NiMh voltage?

I have a (old) Canon A630 camera.

I can get very few shots/use out of a freshly charged set of
NiMh AA batteries, and yet when I put them in a halogen
bulb torch, the torch will run for hours.

I assume it's related to voltage, not Ah capacity.

Do brands/models of NiMh battery vary in voltage,
and (if so) can anyone recommend a high(er) voltage type?

BugBear

On 22/10/2013 15:26, bugbear wrote:
I have a (old) Canon A630 camera.

I can get very few shots/use out of a freshly charged set of
NiMh AA batteries, and yet when I put them in a halogen
bulb torch, the torch will run for hours.

I assume it's related to voltage, not Ah capacity.

Do brands/models of NiMh battery vary in voltage,
and (if so) can anyone recommend a high(er) voltage type?

BugBear

It's possible that the camera has a higher current drain, or has
developed a fault causing same. You could try with a fresh set of
batteries, or even non-rechargeables. How old are the NiMH cells - they
don't last for ever. I bought fresh Sanyo eneloops after 3-4 years
use. The voltage is likely dependent on the chemistry, and unlikely to
vary a lot between brands.

--
Cheers,
David
Web: http://www.satsignal.eu

? "bugbear" ?????? ??? ??????
o.uk...
I have a (old) Canon A630 camera.

I can get very few shots/use out of a freshly charged set of
NiMh AA batteries, and yet when I put them in a halogen
bulb torch, the torch will run for hours.

I assume it's related to voltage, not Ah capacity.

Do brands/models of NiMh battery vary in voltage,
and (if so) can anyone recommend a high(er) voltage type?

It would help if you could measure the voltage with a cheap multimeter (you
can get one for 7 euros) and see when the camera rejects batteries if
voltage is lower than nominal. And, yes, of course NiMh batteries have a
lower nominal voltage than alkalines. And how old is the set of batteries
you have? They're supposed to last for 1000 charge/discharge cycles, but in
reality have a shorter life. For instance, my camera had this problem, but I
bought generic li-ion batteries from aboutbatteries.com, and they last for
months and hundreds of photos now. (the camera takes proprietary li-ion
batteries, goes without saying). The last to suspect would be the camera,
whose battery voltage sense circuitry might have gone haywire (or some older
cameras had an adjustment for alkaline or rechargeable batteries).


--
Tzortzakakis Dimitris
hordad AT otenet DOT gr

On Tue, 22 Oct 2013 15:26:00 +0100, bugbear wrote:

I have a (old) Canon A630 camera.

I can get very few shots/use out of a freshly charged set of NiMh AA
batteries, and yet when I put them in a halogen bulb torch, the torch
will run for hours.

I assume it's related to voltage, not Ah capacity.

Do brands/models of NiMh battery vary in voltage,
and (if so) can anyone recommend a high(er) voltage type?

BugBear

Had the same issue with my wife's old Nikon P&S. Never could reconcile it
- but we finally gave up and tried Lithium (non-rechargeable) batties and
they lasted a LONG time. Convenience vs cost.

In article , bugbear
wrote:

I have a (old) Canon A630 camera.

I can get very few shots/use out of a freshly charged set of
NiMh AA batteries, and yet when I put them in a halogen
bulb torch, the torch will run for hours.

I assume it's related to voltage, not Ah capacity.

how old are they? if they're old, especially if they weren't
maintained, they won't hold much of a charge anymore.

a flashlight doesn't use much current and is not a good test.

Do brands/models of NiMh battery vary in voltage,
and (if so) can anyone recommend a high(er) voltage type?

no. they're all the same voltage, with difference mah capacities.

replace them.

In article ,
bugbear wrote:
I have a (old) Canon A630 camera.

I can get very few shots/use out of a freshly charged set of
NiMh AA batteries, and yet when I put them in a halogen
bulb torch, the torch will run for hours.

Incandescent bulbs are more tolerant of lower voltages than are
electronics.

I assume it's related to voltage, not Ah capacity.

Nominal alkaline or C-Zn batteries make 1.5v, nominal NiMH batteries make
1.2v. My previous labelmaker took 5 AAs, probably on the assumption that
the user would install NiMH batteries (correct in my case). Presumably
with alk/C-Zn you could short out one slot and it'd work fine.
(5*1.2v = 6v = 4*1.5v)

Maybe the camera's threshold for "he's dead, Jim" is at such a level that
would indicate a really dead alk/C-Zn, but only a slightly used NiMH.

Do brands/models of NiMh battery vary in voltage,

Not much. The chemistry determines the voltage.

and (if so) can anyone recommend a high(er) voltage type?

You can get one with a lower internal resistance. It'll droop less under
current drain. No, I don't know different brands' characteristics.

--
-eben P royalty.mine.nu:81
LIBRA: A big promotion is just around the corner for someone
much more talented than you. Laughter is the very best medicine,
remember that when your appendix bursts next week. -- Weird Al

On 2013.10.22 10:26 , bugbear wrote:
I have a (old) Canon A630 camera.

I can get very few shots/use out of a freshly charged set of
NiMh AA batteries, and yet when I put them in a halogen
bulb torch, the torch will run for hours.

I assume it's related to voltage, not Ah capacity.

Do brands/models of NiMh battery vary in voltage,
and (if so) can anyone recommend a high(er) voltage type?

NiMH in AA cells is nominally 1.2V (they come off the charger closer to 1.3.

I suspect your camera has some sort of drain in it which could be any
number of things. Verify the battery compartment is spotless. If not,
clean with a mild acid (white vinegar), wipe all that out and make sure
it's dry. If the fault lies deeper in the camera it may not be worth
any effort.

You can try putting in some alkaline AA's to see how long they last too
as a means to checking if there is a drain somewhere.

The drain could be a short (high resistance, but still a short), a
component that won't shut off, the power control circuit not shutting
the camera down and so on.

--
"Quotation, n: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another."
-Ambrose Bierce

First thought is a bad cell. As other mentioned check voltage , also
consider a good charger which can charge and condition individual
cells. Such a charger will be able to charge a single cell by itself.
Such as my Maha MH-C401FS





On Tue, 22 Oct 2013 15:26:00 +0100, bugbear
wrote:

I have a (old) Canon A630 camera.

I can get very few shots/use out of a freshly charged set of
NiMh AA batteries, and yet when I put them in a halogen
bulb torch, the torch will run for hours.

I assume it's related to voltage, not Ah capacity.

Do brands/models of NiMh battery vary in voltage,
and (if so) can anyone recommend a high(er) voltage type?

BugBear

In article ,
_trim says...

I have a (old) Canon A630 camera.

I can get very few shots/use out of a freshly charged set of
NiMh AA batteries, and yet when I put them in a halogen
bulb torch, the torch will run for hours.

I assume it's related to voltage, not Ah capacity.

Do brands/models of NiMh battery vary in voltage,
and (if so) can anyone recommend a high(er) voltage type?

This is a known problem with the Powershot A630. If you google "A630
NIMH" you'll find numerous reports of the behavior you describe.

The only discussion I could find that actually reported a solution was
this one:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...028-I-think-I-
fried-my-Canon-Powershot-A630-**FIXED-thanks-Nitroz!!!**

In summary, the solution was to clean all the contacts in the battery
compartment with a new pencil eraser. If that doesn't work try some
super fine sandpaper (the kind you get at an auto parts store).

In article , says...

On Tue, 22 Oct 2013 15:26:00 +0100, bugbear wrote:

I have a (old) Canon A630 camera.

I can get very few shots/use out of a freshly charged set of NiMh AA
batteries, and yet when I put them in a halogen bulb torch, the torch
will run for hours.

I assume it's related to voltage, not Ah capacity.

Do brands/models of NiMh battery vary in voltage,
and (if so) can anyone recommend a high(er) voltage type?

BugBear

Had the same issue with my wife's old Nikon P&S. Never could reconcile it
- but we finally gave up and tried Lithium (non-rechargeable) batties and
they lasted a LONG time. Convenience vs cost.

Be careful with Lithium. There are 1.5v AA batteries with lithium and
there are others that are 3.7 volt. Make sure you're getting the right
kind.