How do I charge a nikon clock battery

Yes. It sure could have caused the problem. You didn't say which Nikon camera you have, so consider this a general answer. NMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries are rechargeable and alkaline batteries are not. When your camera is set for rechargeable, the recharging circuit is activated when your camera is plugged into the wall outlet. When the camera is set to alkaline, the charging circuit is disabled. Therefore, if you had the camera set to alkaline and you used rechargeable batteries, you batteries were never getting charged. Since your NMH batteries were in a discharged state, your camera gave you correct information.

If you are using rechargeable batteries, It could be that your camera's battery charger circuit is defective. If your camera is out of warranty, the cheap solution would be to buy an external charger. Another possibility is that a short circuit or defective electronic component is drawing excessive current and draining your batteries. If that is the case, you will need to have your camera repaired. Nikon USA Repair Depot's number is 1-800-645-6687 9AM-8PM EST, Monday to Friday. They will tell you how to return your camera for repair and they will give you a free estimate if it is out of warranty.

There are two possibilities. First, rechargeable batteries do not last forever. Take out your rechargeable batteries and replace them with non-rechargeable ones for test purposes. If your camera works ok, it may be that the camera's charger circuit has gone bad. Try charging your batteries on an external charger. If they charge, it is your camera's charger, if they do not hold a charge, it is probably time for new rechargeable batteries.

If the rechargeable battery is more than 3 - 4 years old then the battery could be worn out. Rechargeable batteries have a finite number of charge and discharge cycles and will lose their charge capacity over time, i.e. won't charge to 100% and gradually the charge reduces until the battery won't charge up at all. OR The battery shows a 100% charge but when the adapter is disconnected the battery drops off to zero capacity in a very short time. If the battery drops to an unacceptable charge level then the battery needs to be replaced. Rechargeable batteries will fail if stored in a discharged state for long periods.

If the rechargeable battery is more than 3 - 4 years old then the battery could be worn out. Rechargeable batteries have a finite number of charge and discharge cycles and will lose their charge capacity over time, i.e. won't charge to 100% and gradually the charge reduces until the battery won't charge up at all. OR The battery shows a 100% charge but when the adapter is disconnected the battery drops off to zero capacity in a very short time. If the battery drops to an unacceptable charge level then the battery needs to be replaced. Rechargeable batteries will fail if stored in a discharged state for long periods.

The rechargeable battery probably needs to be replaced, I would take it to a camera shop let him have a quick look to make sure the charge light is coming on and try a new battery.

I probably need more details but, it sound like when you remove the battery to recharge it, the clock loses any power it had. Most people have a second battery. When the first battery begins to lose power, they insert the fully charged battery so the clock is only without power for a few seconds. Try that.

Hi

This is a design glitch with these Nikons and many people are complaining about it. The clock battery is supposed to take a small charge from the main battery - enough to maintain the settings when the camera is not in use. However the clock battery that is used is not sufficiently strong enough to hold a charge for an adequate length of time.

As this is somewhat of a design flaw it is unlikely that a new clock battery will make any significant difference to the problem you are experiencing. Neither is it a user serviceable job and for these reasons I do not recommend that you try to replace the clock battery.

Nikon themselves say the following;

"The clock-calendar is powered by a separate rechargeable battery, which is charged as necessary when the main battery is installed. If the camera has been stored with the main battery removed for a long period of time, the clock may need to be reset.

Once the main battery has been reinserted, the clock battery will recharge in several hours, during which time the main battery should be left in the camera."

Hope this helps. Thanks for using FixYa.

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