Question: After-market batteries - dangerous knock-offs???

Hi, all.

I have a Canon Rebel.

I've bought a few extra batteries off of Ebay ads, and have used them
with no apparent problems.

But I now hear that some of these are extremely low-quality knock-offs,
which can actually damage cameras due to short-circuits, and (in some
cases) catching fire.

Anyone else heard this? Should I stick with Canon batteries
exclusively??

Thanks,

BD

"BD" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi, all.

I have a Canon Rebel.

I've bought a few extra batteries off of Ebay ads, and have used them
with no apparent problems.

But I now hear that some of these are extremely low-quality knock-offs,
which can actually damage cameras due to short-circuits, and (in some
cases) catching fire.

Anyone else heard this? Should I stick with Canon batteries
exclusively??

Thanks,

BD


It has been a problem for cell phone users. Those cheap Li-On batteries do
not all have the chips that stop the battery from charging once it reaches
full charge, and I read of one instance where a woman's face was severely
burned when the battery exploded and hot chemicals spurt onto her face while
using her phone.

Some manufacturers, like Ericsson, actually have put holograms on their
batteries so customers could differentiate between the genuine article and
the counterfeit product.

I personally shy away from cheap knockoff batteries, because in my case I
always regret it when I end up having to pay more while trying to save a
buck. It's all a matter of how shy one is at taking risks. Since you are
obviously concerned, the appropriate position to take is to avoid those
cheapies.

BD wrote:
Hi, all.

I have a Canon Rebel.

I've bought a few extra batteries off of Ebay ads, and have used them
with no apparent problems.

But I now hear that some of these are extremely low-quality knock-offs,
which can actually damage cameras due to short-circuits, and (in some
cases) catching fire.

Anyone else heard this? Should I stick with Canon batteries
exclusively??

I'd definitely avoid eBay, but several reputable on-line retailers sell
after-market batteries. I've only taken one apart, but it had all the
charging and protection circuitry in there.

Even some OEM batteries have had problems with fires.

Jeremy wrote:
Those cheap Li-On batteries do
not all have the chips that stop the battery from charging once it reaches
full charge

Isn't that the task of the battery charger, to stop at full charge
(indicated by a sign change in dV/dt)?

For cell phones, I *_thought_* it was embedded in the phone. For my
Canon batteries, I see that the charger deals with that, at least
partly.
Or does the charger needs that particular circuitry in the battery to
properly see full charge?

several reputable on-line retailers sell after-market batteries.

Could you rattle off a couple of names? I should at least investigate.

On 12 Feb 2006 07:29:15 -0800, "BD" wrote:

several reputable on-line retailers sell after-market batteries.

Could you rattle off a couple of names? I should at least investigate.


B&H, Adorama. They don't get much more reputable than that.
:-)

--
Bill Funk
replace "g" with "a"

wrote:
Jeremy wrote:
Those cheap Li-On batteries do
not all have the chips that stop the battery from charging once it reaches
full charge

Isn't that the task of the battery charger, to stop at full charge
(indicated by a sign change in dV/dt)?

For cell phones, I *_thought_* it was embedded in the phone. For my
Canon batteries, I see that the charger deals with that, at least
partly.
Or does the charger needs that particular circuitry in the battery to
properly see full charge?

The battery has protective circuity, plus often a thermal sensor. If you
ever disassemble say a BP511, there's a little printed circuit board
mounted above the two Li-Ion cells. This circuitry prevents
over-charging, short circuits causing problems, etc. You can see this
over at "http://www.electronics-lab.com/articles/Li_Ion_reconstruct/"

I think that you are correct about cell phone batteries, embedding the
charging circuitry in the phone, but there is still probably a fuse for
over-current protection.

BD wrote:
several reputable on-line retailers sell after-market batteries.

Could you rattle off a couple of names? I should at least investigate.

B&H and Adorama sell several variants of after-market battery packs.
I've bought from Sterlingtek with good results (and no, I don't receive
any money from them for saying that!).

But I now hear that some of these are extremely low-quality knock-offs,
which can actually damage cameras due to short-circuits, and (in some
cases) catching fire.

You mean like Nikon's genuine batteries? Or how about Dell's factory
chargers that could catch on fire?

I still tend to buy rechargeable batteries from the manufacturer. First,
they don't have to be replaced very often, so the extra cost isn't that
great when you spread it out over the life of the battery, and second, if
there is a problem you're more likely to hear about it. Nikon, Dell and
other big companies will get the word out, but you'll have to check the
recall sites on the Net to find the others.