Recently I pulled an old digital camera out from the drawer and attempted to turn it on. The display of the camera came on and then quickly died as if the battery was dead. I put the battery in the charger but after coming back to check it the camera still did the same quick turn on and off.

I'd like to test the Li-Ion battery charger to ensure it is still working correctly before going out to purchase a new battery. It has 3 contacts which connect to the battery it charges. I do not see a potential across any of these. Was thinking though, that since it has 3 contacts maybe one is a sense and the others will not supply voltage until it has the correct voltage on it. I also tried probing these contacts while the battery was in the charger and still see no voltage. The battery does have roughly the correct voltage when tested. The fuse inside the charger is also still OK.

Is there an easy way to test this charger so I can rule it out? It is a Kodak model K5000 charger.

Thanks.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Well, we don't have any specifications for the battery or the charger.

Some batteries have a bi-metal switch in them that opens (or perhaps closes on some models) when the battery internal temperature reaches a pre-set limit causing the charger to shut down; others may have a resistor whos' resistance varies depending upon temperature, which gives feedback to the charger.

If your charger doesn't seem to be doing anything, it may be that the charger is faulty, the battery thermal sensing circuit has malfunctioned, or the battery is just plain no good anymore after sitting on a shelf for a prolonged period.

Li-Ion batteries start degrading the minute they're manufactured, and go downhill from there. You can extend their life greatly by charging them to around 40%, and storing them in a refrigerator at a few degrees above freezing; if they freeze, they're ruined.

 

There are stores that specialize in selling batteries. You can take the whole thing to them and let them do the testing and recommendations to getting things working again. Just another option...