Vintage Dry Cell Batteries

[Mike/W8BAC]

Somebody posted a link recently for a company selling replacement batteries for vintage equipment. Can someone help me find that link? Thanks

Mike

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Not sure if this was the thread or not Mike, discussing bias batts with the Vortex, Derb, and others:

http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=16529.0

Specific link (there are several, check prices):

http://www.youdoitelectronics.com/id642.htm

There are a buncha sites online if you're actually looking to pick some up.

[k4kyv]

From time to time our local "Dollar Store" puts plastic-wrapped half-dozen sets of its house brand 9v batteries on sale @ less than 50¢ per battery.  It would be easy to wire up 10 of those in series to reach 90 volts at a cost of under $5.00.  Other combinations could yield other voltages in 9v steps.  I suppose for real nostalgia, one could even carefully gut a crapped out vintage battery and refill the innards with the seriesed 9-volters, but the problem with doing this, just like buying real vintage batteries brand new at the exorbitant prices I have seen, is that this would last only for a short while if actually used with any frequency.

If you were really serious about the nostalgia and authentic reproduction, the crapped out battery case might be fabricated into a battery holder with a removable bottom, to make it easy to replace the 9-v batteries as the need arises.

[Mike/W8BAC]

Thanks Todd,

I think that was the site I remember. I posted a link here today for a Gates remote mixer I saw on eBay. It got me to thinking about my Collins 212Z-1 mixer. Both mixers used a battery backup if you lost AC. Since remote broadcast at the time was over pots lines, a battery backup for the mixer would keep the remote up. Fortunately the Collins uses Germanium transistors and if the power failed you would have some stay time. The Gates uses tubes.

I restored the 212Z-1 a few years back and it works (and looks) perfect. I thought at the time batteries would be unobtainable and, to be honest, they really aren't needed. The thought jelled this morning and I started looking.

The batteries listed in the manual are one National Carbon Company 726, 4.5 volt for the meter lamp and two National Carbon Company 763, 22.5 volt for the B supply. I don't know if a cross reference is available from National Carbon to Eveready. The cost isn't too high. I wonder about shelf life? Interesting stuff.

Mike

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Barring the option of a cross-reference list, is there a picture or diagram in the console that indicates shape/size? I saw a few different 22.5v types, so likely size/duration is the telling factor. Maybe just looking at the battery compartment will give you an idea of which one it takes?

Shelf life: Can't remember why or even who, but back in the 70s an OldTimer told me to keep new carbon batts in the fridge to prolong their shelf life. Seems to work with Duracells too, having recently refilled my Maglite with D cells whose 'best if used by' date was several years old. It sounds like you're more interested in the curiosity of it than the actual practicality, so maybe you can come up with an old batt and gut it out for display only? You could always buy a few, use them up, and go that route too.

[Mike/W8BAC]

I'll pull the mixer out later today and measure the battery clamps in the compartment. It won't give an exact dimension but it would be close.

If I purchased batteries it would only be to complete the kit. I have no need but that never stopped a determined Ham, right? As time goes by the chances of finding batteries will be few.

Hopefully someone here has a battery cross reference and I'll have more possibility's. If I recall correctly many of those battery types had standard shapes, sizes and terminal arrangements. The manufacturers just gave them differant part numbers.

Mike 

[k4kyv]

The batteries listed in the manual are one National Carbon Company 726, 4.5 volt for the meter lamp and two National Carbon Company 763, 22.5 volt for the B supply. I don't know if a cross reference is available from National Carbon to Eveready.

National Carbon Co. is Eveready.

http://www.scripophily.net/nacaconewje1.html

[John K5PRO]

Newark Electronics has the Energizer 22.5, 45 and 67 volt carbon zinc batteries still listed in their latest catalogs, prices aren't cheap ($20-30 each).
http://www.newark.com/zinc-carbon

[Opcom]

I am curious if those newly made B+ batteries have benefited from modern technologies that give them longer shelf lives. I think so. Maybe 5 years ago I bought a 67.5V B battery for an old portable BC receiver, and it seemed to last for many many hours. Quite fun to have with friends, with their ipods etc who had never seen a tube portable, and tuning in Paul Harvey on it! I forgot about it for about 2 years, and it still worked when turned on then. But saying they are not cheap is really up for debate. How much did they cost in 1950? what's that worth today? I'm thankful they are still made.