How Is NIKON Locking down Its Charger and USB Cable?

GOCAT9 on 24/07/2019 - 10:48

I Recently bought a Nikon P1000 camera. The battery is charged ín-camera only. The charging system comprises a Nikon supplied USB charging cable (USB Type-A on one end, micro-USB on the other) and a Nikon supplied 100-240VAC, 50/60Hz plug pack with USB type-A output connector. Looks like this: https://files.ozbargain.com.au/f/26/71126.jpg?h=94209c38 The manual said that the camera will turn on and operate normally when plugged in (and it does).

So:
1. If I use the original Nikon USB cable and original Nikon plug pack, the camera turns on normally.
2. If I swap the Nikon USB cable with a generic USB (i.e non-Nikon) cable, the camera will NOT turn on.
3. If I swap the Nikon plug pack with a non-Nikon plug pack (2.1A) also with USB, type-A output, the camera will NOT turn on.
4. If I use neither Nikon plug pack nor USB cable, the camera will NOT turn on.

The disadvantage of Nikon's solution using only their cable and charger is that I need access to 240VAC, which is difficult in the field. I wanted to be able to operate the camera from an external battery brick (20000mAh, 2.1A or better with USB ports). But camera will not turn on using this scenario.

How is Nikon excluding ANY other USB cable and ANY other USB plug pack except their own and how can I operate from an external battery power source?

Electrical & Electronics Nikon

Comments

  • Hybroid on 24/07/2019 - 10:52
    +1

    Either A) they have some software lock on using Nikon accessories only which seems unlikely and would have caused an uproar already or B) the cable and plug you are using does not provide the sufficient power required to operate the camera without battery support. Had similar thing with an older cable for GoPro but the newer cables work fine.

    4.If I use neither Nikon plug pack nor USB cable, the camera will NOT turn on.

    What does this mean? Even with the built-in battery, the camera won't turn on without external power? That doesn't sound right.

    • GOCAT9 on 24/07/2019 - 11:04

      sorry for ambiguous comment. I meant: if I connect a non-Nikon plug pack and non-Nikon cable, the camera will also not turn on.

      • Scrooge McDuck on 25/07/2019 - 02:28

        Back in my day USB stood for Universal Serial Bus.

    • GOCAT9 on 24/07/2019 - 11:08

      I am using a ROMOSS 20000mAh battery pack WITH NIKON cable and it still will not turn on. This battery pack can supply 2.1A on the USB type A ports which is the maximum current according to the spec!

      • Hybroid on 24/07/2019 - 16:30

        can supply 2.1A

        Can supply. But does it? It's just another rebranded OEM product that may fall short of suggested output. Seems like the battery pack isn't producing sufficient power whether it's amps, volts or electrons for the camera.

  • HighAndDry on 24/07/2019 - 11:14
    -1

    Unfortunately if you've played around with cameras for any number of time, proprietary accessories, chargers, cables, etc are par for the course, probably due to a combination of: aficionados tend to be richer and so can afford paying more for these, cameras might actually have specific requirements necessitating different protocols, and the companies are related to Satan himself.

  • nandystam on 24/07/2019 - 11:41

    Proprietary pinout?

  • Yummy on 24/07/2019 - 11:53

    Longer length USB connector's metal contact.

  • BOGOF on 24/07/2019 - 11:55
    +2

    I've just looked at your manual and on page 5, states this:-

    Do not use a USB cable other than the UC-E21. Using a USB cable other than the UC-E21 could result in overheating, fire or electric shock.
    The camera can be operated while the battery is charging, but the charging time increases. The power-on lamp (charge lamp) turns off while the camera is being operated.
    Do not, under any circumstances, use another make or model of AC adapter other than the EH-73P Charging AC Adapter, and do not use a commercially available USB-AC
    adapter or a battery charger for a mobile phone. Failure to observe this precaution could result in overheating or in damage to the camera.

    Oh, and don't use an Aldi Universal adapter either.

    • GOCAT9 on 24/07/2019 - 12:24

      yeah, I read that. I just took that to mean only buy Nikon original parts as we make more money that way. In my experience, ALL manufactures will only recommend that you use their cables etc. That is just so standard and expected these days isn't it!

  • BOGOF on 24/07/2019 - 12:20
    +3

    I was intrigued so did a little research.
    Your Nikon adapter has 8.4v output whilst your powerbank (which is designed for mobile phones & tablets) has 5v output, which i suspect is the reason. Your generic adapter, usb cable and powerbank should support 8.4v.

    Suggestions
    Buy an additional battery.
    Buy a generic charger & cable that supports 8.4v
    Buy a powerbank that supports 8.4v
    Buy a dummy battery, a DC coupler and a voltage converter, then run the camera directly from your mobile phone powerbank
    Don't buy an Aldi Universal adapter

    • HighAndDry on 24/07/2019 - 12:23

      I'd honestly not risk it unless OP absolutely needs that functionality. Nikon batteries and chargers can be bought online (from reputable sellers), and we have no way of knowing what else Nikon's proprietary accessories have other than a non-standard voltage (e.g. over-voltage protections, cut-offs, just a chip that checks if it's a Nikon accessory, etc).

      • BOGOF on 24/07/2019 - 12:25

        Agreed. i would just buy additional Nikon batteries.

        • nandystam on 24/07/2019 - 12:28

          There has to be a conspiracy here and the OP must find it.

          Big Camera strikes again!

        • GOCAT9 on 24/07/2019 - 12:34
          +1

          Possible, but that interrupts the operation of the camera whilst the battery is changed. Not ideal in my scenario.

      • thebadmachine on 24/07/2019 - 14:20

        I agree. Use what came with the camera. With an expensive camera from a reputable brand, it is in their interest to protect their products to achieve their claimed standards in ‘number of shots’, battery life or simply reliability.

        It is possible there is safety function built-in to the camera itself to prevent such mis-matched accessories from damaging the camera or battery.
        When you paid $1K for a camera, you may as well purchase the original charger to keep it and it’s battery from potential damage or danger.

    • GOCAT9 on 24/07/2019 - 12:28

      BOGOF: really……., Im curious to know where you found out that the adaptor uses 8.4V. How can that be true? If it is USB output, doesn't that mean that it has to be 5.1V (the USB standard etc). If true, then it NIKON is not following the USB standard on the USB output. Does that make sense?

      Good advice on the ALDI adaptor though!! :-)

    • GOCAT9 on 24/07/2019 - 12:32

      BOGOF: Where did you get that voltage from? I looked at the Nikon adaptor and it says on the back that the output is 5V at 1A, not 8.4V.

  • spackbace on 24/07/2019 - 12:34

    Why do you say it's charged in-camera only?

    https://www.camera-warehouse.com.au/nikon-mh-29-battery-char…
    http://www.betterbatt.com.au/s/battery-charger/nikon/coolpix… - Comes with 12V Car socket charge plug
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQFJI7E/ - Charges by simple USB, was recommended on a forum on a quick Google

    No go on those?

    Ah the manual states in-camera charging, yet it would appear that isn't the case given the above chargers.

    • GOCAT9 on 24/07/2019 - 12:39

      I say that because that is how it is out of the box, unless you go and buy other accessories as you provided in your links.

      • spackbace on 24/07/2019 - 12:44

        That's the same with a lot of them though, they have external charging devices.

        Why is it difficult to just swap batteries mid-way through a shoot? Only thing I can think of that being an issue is filming video for extended time. If it's a photoshoot, you have 5 seconds to swap batteries over.

        • GOCAT9 on 24/07/2019 - 13:20
          +2

          Yes, I agree with you in general. In my case however, my camera is mounted on a delicate equatorially driven telescope mount. I would have to dismount the camera from its bespoke camera mount to access the battery bay, replace the battery and then remount it and then delicately realign the camera after re-balancing it etc. And, as others have mentioned I am shooting video (eclipses) and dont want to be interrupted by a sudden battery change at a critical moment etc. Yes, if I was hand shooting then battery is the way to go.

          Hope that makes more sense now. Hence the need for a continuous external power source.

          The only ''solution'', I have devised so far is: 12V car battery to a very small (<50W) 12VDC/240VAC inverter into which I plug my nikon charger and Nikon cable to continuously power the camera.

          • HighAndDry on 24/07/2019 - 14:49
            +3

            @GOCAT9:

            12V car battery to a very small (<50W) 12VDC/240VAC inverter into which I plug my nikon charger and Nikon cable to continuously power the camera.

            Man, I've gotta give it to you, that's dedication.

    • GOCAT9 on 24/07/2019 - 13:53

      no go unfortunately! Those are mostly external battery charging solutions, not external powering of camera for continuous operation, but thanks.

      • ESEMCE on 24/07/2019 - 21:31

        Yeah there are.. See my comment below

  • servodude on 24/07/2019 - 14:32
    +1

    Having a quick look about the webs the cable is not a standard Mini USB B
    - it's the 8 pin variant (https://connector.pinouts.ru/8_pin_UC-E6_like-mini-usb_propr…)
    - not sure where the other pins go (whether they just provide a parallel path for charging, or something else)

    I can see that the battery itself is an 8.2V device but from the image of the charger on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com.au/Nikon-Charging-AC-Adapter-EH-73P/d…) it looks to be putting out 5V @ 1A.

    I expect that you might be able to find a replacement OEM cable
    - but also that they've locked the interaction with the charger
    - either by firmware handshake
    - or by putting an expected load (or pull up/down configuration) on the unused data pins

    This would make boosting the USB out to 8.2V and running a dummy battery the "simplest" option (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnvrfu9Pilg)

  • ESEMCE on 24/07/2019 - 14:32
    +1

    This video seems to do what you want
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnvrfu9Pilg

    Using this dummy battery from the Youtube comments.
    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32828324965.html

    • GOCAT9 on 26/07/2019 - 09:50
      +1

      Nice find guys-This was exactly what I needed. This should solve my problem.

  • iDroid on 24/07/2019 - 15:20

    My guess is that the non Nikon USB Cable is not able to carry the current required to charge the battery and run the camera.

    In my experience, generic USB cables are pretty poor quality overall.

    Same for the wall adapter - not all 2amp chargers are the same (even if they should be).

  • Blue Cat on 24/07/2019 - 16:04

    It might be similar to PS3 controllers - only USB cables that allow data transfer can be used to charge them.
    Maybe it is the same here - ensure that the cable can also be used for data transfer before attempting to charge your Nikon?

  • Randxyz123 on 24/07/2019 - 16:47

    Have you contacted Nikon yet ? Do they have a Nikon power bank?

    I’d be interested in what they say. My Sony rx-100 mk3 works fine with sony’s USB cable and a apple power brick.

    I guess they do it to stop people using crappy adapters.

    Try the DP review forums.

    Otherwise maybe you need to sell it and get a different brand ?

    • GOCAT9 on 26/07/2019 - 09:56

      I have spoken to Nikon several times about this issue. They understand my issue but have no solution that does not involve having access to 240 V a.c. power.

      I had already checked the DP review forums, there was one guy who was asking the same question but no one was able to offer a solution at that time about six months ago.

  • holoz0r on 24/07/2019 - 19:47

    Does the camera have an AC input? I know the P1000 isn't a pro-grade body, but most Nikon DSLRs have an AC input option, or access this via their battery grips, commercially available. I know the P1000 doesn't have this (a battery grip) - but are there any other ports for AC input, which could then be "powered" by an external battery?

    • GOCAT9 on 26/07/2019 - 09:57

      This doesn’t make sense to me. If it’s powered by an external battery as you say then this will be DC power. Even if it did have a port for a.c. power this would still require access to 240 V a.c. which is what I am trying to get away from!

  • Watto23 on 25/07/2019 - 12:48

    One thing you could try is a USB voltage meter. The one I've got tells me the voltage, current, current charging time and total mAH charged.
    I got one like this. The description says it will measure up to 9V so it could tell you what is going on.
    ebay USB Voltage tester

    • GOCAT9 on 26/07/2019 - 10:01

      Interesting thought, yes I do have one of those. I might see what it tells me. thank you

  • mattyman on 25/07/2019 - 13:32

    They might be shorting the data pins on the USB cable. Fast charge USB cables in the past use to do this.

    • GOCAT9 on 26/07/2019 - 09:59

      Ok, Possible, but let’s assume they did short those pins. Then why doesn’t it work with the same cable but using any other USB output power supply?

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