D-LI90 Not Holding Charge

Pentaxiac · 04-24-2011, 06:41 PM

Recently my D-LI90 battery for my K-7 suddenly goes dead, as in loses all its charge after only 1-2 days and I haven't used my camera that much in terms of shooting. The battery is nearing 2 years old when the K-7 came out. Anyone else have this problem with this battery before or is this a tell-tale sign to buy a replacement?

Oh and I ordered a replacement just in case. I got a couple shoots this upcoming weekend.

Adam · 04-24-2011, 06:56 PM

It's probably reaching the end of it's life- the expectancy is about 500 charges total.

Wombat · 04-24-2011, 06:59 PM

Whenever I've bought an appliance that uses a Li battery I've always been told not to expect more than about 18months use before it starts to die. That's certainly been my experience with laptop batteries and the like. I guess it depends how well you maintain it, how heavily you use it, whether you drain it to the dregs before recharging etc. Two years sounds about right. They're a helluva price to replace, aren't they? Frankly, I've been using a cheaper, non-Pentax one as my backup battery and haven't noticed any difference in how many shots I can get before needing to recharge.

**Ex Finn.** · 04-24-2011, 08:13 PM

They do wear out after so many cycles. Not much can be done about it.

hcc · 04-24-2011, 09:00 PM

There are two possibilities:
* the battery wears out (as decribed in earlier posts), or
* the camera circuitry has a fault.

Does the battery wear out when it is out of the camera? In the negative, the issue is the camera, not the battery. That did happen to one of my P&S, and I lost 2 batteries until I realised it.

Food for thoughts...

stevebrot · 04-25-2011, 12:00 AM

Here is a good link regarding Li-ion battery life:

How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries -- Battery University

The pertinent points are:

They will all fail eventually
Loss of capacity is accelerated at low charge levels
Full discharge for each cycle is not a good thing
Heat is a bad thing, particularly when combined with a high charge level
Maintaining the battery at a state of partial discharge is healthy

The battery in my K10D has been going strong since Spring of 2007 and has supported some 17000 exposures to date. I guess that means that I had best be buying a replacement sometime soon.

Steve

Pentaxiac · 04-25-2011, 06:24 AM

Thanks for all your responses, guys. It's been helpful.

Quote:

Does the battery wear out when it is out of the camera? In the negative, the issue is the camera, not the battery. That did happen to one of my P&S, and I lost 2 batteries until I realised it.

No, I keep the battery in the camera since I always carry it with me everywhere I go. And I always take constant care of the camera when it's by my side, like no sudden jolting or dropping.

Quote:

The pertinent points are:
They will all fail eventually
Loss of capacity is accelerated at low charge levels
Full discharge for each cycle is not a good thing
Heat is a bad thing, particularly when combined with a high charge level
Maintaining the battery at a state of partial discharge is healthy

Thanks for referring that article. Heat is always an issue with me since sometimes the camera's in a hot car and my apartment can get pretty hot. I never considered state of discharge to be an issue but now I know and I thank you for that.

04-24-2011, 06:41 PM	#1
Pentaxiac New Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Central Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 21	D-LI90 Not Holding Charge Recently my D-LI90 battery for my K-7 suddenly goes dead, as in loses all its charge after only 1-2 days and I haven't used my camera that much in terms of shooting. The battery is nearing 2 years old when the K-7 came out. Anyone else have this problem with this battery before or is this a tell-tale sign to buy a replacement? Oh and I ordered a replacement just in case. I got a couple shoots this upcoming weekend.

04-24-2011, 06:56 PM	#2
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,608	It's probably reaching the end of it's life- the expectancy is about 500 charges total. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

04-25-2011, 12:00 AM	#6
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Here is a good link regarding Li-ion battery life: How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries -- Battery University The pertinent points are: They will all fail eventually Loss of capacity is accelerated at low charge levels Full discharge for each cycle is not a good thing Heat is a bad thing, particularly when combined with a high charge level Maintaining the battery at a state of partial discharge is healthy The battery in my K10D has been going strong since Spring of 2007 and has supported some 17000 exposures to date. I guess that means that I had best be buying a replacement sometime soon. Steve

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04-24-2011, 06:59 PM	#3
Wombat Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: South Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 901	Whenever I've bought an appliance that uses a Li battery I've always been told not to expect more than about 18months use before it starts to die. That's certainly been my experience with laptop batteries and the like. I guess it depends how well you maintain it, how heavily you use it, whether you drain it to the dregs before recharging etc. Two years sounds about right. They're a helluva price to replace, aren't they? Frankly, I've been using a cheaper, non-Pentax one as my backup battery and haven't noticed any difference in how many shots I can get before needing to recharge.

04-24-2011, 08:13 PM	#4
Ex Finn. Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern Maryland. Espoo. Kouvola. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,975	They do wear out after so many cycles. Not much can be done about it.

04-24-2011, 09:00 PM	#5
hcc Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,005	There are two possibilities: * the battery wears out (as decribed in earlier posts), or * the camera circuitry has a fault. Does the battery wear out when it is out of the camera? In the negative, the issue is the camera, not the battery. That did happen to one of my P&S, and I lost 2 batteries until I realised it. Food for thoughts...

04-25-2011, 06:24 AM	#7
Pentaxiac New Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Central Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 21 Original Poster	Thanks for all your responses, guys. It's been helpful. Quote: Does the battery wear out when it is out of the camera? In the negative, the issue is the camera, not the battery. That did happen to one of my P&S, and I lost 2 batteries until I realised it. No, I keep the battery in the camera since I always carry it with me everywhere I go. And I always take constant care of the camera when it's by my side, like no sudden jolting or dropping. Quote: The pertinent points are: They will all fail eventually Loss of capacity is accelerated at low charge levels Full discharge for each cycle is not a good thing Heat is a bad thing, particularly when combined with a high charge level Maintaining the battery at a state of partial discharge is healthy Thanks for referring that article. Heat is always an issue with me since sometimes the camera's in a hot car and my apartment can get pretty hot. I never considered state of discharge to be an issue but now I know and I thank you for that.