Does It Make a Difference - 1.35, 1.40, 1.45 Volts

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Dan Quinn - 29 Jun 2004 10:16 GMT

Zinc air I've in mind. A Sekonic meter and my OM1n call for 1.35.
The local Radio Shack has 1.40. Will I go wrong with the
R. Shack 1.40? Dan

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zeitgeist - 06 Jul 2004 07:48 GMT

> Zinc air I've in mind. A Sekonic meter and my OM1n call for 1.35.
> The local Radio Shack has 1.40. Will I go wrong with the
> R. Shack 1.40? Dan

don't sue me if I'm wrong, but IIRC, batteries loose voltage as they age and
as they are used. I'll bet that if you put a meter on that 1.4 it will give
you a reading of 1.3 anyway.

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Lionel - 10 Jul 2004 05:07 GMT

>> Zinc air I've in mind. A Sekonic meter and my OM1n call for 1.35.
>> The local Radio Shack has 1.40. Will I go wrong with the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>as they are used. I'll bet that if you put a meter on that 1.4 it will give
>you a reading of 1.3 anyway.

That's true of ordinary carbon or alkaline batteries, but not of mercury
or lithium cells, which keep a very constant voltage until just before
they go completely flat. That's why this can be an issue if you need to
substitute a different battery for a mercury cell.

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zeitgeist - 06 Jul 2004 08:34 GMT

> The 1.35v is a mercury battery, designed for a constant voltage over a

long

> life. The zinc air batteries are designed for heavy load and short life
> (hearing aids). There is also a possibility that the fumes can cause

damage

> to the circuitry if the battery compartment isn't sealed (but I have never
> seen any actual data for this).
>
> The problem you might run into is that the meter is designed for a

specific

> voltage and may misread if that voltage isn't correct.
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Bob

> Zinc air I've in mind. A Sekonic meter and my OM1n call for 1.35.
> The local Radio Shack has 1.40. Will I go wrong with the
> R. Shack 1.40? Dan

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Lionel - 10 Jul 2004 05:10 GMT

>Zinc air I've in mind. A Sekonic meter and my OM1n call for 1.35.
>The local Radio Shack has 1.40. Will I go wrong with the
>R. Shack 1.40? Dan

Hard to say. At worst, you might lose some accuracy, but you could
probably add a compensation factor to the reading to correct for it.
My advice would to contact Sekonic's service department & ask their
advice.

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