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Re: [OM] OMD batteries update please

Subject: Re: [OM] OMD batteries update please
From: JOHN DUGGAN <john.duggan10@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 2013 21:48:34 +0100 (BST)
Moose,
             I just carefully looked at the small print on the back of the 3 
types of battery in my collection.
Genuine Olympus   7.6v 1220mAh  chipped uses Olympus charger.
hahnel                      7.6v 1170mAh  chipped uses Olympus charger.
No name                  7.2v 1220mAh Dedicated charger.
You will note that the no name battery is nominally 7.2v even though it is sold 
as BLN1 compatible.
At present the Olympus and hahnel batteries seem to have the same discharge 
charecteristics, last for about the same number of exposures, and keep their 
charge.
The no name batteries however do not last for anywhere near as long and if not 
used seem to lose a lot of their charge. Could this be down to 7.2v versus 7.6v?
The hahnel batteries cost just under 1/2 the cost of the Olympus, with the no 
name costing about 1/4 of the Olympus.
I will buy the hahnel in the future.
 
Regards
John Duggan,
Wales, UK


________________________________
 From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Olympus Camera Discussion <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Wednesday, 3 July 2013, 21:16
Subject: Re: [OM] OMD batteries update please
 

On 7/2/2013 2:50 PM, Chuck Norcutt wrote:
> I think I'd stick with the Progo but only because the Progo and its
> charger are 100% Oly compatible.  I alread knew the Progo battery talks
> politely about its status to the camera.

Something popped into my mind about this. What if ... Progo has not entirely 
correctly decoded the Oly battery-camera 
communications?

They claim greater capacity, yet deliver fewer shots. As I/we have assumed, 
that could be because their capacity rating 
is wrong - or Oly is using larger mAhs. :-)

It could also be because the battery communication with the camera isn't quite 
right, and the camera is shutting down 
for insufficient battery power when there is, in fact, adequate power for many 
more shots.

As the camera does work with batteries that make no attempt to communicate with 
it, it must have two means of 
determining when a battery has run down. One would be based on intelligent 
battery/camera communications, the other 
presumably on simple battery voltage. Oly would have at least two incentives to 
set that voltage high. They don't want 
it to die 'dumbly' in the middle of shutter operation, image writing, etc. and 
they would like to sell many of their own 
batteries. (Why they price their own so high is a mystery to me. It they were 
$30, I'd have two or three of them, 
instead of the one Oly that came with the camera and three third party 
batteries.)

As the Progos get about the same number of shots as un-decoded batteries, it's 
possible the camera is shutting down 
based on voltage alone, not camera comms. My Wasabi batteries do show full when 
recharged and lower amounts left on the 
camera battery indicator as they are used. That must be based on voltage alone, 
and is impossible to distinguish without 
a lot of testing from a smarter communication.

Is it possible that Progo has only decoded the battery/charger communications?

It's at least a theory that accounts for the apparent anomalies between rated 
mAh capacity and no. of shots capacity. 
Could also explain why more third party makers don't as yet sell 'decoded' 
batteries, because they know they've not 
cracked the comms completely.

I'm not saying one should not (or should) buy the Progos. They do, in fact 
charge on the Oly charger, and deliver a lot 
more shots for the $ than the Olys. Also, I only bought one, sans charger, so I 
know nothing about the charger.

Theoretical Considerations Moose

-- 
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
-- 
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