12v Battery Charger

Siftah

Siftah

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John
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Hi All,
I'm going to be away for 3 weeks and both myself and my girlfriend will be taking our EOS's, a 7D and a 450D.

In the past I've charged my batteries (30D charger) via an inverter, either off the car itself or from a small 12v car battery I use for camping.

I noticed in the manual for the 7D that you're not supposed to use "portable transformers" (which I assume to mean an inverter) with the charger.

I think there's multiple types of inverters, some of which are fine with a AC->DC charger and others that aren't. Anyone know more?

Alternatively, anyone know somewhere which sells DC->DC chargers for Canon batteries? I've had a quick Google and found one example, but not for the 450d or 7D batteries.

Or has anyone used the chargers via an inverter and actually had any issues?

Ta :)
 
If you mean the inverters that plug into car lighter sockets and have a 3pin plug socket & look like a slab of "vienetta ice cream" like these then I've used a 24v inverter (when trucking) to power my pc, a lcd tv etc whilst away on nights - so I cant see why a 12v version couldn't work a camera battery charger...
 
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Trig's said:
If you mean the inverters that plug into car lighter sockets and have a 3pin plug socket & look like a slab of "vienetta ice cream" like these then I've used a 24v inverter (when trucking) to power my pc, a lcd tv etc whilst away on nights - so I cant see why a 12v version couldn't work a camera battery charger...
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Yup, exactly what I've used in the past - they definitely work, though it doesn't seem like they're recommended - I'm wondering if anyone has actually ever had problems using them as I've not...

I'm just wondering whether I've been lucky in the past, If I get half way into my 3 weeks holiday and my charger packs up I'm going to be *really* p***** off. :bonk:
 
I've got a Ring brand 12v inverter that's can shaped (designed to fit in a cup holder), It won't run a laptop or anything like that but it does the job of charging my Nikon batteries nicely. Tesco sell them (or did) pretty cheaply.
 
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Siftah said:
Yup, exactly what I've used in the past - they definitely work, though it doesn't seem like they're recommended - I'm wondering if anyone has actually ever had problems using them as I've not...

I'm just wondering whether I've been lucky in the past, If I get half way into my 3 weeks holiday and my charger packs up I'm going to be *really* p***** off. :bonk:
Click to expand...

I've known other drivers to run playstations from them as well as tv's - so cant see how they wouldn't be "recommended" to charge a camera battery... As all they do is convert the "juice" as so to speak.. I've not had any probs with them but I havent run a camera battery charger - but have done larger things...
 
Siftah said:
Hi All,
I noticed in the manual for the 7D that you're not supposed to use "portable transformers" (which I assume to mean an inverter) with the charger.


Ta :)
Click to expand...

just wondering why you assume they mean inverter when a transformer is the opposite of one .
 
donutagain said:
just wondering why you assume they mean inverter when a transformer is the opposite of one .
Click to expand...

Not quite. An inverter takes DC in and gives AC out. A transformer takes AC in and gives AC out.
 
Trig's said:
I've known other drivers to run playstations from them as well as tv's - so cant see how they wouldn't be "recommended" to charge a camera battery... As all they do is convert the "juice" as so to speak.. I've not had any probs with them but I havent run a camera battery charger - but have done larger things...
Click to expand...

It's not quite that simple...
 
donutagain said:
just wondering why you assume they mean inverter when a transformer is the opposite of one .
Click to expand...

Because the instructions were probably written in Japanese and then converted to English by a translator. Unless you're an electronics expert, then a transformer and an inverter could be considered "the same".
 
I'll answer my own thread, hopefully this will be of use to others!

7DayShop.com do a range of battery chargers which run direct off 12volts and so can be charged from a 12v battery or from a cars cigarette lighter socket; http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/def...=96&filterwords=7dayshop+fits&go=SEARCH&comp=

Other places seem to stock these but without the 7dayshop branding on. 7dayshop seem to be the cheapest though (would love to see other places?).

There appears to be one manufactured for the 7D/5D mkii batteries (LP-E6) but 7dayshop aren't currently stocking it - they've replied to a question I sent by email which says they're trying to get it in at the moment.

Great thing with these chargers is the plates are interchangeable, so you can use it for multiple camera types with just a different face plate.

Benefit of running direct off 12v instead of via an inverter with the standard canon charger is that it's more efficient, so you won't drain your 12v supply as quickly (benefit for me as I'm running off a leisure battery when camping). Second benefit is they're a bit less bulky than a charger + inverter + plug etc.

Downsides could be that the charger circuitry may not be as well optimised as the Canon one, so there's a small possibility it could damage the battery with repeated use (I think this is highly unlikely, the Canon batteries will have protection built in so the charger shouldn't be capable of doing too much harm).

Anyway, thought it may be of use to others :)
 
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