[NTLK] H1000 battery and charger issue

[NewtonTalk]

Gary said...

> I have an H1000 that I lost the charger for six months ago.
> I replaced it with a modern charger, which allowed the Newton
> to work for about thirty minutes before I believe frying the
> battery.

Congratulations! If all you fried by using that charger ist the battery, you
were really, really lucky. Normally the Newton dies, too. Having killed the
battery isn't much of an issue: The batteries of H1000 models area almost
always dead or near dead anyway.

I have tried putting new cells into an OMP or MP100 rechargeable battery
pack, but I simply didn't find it worth the effort. For one, you'd need AAA
size Nickel-Cadmium cells. These have been banned in Europe for years. In
Germany you simply cannot buy them anymore. Using Nickel-Metal-Hydride cells
wouldn't be such a smart idea, either, because the Newton's charge circuitry
expects Nickel-Cadmium cells, which have a charge curve that differs
significantly from that of Nickel-Metal-Hydride cells. Apart from that, the
battery contacts of original rechargeable packs are very often in utterly
poor condition. 

Forrest said...

> IMHO you?re much better off doing as Pawel suggested and finding an AAA
alkaline battery holder.
> Spoiler alert: these are rare and therefore NOT inexpensive.

Forrest, you're right insofar as they are rare. Whether they are expensive
depends significantly on where you buy them. This is why I never get tired
of recommending people to ask here first before they shell out a fortune
elsewhere.

I have some brand spanking new OMP/MP100 battery holders left that haven't
even been opened. I'd let them go for eight Euros apiece plus what I pay for
stamps, which, depending on where on this planet you live, should be four
bucks at most. Be aware that we are talking of the OMP and MP100 battery
holders here. Their big brothers for the 2x00 Newton models are indeed much
more expensive.

For an OMP it would make most sense to buy two battery holders and eight
rechargeable AAA size Nickel-Metal-Hydride cells with the highest capacity
you can get. Charging those in a halfway decent external charger would at
least triple the usage time you get out of one pack, compared to a brand-new
original rechargeable pack. Provided you'd manage to get one, which hasn't
been possible for at least two decades.

Good luck!

Frank

-- Newton software and hardware at http://www.pda-soft.de