Geilfuss Charles wrote:
> Has anyone on the List used a Wein Cell in an OM-1? How long do they
> typically last once activated?
>
Piers posted this in 2004:
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I found an old email from Bob Shell regarding Zinc-Air and Wein cells (of
which he is the co-inventor), which may be of interest. The relevant
extract:
"The Weincell is a compromise. It works just like mercury cells, but has a
much shorter life. We modified the electrolyte to match the discharge curve
of mercury cells and made the air holes smaller to lengthen life, so they do
work better than generic zinc air cells. They last much longer in humid
climates. What kills them is evaporation of water from the gel electrolyte
inside, so keeping them moderately humid is essential for long life. "
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So it appears that life depends partly on humidity.
Wayne C. posted this in 2002:
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I use the hearing aid batteries which are also 1.4 volt. They are a lot
cheaper than the wein cells, and are available everywhere. I plan it so to
take the air seal off a few days before I start using the OM1, and hope that
has allowed the voltage to drop to somewhere around 1.35v. My 'scientific'
tests have been to check a reading against my other OM's using the same lens
and same composition. I've tried it against gray card, incadescent lamp bulb
centered in the viewfinder, outdoor scenes, etc, and I've never gotten a
reading more than 1/2 stop different from my other OM's. I can't get
consistent readings any more accurate than that anyways. Most scenes will
change 1/2 stop anyways with very small composition changes any when
metering center weighted.
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Neither directly addresses expected life, but might be of interest.
Have you considered the MR9 adapter? More expensive initially, but a single 386
cell should last ages in an OM-1(n). One less thing to keep track of.
Moose
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