Battery calibration?
Aug 16, 2019 06:54:14 #
The only bats I know from Nikon that may need it are the ones for the D5 and the one used in the grip for D850 which is the same as the D5 battery. It's incorporated in the chargers for these batteries.
Aug 16, 2019 08:15:16 #
aphelps
Loc: Central Ohio
Pistnbroke wrote:
Not sure on the 5300 but on others the battery indicator says new 1234. This is a measure of if all the cells are the same voltage because with time one can show up weaker than the others. On the EN-EL 18 charger there is a calibrate button and this when operated charges each of the three cells independently to equalize them .
I have not seen a charger for EN EL 15s that does equalisation
I have not seen a charger for EN EL 15s that does equalisation
In lithium batteries made up of multiple cells wired in series it is possible, even likely, that the cells become unbalanced. In the world of r/c models, the cells of the pack are charged and evaluated individually for this reason. Most camera batteries have the multiple contacts to accomplish cell balancing when charged. So there may be some confusion of terms.....cell balancing or cell calibration but I have never heard of the latter. Could be smoke and mirrors as some have said.
Aug 16, 2019 08:32:29 #
billnikon
Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
rjaywallace wrote:
Put the battery under your tongue, making sure to touch all the contacts simultaneously.
Aug 16, 2019 08:57:24 #
bellgamin wrote:
I went to Amazon to order Nikon EN-EL 14A Recharge... (show quote)
A chip monitors the voltage and compares it with an average rate of discharge to give you a “fuel gauge” reading or “estimated time to empty”.
As batteries age, they lose energy storage capacity. So to re-calibrate this energy gauge, you charge the battery for 1-2 hours beyond full, then use the device until it shuts down by itself due to battery exhaustion. Then you wait 5-8 hours for the battery to cool, and charge it all the way to 100%/full and keep charging it for 1-2 hours.
This should be done for new Lithium and some NiMH batteries, and every few months thereafter. It keeps the battery gauge honest, so your device doesn’t quit with 25% charge supposedly remaining!
Aug 16, 2019 09:03:47 #
Longshadow wrote:
It either holds a charge or it does not!
(Battery calibration, brought to you by the descendants of the bridge salesmen.)
It either holds a charge or it does not!
(Battery calibration, brought to you by the descendants of the bridge salesmen.)
I can attest to its worth. Calibration is real. If you don’t do it, your battery will die, suddenly, when the “power remaining” indicator shows 20% to 35% left.
My boss had it happen to his laptop in front of 250 people at a sales meeting. The meeting stalled while he ran to his room and got his charger/adapter.
He thought he had an hour left. “It said so, right there!” [Cue laugh track.]
Aug 16, 2019 09:21:35 #
bellgamin wrote:
I went to Amazon to order Nikon EN-EL 14A Recharge... (show quote)
Since I've never calibrated my charger, I guess it's my batteries are doomed! LoL
Aug 16, 2019 09:31:05 #
I calibrate my batteries once a month. The photographs are noticeably better than before I calibrated them.
--Bob
--Bob
bellgamin wrote:
I went to Amazon to order Nikon EN-EL 14A Recharge... (show quote)
Aug 16, 2019 09:38:35 #
bellgamin high end Nikon's (Pro-Body) have this feature...
On my D3 and D3x on the Battery Info screen (Setup Menu) there is a "Calibration" Menu Item...
This will inform you to press the "Cal" button when inserting the EN-EL4a into the MH-22 charger.
This process takes up to 8 hours since it first "bleeds" off any remaining charge before recharging the EN-EL4a.
Every commercial shooter I've assisted is keenly aware of battery calibration... albeit hobbyist are likely naive about same...
btw, the EN-EL4a batteries in my D3 and D3x have been calibrated many times over many many thousands of shutter activation... and a decade later both (plus backup batteries) are still working flawlessly... Yes there are compelling reasons to invest in Pro Grade kit...
Hope this helps or is at least food for thought...
I wish you well on your journey bellgamin
On my D3 and D3x on the Battery Info screen (Setup Menu) there is a "Calibration" Menu Item...
This will inform you to press the "Cal" button when inserting the EN-EL4a into the MH-22 charger.
This process takes up to 8 hours since it first "bleeds" off any remaining charge before recharging the EN-EL4a.
Every commercial shooter I've assisted is keenly aware of battery calibration... albeit hobbyist are likely naive about same...
btw, the EN-EL4a batteries in my D3 and D3x have been calibrated many times over many many thousands of shutter activation... and a decade later both (plus backup batteries) are still working flawlessly... Yes there are compelling reasons to invest in Pro Grade kit...
Hope this helps or is at least food for thought...
I wish you well on your journey bellgamin
Aug 16, 2019 09:47:01 #
My D3 after many charges my charger flashes “calibration” because after many partial charges the real condition of the battery isn’t known. I didn’t need to do it at that time but should do soon because the % charge indicated might not be accurate. So the calibration mode runs the battery dead and recharges it so now the condition is known and the camera will give me a more precise battery % and condition. It isn’t only for Nicad, that formed a memory, but also for NiMH and Li-ion.
Aug 16, 2019 10:54:05 #
RRS
Loc: Not sure
Haydon wrote:
There's a calibration mode with high end Canon battery chargers. My 1DIV has that and according to what I've read, this can extend the life. The calibration mode also allows a more accurate reading when charging and replenishment in future incidences. I've only had to use it once in the last 5 years and it automatically went into the mode once the batteries were inserted into the charger.
I've had a Canon 1DX Mark II for over two years and have had to calibrate one of the batteries once after it was showing only two green bars. The charger that comes with the camera is listed at $349.00 and the batteries are $163.00. This is the first Canon camera that I have bought with this feature. Before I'd throw out the baby with the bath water I'd check to see if this is also available for Nikon batteries too. At the price of these new batteries I sure hope they last longer then the LP-E6N, some of which are five years old.
Aug 16, 2019 11:08:38 #
My D850 battery charger has a built in calibration system as does the charger for my D810. I have read the technical reasons and won't repeat. I also note that for years as a paramedic, one of our most important pieces of equipment, the heart monitor/defibrillator also had a charger with "Conditioner" which was another word for calibrator. It was an automatic process that measured the output of the battery so that a proper charge could be delivered to the patient when needed. "CLEAR!!!!"
Aug 16, 2019 11:39:34 #
I suspect that as with many products made in non/English speaking countries, something was lost in the written translation , ie, “calibration” instead of “charge.”
Aug 16, 2019 11:42:15 #
nikonbug wrote:
For all the naysayers here, this is an actual feature of the battery/charger on some Nikons. Go online, read about it and see why they do it.
So for a three cell battery, if the cells are actually 5.5v, 5.6v, and 5.4v, the entire battery would not be 5.5v? Something else we need no worry about.
Aug 16, 2019 11:55:41 #
AirWalter
Loc: Tipp City, Ohio
It is amazing how many people on here saw this post by the OP as pure rubbish. I guess some people really don't know as much as they think they know.
Aug 16, 2019 11:56:27 #
lamiaceae wrote:
So for a three cell battery, if the cells are actually 5.5v, 5.6v, and 5.4v, the entire battery would not be 5.5v? Something else we need no worry about.
The problem of cell voltage imbalances is that weak cells in a battery go bad early, and ruin the life of the whole pack by building up resistance (or worse, taking a reverse charge). That's why an occasional discharge to a low reference point and recharge to full status can be useful.
The chemical electrolytes in some types of batteries are jelly like. They can develop "ridges" due to charge-discharge patterns. Draining them deeply and charging them fully can physically diminish those ridges and distribute the electrolyte better within the cells.
This is an issue with Prius high voltage batteries. While they generally last 150,000 miles or ten years, and many last much longer, if they are NOT used frequently enough, the cells can get out of balance. There are "grid charger" devices used to manually recondition those 28-cell, 14-module batteries. They discharge every cell to a set low voltage and recharge them all to a common high voltage, in a manner that balances cell performance after 3-5 cycles. Sometimes that restores performance for a year or more.
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