P2CON@xxxxxxx moved upon the face of the 'Net and spake thusly:
>
> My input:
> The newbie question is still valid, and still unanswered. The Oly FAQ
Addendum: Here's a Usenet post that I found in five minutes by
searching DejaNews.
| From: nospam_bpotter@xxxxxxxx (Bill Potter)
| Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
| Subject: Re: 1.35v battery substitutes (was: FTb meter)
| Reply-To: nospam_bpotter@xxxxxxxx
| Message-ID: <358c7839.1752181@news>
| References: <6m63om$fiq$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> <B1AC062E-5C7A78@208.149.120.69>
| X-Newsreader: Forte Agent .99f/32.299
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| Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
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| Lines: 72
| Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 15:00:03 GMT
| NNTP-Posting-Host: cx17658-a.phnx3.az.home.com
| NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 08:00:03 PDT
| Organization: @Home Network
| Xref: stallion.com rec.photo.equipment.35mm:84069
|
| On 16 Jun 1998 11:21:04 -0500, "Jim Williams" <jlw@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
|
|
| >
| >I was talking to a Canon repair technician over the weekend about battery
| >issues involving my older mercury-battery-using cameras. He outlined all
| >the approaches mentioned above, but also mentioned another one I had not
| >heard of before: he said that some people were adding a zener diode (?) to
| >their cameras' meter circuitry to adapt it to take 1.5v silver oxide cells
| >directly (possibly with a shim to make them fit the battery compartment
| >correctly.) Since on many cameras the battery compartment is directly
| >accessible by removing the baseplate, this could simply be a matter of
| >unsoldering the contact wire from the battery compartment and splicing the
| >diode into it. Apparently the idea is that the diode drops the voltage to
| >the correct level, and the silver oxide battery's output is level enough
| >over its life to provide reasonably good metering consistency.
| >
| >I'm familiar with basic electronics -- at least, I know what a diode IS, in
| >principle -- but don't know anything about their specs, availability, etc.
| >Are there any electronically-knowledgeable people out there who could give
| >a reading on whether or not this is a realistic approach to the "battery
| >problem" and, if so, what type of diode could be used and where to get it?
| >
| >
| I made my own adapter to use silver oxide batteries. Here's how:
|
| 1. Go to Radio Shack and buy a two sided copper clad circuit board
| blank. These are used to etch PCBs. Also buy a package of ten
| germanium diodes (you only need one, but RS only sells them by 10).
|
| 2. Cut a somewhat circular piece of the circuit board with a jeweler's
| saw or a pair of nippers. It should be a little smaller than the
| diameter of the battery so it will lay flat in the battery
| compartment. Cut one side of the circle flat to make room for the
| diode, which you are going to solder to the board.
|
| 3. Solder the leads of the diode to opposite sides of the little piece
| of copper board. You now have an adapter which will drop the voltage
| about .2 volts.
|
| 4. Use silver oxide batteries, not alkaline. I used a shim cut from
| a piece of plastic tubing to get them to fit better. If your camera
| has a side contact like my Nikon F, you will need to make a metal shim
| from a piece of wire. I used some Sterling silver bezel wire for
| jewelry making.
|
| 5. Insert the adapter into the battery compartment, then lay the
| shimmed batteries over it. If it doesn't work, try reversing the
| adapter. It will only conduct current one way (that is the function
| of a diode, the voltage drop is incidental.)
|
| I use these homemade adapters in a Nikon F and a Luna Pro, which both
| take 2 batteries and they work fine. I have not tried them in a
| single battery application.
|
| Bill Potter
|
--
Christopher J Biggs \ chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx \ Vice-Pope torture and marketing
Stallion Technologies\ Brisbane, Australia \ Holy Church of Givashitology
nordfordfnrdfnodfnorfnordnordfordfnrdfnodfnorfnordnordfordfnrdfnodfnorfnordn
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