Excessive battery drain (when off) on Canon Powershot A60
Al Paca
use for it.
I have been conscious that if the camera is left unused for several
weeks the batteries discharge more than I would have expected. I have
tried several brands and capacities of Ni-MH batteries, including
Hybrio and Eneloop, and they all suffer the same problem. Basically
after about four or five weeks the batteries have been discharged to
such a level that the camera won't turn on. My wife has the Canon A70
which is the 3MP version of this camera and it does not exhibit the
same problem.
I Goggled for quite a while and found one reference which hinted at a
design problem with the battery door causing a short. However, I set
the camera up with the battery door open and bridged the link on two
of the batteries and was able to measure the current being drawn from
the four AA batteries with the camera switched off. The current being
drawn was 1.5mA which I have calculated would deplete my Ni-MH
batteries by about half after four weeks. I tried removing the CF card
and also checking the date/calendar battery but they make no
difference.
So my question is, does anyone else still have the same (old) camera
and do you suffer from the same effect? If that's the way they are
supposed to be then I guess I could get used to leaving the battery
door open when it is on the shelf.
Any comments most welcome.
Vi Cuna
"Al Paca" <Al-...@lostsomewhereinperu.com> wrote in message
news:nvfdh4ttjnqmc5luk...@news.individual.de...
If it's only being used occasionally then why not try removing the batteries
and keeping them in the fridge ? They hold current for longer if stored
at lower temperatures.
However - the performance of all Ni-MH batteries deteriorates by
a specific percentage each year starting from the date of their original
manufacture irrespective of how many times they've been charged.
Although this rate may also may be temperature dependent.
Vi
>
SMS
My son has an A60 that he still uses, and I don't notice that problem,
but he's using lithium AA cells because he uses the camera infrequently.
ASAAR
>> So my question is, does anyone else still have the same (old) camera
>> and do you suffer from the same effect? If that's the way they are
>> supposed to be then I guess I could get used to leaving the battery
>> door open when it is on the shelf.
>>
>> Any comments most welcome.
>
> My son has an A60 that he still uses, and I don't notice that problem,
> but he's using lithium AA cells because he uses the camera infrequently.
You doesn't notice the problem because his A60 isn't defective.
Lithium AA cells can last much longer than alkaline batteries, but
with very low loads, such as those from clocks and most cameras that
are turned off, they don't last appreciably longer than alkaline AA
cells. You can verify this by checking the manufacturer's data
sheets for low load capacities. How's your A570IS doing? It's been
many months since your relative returned it, and you've stopped
braying the bogus misinformation about how bad its alkaline AA
battery life is. Still getting a dozen shots from fresh AAs, or the
hundreds that almost everyone else gets?
Ray Fischer
>I know this A60 is a fairly elderly camera now but I have a specific
>use for it.
>
>I have been conscious that if the camera is left unused for several
>weeks the batteries discharge more than I would have expected. I have
>tried several brands and capacities of Ni-MH batteries, including
>Hybrio and Eneloop, and they all suffer the same problem. Basically
>after about four or five weeks the batteries have been discharged to
>such a level that the camera won't turn on. My wife has the Canon A70
>which is the 3MP version of this camera and it does not exhibit the
>same problem.
Different battery technologies have different strengths. The
advantage of alkalines is that they hold a change for a long time,
but they run down quickly in high-current applications. The advantage
of MiMH batteries is that they can store a lot of charge, but they
can't hold it for a long time.
And, of course, most cameras use electronic switches to turn on, which
means that the off state is really a standby state that continues to
draw a small amount of power. Just what NiMH batteries don't cope
with very well.
Solution? Keep a pair in a good charger that won't overcharge them.
--
Ray Fischer
rfis...@sonic.net
Dave Cohen
occasionally. Gave my wife the old A40, again very little self discharge
using Kodak pre-charged.
Suspect a faulty camera which can still be serviceable, just don't leave
batteries in. But you will lose permanent settings like date/time and
cumulative exposure count.
Dave Cohen
Dave Martindale
>I Goggled for quite a while and found one reference which hinted at a
>design problem with the battery door causing a short. However, I set
>the camera up with the battery door open and bridged the link on two
>of the batteries and was able to measure the current being drawn from
>the four AA batteries with the camera switched off. The current being
>drawn was 1.5mA which I have calculated would deplete my Ni-MH
>batteries by about half after four weeks. I tried removing the CF card
>and also checking the date/calendar battery but they make no
>difference.
That sounds high. Yes, the camera may require some standby current when
turned "off" because the power switch is electronic, but in any good
design the standby current should be down in the microamps, not mA.
More data: We used to have an A80, and batteries (4 cells) in it would
provide at least a few shots for several months after a full charge.
We now own an A720 (2 cells), and its standby current seems to be around
1 uA or below (not enough to show up reliably on the 2.000 mA scale of
the meter I was using).
So I'd say your camera has a problem - either a design flaw in that
model, or a problem in your specific unit.
>So my question is, does anyone else still have the same (old) camera
>and do you suffer from the same effect? If that's the way they are
>supposed to be then I guess I could get used to leaving the battery
>door open when it is on the shelf.
Does the A60 have a separate lithium time/date battery? Many Canons do.
If so, you won't have to reset the date when you leave the battery door
open.
Dave
Al Paca
Martindale) wrote:
>Does the A60 have a separate lithium time/date battery? Many Canons do.
>If so, you won't have to reset the date when you leave the battery door
>open.
Hi all, OP here.
I just wanted to say thank you to all who replied, especially the two
Dave's.
The situation is that whilst switched off the A60 camera is drawing
1.5mA from the batteries which leads them (regardless of type) to
discharge to an unusable level in just over one month. As I pointed
out, my wife has the A70, which is a very similar camera except that
it is a 3MP device and has a slightly more powerful zoom. A set of
Eneloop or Hybrio batteries in her camera will still work fine after
one year of sitting switched off. As Dave Martindale pointed out, the
current drain on her camera when switched off is a couple of microamps
(uA) whereas my A60 is 1.5 milliamps (mA), so a factor of nearly 1000
times more.
So it looks like there is a problem with the A60, perhaps a problem
with the electronic power switching. However, as it is such an old
second camera and also just used occasionally it doesn't seem worth
any expenditure to have the problem corrected.
And to both Dave's, yes it does have a separate lithium 3 volt battery
to preserve the date and time. That battery still checks out OK after
several years. On that basis I will content myself with removing the 4
x AA cells when it is not in use, until it finally packs in for good.
Thanks for all you input, appreciated.
TrollManager
wrote:
>
>And to both Dave's, yes it does have a separate lithium 3 volt battery
>to preserve the date and time. That battery still checks out OK after
>several years. On that basis I will content myself with removing the 4
>x AA cells when it is not in use, until it finally packs in for good.
Put a little slip of paper or thin plastic over a battery contact and shut the
battery-compartment door again. I use this method on a set of hand-held FM
transceivers that have an overly high drain to keep its clock and FM-radio
presets. They're needed to keep in touch with photo-trekking partners when
hiking in remote places or kayaking extensive wetlands. Used for reporting if
either spots something to photograph, or in case of danger or injury.
I use longer strips of clear thin mylar so the tab hangs out of the battery door
to remind myself (and others) to pull it out before use. No need to open the
battery door to reengage contacts. It's as fast and easy as flipping a switch.
Though putting it back at the end of the day does require some minor
battery-compartment fiddling. The next time that you buy a bag of chips or snack
where you try to break your fingers and arms to rip it open, save a bit of that
packaging material.
Hint for photo-trekking kayakers with FM transceivers ... get ones with
headsets. When kayaking over large expanses of water you need to raise the radio
high above your head so the signal is not dampened by the waves and deflected
away from the other's receiver. Even calm water seems to have a severe
signal-dampening effect. Your proximity to the water's surface when seated in a
kayak makes them nearly useless. Your range is sorely limited to well under 1/2
mile unless you can raise the radio higher. VOX activated units are best. Then
you can quickly affix the transceiver to the end of an upraised paddle for even
more range over rough waters. Cell-phones you say? Surely you jest. If you
aren't outside of a cell-tower's range when doing photography then you're just
another snap-shooting tourist. :-) I can't even get cell service where I am
right now while typing this. I made sure of that when buying this land.
Al Paca
<trollm...@unwantedmail.net> wrote:
>I use longer strips of clear thin mylar so the tab hangs out of the battery door
>to remind myself (and others) to pull it out before use. No need to open the
>battery door to reengage contacts.
Great tip. Thanks.