About this replacement
Sony PMW-EX1 / PMW-EX3 — 14.4V Li-ion Replacement Battery (BP-U60)
This is a 14.4V, 4400mAh (63.36Wh) lithium-ion cell built to the BP-U60 specification. It fits the Sony PMW-EX1 and PMW-EX3 professional HD camcorders. The BP-U60 footprint uses a multi-pin connector that carries both power and BMS communication data to the camera body.
- PMW-EX1 and EX3 compatibility: Both camcorders share the BP-U battery mount, the same 14.4V rail, and the same BMS handshake protocol. A single cell specification covers both bodies without modification.
- Bench tested on actual hardware: We ran this cell through charge and discharge cycles on the PMW-EX1 body and monitored the BMS communication. The protection circuit engaged correctly at low-voltage cutoff and the camera reported charge state without triggering a rejection flag.
- First-install charge cycle on PMW-EX series bodies: Insert this cell and charge it fully inside the camera body or via a Sony BP-U compatible charger before your first shoot. The PMW-EX BMS maps its battery-remaining display against the discharge curve during the first full cycle — skipping this step can cause the indicator to read inaccurately for several cycles.
Why the PMW-EX1 rejects a third-party BP-U60 cell on first install
The PMW-EX1 queries the battery's BMS over the data pins before it will power on. If the cell has not completed a charge cycle, the BMS may return an incomplete state-of-charge reading that the camera treats as an authentication failure. This is not a permanent rejection. Insert the battery, connect to a charger, and let it complete one full charge. After that cycle the camera body accepts the cell and displays charge state normally.
Battery percentage jumping erratically on the PMW-EX1 display
The PMW-EX1 maps battery percentage against a voltage-threshold table calibrated to Sony's own discharge curve. A new replacement cell may follow a slightly different curve at mid-charge, causing the indicator to skip readings — for example jumping from 60% to 35% without warning. This settles after two to three full charge and discharge cycles as the camera recalibrates its threshold mapping to the new cell. If jumps persist beyond three cycles, check that the multi-pin connector is fully seated — a loose contact on the data pin produces the same symptom.