Hi Everyone, I am a new member and a new OM-D owner as of two weeks ago, I just love my new OM-D! However, I was really disappointed that the BCN-1 charger uses a detachable AC power cord. One more thing to get lost when traveling. Today, I stumbled upon what I consider to be a big improvement and thought that I would share it with those that dislike corded chargers as much as I do. My ancient Apple iPod charger failed yesterday. This is the older (10 watt), bigger, all white, rounded square unit with a flip-out AC plug and a USB connection. Before throwing it away, I played with it and found that the AC plug section physically slides right off from the main charger unit. Lo and behold, its connector to the main charger unit is exactly the same kind of connector that the BCN-1's AC cord uses to connect to the BCN-1! I simply connected the removed Apple AC plug module to my BCN-1 and I now have a flip-out AC plug! I posted pictures of what I just described in my gallery. A quick check of eBay shows that these old Apple USB chargers are in plentiful supply and inexpensive (<$5 if nonworking, $12 if working, go for the nonworking ones when you can find them). The same Apple charger was made in a Firewire version as well as USB, since all we want is the slide-off AC plug module, either version will work. Enjoy, I'm very happy with mine! I have charged a BLN-1 with it and can absolutely verify that this mod works.] Rick
You can actually buy a cordless plug adapter or even a short cord. I use this one: Amazon.com : Conntek 30001 Travler Plug Adapter U.S. Male Plug To Laptop/Power Adatper IEC C7 Female Connector : Iec Right Angle : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Sorry to say, but this was a trick that was found out years ago with other Oly chargers, as all Oly corded chargers use the same socket...it also has been posted here several times here regarding the BCN-1 charger. Although it should be pointed out that due to the thickness of the charger it's impossible to fully insert the blades into a socket and therefore is an electrical hazzard should something metal come in contact with the exposed electrified metal.
Same thing as Gochugogi linked, but a bit cheaper (I got two, for my Olympus and Canon chargers). Amazon.com : SF Cable, 2 Prong Right Angle Plug Adapter, USA IEC 60320-C7 receptacle to NEMA 1-15P : Electronics No potential electrical hazard in any case.
It seems the European CEE 7 plugs can do the same. But without the short pin problem the US ones have. I'm happy with the original lead though. View attachment 297536 Ebay
Oddly enough when I bought the adapterI linked to it was $3 cheaper a few months ago! Amazon prices seem to randomly go up and down, even for inexpensive stuff. Yes, I too originally tried the adapter off my iPod charger and found it worked but didn't fit well, exposing a little too much "prong."
I didn't know that and I have all parts home. I even have unopened apple travel adapter box. All I have to do is put Olympus sticker on that and I'm ready to go Thanks
I can live with the cable, but I don't really understand why the charger itself needs to be so large. Considering the size of the battery, it's a strange choice.
Well, there's the transformer, rectifier, capacitor, etc. Don't forget there's no wall wart so all that suff has to be in the charger. As for the cord I much prefer having it rather than having the charger block a few outlets like the Canon charger (I have to dig out an extension cord each time).
As a new Olympus (E-PM2) owner, I was truly baffled by the charger cord compared to the Panasonic with the built in flip out plug. Thanks to this thread I got the $6.xx shipped one from Amazon. Hoping bumping this helps out other new Olympus owners.
I keep hearing this about having the plug built in to the charger, but I have mine on a cable plugged in behind my desk. I have one charger with a built in plug it is a pita as I have to plug it in next to the kettle. The small adaptors like many have used here seems a great compromise to me. What I would like to see is more dual battery chargers, after a long day I can end up with 3+ batts to charge and I am not fond of the idea of setting an alarm for 2am.
I have an electrical extension lead with 4 European sockets in my "charging corner" for all our phones and gadgets. All the sockets are full. If the charger was directly on the plug, it would overhang, and block the neighbouring sockets. The phone chargers are the "all in one" type, but they do not have to attach a battery to the charger, so do not overhang.
I bought a couple of ex-pro dual chargers from amazon uk. The first was for my e-m5 and the latest for my new e-pm2. The cool thing is that the charger bases are generic and the battery holder parts are modular. So when I travel I can bring one charger to charge both types of battery.
Superb I shall look for one, I asked about them before but got no reply, I take it they work ok anyhow Ill take a punt and get one at the end of the month.
I found that the E-M5 ex-pro batteries have worked ok too. They might hold less charge than the original olympus battery, but work good enough for me.
There's no point in arguing this as it's preference, six of one, half dozen of the other. Apple is nice in that they give give you a choice, and you can change the plug if you were going to travel. This thread was nicely asleep since August until it was needlessly brought back to life!
The short cable that comes with the charger is more than OK for me. I don't like equipment attached directly to a wall, but that's because I baby my kit a little. In fact because I tend to shoot for many hours and whole days out, I bought a second BCN-1 and a Y-cable...
