the communication ability will cause the M10 firmware to power down the camera. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Posted March 8, 2023 Share #9 Posted March 8, 2023 I used third party batteries on all my cameras in the past, without any problem. Some would last less long after a few years, but no failure or swelling. I understand there is still some risk that a third party battery causes some major issues to the camera, but there is also a strong drawback to Leica preventing third party options: what happens when Leica stops selling batteries for a given model ? Sure nothing is made to last forever, but I would hate to see a perfectly functional M body turned into a dead brick at some point for that reason alone. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimar Posted March 8, 2023 Share #10 Posted March 8, 2023 (edited) Is an interesting question. Batteries should last around 3-5 years depending on use. Will leica still sell them in 5-10 years? There are people still using m8/9s, though are off brand batteries being produced. I hope to be using my m10r/m in 5-10 years. Edited March 8, 2023 by Nimar 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted March 8, 2023 Share #11 Posted March 8, 2023 19 minutes ago, Nimar said: I hope to be using my m10r/m in 5-10 years. I hope I can still do anything in 5-10 years! 1 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimar Posted March 8, 2023 Share #12 Posted March 8, 2023 (edited) Can still buy m 240 batteries, so 11 years since initial release, 6 years since it’s successor was released. Hopefully means I can buy replacements for the m10 in 5 years. Edited March 8, 2023 by Nimar Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimar Posted March 8, 2023 Share #13 Posted March 8, 2023 (edited) 19 minutes ago, TomB_tx said: I hope I can still do anything in 5-10 years! Not sure if that’s a reflection of age or general outlook, suspect the former as I imagine the average Leica M user is on the greyer side of the spectrum. I got my first in my 20s (an m6 before they got expensive) and am still in my 30s (late) so would really hope to be using these cameras in 20 years but don’t know what technology will do in that time. Edited March 8, 2023 by Nimar Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugby Posted March 9, 2023 Share #14 Posted March 9, 2023 9 hours ago, andyturk said: Leica suppresses the ability to make aftermarket BP-SCL5 batteries by putting "smarts" in the batteries themselves. M10 camera bodies communicate electronically with batteries in addition to drawing power from them. A battery that provides power but lacks the communication ability will cause the M10 firmware to power down the camera. Could you please share the source of your response above. I’m an avid reader of technical information and thought I’d processed all the public domain specifications pertaining to the M10 tech and would like to learn more about your response. thankyou 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
84bravo Posted March 11, 2023 Share #15 Posted March 11, 2023 On 3/8/2023 at 7:06 PM, dugby said: Could you please share the source of your response above. I’m an avid reader of technical information and thought I’d processed all the public domain specifications pertaining to the M10 tech and would like to learn more about your response. thankyou I don't know about causing the firmware to power a camera down, but the aftermarket M8/9 batteries are all kind of wonky in communicating with the camera or charger compared to the Leica battery. They work for the most part, but charge levels aren't reported accurately for most of them. I assume that the M240 and M10 batteries may have more proprietary circuitry making aftermarket batteries very difficult to make. The market for them is somewhat limited and may not be worth the ROI to make them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugby Posted March 11, 2023 Share #16 Posted March 11, 2023 There is some interesting information is this older forum thread 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyturk Posted March 11, 2023 Share #17 Posted March 11, 2023 On 3/8/2023 at 4:06 PM, dugby said: Could you please share the source of your response above. I’m an avid reader of technical information and thought I’d processed all the public domain specifications pertaining to the M10 tech and would like to learn more about your response. thankyou Sure. The following is an oscilloscope capture I made between pins 2 and 3 on the battery and my M10-M. I taped 30 guage wire to the contacts and inserted the battery into the camera so it would operate normally. The wires dangled outside where I could connect them to other equipment. This capture shows about 4 milliseconds of of a very small signal riding on top of the the battery voltage supplied to the camera. This short burst happens periodically, but there's a much longer burst when the camera first starts up. I don't know what form of encoding is used, but it looks like a deliberate signal. There are people on the "Leica Photography" discord server that have done similar experiments and may know more about what information is being sent. If I powered my camera with a lab supply at the same DC voltage (but without the signal on top), the behavior was that the camera turned on briefly and then quickly turned itself off. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 1 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/370262-replacement-battery-for-m10/?do=findComment&comment=4719093'>More sharing options...
dugby Posted March 11, 2023 Share #18 Posted March 11, 2023 Thankyou for your explanation of a small signal riding on the battery voltage, which looks consistent with the circuit diagram from the "Anatomy M9/M8 battery" above thread showing the DS2438 wired to the P+ DQ P- terminals. The encoding would most likely be Maxim Integrated. The forth terminal seems reserved for the Leica charger, as the camera only has 3 terminals connecting to the battery, ie the "CC - charger control" Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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