When looking to re-power any Beaulieu, remember the original batterie were made from no-obsolete NiCad cells. If you're going to the expense and effort of re-celling a battery, you sure don't want to wind up with NiCads -- low capacity and the dreaded memory effect. At a minimum, you'd want NiMH cells, preferably the low-discharge type used in Eneloop and other rechargeable brands (I'm not sure if these are available in the sizes used in the original batteries). With any NiMH celled battery, using the original Beaulieu charger may be dicey, as the rspecs for NiMH charging are slightly different. No loss, as the little wall-wart chargers are primitive and slow, and a good charger for NiMH cells isn't that expensive and a great benefit to battery readiness and maintenance.
I don't know about the voltage(s) of the Super 8 batteries, or whether they even can be repacked with standard size cells. The fatter R16 batteries can be re-done with AA cells, and the smaller standard ones with AAA cells. Typically, you wouldn't use the regular kind sold for flashlights cameras and such, but ones made for building packs, which come with solder tabs attached. (Soldering leads onto the bare ends of a standard rechargeable battery is not recommended for amateurs.) As it happens, R16 batteries are 7.2V, which is the same as the battery packs used in many RC toys, so you can pick up a charger at a hobby shop -- it's easy enough to take the plug end off the original Beaulieu charger and wire it to the new one, or get a compatible plug at an electronic shop (3 pin DIN for the R16) and preserve the original charger for whatever. As Chuck notes, if you can live with a wire running from the camera to your pocket, making-up an external battery pack is the least expensive and most flexible way to go. It's an easy DIY project (you should be able to snooker a friend if you find soldering too intimidating yourself). Not to take business away from Jean-Louis or Phil, but those guys' time and expertise are waay above the necessary skill level -- it's like hiring a Indy car mechanic to change your oil... On Apr 22, 2015, at 10:56 AM, Jean-Louis Seguin wrote: > A new battery is no less than $200 USD. Plus you might Need a new charger. _______________________________________________ FrameWorks mailing list FrameWorks@jonasmekasfilms.com https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks
