...snip..
DigiKey will sell them to you. Can't get more reliable than that.
Just in case you've never tried this before, there are issues.
Tiny differences in the thickness of the plastic coating can mean
the difference between fit and no fit when you stack up 8 of 'em.
I've had to peel off the heat-shrink and wrap them with packing tape.
That's risky even on a good day.
Yep, I can dig it... The existing cells are just over 18mm dia in
the wrapper, and 17mm unwrapped. The wrapper is heatshrink over a
rather heavy gauge cardboard tube.
Old ones in the pack are Sanyo HR-4/3A, and I see exact replacement
Sanyo cells selling for about 6-7 dollars ea at several vendors.
Vendor's specs: Sanyo, HR-4/3AU, 1.2V, 4000 mAhr, .670" X 2.640"
There's sometimes not room for the solder connection between cells.
You may have to spot weld 'em just to get the case back together.
In my case, there's room for solder tabs. Width is critical, but I've
got several mm leeway, lengthwise.
Don't get me started on high-rate charge acceptance differences between
brands/types etc. Read the specs on the cells and understand the
charge termination methods used by your device.
Well, since I'm already looking at exact Sanyo replacements, I think
I'm safe there. In any case, I am quite aware of charging issues,
having worked with batteries and power supplies for many years. More
like decades? said:
YMMV.
At over $60 for the cells, it may not be worth rebuilding.
You DID emphasize *reliability* over cost...
Reread my original - When said "reliable," I meant a reliable dealer
and aid nothing about cost. I've had some bad experiences with
web-based vendors in the past.
The project is an old 100Mhz laptop I got for free which I want to
play around with in places that I wouldn't dare take my new $1200 2GHz
notebook. The lowest I've seen an OEM battery pack go for is $130,
and it's not really worth it for a "throwaway" computer. Half that
figure is low enough to make it worthwhile.
Anywhoos... thanks for the advise! I hadn't even thought about
Digikey for batteries. Since I'm about to make an order from them
anyway, I'll probably include the batteries (which will hopefully also
be Sanyo's).
-Jack-
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