Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/06/18

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Mercury, Alkaline, and Silver Oxide Batteries
From: "Kotsinadelis, Peter (Peter)" <peterk@lucent.com>
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 15:33:11 -0700

DT,

I don't know.  Perhaps it is a business decision.  Since the major market is
AAs and new lithium batteries for cameras, perhaps they do not sell well
enough to make them in Silver Oxide.  But I do know there are S76 size
Silver Oxide button cells (I know my Olympus XA uses them).  
BTW, Alkaline batteries are less costly to manufacture than Silver Oxide or
Mercury cells.
You are 100% correct about Zinc Airs, while they provide constant 1.4v they
lose their power quickly.  

Peter K


- -----Original Message-----

InfinityDT@aol.com wrote:

Evidently then it is because Silver Oxide batteries are closer in discharge 
characteristics to the Mercury batteries (and basically just a series 
resistor is needed to adapt them) this is why the CRIS adadptor uses the
MS76 
(aside from the lucky fact it's also smaller than a PX13/625 and fits inside

an adaptor).  The big question is, why do the battery manufacturers only 
supply Alkalines in the PX13/6225 size, and not Silver Oxides?  BTW I had a 
lot of trouble wiith those Zinc-Air Wein cells "replacements".  Not only are

they expensive, but they go dead in a big hurry.  That is, if they're not 
already dead when you buy them, which was what happened to me.  I finally
had 
my Nikon FTn "converted" to take alkalines (this was before I'd heard about 
the CRIS adaptor) but dealing with the discharge curve is a royal pain.  I 
rarely use the F any more, and if I do I have to check the meter against a 
different body at intervals and change the EI.

DT