Change the battery pack

[ibenna]

I have seen many people with this issue - I have a powershot ELPH 530HS and it has been working with no issues. Recently it started giving an error stating that i should "change the battery pack". This is a fairly new camera and i doubt the battery is faulty. Anyone seen this issue? How did you fix it?

[TTMartin]

Is this with a fully charged battery fresh out of the battery charger?

[ibenna]

That is correct - in fact i just finished fully charging the battery right now and tested it to the same result.

[smack53]

You may need to let the rechargeable battery pack go completely dead before recharging. Some of the batteries get a "memory" if they get charged too often when they are not completely depleted of energy, and then won't fully charge. Use the battery pack until the camera just won't operate anymore, then try a recharge. There is a remote possibility that the battery contacts in the charger are not making proper contact, so just make sure the contacts on the battery pack and the charger are clean before plugging everything in.

Steve M.

[ibenna]

Smack53, unfortunately i cannot even turn the camera on for me to drain the battery. Whenever i turn the camera on, it gives me this error message ("Change the battery pack") - even when i try to preview the images on the camera, i get the same error.

Any other suggestions?

[smack53]

You may need to purchase a new battery pack. From what I can gather, that particular battery pack does not have a very long recharge record. Any rechargeable battery has only so many charges that it can do, and yours may be at the end of its recharge life. I see the folks at B&H have a $7.00 replacement for the NB-9L battery pack, but I usually stick with the Canon ones if I can. The Canon NB-7L is about $37.00, but I would try a new battery pack at this point. 

Steve M.

[mylovecanon]

Is there any other solution other than buying a new battery? What is this error about? How does it happen? Is it my fault that it happened?

[smack53]

Have you checked the battery contacts in the camera and on the battery pack for any signs of corrosion? It's possible that the contacts may just need to be cleaned. I doubt you did anything wrong, and as I stated before, sometimes the batteries themselves just wear out.

Steve M.

[John_]

When you say your camera is fairly new is it still under warranty? If yes I suggest calling Canon and starting a service request. There are several internal components that could cause that to happen.

Having a fairly new battery go bad is not completely unheard of. If you buy a new battery and it fixes it then your all set if it does not fix it then you will need to have it serviced and you will have a spare battery....having a spare battery is a good thing.

I think your original battery is covered under the warranty too...but like I said if you still have time left on your warranty contact Canon asap

[mahargg]

I have the same problem with an Elph 300 HS (about 6 years old) I thought the battery was dead so I ordered 2 new batteries but the same thing happens ( camera says battery needs recharging even though I just recharged it).