Any way to determine BP-SCL4 battery health?

[kenf]

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I recently received a like new condition SL2.  Is there any way I can determine the condition of the battery?  I can’t find anything in the settings like some cameras have, and the charger is pretty basic. 
 

I know initial setup and familiarization will burn through a charge, but it seems like I am getting less life than I expected.

[frame-it]

1 hour ago, kenf said:

I recently received a like new condition SL2.  Is there any way I can determine the condition of the battery?  I can’t find anything in the settings like some cameras have, and the charger is pretty basic. 
 

I know initial setup and familiarization will burn through a charge, but it seems like I am getting less life than I expected.

 

[kenf]

That will check voltage, but not capacity.

[darylgo]

The SL2 is a battery hog despite the batteries size.  My two used batteries from previous owners are fine.  Leica released a larger capacity battery.   

[jdlaing]

To determine a battery's capacity, a discharge test is commonly used. This involves discharging the battery at a known current and measuring the time it takes for the voltage to drop to a specified level. The capacity is then calculated by multiplying the current by the time. Another method involves measuring the amount of charge removed from the battery during a discharge cycle. 

[frame-it]

21 hours ago, kenf said:

That will check voltage, but not capacity.

i think a nitecore charger shows the "health" of the battery? if you get one, make sure its plugged into a proper power source

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Edited June 19 by frame-it

[jaapv]

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Indeed it does, in this clip the batter condition is “good” 

 

[kenf]

All the Nitecore chargers I’m immediately seeing are for AA sized cells - I assume they have universal models too?  I can see one of those being a useful tool.

 

Edit: I just found they have Leica battery specific models.  Perfect - thank you!

Edited June 21 by kenf

[frame-it]

15 minutes ago, kenf said:

All the Nitecore chargers I’m immediately seeing are for AA sized cells - I assume they have universal models too?  I can see one of those being a useful tool.

just make sure its plugged into a "proper" power source, not underpowered as many people did in the early days and complained it aint working

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[kenf]

I have a BP-SCL2 that won’t take a charge with either the original Leica charger nor a cheap “dumb” charger that I picked up.  I wonder if one of these would trick it into complying…

[jaapv]

I would not risk it. Such a battery if revived will always remain a fire hazard.  Or - more common- it might swell up and get stuck in the camera. With Li-ion batteries dead=dead.

[kenf]

5 hours ago, jaapv said:

I would not risk it. Such a battery if revived will always remain a fire hazard.  Or - more common- it might swell up and get stuck in the camera. With Li-ion batteries dead=dead.

I work with a lot of non-camera Li-ion batteries, I’m not worried about fire hazard - but swelling is definitely a consideration. 

[kenf]

The M240 battery is moot - it won’t take a charge with the Nitecore charger, either.  Luckily I now have two more batteries, one for my MP240 and the other for my M246.

[laowai_]

On 6/18/2025 at 7:18 PM, jdlaing said:

To determine a battery's capacity, a discharge test is commonly used. This involves discharging the battery at a known current and measuring the time it takes for the voltage to drop to a specified level. The capacity is then calculated by multiplying the current by the time. Another method involves measuring the amount of charge removed from the battery during a discharge cycle. 

What you are looking for is a SoH (State of Health) test. You can get a decent guess of the SoH of a battery pack by using a smart charger.

If you need accuracy, precision and repeatability, measuring SoH of a battery pack is not trivial. Battery chemistry heavily depends on the state of charge (SoC) and the temperature. Charge/discharge tests are one method to estimate the state of health of a battery pack. Other methods are ACIR (AC internal resistance), tests used in battery production, DCIR (DC internal resistance) test used in EoL testing, OCV (open circuit voltage) test and k-value test used in battery production, EIS (Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy) used primarily in battery R&D. All of these tests require specialized skills and expensive test equipment.