Charging Requirements for Leica M11 Batteries: Ridiculous Temperature Range
Related: black and white, Leica, Leica M, Leica M11 Monochrom, rangefinder
re: monochrome
Page 182 of the Leica M11 Monochrom user manual states:
Rechargeable battery (Leica BP-SCL7)
Li-Ion (Lithium-Polymer) rechargeable battery, rated voltage: 7.4V, capacity: 1800 mAh, charging current/voltage: DC 7.4 V/1000 mA, operating conditions: +10°C to +35°C (charging) / +0°C to +40°C (discharging)m manufacturer: Fuji Electronics (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., made in China
Approx. 700 shots (in accordance with CIPA Standard in rangefinder mode), up to approx 1700 shots (Leica adapted shooting cycle).
Charger (Leica BC-SCL7)
Input: USB-C DC 5 V, 2 A, output: DC 8.4 V, 1 A, operating conditions: +10°C to +35°C, manufacturer: Dee Van Enterprises Co., Ltd., made in China
Impressive battery life. But of course there is no AF or that sort of thing, and probably the EVF sucks up more juice too.
Being restricted to charging at 50°F to 95°F is ridiculous. When traveling in my van, in the summer it is often in the high 90’s, and all fall and winter it often if not usually will be below 50°F for large chunks of the day.
Maybe Leica is just being thorough and other vendors are the same and just don’t mention it.
I know that charging a LiOn battery whose internals are sub-freezing can destroy it. Does the charger detect temperature of the battery somehow? I’ve always taken care to warm up my batteries in my pocket under such conditions, before charging them, counting on internal heat while charging to keep them warm enough, and not charging if it’s 28°F or so or colder.
