RE: [Leica] R8 + Winder: Lithium Battery power curve

[chucko@siteconnect.com (Chuck Albertson)]

    I've noticed that with the lithium C cell that powers my climbing
headlamp. Good power output, and long life (especially shelf life). But when
it decides to go, it drops dead in its tracks, leaving me cursing the
darkness on a cold glacier and pawing around in my rucksack for the spare.

Chuck Albertson
Seattle, Wash.

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of GBICKET
Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 1998 2:51 PM
To: Leica User's Group Digest
Subject: [Leica] R8 + Winder: Lithium Battery power curve


Hello all,

Learned something interesting today regarding lithium battery output
dynamics which may be helpful to R8 LUGgers.  Perhaps some LUGgers are aware
of this, and I suspect that this may be more a function of lithium battery
output than it is of this particular application ...

At the beginning of the picture making, the battery readout on the back of
the R8 indicated full battery power.  I have been noting the indicator
readout when I turn on the camera for some time, as I expected the batteries
would have failed well before this.  They Energizer lithium CR123A batteries
were installed in March, 1998, and I have since put between 20 and 25
36-exposure rolls of film through the R8+Winder combination.

Certainly no complaint about battery life!

This morning, there was no trickle of power from these batteries.  Nada,
niente, rien, zero, zippo.  Not even enough to light the meter, or liquid
crystal display on the back of the camera, much less power the shutter.
What I found interesting is that the battery indicator has a functionality
to reveal lowered battery output, and it read full power until the batteries
were fully depleted.  No hint of imminent failure.  I conclude from this
that if my experience is representative, power output curve on these lithium
batteries must be constant at full rated voltage until they die.