Question on video camera batteries and charging? I found that my video camera battery (which is not even a year) lasts no more than 5 minutes! When I load it, I just want to let charging all the time. You know, like leave it plugged in? Is it the opposite? Should I charge it for an hour or two and then unplug?
Your best bet is to FULLY charge the battery before use, and empty it before without the aid-for-a-whole.
Continuous charging is bad for the battery. Most camcorder batteries are Lion (Lithium Ion), and continued to charge a lithium-ion is the worst thing you could do to a battery. The only thing worse is to leave in a warm environment (as in the truck of a car in New Mexico in the summer), for long periods of time.
Your best bet with a camcorder battery and cell phone battery is charging until it is full, then remove the charger. If you do not use your camcorder for more than a week, turn it on, let it drain, then put it away. When you're ready to use again, it loads and use. You extend the life of the battery 3-4 times simply by using this formula.
I hope that my frankness was not offensive, but I figured I might as well give you the facts. :)
Good luck!
try running your battery down to nothing and then charge.
Batteries Only as charged when they need it.
I will pass on an old trick that will relive some but not all batteries in the state yours is in.
1. Discharge the battery completely by reading or recording a tape on the camcorder.
2. Fully charge the battery.
3. Place the battery in your refrigerator for 30-40 minutes. Do not put it in the freezer.
4. Charge the battery again.
5. Place the battery on the camcorder.
6. Put a blank tape into the camcorder.
7. Reset the camcorder to zero.
8. Turn on the camcorder and press the record button.
9. Leave the camcorder, recording, until it stops by itself due to a race drums.
Then, repeat steps 2-9.
You may have to make 2 or 3 times.
Before the counter each time, make a record of what the meter showed before resetting.
You want to do this so you can see if the running time increased by giving the battery of this treatment.
If the execution time has not significantly increased after a third treatment, then it's a dead battery to be replaced.
In the future, the camera will tell you when he wants his battery recharged. He probably knows better.
Posted on July 25, 2010.
