Camera power question

[Robin Usagani]

I really dont want to reset the date and time again. How long will the camera remember the date/time when you leave the battery out. Do you know? If you read the manual you are supposed to leave the battery out when you store the camera. I never do that because I use the camera almost everyday.

 

[Vinny]

Do you plan on storing the camera long? When they say store, they really are refering to months or years. I leave the battery in my camera all the time without any problems and I use it every couple of weeks. Just make sure that the battery is fully or close to fully charged, it will short out if it gets close to 0 volts.

I also believe that a camera will keep it's memory for a little while - day or two as it needs to have the battery charged and that could take a while such as overnight and it shouldn't need it's time and date re entered.

 

[astroskeptic]

I really dont want to reset the date and time again. How long will the camera remember the date/time when you leave the battery out. Do you know? If you read the manual you are supposed to leave the battery out when you store the camera. I never do that because I use the camera almost everyday.

It isn't a matter of memory ... the camera clock is continuously running, powered by a dedicated battery. For Nikons, the clock battery is charged by the main battery. My D300 manual tells me this: "Two days of charging will power the clock for about three months." Your Canon manual probably has similar information somewhere.

 

[Robin Usagani]

Thanks! I did not see that on the manual. Maybe I missed it. Thanks!

 

[Josh66]

On Canons, the clock battery, or whatever you want to call it, is usually in a little tray that slides out from inside the battery compartment.

 

[Neil S.]

Do you plan on storing the camera long? When they say store, they really are refering to months or years. I leave the battery in my camera all the time without any problems and I use it every couple of weeks. Just make sure that the battery is fully or close to fully charged, it will short out if it gets close to 0 volts.

I also believe that a camera will keep it's memory for a little while - day or two as it needs to have the battery charged and that could take a while such as overnight and it shouldn't need it's time and date re entered.

Schwetty I have no idea about the memory thing...sorry.

I have quite a lot of lithium-ion batteries between my flashlights/cameras/laptops.

I do seem to remember reading that rechargeable 18650 lithium ion cells can short out when getting to very low voltages. I believe this could possibly happen just from sitting for very long periods of time, I am not 100% sure on this one though. I do know that they slowly discharge over time. Some of the cells that I own have multiple types of circuit protection built in to them, for safety.

One thing that I can tell you 100% for sure is that its best to keep them at around 50% charged when storing if possible. It will help extend the life of the battery, and is the safest. You want to avoid storing them very full or empty if possible. Storing them when full will reduce the battery life, even Cannon says this.

I don't however remember reading about the low voltage thing being a problem for laptop and camera lithium ion batteries.

I do remember when Sony or some company had their laptop batteries catching fire, don't remember what the cause was though.

I just read the safety warnings on the paper in my Canon LP-E6 battery box, it did not mention that at low voltage they could short out.

It would seem that if one type of lithium ion battery can experience this problem, then all types could. That is unless they built in some form of protection against it. I don't really know at all on this one.

This is very interesting stuff, and I would like to know more. You simply cannot be too safe in this area.

These types of batteries can be very dangerous.

I read flashlight forums as well, there is a guy who had a flashlight running 18650 lithiums explode in his hand about a month ago. He almost lost a finger, it was pretty bad. I saw the pics, there was blood and shrapnel everywhere in his kitchen.

Granted this was in a sealed aluminum flashlight tube, a bit like a pipe bomb.

Not trying to scare people here, but it’s important to remember that lithium batteries can be very dangerous, and great care needs to be taken when using them.

a) Never short out the contacts, always keep the cover on your DSLR batteries when storing to prevent this.
b) Never puncture them or put them in a fire.
c) I recommend you do not use off-brand batteries. This is one thing you don't want to be taking a chance on, trust me.

I feel that the low voltage thing is probably not an issue for camera batteries. If it was they would mention it in the safety warnings, for legal reasons at least.

 

[Vinny]

Almost everything you wanted to know about lithium batteries.

FAQ's on lithium batteries, lithium ion batteries, and rechargeable lithium batteries

 

[MrBarney]

Not trying to scare people here, but it’s important to remember that lithium batteries can be very dangerous, and great care needs to be taken when using them.

Not trying to undermine the message here - all batteries carry a certain amount of risk, but if you're not reckless with them, well designed Lithium-Ion are relatively safe.

Safety requirements

Li-ion batteries are not as durable as nickel metal hydride or nickel-cadmium designs,[citation needed] and can be dangerous if mistreated. They may suffer thermal runaway and cell rupture if overheated or overcharged.[38] In extreme cases, these effects may be described as "explosive." Furthermore, overdischarge can irreversibly damage a battery. To reduce these risks, batteries generally contain a small circuit that shuts down when the battery moves outside the safe range of 3–4.2 V.[22][31] When stored for long periods, however, the small current drawn by the protection circuitry itself may drain the battery; normal chargers are then ineffective. More sophisticated battery analyzers can recharge deeply discharged cells by slow-charging them to first reactivate the safety circuit and allow the battery to accept charge. Overdischarge can short-circuit the cell, in which case recharging can be unsafe.[39]
Other safety features are required:[22]

• shut-down separator (for overtemperature)
• tear-away tab (for internal pressure)
• vent (pressure relief)
• thermal interrupt (overcurrent/overcharging)

These devices occupy useful space inside the cells, reduce their reliability[citation needed]; ,and irreversibly disable the cell when activated. They are required because the anode produces heat during use, while the cathode may produce oxygen. These devices and improved electrode designs reduce/eliminate the risk of fire or explosion.
These safety features increase costs compared to nickel metal hydride batteries, which require only a hydrogen/oxygen recombination device (preventing damage due to mild overcharging) and a back-up pressure valve

Not to be confiused with Lithium-Ion Polimer, which are really scary. I have a couple for my RC toys and I charge them in a steel tray near an open window.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3o_2mwRPdw[/ame]

 

[Neil S.]

Not trying to undermine the message here - all batteries carry a certain amount of risk, but if you're not reckless with them, well designed Lithium-Ion are relatively safe.

I agree with you 100%. As long as you follow some simple rules, they are pretty safe.

I just meant that they carry a potential risk, especially if used incorrectly.

For the most part I have no fear about accidents with mine.

The ones that scare me the most are my 18650's because I run them in a LED flashlight that is sealed. If anything was to happen it would be much worse than if they were in the open.

They are not charged in the flashlight though, so again not that big of a deal.

Some people are not aware they pose any danger at all, that’s who I was targeting my post at.

 

[mostly sunny]

LOL about the caution on batteries-

Considering some adult toys they go in.. I think they are pretty safe.. I am still alive.

 

[fokker]

Yes you wouldn't want certain 'adult toys' exploding from bad batteries while in use