mercury battery adaptors

FrankS

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Has anyone got one or 2 of these lying around? Could use them. I've got this nice Lunasix 3 lightmeter that uses PX13 batteries.

Do you have any mercury powered items? What do you do? Hearing aid batteries? Adaptors? Modern cells?
 
I use a mix. Some cameras simply have the meter recalibrated, some have diodes fitted (which is basically all the is in an adapter) a couple use an adapter including a "special" made for me by John and if all that fails, it is wein cells or hearing aids batts. I have never had to sort a meter though.

Kim
 
Frank, I have a couple but they are in use (adapters, that is). I bought them at B&H... not cheap but they keep my Luna-Pro and Canonet going. All-in-all I found them to worth the money versus using the Wein cell option. I tried putting a diode in my Sekonic L-228 meter but wrecked the case -- it was not designed to be taken apart.
 
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what I do

what I do

Frank,

For my canonet, I cut a ~1.5" cardboard strip from a fuji multipack cardboard box, about the width of the new battery to be used, and wrap it around so it's roughly the same size as the original, then for width, and good contact, I put a tad of wadded tin foil on the neg side, which ads pressure to the pos side too for good contact.

The downside is that this has to be done for each battery install to be snug and all. However, those commercial adapters cost more than the canonet. You could also just cram some foil and cardboard around a modern small battery, but that could be sketchy and move around at the wrong time.

This camera had the meter adj. by G'man to work with alkaline 1.5v, and it does match my other cameras that can do averaging.

My other camera that takes old batteries I just got, a GSN, and supposedly it does fine with modern 6V supplies with the proper cardboard or other mechanical supports.

When testing meters, be sure the field of view is equal to your comparison, and you test all EV ranges, as some methods aren't linear and only match lower or higher EV ranges.

FrankS said:
Has anyone got one or 2 of these lying around? Could use them. I've got this nice Lunasix 3 lightmeter that uses PX13 batteries.

Do you have any mercury powered items? What do you do? Hearing aid batteries? Adaptors? Modern cells?
 
Thanks for all your responses.

Ted, some items have a "bridge circuit" which allows them to function properly on the higher (and changing) voltage of the non-mercury batteries, and some do not. I've been told that Gossen meters can be damaged by the higher voltage, so I'm weary of that.
I've done the cardboard and foil trick to increase the dia. and length of the new battery in an Electro 35. I'm thinking the MR-9 adaptor is the way to go. I don't trust my skills to install a schokty diode in-line with the battery chamber wire!
 
ok

ok

I'm going to try to find a gossen digisix, which I think uses the common disc CR2032.

FrankS said:
Thanks for all your responses.

Ted, some items have a "bridge circuit" which allows them to function properly on the higher (and changing) voltage of the non-mercury batteries, and some do not. I've been told that Gossen meters can be damaged by the higher voltage, so I'm weary of that.
I've done the cardboard and foil trick to increase the dia. and length of the new battery in an Electro 35. I'm thinking the MR-9 adaptor is the way to go. I don't trust my skills to install a schokty diode in-line with the battery chamber wire!
 
FrankS said:
Has anyone got one or 2 of these lying around? Could use them. I've got this nice Lunasix 3 lightmeter that uses PX13 batteries.

Do you have any mercury powered items? What do you do? Hearing aid batteries? Adaptors? Modern cells?

Frank,

I have two Luna Pro meters. Gossen sells a converter kit that allows the use of silver cells. I bought one from Bogen about four years ago for about $20 and my local camera store less than a year ago for about $20.

BATTERY KIT / Cat. No: GO 4145 => Old Cat. No: 4145
For older Luna-Pro and Luna-Pro S only, includes two SR44 cells.

Don't let the $52 price on the Bogen site fool you. Go to a photo store that is a Bogen distributor. You can get a much better deal if they order it for you instead of you purchasing it over the web.
 
FrankS said:
Has anyone got one or 2 of these lying around? Could use them. I've got this nice Lunasix 3 lightmeter that uses PX13 batteries.

Do you have any mercury powered items? What do you do? Hearing aid batteries? Adaptors? Modern cells?

Frank there is a battery type called Wein Cell Zinc/Air MRB625 1.35 volt that fits the Lunasix 3 it is sold in the UK by Speedgraphic
here's the link:

http://www.speedgraphic.co.uk/product_info.asp?prdID=10013&usrID=7BE24E4B-AD74-4398-A2C4-4BE3918312D1

if that doesn't work try this link

http://www.speedgraphic.co.uk/product_select.asp?usrID=7BE24E4B-AD74-4398-A2C4-4BE3918312D1&prtID=

and scroll to end of the list.
you might be able to find them internationally.

I just got some and they work fine and double checked it against the Leica MP meter
 
You can increase their life span by covering up some of the holes. Typically they have 5 or 6 holes to enable the large current drain required by hearing aids. This also accelerates the drying out of the electrolyte which is what shortens the life. Not a problem in hearing aids because they are exhausted before this. If you reseal all but one or two of the holes (nail varnish is good if you can raid the wife's) you can prlong the life substantially as the current drain from photographic applications is much lower.

Kim

FrankS said:
Thanks Simon! The zinc-air cells are the ones with the short life span, right.
 
Kim thanks i didn't know this - you learn something new every day here on RFF!
Simon

I just had a good look at these particular batteries in my Lunasix 3 and they have only 2 holes either side of the + sign - so i assume covering up one hole extends their life by 50% ?
 
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Us OM-1 owners confronted this problem a long time ago. Most OM-1 overhauls include a mercury cell conversion (along with endemic gooy seals and bumpers, etc.)

An excellent battery reference from Karen Nakamura:
http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/index-frameset.html?batteries.html~mainFrame

For the PX-13/PX-625 the MR-9 adapter is ordinarily the way to go, (but if the device needs 2 cells the Gossen adaptor is more economical)
http://www.criscam.com/store/home.php

For yet more info on camera batteries and the DIY version of the MR-9:
(Illustrates why the adapter is worth the $29.95!)
http://www.buhla.de/Foto/batt-adapt-US.pdf
 
... besides, has anyone used the V27PX adaptor that takes four 386 silver-oxide cells? Does it contain a micro-circuit to reduce voltage (original V27PX contained four mercury cells of 1.4 V each, silver-oxide 386 has 1.55 V)?

My preliminary solution (for my Minox 35 GL P&S) was to get my hand on every V72PX available when they had just run out of business, now I store ten of them in my fridge. Given the enormous life-span of these, my own life-span might be the limiting factor rather than vice versa...

Jesko
 
lmd91343 said:
Frank,

I have two Luna Pro meters. Gossen sells a converter kit that allows the use of silver cells. I bought one from Bogen about four years ago for about $20 and my local camera store less than a year ago for about $20.

BATTERY KIT / Cat. No: GO 4145 => Old Cat. No: 4145
For older Luna-Pro and Luna-Pro S only, includes two SR44 cells.

Don't let the $52 price on the Bogen site fool you. Go to a photo store that is a Bogen distributor. You can get a much better deal if they order it for you instead of you purchasing it over the web.


Now this is a classic example of what's best about RFF! Thanks for the info Lance - I'll be tracking this one down, too.
 
Simon Larby said:
tkluck thanks for the link i just ordered one. $29 for the MR-9 and $25 shipping! - still if it does the trick i got no choice in the long term.....
I've had my Chriscam adapter for about 7yrs in my leica CL, still working fine. Only thing to watch is that the adapter + battery is a tiny bit thicker than the original battery, and is a bit of a fiddle to fit in the camera. As mine is an early one they have perhaps modified this.

P.S. IMPORTANT!!

Further to the adapter being a tight fit, this thread prompted me to research further!! When I got the MR-9 , I was advised by local camera store that the equivalent battery to the recommended 386 was the SR 44. IT IS NOT!!! the SR44 battery is 1.1mm thicker than a 386. the correct equivalent is a SR43W.
However although not usually found in camera stores, the 386 is easily found in places selling watch batteries or hearing aid battery centres. I bought the correct battery yeaterday, and the combined MR-9 + 386 fits the CL perfectly. There is also a voltage difference and I now get the correct battery check signal. Seven years later!!!:bang:
 
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