Regenerating your dead Hasselblad H battery grips

[TRixxY]

So ... after finding some time ... here is the comaprison of the 2 different grips available.
I got an used one for 50€ second hand ... want to work with the H3D22 on weddings, at least a second battery is a must have ... would love to add a second CF slot too :facesmack:

Left is the newer one, right side the older version, although it seems there have been some updates, see connector to the small board.
The new version is much easier to open, just use some smartphone tools or a guitar pick, make sure it's from your favourite band, although I think it will open up even with a less rocky background

As you can also see, the new one is a tad bigger (somehow the lines were messed up when downsizing...sorry for that).
So you can only update the inner parts by using 18650 cells for the new one and updating the old one to 18650 cells will be a problem, although electronics should handle it.
BE AWARE THERE ARE ELECTRONICS ALSO ON THE BATTERY PACK UNDERNEATH THE SHRINK WRAPPING! YOU MUST MAKE SURE THE NEW BATTERY HAS THIS ELECTRONICS OR YOU JUST SWAP IT, THIS IS A SO CALLED BALANCER BOARD SO THE 2 CELLS STAY ON A SAME CHARGING LEVEL!
The 1850mAh battery I received is still ok, I have tested it separately with my RC loader and balanced the 2 cells, let's see how long that will feed the sensor of the H3D.
If this one ever dies, I'll try to update it with higher capacity cells, the maximum size for the cell is 50x36x22mm ... maybe a millimeter more in width will fit, height should not be more than 50mm ...

Also the protection cover will not fit the other batteries, the small nipple is at a different position, changed from inside to outside... if you ever take into conmsideration to buy a cover only, make sure to get the right one.

NEW version uses 18650 Li-Ion round cells, I'd say you should go with Samsung or Sanyo cells 3400-3600mAh capacity
OLD version uses the rectangle shape Li-Ion, check with yourt local RC specialist or google, you need to get 2s Li-Ion cells, mine is filled with an Celltech - Celltech Sverige AB21HA,7.4V 1950mAh 14.43Wh

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Place for pictures .. why can't I upload files?? I downsized them and tried to upload ...

See FlickR


DSC_0003 by Mike La Bruna, auf Flickr


DSC_0004 by Mike La Bruna, auf Flickr


DSC_0005 by Mike La Bruna, auf Flickr


DSC_0006 by Mike La Bruna, auf Flickr


DSC_0007 by Mike La Bruna, auf Flickr


DSC_0008 by Mike La Bruna, auf Flickr


DSC_0009 by Mike La Bruna, auf Flickr

 

[P. Chong]

Anyone know where to buy a dead H grip to try is out? Or anyone offering a re-celled grip?

 

[citizin]

Anyone know where to buy a dead H grip to try is out? Or anyone offering a re-celled grip?

I just ordered 2x of the grips from used photo pro

One was only $31 the other was $41. Got them for re-celling, but they seem to charge up good. I'll see how they last, but I already have replacement cells for them.

 

[rimom]

I took this a bit further and used 2x3600mAh 18650cells
to accomodate this I did cut the bottom of the original old grip and 3d printed a cover for it , now I'll just use some rubber paint over
works way better than my other 2900mAh original one so great upgrade for 10$ and an dead old battery

 

[citizin]

I took this a bit further and used 2x3600mAh 18650cells
to accomodate this I did cut the bottom of the original old grip and 3d printed a cover for it , now I'll just use some rubber paint over
works way better than my other 2900mAh original one so great upgrade for 10$ and an dead old battery

I was just looking into some 18500's instead of 18650's Maybe worth a try in this downtime.

 

[citizin]

Reviving the thread harder than reviving H batteries. Lol.

I was able to grab a set of 18500's "PK cells" brand off Amazon for for cheap. <$5/battery, and the reviews from external sources say that PK cells is alright.

They fit in the grip good, and same mAh rating as the 10450's that was originally in there. the first grip is on the charger now and once it's conditioned I'll report back.

Now knowing that 18500's fit, there are options for LiFeP04 variants. A slightly reduced capacity but higher amount of cycles and the ability to not fart out in cold weather. I like to shoot longer exposure landscapes up here in Canada in -40 weather and the current grips can don't perform that well in those conditions.

 

[citizin]

Upgraded all five older grips to Panasonic 18500's in 2S1P. They're rated for 2040mAh and from a reliable source so they should offer slightly better lifespan than the originals. $12 per grip isn't bad considering what new ones are worth. One of the cells in one of the upgraded grips here I think is toast, so I picked up 2x Panasonic 18650's for it from the same place. The 18650's carry 3600mAh, a slight bump up in capacity over the originals.

Test shot cat-tax bonus for readers.

 

[Ringwall]

I took this a bit further and used 2x3600mAh 18650cells
to accomodate this I did cut the bottom of the original old grip and 3d printed a cover for it , now I'll just use some rubber paint over
works way better than my other 2900mAh original one so great upgrade for 10$ and an dead old battery

Was this the first gen case or the newer one?

 

[Ringwall]

So here is a new, but related quandary. I'm going to rebuild my battery pack with the advice you've all given, but my charger is lost. Has anyone been able to charge these things with anything other than the hassleblad charger. It's almost 200 bucks in Canada and my old H1 has been more of a money pit thus far and I'd like to avoid paying the Hasselblad tax. Thanks!

 

[docholliday]

Was this the first gen case or the newer one?

The original cases were shorter than the new ones. Even with the new cases, you have to do some milling to the inside to fit the newest, 3500/3600/3750mAh cells. For the newer cases, I worked with a company out of Cali to make drop-in replacement packs. Even with those, I still had to mill a few ribs out of the upper case to get it to fit perfectly. Here's that thread: https://www.getdpi.com/forum/index....-and-upgrade-at-a-fraction-of-the-cost.69130/

 

[docholliday]

So here is a new, but related quandary. I'm going to rebuild my battery pack with the advice you've all given, but my charger is lost. Has anyone been able to charge these things with anything other than the hassleblad charger. It's almost 200 bucks in Canada and my old H1 has been more of a money pit thus far and I'd like to avoid paying the Hasselblad tax. Thanks!

The grips have a charge controller board that handles the HB adapter. I use mine, but have also tapped into the battery and added an extra port to allow charging with a LiOn balancer and external charger unit. It's much more work, and isn't any cheaper than the HB charger. I only did it because I have the balancer, hardware, and a full lab to "re-engineer" the pack in.

In theory, the HB charger is just a charger with current detection circuit to turn change the LED color red/green. Since there's already a controller inside the battery, you should be able to use another charger with the same voltage and same or greater current to charge with. You won't get the feedback that the battery has completed it's cycle, though.

 

[citizin]

You should be able to find an generic one that could work. I picked one up on ali-express that was very similar, had the wrong barrel jack, but after replacing the cells I've had less need for an additional charger.

I'd suggest checking out a local electronics recycler to see what they have.

 

[buildbot]

You should be able to find an generic one that could work. I picked one up on ali-express that was very similar, had the wrong barrel jack, but after replacing the cells I've had less need for an additional charger.

I'd suggest checking out a local electronics recycler to see what they have.

Any 2 cell lithium ion charger should work, but yeah the plug is a weird 5.1mm barrel jack on the batteries. You can buy an adapter on amazon though - I did this when I had a H3D.