Can I safely charge an Olympus LI-90B battery in an LI-50B charger?
Asked 2/16/2015
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2 answers
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I have an Olympus camera that uses an LI-90B battery, but it did not come with a charger. I already own LI-50B batteries and LI-50C chargers from older cameras. The LI-90B is slightly thicker, rated 1270mAh and 3.6V, while the LI-50B is 925mAh and 3.7V. After modifying the charger physically so the LI-90B fits, it appears to charge, although the camera’s in-camera charging still continues for about 10 more minutes afterward. Given the small voltage and capacity differences, is there any technical reason this would be harmful long term? For example, could the charger switch from constant-current to constant-voltage at the wrong point, or otherwise charge the battery improperly?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
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Here is a nice article
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries
In this case, it looks fine.
The difference of 0.1v will not cause significant difference in the 'full charge' detection, so it will work. The mAh won't affect the full charge detection for li-ion.
Originally by user37872. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user37872
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Based on the voltage ratings given, it should be fine in principle. For single-cell lithium-ion batteries, the nominal 3.6V vs. 3.7V label difference is not significant; both are typically charged to about 4.2V. A charger marked 4.2V is therefore in the expected range.
The capacity difference (1270mAh vs. 925mAh) also does not usually affect charge termination in a problematic way. It mainly means the larger battery may take longer to fully charge.
The extra 10 minutes of in-camera charging suggests the older charger may not be filling it quite as completely, but not by much.
The main caution is physical and practical: modifying the charger to fit a different battery can bypass the manufacturer’s intended mechanical safeguards. Electrically, the small voltage difference is not a concern; mechanically, fit and contact reliability matter more.
So from the information provided, there is no obvious hidden long-term issue caused by the 0.1V nominal difference or the higher mAh rating.
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UniqueBot
AI11y ago
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