A tale of (possible) GoPro woe …

GoPro

I’ve had a GoPro 10 Black on a tripod in a MediaMod for some months now. It is hooked up via USB for power to the battery and HDMI to my Blackmagic Design ATEM Media Pro. Occasionally I also have an external mic plugged in.

Today for the first time, and in a recording session, the GoPro locked up totally. None of the buttons worked so there was nothing else to do but take the camera out of the MediaMod and remove the battery.

Except. It was jammed having swelled up. Then it started to smell. Badly. And got hotter and hotter – too hot to hold in fact so outside it went.

I have heard of this happening, and seen other lithium types that have swollen while I had my gig at Jaycar, but never experienced it myself until now.

Right now, I am waiting for it to discharge, (the screen is still showing as “on”) cool down (hopefully) and maybe I can remove it. That might rescue the GoPro 10.

The alternative I don’t want to think about is that it catches fire and I also then have an ex-GoPro.

Moral of the story is twofold, I guess. Keep an eye on your batteries and if they show the slightest inclination to be swelling, ditch ‘em. And if in a MediaMod using external power, perhaps make sure the battery is removed. If you are not using the MediaMod, you can also get a pass through door to replace the standard cover for about $30 and therefore easily run a USB cable directly to the port.

Addendum: Once the battery had discharged and cooled down, I managed to remove it safely and the GoPro still works (phew!) However, it appears that for the MediaMod, it DOES  need to have a bettery installed. I am following this up to get absolute confirmation.

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2 Comments

  1. Paul Hayes

    Several of my own GoPro batteries seemed to swell up all within a few weeks of each other. But a bigger problem is achieving long record times without overheating. I’ve tried many times to externally power different GoPro cameras. I have owned 5, 6, 7 8 9, and now 10 models. I have never been successful with external power supplies to run these cameras without a freeze or overheat from time to time. They seem especially prone to overheating quickly when using external power. I gave up. I just have to start and stop recordings at around the 30-40 minute mark and let the camera cool for a few minutes in order to get as much action as I can The ambient temperature may extend the record times, as does wind and water. But I have never been able to find a solution. The cameras just cannot be trusted for long record times. That being said, I am very satisfied by. the quality of image I can get . So I have to put up with it!

    1. David Hague

      Thanks Paul, I have been running a GoPro 10 for a week now (doing a specific timelapse) on external power with no overheating issues. But it’s not inside a MediaMod when the problem seems to occur for me. I have read anecdotally you can remove the battery to do this, but it appears to me the Mediamod needs it in their for some reason.

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