battery for Beaulieu 4008?

[Pedro]

Yesterday I was very lucky at ebay and got a 4008ZM2 for under € 150! Seems to be in mint conditions, only it was out of use for about 10 years.
So the battery is probably more than dead.
As I bought it only to play around somehow and because I love that cool design of that camera, I don´t want to spend much money in buying one of that extremly expensive new batteries.

Does anyone have expierience in opening and re-celling the original 250 mAh battery? Bjorn, any ideas? I heard it´s very hard to open it.
What kind of cells fit into the battery container, once beeing open? 6xAA or 6xAAA? Or perhaps special flat cells, one over the other?
A local store is selling a pack of 4 AAA cells with 600 mAh for only €10. So for €20 it would be possible to recell the battery, if this size is fitting.

Pedro

[S8 Booster]

Hi Pedro. Lucky shot with that 4008!

If you have access to a adjustable DC powersupply of adequate size and voltage it might be possible to "pump" the battery back in action. Results not guaranteed but worth a try if you have the gear.

The trick is to charge and discharge the battery (a little) several times to see if the capacity increases. If you are lucky and not overheat the battery it might recover and then next if you buy or build a REAL GOOD NON BEAULIEU NiCD CHARGER (They exists) it may even work better than anything supplíed by Beaulieu at any time.

Worth a try if you have the required stuff.
The initial voltage/current are critical, do not "fry" the battery, then it is gone.

If you go for new batteries thare are a billion different kinds available. A "rapid charge" form Panasonic might be a good choice.

They have the following recommendations for Cameras & Video.

* "Standard"
* "R": Rapid Charge
* "P": High Rate & Discharge
* "E": High Capacity
* "S": Super High Capacity & Rapid Charge

But my catalog is not completely up to date so there may be new models and designs. My point is: There are many different kinds to choose from and some may fit better than others for your cam.

Do not know how the original ones are like so I know nothing about sizes to fit etc.

Additionally I am sure you can simply build a new and better charger your self than those original from Beaulieu. I have all designs principles for each battery type available so I can send them to you if you like.

The ftp server seem down so I can not get a charger criteria posted. Will do it later.

R

[S8 Booster]

Check:

http://www.panasonic.com/industrial/bat ... index.html

http://www.panasonic.com/industrial/bat ... index.html

R

[CHAS]

Recently, a friend loaned me his Beaulieu 4008 ZM II. The charger was there, everything was intact -- the camera had not been operated in over 20 years! I let it charge for a couple of days and, to my surprise, the camera ran perfectly! I guess this is an exception to the norm?

I know of at least three people here in LA who build battery packs for the Beaulieu but I guess that is a little far from where you are, Pedro...

1.) Irv Higdon, 818-894-4421
2.) Gil, SML Camera 310-306-8511
3.) Ken Fountain, Echo Park Film Center 213.484.8846

[kdcnewyork]

I've got a Beaulieu 7008 that (I believe) runs on the same power. If this is the case, you can hardwire an XLR(or similar power plug) to your battery connection, or if the camera has an external power jack, you can get a cable that plugs right in.

Why go through the trouble? because you can buy a 6-cell/9 volt battery pack from just about any hobby store that carries R/C products. Pick up a 1500mah pack and a charger, and you can shoot for the entire day without a recharge- Which is exactly what I did, and it saved me a ton of cash.

Just be careful not to cross the polarity. Use a meter to double and triple-check your connections.

-KDC

[focusgroup]

I believe Duall will create an external battery pack for around $ 120 US if I remember. I use external battery packs and they are for better for any sort of extended use. I suggest getting a new manufacture for what appears to be far less than the battery for sale.

[Pedro]

I recently found out, that it is possible to screw any standard M42x0,75 mm extension tube into the battery compartment. That tubes are easyly available at 2nd hand dealers and had been used for macro shooting with 24x36 mm cameras with M42 lens connection.
Into an M42 tube, you easyly can put 6 modern AAA cells in NMH technology, up to 750 mAh. That is 2,5 times more than the original 250 mAh battery and should be enough for 15-20 rolls.
There are also "long neck" AAA cells available, with 950 mAh each! They would only require a longer extension tube, but could be used as in-camera battery.
If not enough power, it´s very easy to make an external connector with this M42 tubes&caps, without modifying the camera body.
But I like the handy-cam design without external wiring!
Pedro