Farace
Established
I don't see a "newbie intro" section, so I'll say "hi" and include something I learned the other night. I never saw it mentioned before, but it might be common knowledge to everyone but me, and if so, I appreciate your tolerance.
I'm getting back to film, and so I was rehabbing a couple of my Konica Auto S2s the other night, and of course the battery issue needed to be dealt with. I hadn't decided on a long-term solution, but for the short term I figured I'd get some 675 zinc-air hearing aid batteries at CVS ($6 and change for a pack of eight) and do the O-ring trick. Got some #9 O-rings at the hardware store and was confronted with the fact that the Auto S2 gets its positive voltage off the side of the battery. Rubber doesn't make a good conductor, so I was thinking about wrapping part of the O-ring in thin copper wire or 8-track sensing tape (yes, I have some . . .) when I remembered that I'd read that a 625-size Wein cell is simply a 675 with a metal collar on it. I had a couple of spent 625 Weins. The collar appeared to be a friction fit, and I managed to force the collar off the cell. I picked up one of the CVS 675 batteries and was able to push the collar onto it. Then I sealed off two of the four holes with clear fingernail polish (I've read that Weins have only two holes because the metering circuit has much less power demand than a hearing aid, and having only two holes helps the electrolyte last longer). Voila, a sub-dollar zinc-air 625, and it's working fine. I did the same thing using the collar from my other spent Wein so I'd have a spare handy. If I can keep transferring the metal collar to fresh cells, I might never get around to a long-term solution.
The funny thing is, I just learned last night about the Sunny 16 method (don't know how that evaded me all these years! I won't need to carry a meter around with my Retina IIC!) and I might not be using the meter much.
I'm getting back to film, and so I was rehabbing a couple of my Konica Auto S2s the other night, and of course the battery issue needed to be dealt with. I hadn't decided on a long-term solution, but for the short term I figured I'd get some 675 zinc-air hearing aid batteries at CVS ($6 and change for a pack of eight) and do the O-ring trick. Got some #9 O-rings at the hardware store and was confronted with the fact that the Auto S2 gets its positive voltage off the side of the battery. Rubber doesn't make a good conductor, so I was thinking about wrapping part of the O-ring in thin copper wire or 8-track sensing tape (yes, I have some . . .) when I remembered that I'd read that a 625-size Wein cell is simply a 675 with a metal collar on it. I had a couple of spent 625 Weins. The collar appeared to be a friction fit, and I managed to force the collar off the cell. I picked up one of the CVS 675 batteries and was able to push the collar onto it. Then I sealed off two of the four holes with clear fingernail polish (I've read that Weins have only two holes because the metering circuit has much less power demand than a hearing aid, and having only two holes helps the electrolyte last longer). Voila, a sub-dollar zinc-air 625, and it's working fine. I did the same thing using the collar from my other spent Wein so I'd have a spare handy. If I can keep transferring the metal collar to fresh cells, I might never get around to a long-term solution.
The funny thing is, I just learned last night about the Sunny 16 method (don't know how that evaded me all these years! I won't need to carry a meter around with my Retina IIC!) and I might not be using the meter much.
venchka
Mentor
Bob,
With 4 devices requiring a total of 5 625 cells and my stash of mercury cells down to 7, I appreciate your discovery. I shall certainly "reuse" my spent Wein cells if they ever stop powering my Luna-Pro & Canonet QL17.
With 4 devices requiring a total of 5 625 cells and my stash of mercury cells down to 7, I appreciate your discovery. I shall certainly "reuse" my spent Wein cells if they ever stop powering my Luna-Pro & Canonet QL17.