Very interesting! Were did you read about 3 times full charge /
discharge cycles on a new battery?
Well, you might try my book ;
)
But the original idea on that goes back to a battery expert that
Rob Galbraith talked with. And he made a quite valid point: the
EN-4 actually consists of a half dozen smaller batteries linked
together. First, they come from the factory not fully conditioned
(Rob and I both seem to come up with similar numbers: a
factory-fresh battery is only hitting somewhere slightly less than
90% of its capability before conditioning). Second, it is possible
that small differences in voltages between them can cause
performance robbing issues, such as "back current flow." By running
refresh cycles on a new battery (and even a single refresh cycle on
old ones), you condition the battery to its full capability and get
rid of voltage differences between the internal batteries. (But you
don't run refresh cycles on every recharge, as the batteries can
only endure so many refreshes.)
Got a new EN-4? Do this:
1. Use it in the camera until exhausted.
2. Put it on the charger and press the Refresh button.
3. Don't take it off the charger until it is no longer warm to the
touch.* Note that this may be 12 hours or more!
Repeat this cycle a total of three times. After that, you skip the
second part of Step 2 (pressing the Refresh button).
Yes, the charger lies. When the End light comes on, the battery
can still capture more charge. Only when the battery is cool to the
touch do you know that it is no longer accepting any additional
charge.
--
Thom Hogan
author, Nikon Field Guide & Nikon Flash Guide
author, Complete Guides to the Nikon D100, D1, D1h, & D1x and
Fujifilm S2
http://www.bythom.com
(By the way, I never got your book as you said that new owners would get from Fuji.)
