Gast
Hi, I’ve got the following problem: the battery in my Minox C ran out in the middle of Saudi Arabia – the famous PX 27 5.6-volt one. I’ve got three of them lying about at home… yeah, I know, I should always carry spares. I’ve been trawling through every souk today, but unfortunately no luck. I won’t even bother asking for a Minox adapter. Now I’ve got 10 films with me but no battery – what a mess. But perhaps there’s an alternative using other batteries that you could possibly connect in series and that would then fit??? Does anyone have any advice?
Greetings from the country where a full tank of petrol costs just €8
Gast
Hello,
With a bit of ingenuity, some sticky tape, aluminium foil and four 1.5 V button cells of the right diameter, you can make yourself a reasonably decent / functional replacement for the PX. I don’t know how the Minox’s light meter works, but I’ve cobbled together something similar for my old Praktica VLC and it works without any problems. The website www.abcde.de lists a UNICELL U27PX as a replacement, though this is 21.5 mm long.
Regards, Uwe
seba
Hi,
The PX27 also only has 4 button cells with contact plates inside. If you remove the metal casing, a plastic compartment appears (watch out for small parts!), which you can then fill with 4 LR43 or SR43 batteries; that’s what I’m doing with my GL at the moment. Normally, you should then adjust the light meter to match the ISO setting if you have a comparison; if not, I’d simply perform an overexposure by one stop ‘just to be on the safe side’. I wouldn’t use this method for slides, though.
Good luck,
cu seba
PhilippReichmuth
Hi Marwan,
Another option: I don’t know where you are in Saudi Arabia, but why not get in touch with a local photography club? In Riyadh, for example, there’s a club called ‘Cameraderie’ that’s quite active. You might even make some interesting contacts that way?
I’m familiar with wandering through souks and the like. I once spent a day in Tashkent trying to track down a SmartMedia card reader. Without success. Experience has taught me that you achieve nothing by searching and everything through contacts.
Or you could do what a few people from the German Embassy did: at a Germany vs. Saudi Arabia football match, they held up a sign saying “Send asparagus” and were subsequently generously supplied by the German Asparagus Association. Why not make yourself a sign saying “Send PX27 batteries”? :rolleyes:
Philipp
Gast
Hi there,
Thanks a lot for the tips,
I’m in Jeddah, I reckon. Card readers are absolutely no problem here, nor are batteries for standard digital cameras. The shopkeepers definitely recognised them as camera batteries, but just shrugged and said they were for an old camera.
Well, that’s how it is – we come from the modern West and lug this old junk around with us :rolleyes: .
I’ll have a go with that DIY solution; I reckon the overvoltage won’t do the tech any harm.
Greetings from the desert.
Marwan
Gast
Hello,
I gave it a go today and got hold of four button cells. I hope the slight overvoltage doesn’t mess with the electronics and that the photos have reasonable levels of exposure. As it’s black-and-white film, I hope it doesn’t come out too harsh. At least I’ve got something to snap away with now. It’s not entirely without risk here, as people here tend to be a bit sensitive about being photographed. The Minox doesn’t stand out too much, although last time I managed to get some brilliant shots off the hip with my Leica and a 20mm lens at f/800.
I’ll report back later on how the shots turned out with the overvoltage.
Regards,
Marwan
Stagirit
As long as the camera doesn’t use the battery as a reference voltage, there shouldn’t be a problem, and the minimal overvoltage (0.4V) won’t damage your electronics.
The only other camera I can think of right now is the Lunasix, which used the PX-625’s 1.35V as its reference voltage.
The Minox 35 GT (actually the light meter) plays up with new batteries; the light meter gets stuck and the pictures are overexposed. If you know this, you can fix it by tapping it gently, or simply by letting the battery be in use for a few days.
Gast
Hello!
It’s just like what happened to me in New York: we’re visiting a one-off emergency response drill at John F. Kennedy Airport, and what do you know? I’ve forgotten to pack my spare film rolls.... Life can be so tough sometimes!
By the way, the only reason I’m on this page is because there’s a Minox C right next to me – freshly loaded with batteries! Exactly – life is sometimes one of the hardest!
Have fun down there!
Peter Eilers
