USB-C 'Suitable power source'

[Chris W]

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The M11 manual says you can recharge your battery in camera using a 'suitable' power source.

I have a large MacBook power adapter/USB-C, but when travelling I usually recharge my phone with a simple UK three pin plug with USB sockets using USB to USB-C cables.

Also, many hotels now have USB or USB-C sockets on bedside tables etc.

Terrified of blowing up my new, expensive camera. Any advice?

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[businessasusual]

Not an expert but I discovered with my musical equipment (wireless transmitters etc) that I need to use this adaptor (think lower W) and to be sure not to exceed that. I, for years, have never paid any attention to their even being a difference - if I could plug it in I ran with it. Perhaps this translates to the current version of the same thing 

Apple 5W - the pic shows old USB version - but it differed from the other in that it was this model and 2 prong. I’ve kept mine because Apple no longer sell these. (and refer to M11  manual if it mentions it)

 

 

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[businessasusual]

PS!  I use my battery charger - I am never plugging M11 direct.

[Chris W]

I've been using this kind of thing for my iPhone and bike computer.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adaptor-Charger-Multiple-Charging-Adapter-White/dp/B091TBS9PG/ref=sr_1_87_sspa?adgrpid=162796052364&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.YwtxP_xcFhBA6Ax2XReqaQyqqcWk6CQBa8Pwq4pXlbZqf1UtIedohtje39MqQNysQlNHZo6RC9aVSgH3hEHcvLtIruzyVG9nSHtpF_psqODpcxx1NiyXSgwSu6uwm0Z2g4G4WvdaGWGxRKozwWNWaxKeWxvbSgRA5aBoUvySyvudrL7YgutPh2ff37t96vaZGbUx22f834RbnRwNqcrgXVuzntEo0Sv-Pwr-K3jmKTU.2VwFkjTuJInXru_mhOooPHMT98uByCAIG63Mbbjp2rY&dib_tag=se&gad_source=1&hvadid=696783335013&hvdev=c&hvexpln=69&hvlocphy=1006734&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=2645677940066884990--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=2645677940066884990&hvtargid=kwd-1105031494252&hydadcr=26611_2698129&keywords=uk%2Bplug%2Bto%2Busb%2Bconverter&mcid=b71f51e2e26d34c3b4f3ab2ec96d902b&qid=1756895646&sr=8-87-spons&xpid=vfJbuSyy9I3TR&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1

[pedaes]

5 minutes ago, Chris W said:

Any advice?

Any of the above. There is probably a minimum of around 40Watts needed for reasonably rapid charging and I do not know if Hotel USB ports supply this. Others will no doubt be able to advice.

[Skymark]

The external Leica battery charger itself is ~40 watts I believe.  The camera usb-c port will not pull more power than it needs to charge and does not, I believe, support the USB Power Delivery standard and so will only charge at about 8 watts.

[LocalHero1953]

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I now use an Anker 6-port USB 130W charging adapter (4xUSB-C, 2xUSB-A) which can deliver 60W from two of the ports at the same time. I have used it for MacBook, phone, Leica double charger and watch all in one go. When you're in a shared a hotel room where power sockets are minimised, using just one of them for al those devices is handy.

[Robert Ardinger]

4 hours ago, Chris W said:

The M11 manual says you can recharge your battery in camera using a 'suitable' power source.

I think most good quality chargers with work but I too wanted to not hurt the camera.  Assuming the charging brick Leica sells will not cause any issues I looked up it's specs (output specs: 5.0V 3.0A 15.0W / 9.0V 3.0A 27.0W - see attached screen grab from the B&H listing). I found these on Amazon with very similar specification (and currently about 1/10 the Leica price) and they seem to work both for in camera charging and to power the external battery chargers.

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[jgeenen]

I had similar concerns when I had my M11 new.

Meanwhile, I am using any power supply that is compatible to power delivery (PD) standard. At home, I use the notebook plug with 65W or a multi port device with  120W max output on four ports, on the road a smaller, collapsible power supply that outputs max 30W. The brands I have used successfully are UGREEN, ANKER, Samsung, Offgridtec and Apple. Meanwhile I prefer the more compact or flexible solutions from Anker and UGREEN.

The power delivery protocol negotiates which voltages are accepted by the device to charge and falls back to 5V/3A if the response is invalid. In the early days of PD, there had been reports of faulty PD implementations, but this seems to be no longer a concern.

 

[Photoworks]

1. I would not use the USB outlets from the hotels, nightstand lamps, and so on. The biggest reason is they are often old, underpowered, and will take all night to charge one battery.

2. I was in the UK last month and I was looking into a power adapter, and got 2 with multiple USB. the rated PD charge is all over the place, and changes drastically when you plug in another port. but there are solutions out there that can do more power and usually more expensive.

3. Most of the time, I like to use the charger brick, but since one battery was always acting up on the charger with all blinking lights, I have to charge that one in camera occasionally. Cables and AC adapter make a difference. Using the USB-C anker 200W PD multiport was not always working with other plugs were occupied. 

4. M11, SL3, Q3 has in-camera protection on the USB-C port, so the only issue you can have it that the charge is too slow.

5. In-camera charging can be faster, it will charge linearly, not always a good idea since it will produce lots of heat and lower the lifetime of the battery.
The chargers can do fast charging to 80% and slower charging to 100%

Edited September 3 by Photoworks

[darylgo]

The AC block and cord for the M11 deliver 10w maximum, I am not sure why Leica keeps these wattages low but with that in mind I am reluctant to plug the camera into anything.  Leica electronics in the M are not know for their robustness.  I'd rather use the BC-SCL7 Battery Charger, it charges more slowly and I have batteries over 8 years old that are functioning well using the Leica chargers.  In addition usb-c is such a mess with cords ranging from garbage to robust.  

[marchyman]

22 hours ago, darylgo said:

I am reluctant to plug the camera into anything

Why?  The camera determines current draw up to the maximum that can be delivered by the charger.  No difference than plugging the charger into the wall.  A US wall plug typically delivers up to 1800-2400 watts.  Are you reluctant to plug you 10w charger into the wall?

For what-its-worth I mostly use an apple 15/18 watt charger.  

 

[darylgo]

4 minutes ago, marchyman said:

Why?  The camera determines current draw up to the maximum that can be delivered by the charger.  No difference than plugging the charger into the wall.  A US wall plug typically delivers up to 1800-2400 watts.  Are you reluctant to plug you 10w charger into the wall?

For what-its-worth I mostly use an apple 15/18 watt charger.  

 

Sure, I understand what you are saying.  I am underwhelmed by Leica's ability to deliver reliable and consistent electronics with the M.  

[jaapv]

I never read complaints about Leica’s electronic components which come from the same huge factories in East Asia as any other camera maker’s.  

[Elliot Harper]

6 hours ago, jaapv said:

I never read complaints about Leica’s electronic components which come from the same huge factories in East Asia as any other camera maker’s.  

You didn't read enough, and you can say the word "China" freely.

Edited September 5 by Elliot Harper

[jaapv]

5 hours ago, Elliot Harper said:

You didn't read enough, and you can say the word "China" freely.

😇 You are welcome to your opinion. In these days of globalized production geography has nothing to do with product quality. 

[jgeenen]

 

I just measured my M11 with battery level at 75% and firmware 2.5.1 (camera off):

• Leica Power Supply (early M11 had been shipped with a basic power supply (specified 5V/2A) and charging dock) with USB-A/USB-C cable: 1.71A at 4.92V
• HP Envy Notebook Power Supply (QC3.0 5-20V, PD3 5/9/12/20V; 65W) with built-in cable: 1.71A at 4.91V
• Samsung Galaxy Book Power Supply (same spec as HP above, but with separate USB-C/USB-C cable): 1.71A at 5.07V
• Offgridtec Power Supply 30W (5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/2.5A), same cable as above: 1.71A at 5.05V.
• In parallel I used my M11 charging dock and the Leica power supply with similar results (5V, 1.7A).
• I found a no-name cable (don't remember origin) that reduces output on the Leica power supply to 5V/0.7A - a bad cable can change your charging experience dramatically.

To summarize:

Regardless which USB-C power supply you use, as long it is not faulty the Leica M11 draws the very same voltage (5V) and current (1.7A at 75% charging level) from the power supply. The charging docks behaves similar. When switching the camera on, the power input remains unchanged (however, since now the camera consumes some current, charging might take a bit longer).

While I am writing this, battery charge is up to 95%, and the current drawn by the camera keeps dropping (it is now at 1.1A and drops further). A clear indication that Leica implemented a charging curve to prevent the battery from overloading and overheating.

Happy shooting!