Battery calibration?
Aug 15, 2019 05:03:24 #
bellgamin
Loc: Ewa Beach, Hawaii
I went to Amazon to order Nikon EN-EL 14A Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery for my D3500. One of that battery's selling points was: "The EN-EL4a even gives notice when calibration is necessary." This is something I never heard of before so I checked UHH, D3500 users manual, nikonusa.com, & did a google-search. I found discussions of why battery calibration might become necessary, but no explanation of HOW to do it on my Nikon D3500.
Any suggestions or comments would be muchly appreciated.
Any suggestions or comments would be muchly appreciated.
Aug 15, 2019 05:18:31 #
bellgamin wrote:
I went to Amazon to order Nikon EN-EL 14A Recharge... (show quote)
Sounds like smoke and mirrors to me.
Aug 15, 2019 05:58:39 #
John Sh
Loc: Toronto, Australia
bellgamin wrote:
I went to Amazon to order Nikon EN-EL 14A Recharge... (show quote)
More smoke than mirrors. modern batteries do have a small chip in them that measures output and input on charge but 'recalibration' could only involve fully discharging then fully recharging the battery. I would buy somewhere else!
Aug 15, 2019 07:33:55 #
Manglesphoto wrote:
Sounds like smoke and mirrors to me.
It either holds a charge or it does not!
(Battery calibration, brought to you by the descendants of the bridge salesmen.)
Aug 15, 2019 07:42:27 #
bellgamin wrote:
I went to Amazon to order Nikon EN-EL 14A Recharge... (show quote)
Put the battery under your tongue, making sure to touch all the contacts simultaneously.
Aug 15, 2019 07:44:46 #
Pistnbroke
Loc: UK
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
Aug 15, 2019 07:49:58 #
John Sh
Loc: Toronto, Australia
I'm not quite sure where you got this but I would seriously be looking for an alternate source of information.
Aug 15, 2019 08:02:18 #
bellgamin wrote:
I went to Amazon to order Nikon EN-EL 14A Recharge... (show quote)
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.
Aug 15, 2019 08:02:22 #
Calibrating batteries is real. It does not help battery life. Calibrating is to increase the accuracy of the charge level indicator so when your camera says the battery is at 50%, it really is at or near 50%.
https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/battery_calibration
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https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/battery_calibration
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Aug 15, 2019 08:31:57 #
Aug 15, 2019 09:32:30 #
Longshadow wrote:
Yet another thing not to worry about..... 
Carefree just takes a fresh spare battery in pocket or bag. I make sure I always start any excursion with a fully charged battery. Can't recall having to change in the course of a shooting day except at home, and there of course, no problem.
Aug 15, 2019 09:40:58 #
quixdraw wrote:
Carefree just takes a fresh spare battery in pocket or bag. I make sure I always start any excursion with a fully charged battery. Can't recall having to change in the course of a shooting day except at home, and there of course, no problem.
That's what I do.
Life is simple.
Aug 15, 2019 12:10:41 #
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.
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.
Aug 15, 2019 16:40:55 #
bellgamin
Loc: Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Many thanks to nikonbug, Bill_de, & Haydon. Your informative posts helped me better understand the reality & methodology for battery calibration as pertains to cameras.
Evidently, the need for calibrating lithium-ion batteries occurs much less often (and for different reasons) than is the case for nicads, but I didn't know that.
The need to calibrate lithium-ion multi-cell batteries for laptops is quite common, but it is usually taken care of by the OS + BIOS, seldom requiring user intervention. It turns out that it is less common with the smaller lithium-ion batteries used by cameras, but I didn't know that either.
There were several online articles (such as THIS one in particular) that also added to my understanding of this matter.
Evidently, the need for calibrating lithium-ion batteries occurs much less often (and for different reasons) than is the case for nicads, but I didn't know that.
The need to calibrate lithium-ion multi-cell batteries for laptops is quite common, but it is usually taken care of by the OS + BIOS, seldom requiring user intervention. It turns out that it is less common with the smaller lithium-ion batteries used by cameras, but I didn't know that either.
There were several online articles (such as THIS one in particular) that also added to my understanding of this matter.
Aug 16, 2019 06:37:33 #
bellgamin wrote:
I went to Amazon to order Nikon EN-EL 14A Recharge... (show quote)
I had never heard of that, nor have I had a need to do it.
https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/battery_calibration
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