External battery using a coupler for G7; what am I doing wrong?

geokite wrote:

Thank you very much for that information. I testing the other contacts on a regular battery; the voltage across the (+) and the D was about 0.08V less than the voltage across the (+) and the (-), and the voltage across the (+) and the T was the same as the (+) and the (-). I don't understand what is going on with the D contact, but going by your reply, I didn't need to.

I opened up the coupler, pulled out the small 'circuit' board, and using some wire glue from Thinkgeek , I connected the (-), T, and D contacts. Taped it back up. Being willing to buy a new camera if I ruined my G7, I tested it in the camera. It works!! No error message!

No more battery power limited to 1500mAh when I'm away from an outlet, as 18650's are currently available in 3500mAh.

My 18650 battery pack voltage was 8.33V, so higher than 8.4V is not a requirement. From what I have read, anytime pairs of lithium ion batteries are put in the same circuit they should match (voltage, brand, etc). Something to think about if anyone else puts something like this together. I would only use protected 18650's for a pack like this, as I don't trust the camera to cut off at about 2.7V (as below that can be dangerous for lithium ion batteries). Finding a dual battery holder for protected 18650's (they are longer than unprotected) was very hard. I bought 2 others before finding this one, and I had to remove the rear contacts to get the batteries in (and connect them with a magnet from KJMagnetics ).

Steve

Dredging up an old thread here, but wanted to say THANK YOU and confirm that this worked on my Lumix GH3 with the Panasonic DC Coupler.

After testing every combination of these four terminals for voltage/current/continuity, I felt confident enough to test it with the "D" and "T" contacts bridged to the negative.

After years of frustration with endless brands of battery packs, regulator circuits and adapters, my GH3 w now recognize any 8.7-9.0v/1-1.5A source and no longer gives me the "This battery cannot be used" message.

I also now have the battery icon on my screen/viewfinder as the camera is recognizing it as a normal battery instead of an adapter.

Thanks again, and I hope this helps out others looking for a solution to this issue.