M8 Charger

Franken II Charger

Franken II Charger

Artorius said:
This is a sweet charger, and the batteries aren't that much different size wise, volts/amps a little different, but com'on. It is a perfect charger, small and fast.
Wasn't Tim working a a smaller charger.
Earth to TIM, where are you?
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Greetings Artorius, Yes sir, I did go through the motions for of basic design for a charger, and even located a good supplier here (China) with all the credentials, Canon experience included. But I got scared of the entry level investment to get this done along with the liability exposure. There is also that nagging small detail called a sales forecast. It's just me and my wife here and I tend be overly cautious.

Here is the final version of what I came up with, fitting into a small package a la Canon.

2203045235_54f2334456.jpg
 
Interesting, I'll have to look into the Ansmann.

FWIW, the amber charge indicator light on the charger that originally came w/my M8 died. I thought the charger itself was broken & got a replacement, but some inadvertent testing (brought the broken charger on a trip by mistake) revealed that it was just that particular light.
 
Kenn - thanks for the tip! I've ordered one of the Ansmann chargers but can you explain which of the connectors on the Leica battery you need to connect to? I'm guessing the ones at each end but which is + and which is -?
 
Delkin makes a very nice charger that uses plate style adapters for various batteries. Now, if we could get them to design a plate for the M8 batteries (which would be a much smaller investment then a whole new charger) we would certainly have a smaller package then the current Leica charger.

http://www.delkin.com/products/batteries/testers/index.html

I am on Tim's side here as I am not sure how many chargers he could sell to the M8 crowd to make it a viable investment.

Best to all. Terry.
 
There is the other alternative. Dump the M8, realizing that if you can afford the thing you can certainly afford the financial hit you'll take by trying to resell it.

Get a good used M2, M4, M6 etc., get it overhauled, buy film.

Spend time taking nice pictures instead of doing upgrades, repairs, dealing with quality control issues, defective chargers and all that.
 
kenn said:
Working third party charger! Was traveling and had more problems with my Leica M8 charger. A local camera store offered the "ANSMANN DIGI-CHARGER VARIO" for about $50.00. It works * PERFECTLY * with the Leica M8 batteries (and the Canon 5D, and the flash(s)). Excellent product, small, both plug and car adapters and is now my default charger both home and abroad. Here is a link here:

http://www.ansmann.de/cms/consumroot/charging-technology/universal-chargers/digicharger-vario.html

I've given up on replacing the Leica chargers, and this was a random, lucky find that others having problems might wish to investigate. I did a quick search on the net and you can get these from pretty much everywhere.
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Kenn,

Could let us where in TO you found this wonderful solution or where you purchased it at... If you are so inclined can you take a pix with an M8 battery being charged.

I ask a lot and to that end I apologize in advance, but this is a great solution and I for one would be thrilled to find one - I'm in Vancouver. Thank you for sharing!

Best To All Terry.
 
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Amazon

Amazon

Thanks John, unfortunately Amazon does not sell them into Canada. I only wish we had the same merchandise access and pricing as the US. If you have a look at amazon.ca you will understand.

I did find them at www.henrys.com and have one on the way. I also checked a local large camera store - they said the can't keep them in stock and were out for the time being.


Best to all. Terry.
 
I can see that a smaller charger can be an advantage, although I will opt for the original Leica one as it has no extension cord and more convenience ( no danger of switching polarity!). From a quality point of view I fail to see the sense in switching from one Ansmann product (i.e. the Leica charger) to another one, just because they stuck their own label on it.....
 
terrycioni said:
Delkin makes a very nice charger that uses plate style adapters for various batteries. Now, if we could get them to design a plate for the M8 batteries (which would be a much smaller investment then a whole new charger) we would certainly have a smaller package then the current Leica charger.

http://www.delkin.com/products/batteries/testers/index.html

I am on Tim's side here as I am not sure how many chargers he could sell to the M8 crowd to make it a viable investment.

Best to all. Terry.
Click to expand...


That is indeed a great product. I just sent them the following e-mail. Now if everybody would do that it might give them an incentive to provide
M8 adapters!

I just saw this great product.
Are you planning at one point to provided plates to fit the Leica M8 battery?
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jaapv said:
That is indeed a great product. I just sent them the following e-mail. Now if everybody would do that it might give them an incentive to provide
8 adapters!
Click to expand...

done...figured why not, can't hurt. the more options the better imo...same reason I hope RF's stay around forever.
 
jaapv said:
I can see that a smaller charger can be an advantage, although I will opt for the original Leica one as it has no extension cord and more convenience ( no danger of switching polarity!). From a quality point of view I fail to see the sense in switching from one Ansmann product (i.e. the Leica charger) to another one, just because they stuck their own label on it.....
Click to expand...

In your case it doesn't make sense because a)you already have a spare M8 charger because you have 2xM8, and b)your other camera is a DMR and I don't think the battery will fit the Ansmann Vario. I travel with the M8 and a DLUX3 and my wife has a Canon S80, plus our 2 different cellphones. Sometimes I travel with a Canon 20D instead of the M8. Having the Ansmann Vario tucked away in my luggage is reassurance in case any one of the OEM chargers malfunctions...no need to waste vacation time hunting for replacements (which in the case of the Leica especially, would not always be easily found). I ordered one from B&H yesterday, and hopefully there are instructions that will indicate which way to position the battery so the polarity is correct...if not I will have to take both chargers to someone with a tester and make sure before I risk the M8 battery 😱
 
kenn said:
Working third party charger! Was traveling and had more problems with my Leica M8 charger. A local camera store offered the "ANSMANN DIGI-CHARGER VARIO" for about $50.00. It works * PERFECTLY * with the Leica M8 batteries (and the Canon 5D, and the flash(s)). Excellent product, small, both plug and car adapters and is now my default charger both home and abroad. Here is a link here:

http://www.ansmann.de/cms/consumroot/charging-technology/universal-chargers/digicharger-vario.html

I've given up on replacing the Leica chargers, and this was a random, lucky find that others having problems might wish to investigate. I did a quick search on the net and you can get these from pretty much everywhere.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for the tip. Like others, I'm quite interested and will get one. How do you decide which two contacts to charge to? I see 4 contacts on the battery, with no identifying markers. i've downloaded the manual from Ansmann, but they don't help in this regards, only stating that polarity is not an issue.

Henning
 
I got mine the other day (via Amazon/Adorama). With some experimentation, what seems to work is to have 1 contact on the charger go into the 1st slot & the other into the 5th slot (going from top to bottom w/the battery turned so that the slots face you & the arrow points right). Unfortunately, there is no way to "lock" the position of the sliding contacts on the charger (though Ansmann does supply a little "pick" to move them around).

HenningW said:
Thanks very much for the tip. Like others, I'm quite interested and will get one. How do you decide which two contacts to charge to? I see 4 contacts on the battery, with no identifying markers. i've downloaded the manual from Ansmann, but they don't help in this regards, only stating that polarity is not an issue.

Henning
Click to expand...
 
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Charging Pins for M8 Battery and ANSMANN DIGI-CHARGER VARIO

Charging Pins for M8 Battery and ANSMANN DIGI-CHARGER VARIO

Andy Aitken said:
Kenn - thanks for the tip! I've ordered one of the Ansmann chargers but can you explain which of the connectors on the Leica battery you need to connect to? I'm guessing the ones at each end but which is + and which is -?
Click to expand...

With both the ANSMANN DIGI-CHARGER VARIO and the Leica M8 Battery straight up (label), the 2 pins that are required for charging are the 2nd and 6th. That is the 2nd from the top and the 6th (last) pin. In this orientation, the battery arrow ">" is facing the right.

This works like a charm. It's smaller to pack, dependable and a huge grief relief when on the road with the M8.
 
M8 Charger

terrycioni said:
Kenn,

Could let us where in TO you found this wonderful solution or where you purchased it at... If you are so inclined can you take a pix with an M8 battery being charged.

I ask a lot and to that end I apologize in advance, but this is a great solution and I for one would be thrilled to find one - I'm in Vancouver. Thank you for sharing!

Best To All Terry.
Click to expand...

Hi, i found it on the road at a camera store in Moncton, NB called Ivans, but think it's a pretty generic product and you should be able to find it anywhere.

Here is a small shot of the battery in the charger:

2800848262_fa0ca31be4_o.jpg
 
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kenn said:
the 2 pins that are required for charging are the 2nd and 6th. That is the 2nd from the top and the 6th (last) pin. In this orientation, the battery arrow ">" is facing the right.
Click to expand...

furcafe said:
With some experimentation, what seems to work is to have 1 contact on the charger go into the 1st slot & the other into the 5th slot (going from top to bottom w/the battery turned so that the slots face you & the arrow points right).
Click to expand...

OK...which is it, 1&5 or 2&6??? Or are you guys counting from opposite ends of the row and actually refer to the same pins??? I'm expecting mine tomorrow and I'd really not like to fry my M8 battery 😱
 
I think we're counting from different sides (& no one apparently has a point & shoot digital to make things easier). I was counting slots w/the slots facing towards the viewer (& the arrow pointed right), not towards the charger, w/the thought that you could easily mark the slots w/white-out or paint for future reference. You don't have to worry about frying your battery as the green light only lights up when you get it right (& flashes until the battery is fully charged).

Ben Z said:
OK...which is it, 1&5 or 2&6??? Or are you guys counting from opposite ends of the row and actually refer to the same pins??? I'm expecting mine tomorrow and I'd really not like to fry my M8 battery 😱
Click to expand...
 
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Thanks

Thanks

kenn said:
With both the ANSMANN DIGI-CHARGER VARIO and the Leica M8 Battery straight up (label), the 2 pins that are required for charging are the 2nd and 6th. That is the 2nd from the top and the 6th (last) pin. In this orientation, the battery arrow ">" is facing the right.

This works like a charm. It's smaller to pack, dependable and a huge grief relief when on the road with the M8.
Click to expand...

Thanks Ken, I got one today from Henry's. It is as you point considerably smaller then the Leica charger and does more.

Best Regards. Terry.
 
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