Cameras on planes

[Reg_Prescott]

It seems every time I get on a flight, carrying a camera with a fully charged battery, upon arrival the battery is nearly dead.

Has anyone else noticed this? Or am I imagining it?

Assuming it's not my imagination, is there a scientific explanation for this?


Edit P.S. -- the camera is always in my pocket, i.e. in the pressurized cabin.

[TheVat]

Could you be sitting on, or leaning against, the camera in such a way as to be activating some function that drains the battery? (if you arrive at your destination with 10,000 photos of the inside of your pocket, that could be a clue)

There is an increase in ionizing radiation for passengers when the plane is in the stratosphere, but not enough to affect batteries AFAIK.

[Reg_Prescott]

Could you be sitting on, or leaning against, the camera in such a way as to be activating some function that drains the battery?

Hey Vat!!

I don't think so. It makes a noise when turned on. Pretty sure I'd hear it.

Even if it was, the mysterious phenomenon I mentioned seems to happen even on the shortest of flights. When on terra firma, the camera battery is normally good for many hours.





Oh, and in a similar vein.....

When I fully charge my laptop, turn it off, and leave it sitting there doing nothing for a while, the battery power drains by (I estimate) about 10% per day.

In other words, when I turn it on again after a week of neglect, battery power will be about 30%.

Er, is this normal? Or did I get a lemon?

And if it's normal, what's draining the battery?

*confused*

[Reg_Prescott]

(if you arrive at your destination with 10,000 photos of the inside of your pocket, that could be a clue)

Tee hee!

[TheVat]

Your laptop battery may be dying, if it drains that fast when it's fully turned off. (it might drain that fast if you just turned the screen off to some sort of standby mode, though). Self-discharge rates rise with age and temperature. A fresh lithium battery, for example, should only self-discharge around 2% per month (per a quick web search). But a really old one could be losing 30% per month. 10% a day sounds like "last legs." Temperature would become a bigger factor if you stored it in a sealed automobile in the summer or lived in the tropics without AC.

The camera battery, self-discharging in a few hours, remains a mystery.

I hope some of our engineer-minded members will weigh in on this.

Dave_C? Faradave? DaveOblad? (you don't have to be named Dave, but it seems to help...)

[Reg_Prescott]

Your laptop battery may be dying, if it drains that fast when it's fully turned off. (it might drain that fast if you just turned the screen off to some sort of standby mode, though). Self-discharge rates rise with age and temperature. A fresh lithium battery, for example, should only self-discharge around 2% per month (per a quick web search). But a really old one could be losing 30% per month. 10% a day sounds like "last legs." Temperature would become a bigger factor if you stored it in a sealed automobile in the summer or lived in the tropics without AC.

That makes sense, Mr Vat.

Except it's been that way since I bought it (about 5 years ago).

Even more confused now. Haha!

Hope our resident experts can help.

Not a big deal; just curious.

Thanks!

[Reg_Prescott]

I'm beginning to think I may have a battery-draining effect on electrical appliances, not unlike the effect I have on homo sapiens.

Can money be made from this unique ability?

[zetreque]

I have taken different cameras (and other electronics) on planes and keep them in my pocket. I have never had a problem with the batteries draining.

In fact, I get some incredibly long battery life out of super old ipod.

New electronics these days have so many back doors, perhaps someone is stealing your data ;)

[dandelion]

Hi, I’m not a Dave and not good with such questions, but maybe cellular roaming?

[Dave_C]

I know I had that problem when the first phones came out. They would be looking for a signal and use a lot of power trying to get one from 6 miles up.

Does your camera have something in it that records time and date from a signal? Any kind of "airplane mode" on it anywhere?

Alternatively, can you just take the battery out?

Dave.

[charon]

can you just take the battery out?

I thought that. And then see if it still happens.

When's your next flight?