VIXIA HG10 internal battery dead

[guitarpicker7]

Hello!

I'm a Newbie here and I LOVE my Canon HG10 HDD camcorders!

I  have been using them for about 12-15 years (I'm old and don't remember exactly when I started) recording just about anywhere I can get permission...

3 of them have internal battery issues (the rechargable lithiums that keep the settings and the clock alive are dead)

4 appeals to Canon service brought no response.

I'm really getting tired of wasting 20 minutes of setup time poking buttons to input my preferences! 

 I'm an experienced tech and not afraid to open up my stuff (I upgraded the HDD in 2 of my HGs = EZ2Do), but I learned the hard way, a long time ago, having some direction beforehand is a good thing.

Thoughts and suggestions are appreciated!

Thank You!  Stay Safe!  Stop inhaling... 😉 

-charley, lower left corner of OHIO

[rs-eos · Accepted solution]

Not sure what to say, unfortunately.  Those units were released around 13 years ago, so not surprising that the internal batteries will no longer hold any charge.   I cannot speak for Canon, but there may be some limit as to what electronics they will still be able to service.  Limit as in x number of years after a particular model is released.

[guitarpicker7]

Thank you!

In my original post, I didn't do the arithmetic right = I should have said about 15 years!

I am sure you are right!

The internal Li battery won't/didn't live forever. When I swapped out the 20GB HDDs for 60GB, I didn't see anything that looked like a battery cell or even a huge MFD, low-voltage capacitor.
The owner's manual tells how to charge the internal batt- turn the camera off, remove the external battery, plug in the external power supply, wait 24 hours = EZ enuff. This would indicate that the internal battery is being trickle-charged by a very simple circuit - probably just a current limiting resister in series with the battery.
Since we aren't going anywhere for awhile, I'm trying to make a dent in my to-do list. This one is about #8. If the weather gets better so I can get outside, without sinking into the mud, it will move down to #21!
Lucky me... 😉 
All my best to you and yours!
Thanks again for your comments and fast response!
-charley

[rs-eos]

It's been many many years since I've done any electronics work.  But I believe as you noted, that the battery wouldn't be a standard off-the-shelf user-replacable cell.

Regards to you and your family as well!

[guitarpicker7]

Most in-circuit batteries can be safely substituted with replacements of similar voltage and current capacity. For me, right now, it's just a matter of locating and identifying the actual, physical part. I wade thru tons of HG10 data and opinions but I find nothing substantial in my area of interest. FYI: I despise those who charge inflated fees for the data I require! I am very disappointed that CANON still clings to that same, long out-of-date information! It is what it is! 😉 thank you, again! Enjoyed the chat! 😉

[Tjoernfelt]

Hello guitarpicker7

Did You finally locate the battery. I've found it soldered to the circuit board in the bottom of the camera. At this very moment, I'm trying to recharge is, as You've described. It's my second HG10, as the flip out screen crashed on the first. I broke a connector in a attempt to replace, and unfortunately before saving recordings. The battery in the first camera still holds power after 6 years. I do not like the idea of replacing it with the circuit board in place, but am even more a

 

fraid of taking it appart.

[guitarpicker7]

I apologize for taking so long to respond- 
I'm glad you shared the photo and you are correct- I found a place that charges $120 to change the B/U battery! I now have 11 HG10s, all of them have bad B/U batteries. I should say HAD... it's a quick fix and you will need some soldering skills, but soldering is easy and a talent quickly learned. I used the "pre-tinned connecter" routine and just a touch of the soldering iron secured the replacement battery in place. 
Hint- On my first try, I took photos after each step, no matter how small or insignificant it seemed.
It made a wonderful reference when I was putting it back together... 
My NEXT adventure into HG10 Land is fixing sloppy zoom switch rockers! Stay tuned -----

[lilacflows]

Hello guitarpicker7. My internal battery in my Vixia HF G10 is also dead, and I haven't been able to charge it for some time.  A while back, the charger stopped working. I figured out that the van's cigarette lighter plug has the same connector. I charged the internal battery a couple of times in the van while driving but that doesn't seem to work anymore. I plan to open it up and see if can find the battery with the help of my gear head sweetie. I have one more plan before I start to do that. We found another charger 12 volts and will wire it to a connector from a cigaret charger cord that fits the camera. I realize it is supposed to be 8.6 volts. I ordered one from amazon but that just popped loudly a couple of times as soon as we plugged it in. Yikes. So no luck there. Fingers crossed that nothing else is wrong. 

[lilacflows]

I've taken my Canon vixia apart and I'm ready to replace the internal battery. I'm a little afraid to take the soldering iron to it but that's the next thing. Then I assume the battery will tell me it's part number and I can find it and order it online. Fingers crossed.

 

[lilacflows]

Tjoernfelt ---Quick update since yesterday. I've gotten almost as far as this picture shows. Next, I have to pull the side panel off—looks like a couple of screws will do it.