Leica Charging Unit (14412) (for Power-Pack MW-R8)

[Leitzfan]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hello Esteemed R Afficionados,

Challenge for only most erudite of Leica sages:

- Can anyone tell me how to procure a Charging Unit (14412) for my Leica Power-Pack MW-R8 (14250)--or how to otherwise recharge the Power-Pack?

  -- Without a Charging Unit (charger) or a means to recharge it, my Power-Pack MW-R8 (14250) is but a paper weight.

Mind you, this challenge is not for the faint of heart...and may lead to insanity.

Go!

 

Camera:  R9 + Motor-Drive R8 (14313) with all of its attendant battery packs & Charger (14209) + Motor-Winder R8 (14209)...+ Power Pack (14250) above.

Edited November 6 by Leitzfan

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[seneschal]

Hi, the 14 412 does come up every now and again for sale but I have only come across it as New Old Stock, usually from ex Leica Dealers.

When I saw your post I was hoping to direct you at the dealer I acquired mine from, again NOS and I bought 2 new 14 250 Power Packs at the same time. Unfortunately I checked and they no longer have stock.

I have searched everywhere for you, but sadly lucked out! It seems that they are now like hen's teeth.

So my next thought was can you use the  14 425 that you already have and somehow rig it to work with the winder pack as well as the motor drive.

I don’t think I this is a good way forward, I have attached photos of the spec plates on both units.

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!

They charge at different voltages and max current levels. The battery on the winder doesn’t just have a lower capacity but is also a lower voltage, not worth the risk of frying the thing.

My advice, therefore would be to purchase an auto-sensing NiCd/NiMH charger which would support the 14 250 Power Pack.

Here’s a link to one I have found for you on Amazon which should be suitable:

https://amzn.eu/d/3aMMLfx

I would select the lower charging current of 1A. (The 14 412 charges at 0.7A)

All you need to do is fashion a suitable connecter to plug in to the 14 250 Power Pack.

As you can see from the photos, the 14 412 does not have a “battery cradle” (unlike the 14 425) but rather a cable terminating in a simple 2-pin plug which plugs directly into the 14 250 Power Pack. Here's how the connection works and how the connecter looks.

This set up would give you everything you get from the actual 14 412 apart from the discharge button. This is useful as NiCd batteries will suffer from memory effect, but you can fully discharge manually before you recharge.

That gets you beyond a paperweight and allows you to continue your search from a position of “power” (poor pun). If I see one I will let you know.

I hope this is helpful.

[Leitzfan]

Thank you, Seneschal.  This is exceeds the information I was expecting!  Most useful, indeed--& the pictures really helped.

Just yesterday, I found a local battery shop who can competently replace the internal batteries (I'll know when it works).  Interestingly enough, we had the same conversation that you've shared w/ me here, just 30 hrs. ago.  They only conceptualized the idea; but you actually have a reference charging unit that may, in theory, work [https://amzn.eu/d/3aMMLfx].  Outstanding!

I was able to find your reference unit on Amazon Stateside & am ordering one.

Connector

- Worse case, I fashion pins that'll connect to the pack, myself.

- Best case, I'll have a local electronic shop fashion a more "professional" connector that should mate w/ the Pack's protruding female receptacle (it's not rocket science, after all).

Will let you know how it all comes together, in a few days, when I get my battery pack back w/ new NiCADs.  Thank you, again, so very much for the excellent recommendations--& pics!

[https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Battery-Standard-Connector-Charging/dp/B089218ZW9/ref=sr_1_4?crid=GEIUMTLN3XPT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Nu0Y_8gCsOm9r8O27tnvROkOuS8sGwfy4C1sJJxHpUkhM14h2X3J2xDZUDIIS0i6ye7jPblnR4CqUmoHnl2M4r_kGkqctgoDq_Jp2dPeAXTneiQVz2ZtSYJDYu6T5USX3-KYV8SZZJncM7DYhIx1_6iR4ueadJn-gcoeN3S8iwLkM16zH6ABeoKRPLX0eHadap-0BCFzqfRB50Qu65AbwkV3L6WPHiiUy1YmmygO8cdPRj3Geqk_P4M6N9sDZR1jLy2z23yplxSv_5aVVlMTx0JoyqfcFojHMJYMU8s-Z6Y.9RyfcMvgs66tleWeKvLWP7ESQKuBORFqDPJJTw4u_7Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=HTRC+N8+NiMH+Charger+for+2-8s+Nimh%2FNiCD+Battery+Pack%282.4V+3.6V+4.8V+6V+7.2V+8.4V+9.6V%29+Charger+for+NiMH%2FNiCD+Battery+Pack&qid=1731828627&sprefix=htrc+n8+nimh+charger+for+2-8s+nimh%2Fnicd+battery+pack+2.4v+3.6v+4.8v+6v+7.2v+8.4v+9.6v+charger+for+nimh%2Fnicd+battery+pack%2Caps%2C199&sr=8-4]

[seneschal]

Sounds like a plan!

I‘ve never replaced the cells myself, but the Power Pack seems to be held together with cross point screws rather than being „welded“ plastic.

Engineering design with aforethought.

I am sure this will work for you… exciting! 

[Leitzfan]

OK, good news!

1.  I took my (14250) MW-R8 NiCad Battery Power Pack to a local battery shop [Batteries Plus:  https://www.batteriesplus.com], who were fairly easily able to disassemble & re-build my battery pack w/ fresh cells.

2.  Then my Amazon after-market battery charger (the one that you suggested https://amzn.eu/d/3aMMLfx) arrived.

  -  I Gerry-rigged a crude connection by clamping the clamps that came w/ the Amazon charger to a pair of small tacks (nails) which fit perfectly into the Battery Pack's connector (w/o spreading the delicate pins in there).  And I used a small piece of cardboard to keep them separated, whilst charging.  This'll have to work until I find (or rig) a more permanent plug-in connector.

  -  I wish the charger had a "discharge" feature...  It was a real pain to manually discharge the Battery Pack--on my camera/Motor Wider--on my camera, by prodigious over-use of the rewind, or rubber-band depression of the shutter release (to keep the electronics activated, overnight), the only way I know how to manually discharge.  BTW, I don't think I'll do that again, for fear of the wear & tear on my poor camera & Motor Winder.

3. (bonus)  The same battery shop (Batteries Plus) also rebuilt (replaced) my Motor-Drive battery pack (14423) batteries while they were at it.  This too worked out fine--only after I brought them home & discharged & recharged them in my Leica *Motor-Drive* Battery Charger (14424).  I found that a good OEM discharge & recharge is necessary for jobs such as this.

  -  Which is why I'm now looking longingly at my Leica *Motor-Drive* Battery Charger (14424)--to see if I can somehow rig *it* to charge (& discharge) my (14250) MW-R8 NiCad Motor Winder Battery Power Pack, as you non-suggested. 😄

    --  Then again, I'm thinking, if 1990s Leica wanted to provision the *Motor-Drive* Battery Charger (14424) to also charge the Motor-Winder Battery Pack--they would've made it so.  They didn't...must be for a reason (I'm thinking, 'beyond economic profit').  So, perhaps I shouldn't--& leave well enough alone.

[seneschal]

I think I would leave well alone. The MotorDrive uses a larger Power Pack and the charger charges at a much higher voltage and current, 11.6V versus 7.25V and 1200 mA versus 700mA, I posted a picture of the spec plates.

You will eventually find the. actual 14 412 on sale, just do a weekly check, you'll most likely find it New Old Stock or as part of a bundle with some other old R9/R9 gear... possibly with old, no longer functional battery packs.

Patience will definitely pay.

In the meantime you can also buy dischargers... here's a capacity/status meter with a discharge function:

https://amzn.eu/d/9nLNNmb

Could be useful?

[Leitzfan]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Ah--a *discharger*--genius!  I've just ordered it--thanks again!  Huge relief to not have to put my equipment through that manual "discharge hell" again.

And, agreed--I'm swearing off rigging the big Motor-*Drive* Battery Charger (14424) for my Power-Pack MW-R8 (14250).  Not worth the risk, as you rightfully imply.

Many thanks, again, @seneschal for your most excellent advice!  And, yes, patience--I'll continue my casual quest for that ellusive "unicorn" Charging Unit (14412).

Edited November 23 by Leitzfan

[seneschal]

Congratulations, this now positions you as the "Weltmeister" on how to deal with refurbishing, recharging and discharging the 14 250 Power Pack in the post Leica 35mm SLR era.

I am so pleased that this has worked out for you. You have brought some excellent equipment back to life.

I think the ergonomic and aesthetic design of the R8/R9 with its smooth lines and minimalistic appearance (when compared with the offerings from Nikon/Canon at the time) set a new standard for Leica. I think the same principles can be directly traced through to the look, feel and operation of the current Leica digital offerings. Nothing that is not needed disturbs the photographer from the capture of the image.

Love it!

[oracledba]

I'm a little late to this thread. I found the information interesting and on point. I have the 14424 charging unit, two battery packs, and the motor drive. I've rebuilt the battery packs using a small spot welder and jig to hold the batteries in place. The biggest issue I've discovered is the Protection Control Board (PCB), which is used to monitor the voltage applied, current flow, and control of the three red LED indicators. The temperature of the charge process is monitored using a thermister. The design is a single-line Smart Battery Monitor configuration using a bq2010 IC (gas gauge). I don't think the device is currently in production, but some old stock may be available. The device operates as a Coulomb counter. The reason for the PCB is that NiMH batteries are difficult to manage in the charge/discharge cycle, and temperature is a hazard. Very often, when battery packs do not illuminate all 3 LEDs, it is because the device has failed. The circuit board employs a mylar substrate on which the circuits are imprinted, so replacing the device without damaging the mylar is difficult. If the battery pack is not fully indicating a charge, then knowing the charge level is hard to determine. The fix is to replace the entire PCB if a part can be found.

[seneschal]

Yes, oracledba I have the MD and MW with associated battery packs and chargers... fortunately, I have not had to rebuild anything, the batteries still function, I can still get 3 LEDs on the MD packs... but one day, obviously, they will need rebuilding. Your info will be useful... if you ever took photos while you were doing the repairs it would be great to post them in this chat for the benefit of other R8/R9 users.

Leitzfan has rebuilt the MW pack and also rigged up a charging and discharging capability.

Sharing info will help us keep this beautiful gear alive.

[oracledba]

Yes, I can supply a few photos if that is helpful. Rebuilding the battery packs is tedious but doable. I don't recommend using batteries with tabs. First, one must be very careful with temperature. Allowing the soldering iron to stay in contact with the battery for too long will destroy it.  Second, the tabs may not align correctly or cause the entire pack to take up too much room in the enclosure. I recommend using a small spot welder, but avoid the inexpensive varieties with batteries. I have sourced a supply of appropriately sized 1500ma NiMH batteries with flat tops that work well for spot welding.

As far as I know, the PCB is no longer available. The complication comes from the wire ribbon used to power the red LEDs. I'm working with a small developer to redo the circuit design. I'll update this thread as I have more progress.