Topic: Sony NP-F970 Problems

[bhoy]

I use several Sony video cameras that run off of a Sony NP-F970 battery.  This is Sony's largest camcorder battery and I think it might be the same series that the SD722 uses, so maybe people have experience with this battery.  I have had one for several years, and just last night it was charging in the camcorder. It got close to capacity before I went to bed, and when I woke up this morning, the camera's light was flashing and the battery was dead.  Now it won't hold a charge, and it won't report how many minutes it has.  It looks like the battery died.

I had this happen to me years ago, and I always assumed that somehow I shorted the battery out in my bag somehow.  This doesn't appear to be the case.  Does anyone know if these batteries can be saved?  What happens to them to make them fail all of a sudden?

I've always replaced it with a Sony battery because of the info chip that is in the battery.  Is there an off brand I could try instead?  If the battery is going to fail eventually, it doesn't seem worth it to buy a Sony branded one.

Thanks,
Bill

[ilduclo]

if you have a "Batteries Plus" store there, try their replacements. They usually have longer life camcorder replacement bat's, I have one that is 6 years old of theirs that is still running strong. Lower cost, and my local store will also test and evaluate ANY battery for free. Franchise outfit, though, so YMMV