Looking for info on lithium-ion batteries

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Hi everybody.

My digital camera (Hewlett-Packard R717) uses one of those batteries and its usable time has shortened considerably. I don't know anything about this kind of batteries and I think I must get a new one, so I'd like to hear suggestions on brands, places to buy, etc. Thank you in advance!

 

[Geoff St. Germaine]

That seems strange that it's battery life has shortened considerably. How long have you had the camera? I have two sony digital cameras with Lithium ion batteries, one I've had for 5 years and the other for a year and the old one doesn't show any noticeable signs of a shortened life.

Anyway, the battery you need is an HP R07. I don't know that any other companies make a replacement for that battery other than HP. It looks like they sell for between $30 and $50 depending if you can get it on sale.

 

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

That seems strange that it's battery life has shortened considerably.

Those are my exact thoughts, Geoff. I bought it in Dec. '05 and I don't use it extensively. When at home, I keep it plugged to the AC line (is that bad for those batteries?).

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

I dont know if its bad or not, but my old phone had a Li-ion battery, and i left it plugged in for ages now it wont turn on (i think the battery is fried).

And as has been said, unfortunatly with these kind of things, each manufacturer will use a specifically made battery for each item they manufacture, so you cant really get generic ones

 

[Aaron Saunders]

Lithium ion batteries do that -- they die over time.

And yes, keeping it plugged in all the time is bad for the battery. Charge it to full, let it drain to the bottom, repeat.

My advice is to straight up buy a better camera than that anyway. I mean, you could buy a new battery, but that's just getting a new battery for a bad camera. You can get a nice Canon SD1000 for <$300 CDN, and if you want, they also sell a leather case and additional battery for <$80 CDN.

 

[Geoff St. Germaine]

I have read that Lithium ion batteries are supposed to me "memoryless" and should last 300-500 charges typically. Leaving it plugged in shouldn't be a concern because, at least for all of my chargers, the chargers cut out once the battery reaches a certain charge.

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

I didnt think you had to let them drain fully?

The lack of a "memory" is one of the great things about Li-ion batts.