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05-17-2015, 10:46 PM   #1
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3v CR1616 Battery on a Spotmatic F

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Hello again to the Forum! I have a Spotmatic F that has a light meter that does not function properly on certain LR44 1.5v batteries and works inaccurately on some, i can say that this Spottie F is picky. what i do is I confirm the proper exposure with my other Spottie F that i use more often and see a discrepancy between their measures having the same light conditions. I experimented on using a 3v CR1616 battery that i had and the light meter worked much responsively. Are there any hazards on using a battery half over the recommended volts?

05-18-2015, 02:28 AM   #2
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Have you tried silver oxide batteries (SR44) vs alkaline? Silver oxide have less voltage drop off as the battery depletes, much closer to the voltage drop off of mercury cells. And cheap no name LR44 cells are just that - cheap (in more ways than one).

And it seems 357 batteries have lower internal resistance than SR/LR44. Try those instead.

And perhaps your camera would benefit from CLA (Cleaning, Lubrication, and Adjustment) which should recalibrate your meter for 1.5v cells.
05-18-2015, 06:15 AM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by Not a Number Quote
Have you tried silver oxide batteries (SR44) vs alkaline? Silver oxide have less voltage drop off as the battery depletes, much closer to the voltage drop off of mercury cells. And cheap no name LR44 cells are just that - cheap (in more ways than one).

And it seems 357 batteries have lower internal resistance than SR/LR44. Try those instead.

And perhaps your camera would benefit from CLA (Cleaning, Lubrication, and Adjustment) which should recalibrate your meter for 1.5v cells.
My other Spottie F just works fine with LR44s though.. I use a fresh A76 Energizer battery for that. that's also an LR44 right? because there's an LR44 label along with the packaging. I CLA'd (so that's what CLA is!) my complained Spot F just a while ago and it works fine. or so i think with the 3V battery in place. I read on some blog that i can adjust a knob on the insides to calibrate the light meter, the 2 knobs on each side of the viewfinder and I just did with the 3V battery. Though i don't know what the knob under the film reminder is for and i would love to know what that does. Three knobs in total that i saw. I'm willing to learn more on what i can do to further tweak this beloved of mine. I'd go for the Silver Oxide battery, but just in the meantime, i'd like to do something about it without spending any munnie.

Thank you by the way Not a Number!
05-18-2015, 06:41 AM   #4
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Why are you not using a PX625A? It's 1.5v and alkaline, but it works just fine in a Spot F.

05-18-2015, 07:51 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
Why are you not using a PX625A? It's 1.5v and alkaline, but it works just fine in a Spot F.
Ohhhhhh I do hope i find one here!! using the 3V CR1616 gave me a very quick and responsive light meter though. I wish i had that performance without the worry of using a 3V battery on a 1.5V recommended Spot.
05-19-2015, 07:04 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
Why are you not using a PX625A? It's 1.5v and alkaline, but it works just fine in a Spot F.
I just bought and used a 625a for this Spottie. It's pretty hard to find here. The result is still the same. On a 1.5V It would work for a while but leave it for a moment it fails to respond. For a 3V however it works all the way. Though i use the 3V just for the sake of testing the meter.
06-02-2017, 09:51 AM   #7
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exact replacement for Spotmatic F battery

I own a Spotmatic F - I found a vendor on eBay that sells an exact replacement for the original PX625 mercury battery which the Spotmatic F required


This replacement is a 1.35 volt WeinCell MRB625 battery. sold on eBay by 1111deals, costs: $5.91 with free shipping
type this into eBay search to pull up this listing: WEINCELL W990120 Replacement Battery for PX625/PX13


You should be able to do a web search for WeinCell MRB625 and find other vendors.


With this exact spec replacement you won't have to worry about any over-voltage issues and your meter should work correctly - pending any CLA required




All the best,
Pierre




QuoteOriginally posted by anselmopn Quote
Hello again to the Forum!
I have a Spotmatic F that has a light meter that does not function properly on certain LR44 1.5v batteries and works inaccurately on some, i can say that this Spottie F is picky. what i do is I confirm the proper exposure with my other Spottie F that i use more often and see a discrepancy between their measures having the same light conditions.
I experimented on using a 3v CR1616 battery that i had and the light meter worked much responsively.
Are there any hazards on using a battery half over the recommended volts?


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