VIXIA HF200 won't charge battery

[cheerful]

Hi,

I have a HF 200 which has served me well over the years.  Now when I plugged in the original Canon power adapter, the red LED will flash 7 times in about 7 seconds, and then rest for about 5 seconds.  The battery does not charge and it's the original Canon battery.  I can use a compatible battery charger and the battery will charge.  However, it won't display the remaining time properly and it will alert me to change battery all the time.  I bought a new battery which initially  worked fine, displaying the remaining time properly.  But the camcoder won't charge it.

Is the problem with the power adapter?  Is there a replacement?

Or is the problem with the camcorder?  Given its age, I probably don't want to fix it.  if so, is there a compatible charger that I can buy?

Thanks

[cbattle]

The external charger (STK) worked for a while, then it quit on me. Perhaps I shouldn't have gotten the cheap one. At this point I've given up on the camcorder.

[tuckerdognc]

Well, I guess it's okay that I still have power, but otherwise it's a $1000 doorstop.

[tekresults]

I have a HF 200.  Love the Camcorder.  Use it a lot for recording my band.

I have three batteries, two Canons and one Vivitar.  They are all different sizes.  Both Canons will ocassionally show low battery warnings but do not seem to charge in the camera or an external charger.

My solution is to just keep recording while the camcorder displays the warnings regarding battery lifetime.   After runing it for an hour in this state the battery will charge and seems OK after this.

[tuckerdognc]

Since an update showed up today, I'll post my update:
One week before I was going to shoot a friend's wedding is when all this happened. I found a company in CA that can/could repair it for about $125.00. Reluctantly, I purchased a refurbished Canon R-72 because of this major thing: The Canon is the only one in the price range, under $300, that has an external mic jack. They got me the camera two days prior to the wedding, and because I was familiar with the Canon, it wasn't difficult to shoot. The R-72 does well in good light, but a little iffy in low light. It does have a number of decent features and I was pleased with it. I did, however, have to return the first one because you could definitely hear the "Auto focus" motor in quiet conditions. I still have the other camera and I may repair, then sell or keep as backup as I have so many batteries for it (including a battery charger I purchased in the attempt to get this one working). Sad state of affairs but at least I was able to swing the $178. For the "new" camera.

[WHITETAIL]

Well, I'm glad I was able to help some of you with the issue.  Here's what I ended up doing.  When I called back when I had this problem the service tech told me I had the option to have the camera repaired or purchase a refurbished newer model.

I ended up going with the newer model and have not looked back.  It took a little getting used to as it was a little different.

You know...just when you've figured out yours....you have to up and learn a whole new one again.  I can say Canons Customer Service for me was top notch.  I'd buy another. The failed camera...well lets face it if you have saltwater on it (like a post I read), own it for 5 years....take it hunting in a backpack with you everywhere you go...it is bound to have some problems eventually.  I beat on mine and it held up for years.  I was happy with the Canon I owned.  I was upset at first but they did right by me in the long run.

[tuckerdognc]

Basically, what I did. I haven't tried the wifi yet but that seems to be something that may help with downloads.

[Itextury]

Hello lisainspace, and sorry for the incredibly late reply.

I believe that you are correct for assuming that there might be a failure where the AC adapter plugs into the camcorder. I removed the battery from my VIXIA HF M300, and then tried running the camcorder only from the AC adapter, and it continued to shut off randomly, as if there were power interruptions. This never happens when running on battery.

Not sure why I am even replying ten years late.

[lisainspace]

Better late than never! Coincidentally, I just lost my battery charger (to the chaos of a house) and had to order a new one. They should put "Find My" locators on those things, too. I still love this camcorder, despite having bought a smartphone that can record videos. Ten years later, I still am tempted to try to fix the issue.

[Itextury]

Did not expect you to respond, thanks for doing so! I feel you about losing that battery charger haha, I've just lost my microcontroller and had to get a new one. I am also tempted to do something about the charging issue. Whenever I can get the power adapter to actually power the camcorder, and try to charge the battery, I've noticed that the indicator light on the VIXIA flashes slowly for a few seconds and then flashes quickly for as long as I leave it plugged in. After going through the user manual, I found that it mentions "If the indicator flashes quickly, refer to Troubleshooting". So it turns out that not only is there likely a problem with the power adapter/where the power adapter plugs in to the camcorder, the battery has probably permanently died (and Canon no longer sells the proper batteries for the VIXIA that I know of). I also agree that while technology has certainly moved on, it's still a really nice camcorder that I am no longer able to use. But perhaps it is time to move on as well.

[IamintheUK]

Batteries don't last for ever. I use BP975 batteries and my 16 year old Canon one now has trouble holding a charge. I have two non Canon ones which are fine. One important thing. To be recognized by my camera they have to be of the "intelligent" type with built in circuitry. As yours won't charge in the camera this may be the problem.