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Battery doesn’t fit the camera compartment


Fiodor

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It looks the same as other batteries I have, I don’t see the slightest difference. However, it should be a tiny more enlarged somewhere. I can insert the battery, it touches a bit the wall of the compartment. But to take it out is difficult, I have to use tweezers and I don’t like the idea of doing this.

 

It is a Watson battery for my Fuji X-T3. I am not sure if the battery changed its size, or I had never used it and it is a manufacturing defect.

 

Can I do something to reduce the size of this battery (if it is enlarged, it is just a fraction of millimeter)?

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Were it mine, I'd replace it. The camera will always be more important than the battery. I've had decent luck with Watson, you might try contacting them.

 

Hi Sandy. Yeah, I think I will have to replace it. And I could contact Watson, good idea.

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Try sanding it down?

 

It sounds “tempting”, for the sake of recovering the battery. But isn’t it dangerous? Also, I don’t know if it is good to turn on the camera if the battery is a bit swollen.

 

I think the battery got swollen after charging it (could I have “overcharged” it?)

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Probably swollen.

 

Lay it down on a flat surface, does it spin if you flick a corner?

 

Replace it.

 

Not as far as spinning, but when I compare the battery to others I have, all on a flat surface, it is a tiny bit swollen at the center on one side.

 

Terrific idea, how bright some people are :D

 

Thank you, everyone.

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Overcharging - Do Watson put the same electronics as everybody else into their batteries? If so, your charger should have killed other batteries too. Plugging an original charger in for a month should be safe; i.e. overcharging impossible but flaws &/ cut corners are imaginable.

Dangerous? I suppose you 'd find cells + other electronics inside that plastic box. If you just thin its walls, it should continue to isolate electrically. - Probably not the best job to start getting used to unwieldy powertools on.

A faulty battery would look full in your charger but deliver less shots than a good one and get discarded.

Anyhow: In doubt, risk nothing and stock up with (kind of) proper batteries. Or even better, get enough charging options for the ones you already have.

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If it is a lithium battery, it was probably overcharged.

When a Li battery is overcharged, it generates gas. But unlike a NiCd there is no vent on a Li battery, so the cell swells, pushes on the case and the case swells.

A battery that is hard to remove should NOT be used, because if it swells more, it could get STUCK in the camera. That would require going to the camera's repair center to remove the battery. $$$ A new battery is cheaper than the repair bill.

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If it is a lithium battery, it was probably overcharged.

When a Li battery is overcharged, it generates gas. But unlike a NiCd there is no vent on a Li battery, so the cell swells, pushes on the case and the case swells.

A battery that is hard to remove should NOT be used, because if it swells more, it could get STUCK in the camera. That would require going to the camera's repair center to remove the battery. $$$ A new battery is cheaper than the repair bill.

 

I forgot to mention that I record 4K video, which is more demanding for the camera. And the original batteries are NP-W126s, with an S at the end, which apparently are more efficient to record 4K video. But the Watson which swelled is just NP-W126, the older model. But in this case, I don’t know if it is about the S, or about the general quality.

 

In the comments of this article TESTED: Third Party Fuji Batteries? "Inflated capacity values. Some batteries almost Fraud!"... and the Winner is...? - Fuji Rumors, someone wrote:

 

“The swelling could be due to charging the Wasabi batteries in the Fuji charger. ONLY charge batteries in the charger from the same manufacturer. We have used a mix of factory and Wasabi batteries for years with no problems. We never cross charge between devices. The internal charge rates and peak cutoff are different. That swelling was caused by overcharging which can cause a fire and/or explosion.”

 

What do you think? If I buy new a third party battery, should I buy also a charger from the same brand? Maybe I could buy a set, 2 batteries and charger.

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Lithium is a known battery chemistry.

 

However, some companies tweak the chemistry just a bit, to get more voltage or capacity. It is these that you have to worry about, as their charge logic may be different. Example: If they charge to a higher voltage, they will overcharge a standard battery.

If you have one of these batteries, it is safer to stick with the battery manufacturer's charger.

 

If you look at your camera's charger, it likely has more than 2 contacts for the battery, mine do.

But most 3rd party chargers only have 2 contacts.

My question is, what are the other contacts on the mfg charger for? Are they part of a charge monitoring circuit that the 2 contact chargers are not using?

A battery engineer told me that the 3rd wire/contact in lithium chargers if for PTC / Positive Temperature Control. A sensor in the battery tells the charger to shut down, if it gets too hot (overcharging). PTC is a safety mechanism. No 3rd contact, no PTC.

 

The other reason is warranty. The battery mfg can't point the finger at the charger mfg, if they also make/sell the charger, they can only point their finger at themselves.

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Lithium is a known battery chemistry.

 

However, some companies tweak the chemistry just a bit, to get more voltage or capacity. It is these that you have to worry about, as their charge logic may be different. Example: If they charge to a higher voltage, they will overcharge a standard battery.

If you have one of these batteries, it is safer to stick with the battery manufacturer's charger.

 

If you look at your camera's charger, it likely has more than 2 contacts for the battery, mine do.

But most 3rd party chargers only have 2 contacts.

My question is, what are the other contacts on the mfg charger for? Are they part of a charge monitoring circuit that the 2 contact chargers are not using?

A battery engineer told me that the 3rd wire/contact in lithium chargers if for PTC / Positive Temperature Control. A sensor in the battery tells the charger to shut down, if it gets too hot (overcharging). PTC is a safety mechanism. No 3rd contact, no PTC.

 

The other reason is warranty. The battery mfg can't point the finger at the charger mfg, if they also make/sell the charger, they can only point their finger at themselves.

 

This discussion has come up before.

 

The Nikon EN-EL3e has three contacts, presumably as you say for temperature sensing.

But the Nikon charger only has two.

 

There are charger ICs that can charge with out without the temperature sensor.

-- glen

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This discussion has come up before.

 

The Nikon EN-EL3e has three contacts, presumably as you say for temperature sensing.

But the Nikon charger only has two.

 

There are charger ICs that can charge with out without the temperature sensor.

 

You don't NEED the PTC circuit to charge the battery. Chargers have the logic to detect a full charge. Most 3rd party charger with only 2 contacts are doing this.

But . . . when the charger FAILS to detect full charge, and keeps charging . . . you have an overcharge situation. That is when PTC comes into play.

 

There is another implementation of PTC, that does not need a 3rd contact.

Here the PTC circuit in INSIDE the battery case. When the temp exceeds a certain point, the circuit opens, and no current can flow into the battery, stopping the charge.

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I built this radio kit:

 

EQKIT® FM Stereo Radio Kit 76-108Mhz Frequency 180mAh 32Ω Impedance YFM-1 DIY Electronic Parts

 

which is all surface mount soldering, and includes a Li-ion battery.

There are three ICs, one of which is the battery charger, powered by a USB connector.

I looked up the data sheet for the ICs, including the one for the charger.

 

As you note, the temperature sense is optional. That is, the IC implements it, but you don't have to use it.

I suspect that means that there is a standard, such that different chargers are compatible.

 

The whole FM receiver is one IC, with all the tuning based on a 32768Hz crystal oscillator,

and just about all digital.

-- glen

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