[arbin]

The NP-FA50 battery pack supplied with my Sony DCR-90E Handycam seems to be discharging quickly. I appreciate the time taken to discharge will depend on the operating mode of the camcorder but what has prompted the query is that if I fully charge the battery and then leave the camcorder unused for a day, it needs a top up charge. I am not into the characteristics of lithium ion batteries but would expect it to hold a full charge for 24 hours.

Can anyone suggest how to check this type of battery?

[redsox_mark]

Other than using it I don't know how to "check it"...

Here is some info on lithium ion batteries
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-5.htm

All rechargable batteries "self discharge"... so as soon as you have finished charging they are slowly discharging... but with a healthy battery this is slowly... in 24 hours there would be some small discharge but it shouldn't require a top-up at that point. How old is the battery?

Mark

[arbin]

Hi Mark
Thank you for the info. I understand the camcorder and its battery is less than a year old (I bought it second-hand from a reputable dealer who has given me a 6 months guarantee).

I had hoped to check the battery as follows. The instruction manual states that the battery capacity is 680ma/hr. Thus if I left the camcorder in say Tape standby with the LCD on I could note the time for the fully charged battery to fully discharge. If I knew the battery current drain in Tape standby the product of time and current should be equivalent to 680ma/hr. Unfortunately Sony were unable to supply the current drain figure and suggest a test which involves running the tape drive mechanism non-stop for 85 minutes. Perhaps I should have more faith but I would much prefer a static test.