HP Photosmart 912xi Replacement Battery 7.4V 3400mAh

HP Photosmart 912xi / PhotoSmart C912 — 7.4V Li-ion Replacement Battery (C8872A)

This is a 7.4V, 3400mAh Li-ion battery for the HP Photosmart 912xi and PhotoSmart C912 digital cameras. It replaces OEM part numbers C8872A, 29518, 38403, 46607, 52030, and EI-D-LI1. Fits the original battery bay with no modification to the compartment latch or contacts.

• Photosmart 912xi and C912 fitment: Both models share the same battery bay dimensions, contact pin layout, and 7.4V power rail. The BMS handshake uses the same identification protocol across both, so a single cell pack covers both platforms without firmware conflict.
• Bench tested on actual hardware: We cycled this pack through power-on, lens extension, image capture, and LCD playback sequences. The BMS held steady through the inrush current at lens motor activation and showed no cutoff during sustained LCD-on draw.
• Lens motor start-up draw: The 912xi extends its lens on power-on, pulling a short current spike above steady-state draw. After installing this battery, let the camera complete one full power cycle — lens out and lens retracted on shutdown — before your first shoot. This allows the camera's power circuit to register the new cell's baseline voltage correctly and avoids a false low-battery flag on the first session.

Why the Photosmart 912xi trips off mid-zoom or during image write

The 912xi draws its highest current during lens movement and when writing large image files to the memory card simultaneously. If the cell's internal resistance has climbed — common in aged packs — voltage sags below the BMS protection threshold during that combined load and the camera cuts power immediately. This is not a firmware fault; it is the BMS responding to a real undervoltage condition. A fresh cell with lower internal resistance holds the voltage rail stable through both operations. If you see this pattern, test by disabling continuous autofocus during write — that alone removes one current draw and confirms the cause.

Camera shows full charge indicator, then dies after two or three shots

This happens when the pack has been stored discharged for an extended period and the BMS has entered sleep mode below the recovery voltage threshold. The camera reads the surface charge from a brief charger connection and reports full, but the cells have not completed a proper recovery cycle. Put the battery on charge for a full uninterrupted session — remove it from the camera and charge in the dock or via a standalone charger if available. After one complete charge cycle the indicator will reflect actual cell state; target a full-charge termination voltage of 8.4V across the pack before the next use.