battery usage in minolta srt 201

[edward_tucker]

I recently got hold of a minolta srt 201 that still has a working

mercury battery in it but I think it is weak, the meter needle isn't

too consistant. I have read a lot of topics about battery usage and

solutions but i am confused on what I should do. Should I get the

adaptor for $29.96 and be done with it or should I try a 1.5v battery

and work around it or is that a good idea? will it damage the meter? I

got this camera to play around with the challenge of manual focus but

I didn't know at the time of purchase that the batteries was such an

issue. Thanks

[douglas_green1]

Buy a pack of 675 Zinc-Air hearing-aid batteries. They produce the proper voltage, and it's stable until the battery dies. They are cheap and easy to find, costing less than $1 each. They wear out in a few months, but at that price, it's a non-issue. You will also need a small spacer for the battery chamber, because the 675 is smaller than the 625 size your SRT was meant to use. A rubber #9 O-ring, which costs under 30 cents at Home Depot or other plumbing supply stores will do the trick perfectly, and will fit snugly in the battery chamber, until you wish to remove it (using a pin or a tweezers).

 

Also, there is a non-conductive decal in the inside center of the SRT's battery caps, which shows the proper battery orientation. That decal should be removed so the smaller 675 battery makes contact. Larger 625 batteries make contact with the edges of the chamber cap, outside of the decal, while the smaller 675 battery needs to contact the center area of the cap.

 

This is an EASY do-it yourself solution that is BETTER than any of the other solutions. All of my SRTs, Olympus OM-1s, Nikkormats, Canon FTb, TLb, TX, etc. get this mod, and work great with the 675 Zinc-Air batteries.

 

BTW, if you are afraid to do this yourself, For $10, I'll send you the proper O-ring, an already modified Minolta SRT battery cap, and a couple of 675 Zinc-Air batteries, postage included, anywhere in the U.S. If you include your un-modified SRT battery cap, I'll do it for $7

[doug_harhai]

edward,

Just be sure that the meter isn't off. I have a 101 and 201, and both had inconsistent meters. I took them into the camera shop, and they were both off, one more than the other. I had them CLA'd (they are both mint condition) and the problem is fixed. You will find that the mercury batteries are pretty stable until they are dead, so I would first be sure that the meter isn't the problem. This is my guess.

[jeremy_barnaby]

Ed,

 

IMO, the 625 button cell is the answer. I own and use several old SRT's and have had little trouble finding batts. for them. Also an intresting note, I find even though I constantly forget to shut off the meter, sometimes for days on end, I still get 6 mos. or so out of my batt. I nice change from my Maxxum 5, which chews right through em. Have fun with that old film burner!!!

[randyjay]

It may be easier to just use a hand held light meter, that's what I do with all my SLRs except my Fuji STX-2.