SR-44 battery no longer exist???

[montanhacz]

Hello:

I purchased a light meter in a aution in Internet (Soligor UF-II). But now I

read that this light meter uses a battery that no longer exist, the SR-44

battery. IS THAT TRUE???

Now I'm very worried about it! Where can I get a battery for this light meter?

What is the solution for this problem? I look in the internet and there are

some expensive solutions and gadgets to replace old batterys! Isn't any other

similar battery that I could use in this light meter?

Many thanks for the help and regards to all,

Carlos Nuno Cunha

[rogerp]

I just did a searcb for SR-44 on Google and it came back with hundreds of suppliers. Are you perhaps thinking of the old now banned mercury cells?

 

Roger

[montanhacz]

Well, I hope you're right. The fact is that I read that this light meter uses SR-44 (1,55 volts) an that this battery had mercury, so they banned this battery. Sooner I get the light meter, I'll ask for my local dealer about this battery. I'll prey to find it, so I could use the light meter. Thanks a lot for your information. If you have others informations please let me know.

Carlos

[Matthew Currie]

If it really is an SR44 (as seems to be the case from my quick googling), that's just the silver-oxide counterpart to the ubiquitous alkaline LR44, and should not be hard to find. Around here, it's now possible to get LR 44's in packs of 8 to 12 at the "dollar store" (where everything costs an even dollar). There is (was) a mercury version of this battery called the MR44. If that's what you're in need of, then you have a problem. But for an SR44 you can even use the cheap LR44's at least temporarily, as long as you remember to replace them before the voltage tapers off.

[steven_moseley1]

Hi,

 

The LR44 is not very good, especially cheap ones made in China. There are still loads of places to get the far superior SR44's. I just bought a load of Panasonic brand ones (made in Japan) from 7 day shop dot com. They are in Guernsey, off the coast of France.

 

Cheers Steve.

[wendell_kelly]

You don't have a problem Carlos.

 

The button-type silver oxide batteries, of which the SR-44 if one type, are available virtually everywhere. The SR-44 is one manufacturer's designation for this battery type. The same cell is sold under different designations (type number)by a number of manufacturers.

 

Energizer sells this battery as the "357", a 1.55V silver oxide battery of the same physical dimensions as the SR-44; they sell for 3 cells/US$5 in the US. Look at the packaging of the batteries, the manufacturer will state to which batteries his product is equivalent. Energizer lists the LR-44 as one of a number of other cells names to which the 357 is equivalent.

[montanhacz]

Does anyone can confirm to me if the Soligor UF-II light meter really uses the SR-44 battery? I'm trying to google this but without success!

You are giving me very good informations, thanks for all your help!!!

 

Carlos

[tlr]

The reference for Varta is V76PX

[rogerp]

Carlos,

 

Look here http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/PX625_exposure_meters

 

It is bad news I'm afraid. It seems your meter was designed for the now banned mercury cell. You will have to use an adapter or Wein/hearing aid cells.

 

Roger

[Matthew Currie]

If this is the one, and if the site is accurate, then it appears you're all right:

 

http://www.hotbuyselectronics.com/item_detail.php?item_id=2774

[montanhacz]

That's the problem. The informations on the internet about this light meter source battery are quite different. I don't know which one is the correct information. So I fear to had chosen a bad light meter.

 

Carlos

[conrad_hoffman]

Almost all CdS meters were designed to use the very stable 1.35 volts from a mercury cell. They can often be readjusted to read correctly with a 1.5 volt akaline or other cell, but will be less accurate as the battery voltage falls off with age and use. In my experience, this isn't much of a problem if you just check the battery now and then. The Wein cells are ok, and produce nearly the right voltage, but I don't use my meters often enough. The Wein cells don't last very long after unsealing them. When you get your meter, install a silver oxide SR-44, or an akaline replacement as described above, and test it using the sunny-16 rule. If it's accurate, great. If not, have it readjusted, use the Wein cell, or fabricate a simple adapter for one of the many inexpensive hearing aid cells, which are similar to the Wein cells.

[wendell_kelly]

There is some misinformation finding its way into this discussion.

 

The mercury cells were used in camera metering circuits because the cell output voltage was essentially invariant with time. If the battery worked at all, the cell voltage was 1.35 volts; there was no voltage decrease with timeuntil the cell died altogether.

 

Silver oxide cells behave in the same way but at a different output voltage; 1.55 for the silver oxide cells. If the silver oxide cell is working, the output will be 1.55 volts. If you like, Google the output voltage characteristics of a silver oxide cell. The mercury cell and the silver oxide cell have stable ouput voltages for the same reason: both species in the redox couple are solids and there is no change in reactant activity with time (that is until one is completely exhausted and the cell is dead).

 

 

It is the manganese (also called an alkaline) cell whose output voltage drops constantly with use. Just avoid the things and you won't have a problem - surpisingly they often cost the same as a silver oxide cell.

 

If you have a meter recalibrated for SILVER OXIDE batteries, the performance will be as stable as it you had mercury batteries in the unit. If you insist on using MANGANESE (AKA ALKALINE CELLS), you will have only yourself to blame for unreliable meter performance.

[walter_degroot]

i agree with wendell.

the manufaxcturers imply that the alkaline cells are an exact replacemenmt for the banned mercury cells.

msybr in some applications, but none that require anyb "exactness"

the silver cell, about 1.6v, the mercury cell about 1.35v and the hearing aid and wein cells about 1.4v, all share a charteristis. they remain stable until they die fairly quickly.

 

 

the alkaline cell , about 1.5v has a long life but a SLOPING discharge charteristic. so NEW THE VOLTAKE IS TOO HIGH,(underexposure) A WEEK LATER IT might be JUST RIGHT? AND A FEW WEEKS LATER AND PROCEEDING FOR A LONG TIME It MAY BE OK OR TOO LOW.( over exposure)

 

this means you never know what the accurate meter/exposure reading really is.

 

this applies to all cameras and meters that use a series-type circuit, meaning the meter, the light-sensitive cell, and the cell are in series. this type of circuit is totally dependent on a stable

voltage, like 1.35v from now until it dies suddenly.

 

you find it very obvious that it is not reading correctly and need to remplace the cell.

 

a few cameras, some pentaxes come to mind, use a bridge or balancing type meter circuit. they seem to tolerate a variation in cell voltage. and accuracy is affected much less than cameras and exposure meter they use a series-type circuit ( mostr devices)

 

the wein cells are pricey. the CRUIS device uses a resistor to drop the voltage from a 1.6v silver cell to about 1.35/1.4. sort of workable.

 

the hearing aid cells are cheap and are3 close enough to mercury cells for even slide film. a hearing aid cell can be improved by using crazy glue or nail polish on 2 of the 4 holes.

 

they will not last very long, 6 months is about the maximum,

and unused cells may go bad ( dry out) is not used withing 1-2 years.

Buy the hearing aid cells in the pharmacy depe, not the camera or electronics dept. if there is a size that works for your device, you are in luck. sometimes an O ring from the plumbing department will serve to keep a slightly smaller cell in position.

 

a better solution but costly, is to have the device recalibrated for siler=oxcide ( 1.6v) cells. than you will have accurate readings and a long bcell life from a cell that should not be banned.

 

I just use hearing aid cells on my 40 year old cameras.and am thankful the newer cameras use easier to get cells.