Customer Reviews

CTA Digital DB-F823 BN-VF823 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery (22000mAh, 7.2V) Replacement for JVC BN-VF823 Battery

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I was a little concerned about using another battery other than JVC for my new camcorder. However, after charging it for about 3 hours this battery works great. The only differences with this battery is that you have to connect a cable to it and into the camcorder for it to work; also because it is manufactured by another company, you cannot check the remaining battery power on the camcorder- but who cares! The battery indicator on the screen works and it lasts for a long time. This battery is well worth the money. I will never buy a JVC battery and spend all that extra money for a name brand.

I tested the battery by setting the camera near a window and recording through the window (no zoom activity at all) and going to work. This battery lasted 4 hours and 33 minutes in my JVC HD300BU. That is impressive.

I purchased three of these. I nearly returned them, believing they would not work. This was because the instructions are not clear. I will never understand why, with of the money that gets spent to engineer something like this great battery, the manufacturer won't spend a few cents each for proper documentation.

The instruction sheet is 4"x6". It is confusing and has illustrations that are photos 3/4"x1/2". Quotes and interpretations from the instructions:

How to charge
1. Charge the battery with JVC AP-V14 adapter (Ref.: Picture 8), and it turns to be yellow when charging and turns off after finishing charging.

Interpretation: This turns out to mean that with the ac charger station (or car charger or camcorder charger also for that matter) one of the two led lights on the back of the battery will glow yellow while the battery is charging and goes off when the charging cycle is finished.

Installation :
3. Please enjoy your photo after having the other end "VF8-B" connector lead inserted to DC input of the camera and indicating green , (Ref.: Picture 5 & 6)

Interpretation: To mount the battery you must use the included special cable. The cable is different on each end. One end will only fit into the back of the battery, this is the "A" end (although it is not labeled). The opposite end, the "B" end goes into the camcorder.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When you are using this battery, you must first connect the cable to the battery ( the "A" end which won't fit into the camera), connect the "B" end into the DC input of the camera, then - and only then - mount the battery to the camcorder. If you put the battery on the camera without first connecting the short supplied cable, you will get a communication error and the camcorder will shut down. At least that is what happened on my camcorder. Firmware changes, so this may not be universal.

PS Do not EVER loose the short included cable. I have attached mine to the battery using a cable mount stuck to the battery (top (from Radio Shack) and cable tie.