# Solved: Battery problem with Sony HDR SR11 camcorder



## jahn17 (Jun 21, 2008)

i recently purchased a sony hdr sr11 camcorder that came with a small capacity battery mod no. np-fh60 7.2 v.. i added an upgraded larger capacity batt to the purchase package mod. no. BP-fh70 (7.4 v). when i got the camera i charged both batts and tested them. the smaller one worked fine but only has about an hour of recording time. the bp-fh70 seemed to work at first as the cam turned on and started the menu windows then after about 10 sec. the viewing screen turned blue and a warning message came up that said "you cannot use this battery in this camcorder" and then shut down the unit. After reading the cam tech specs for battery compatibility it indicated that while the mod no. was correct the camcorded itself was set up for (7.2 v) batts. Thinking this was the problem i went online and found a replacement batt that was identical to the cam's recommended replacement for higher capacity batts.
i ordered a BP-FH100 (7.2v) from an order house that confirmed this was the proper batt for the HDR-SR11. After receiving the batt, and charging it, i got the same result when plugging it in the cam and turning it on. same error message and shut-down. The kicker is, i have another sony camcorder "DVD 405" SD that works fine with all of the batts (7.2v) and or (7.4 v). ive tried to contact sony tech support but they havent returned my emails. does anyone here have any ideas on what might be the problem and how to get this cam to accept the batts recommended for it?

jahn17 7/26/08


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## kiwiguy (Aug 17, 2003)

It would not surprise me that the new camera checks for a "genuine Sony" battery, hence the problems. 

LiOn batteries are very susceptible to catastrophic failure if maltreated, checking for OEM is one way that makers can eliminate risk from unknown quality batteries (I am assuming here that the larger batteries are not made by Sony)


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## jahn17 (Jun 21, 2008)

You are correct. i was finally able to get in contact with a Sony tech rep and they confimed that the problem is not the batteries themselves only that they are aftermarket batteries not made by Sony. It turns out that while the tape (DV) and mini DVD Sony camcorders will work with aftermarket batts, the new hard-drive high dev models such as the HDR-sr10, 11, 12 models are programed to recognize the Sony manufactured batts exclusively. They claim this was done to protect the more sensitive Hard drive cams from potential damage but in reality it is just a method Sony has devised to eleminate usage of aftermarket batts period.
This wouldnt bother me so much if it was possible to purchase the sony batt at a reasonable price but the only choice i was given was to spend $160 for the Sony NP-FH100 instead of the $60 i paid for the identical aftermarket batt that works fine in my DVD cam...... It would have saved me a lot of expense and grief if Sony had listed this fact in their product specs and advertisment that lead me to buy this model cam (HDR-SR11). One of the reasons i choose the HDR SR11 was because it was supposed to be compatible with the same H series batts i already bought for the SD DVD 405 cam. ,,, Oh well live and learn ... Thanks for your help ... problem solved
jahn17


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## marjohn (Aug 23, 2008)

I also recently purchased the same model, and bought a couple of NP-FH100 clones on ebay. Sure enough, got the same result as you; however, my batteries came with a couple of short charger leads, which you plug into the camera's charge port, and the other end into the battery. The LED on the battery stays green until it's time to change or recharge it. The camera thinks it's connected to the charger...

regards..


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