If it shows as charged, and then runs the camera at all just not well, does it still show as charged after that?
A bad cable would likely produce intermittent power, not weak power. ..... The thing to do is isolate the source of the problem. Don't go out an get your battery recelled until you figure out what's going on. 1) Find something else that runs on 12V, and see if the battery will power it: how well, how long... A light is good, if you have one, as it should draw down the battery at a similar rate as the camera. Anything that's just electronic doesn't draw enough to make a good test. 2) See if another 12V source will run the camera. You can jury rig it to a car battery, for example. If the camera has been sitting a long time, it could be 'stuck' and in need of a CLA. The source needs to be apply to supply the minimal current to run the camera, about 1A (1000mA). There is no such thing as a source with too much current, the device only draws what it needs. (The thing you can't go over is Volts, but few devices are that picky, so if you're a little over you'll be fine, e.g. a 14V supply is highly unlikely to burn out a 12V device -- e.g. in emergencies...) Battery capacity is rated in Amp/Hours, i.e. a 3.4AH battery should supply 1 Amp for 3.4 hours. ...... The battery tech used in any older 16mm camera is old, old, old. The cells would be NiCAD's, which have low capacity, discharge quickly on the shelf, are subject to the dreaded 'memory effect', and are environmentally toxic beside. If you get a battery re-celled, NEVER get it re-celled with NiCADS!!! Replace the cells with NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) cells, preferably the low-shelf-discharge variety. If you can't find the same cell size/shape as the original NiCADs for any kind of external battery, either improvise, or if that doesn't work, just chuck the whole thing and get something new. You can make a DIY belt pretty easily for a lot less than anything you can buy. If you do re-cell a NiCAD pack with NiMH, you'll need a new charger. NiCAD and NiMH chargers have slightly different electronics, and a NiCAD charger probably won't put out enough current to charge up the NiMH cells anyway. _______________________________________________ FrameWorks mailing list [email protected] https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks
