Thanks! It's been a loooooong time since I last saw the batteries in it. I suspect that it's the Eveready 417 (no longer in production) that was being used. The 411 is a close substitute (140 mAh), but at $40 for the needed pair -- not "cost effective". The 504 is smaller still (60 mAh), but ought to be shimmable; ~$16-20 for a pair. Or just don't use the higher resistance range (R10k, R100k), yes. Probably my best bet after I finish cleaning it up. At 20,000 ohms-per-volt DC I guess that it really needs the extra oomph of 30v in the higher ranges. I saved paper-route money for it (used) many decades ago. So it has sentimental value as well as practical utility. It got put away when I left home, and by the time it got pulled out of storage the batteries had all done their dirty work :-<. The only alternative that I've come up with is to stack a pile of CR1025 3V coin cells, which are pretty cheap on eBay. Unsure how much life I'll get out of them (only 30mAh), but then they're *really* cheap compared to the alternatives. Anyone tried something like that before? -----Original Message----- From: vcf-midatlantic [mailto:vcf-midatlantic-bounces@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org] On Behalf Of Systems Glitch via vcf-midatlantic Sent: Monday, November 16, 2015 11:26 AM To: vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org Cc: Systems Glitch Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Simpson 262 Series E
I've been "put off" by the problem of finding affordable modern substitutes for the pair of 15v batteries used in the higher resistance ranges. Any suggestions for a suitable substitute for the 30v (total) battery requirement?
What's the battery size/number? Send a picture if you're not sure. My Simpson 160 requires one Eveready #505 22.5V battery for the higher resistance readings. As long as you don't leave it on one of the resistance settings while it is sitting in your toolbox, they last for many years -- you hit the shelf life before you deplete the battery in use, in my experience. They're not super cheap and you have to buy them online, but I think I paid $10 for the battery in 2010 when I bought the meter. There are many Amazon sellers who carry old industrial batteries, I believe that's where mine came from. After 5 years, mine still reads 25.1V -- if you like the meter and feel it's worth spending a few bucks every 10 years (or more) on batteries, I'd just buy modern replacements and use it! Thanks, Jonathan