Canon LP-E4 red flashing light

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sunraygp

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When I put the LP-E4 in the charger the char/cal light blinks red, I press to calibrate the battery and the 3 charge light blink red for a second and the go off to just leave the char/cal button light flashing.

Is it now calibrating or is my battery done and time to buy a new one.
If I need a new has anyone a recommendation, I don't really want to pay canons prices.
 
I have given them a rub with pure isopropanol

I get the chra/all light blinking in a series of 5 flashs then a gap and the five more and so on.
 
sunraygp said:
When I put the LP-E4 in the charger the char/cal light blinks red, I press to calibrate the battery and the 3 charge light blink red for a second and the go off to just leave the char/cal button light flashing.

Is it now calibrating or is my battery done and time to buy a new one.
If I need a new has anyone a recommendation, I don't really want to pay canons prices.
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Does the battery still hold its charge after you have charged it?

I have an LP-E4 battery that is 13 years old and still works perfectly, except for the fact that it can't be calibrated.
 
The camera does not even switch on when I put the battery in, I just don't know if it's charged or flat.

If I hold the calibration button down for 10 seconds as in the manual, the first two charge lights go green, the third flashes for a second , then they all go out and the calibration/charge but goes back to it's red flashing sequence.
 
sunraygp said:
The camera does not even switch on when I put the battery in, I just don't know if it's charged or flat.

If I hold the calibration button down for 10 seconds as in the manual, the first two charge lights go green, the third flashes for a second , then they all go out and the calibration/charge but goes back to it's red flashing sequence.
Click to expand...
When you calibrate the battery the first thing that happens is that any remaining charge is discharged from the battery, so it could take several hours for the battery to completely discharge before it starts to charge again. The red flashing lights mean that the battery is discharging.
 
sunraygp said:
The camera does not even switch on when I put the battery in, I just don't know if it's charged or flat.

If I hold the calibration button down for 10 seconds as in the manual, the first two charge lights go green, the third flashes for a second , then they all go out and the calibration/charge but goes back to it's red flashing sequence.
Click to expand...
Doesn’t the manual tell you somewhere what the different flashing lights mean?
 
ecoleman said:
Doesn’t the manual tell you somewhere what the different flashing lights mean?
Click to expand...
That's a Yes and No

I think it's take to a canon service centre (probably cheaper to just buy a new one than send to london)

This indicates that you should calibrate the battery so that the correct battery level is detected and the camera’s battery level indicator can display the correct battery level. Calibration is not a required operation. If you want to just recharge the battery, you can let the battery start recharging automatically after approx. 10 sec. If you want to do the calibration, press the <CALIBRATE> button while the <CAL/CHARGE> lamp is blinking in red. The Charge level indicator will blink in red and the calibration (power discharge) will start.
After the calibration is completed, the battery will start recharging automatically. Note that the less depleted the battery, the longer the calibration will take. The <2h>, <4h>, and <10h> figures on the side of the Charge level indicator respectively indicate the approximate number of hours it will take to complete the calibration (power discharge). If the <10h> indicator blinks in red, it will take approx. 10 hours.
After the calibration is completed and the battery is totally drained, it will take a further 2 hours to recharge the battery fully. If you want to stop the calibration before it is completed and start recharging the battery, remove the battery from the charger and attach it again.



The <CAL/CHARGE> Lamp Blinks in Red

Charging the Battery


All Three Charge Level Indicators Blink
If all three Charge level indicators blink in green, it means that the battery’s internal temperature is not within 0°C - 40°C / 32°F - 104°F. The battery will start recharging when the internal temperature is within 0°C - 40°C / 32°F - 104°F.
If all the Calibration (discharge) status indicators blink in red or if all the lamps blink in red and green (including the <CAL/CHARGE> lamp), remove the battery from the charger and take it to your dealer or to nearest Canon Service Center.
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L320Rio said:
When you calibrate the battery the first thing that happens is that any remaining charge is discharged from the battery, so it could take several hours for the battery to completely discharge before it starts to charge again. The red flashing lights mean that the battery is discharging.
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I shall leave it over night and see what happens. A little shop around and it looks like it will have to be a clone as canon don't seem to sell the LP-E4 or the newer LP-E4N, but have found one what seems OK at £50 and a maybe OK at £30
 
Well it's been in the charger since Tuesday and the light is still flashing red (this is not the 3 status lights just the single light over each charging slot)

I believe the battery is now dead (don't know why, it's been outside the camera for a few months) so a new clone arriving today.
Just hope the camera (1Dmk4) is ok with this clone.
 
Lithium batteries, just like any other battery will self discharge over time. Lithium batteries also have a safe voltage level at which they can be recharged. If the voltage of the battery drops below that level recharging can cause the battery to become unstable and therefore Lithium batteries will have a safety fuse which essentially disables the battery once the voltage drops below that level.

If you battery has been out of the camera for 3 months and was a cheaper, poor quality battery or stored flat or partially flat then it is possible the the voltage dropped below it's safe recharge voltage.

If you have multiple camera batteries you should always cycles them in a way that each ones gets used and recharged regularly.
If you are going to store a Lithium battery for any period of time, it should be stored with around 60% charge and the charge should be topped upped where batteries are stored for long periods of time.

I don't know what the flashing light means on your charger but on laptops a flashing red LED usually means a fault with the battery.
 
Not this specific situation but I have a vague memory re: Canon battery & chargers.

If the low/flat battery shows charged within moments of starting the charge. IIRC the advice was ~ once the light goes out, remove the battery and wait 10 seconds > put back in and charging should start 'normally'. NB the steps might need one or two goes.

This was for the 40D and 5D series batteries.
 
I tried to charge the Canon battery in a non Canon charger, which did not work, but putting it back in the Canon charger it starts to charge for about 10 seconds, then goes in to battery over heating mode.

The first clone I got did not charge (even with many good reviews) nice Amazon refunded me so ordered an more expensive one, a LP-E4N clone so we'll see how that goes.

If that don't work I may have a 1Dmk4 going on sale, as the official route for a new Canon battery will cost £619.98
LP-E19 £189.99 which needs the LC-E19 charger £429.99
 
Clone came today £46.99 from Amazon, it fits nicely in the camera and all seems well. put it on charge and we'll see how it does when full.

PXL_20230727_141402149.jpg

PXL_20230727_141426502.jpg
 
ecoleman said:
Lithium batteries, just like any other battery will self discharge over time. Lithium batteries also have a safe voltage level at which they can be recharged. If the voltage of the battery drops below that level recharging can cause the battery to become unstable and therefore Lithium batteries will have a safety fuse which essentially disables the battery once the voltage drops below that level.

If you battery has been out of the camera for 3 months and was a cheaper, poor quality battery or stored flat or partially flat then it is possible the the voltage dropped below it's safe recharge voltage.

If you have multiple camera batteries you should always cycles them in a way that each ones gets used and recharged regularly.
If you are going to store a Lithium battery for any period of time, it should be stored with around 60% charge and the charge should be topped upped where batteries are stored for long periods of time.

I don't know what the flashing light means on your charger but on laptops a flashing red LED usually means a fault with the battery.
Click to expand...

did not know that , I’ve had a battery that I found in a drawer that was dead that explains it :)
as you say I’ve found that if I occasionally change or use camera batteries they do last a long time even ones that are not Canon original ones
 
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