[net.micro] Life without nicads

vax3:jeff (11/02/82)

About running your HP off the charger w/o the battery pack-

I do it with my old HP-25.  The batteries had died the usual nicad death
and I didn't want to bother replacing them.  So I split open the pack
and replaced the batteries with a resistor, zener diode, and lotsa capacitance.
The output from the charger is pretty grungy and it takes a lot of filtering
to clean it up.  Apparently the batteries do quite a bit of filtering when you
run it on the charger.

The `fix' has been just fine for me since I'm always near an ac outlet when
I use the thing.  Clearly the charger supplies enough current to keep it going.

It's at home right now, so I can't quote you any values for the various
parts, all readily available from Radio Shack.
	- jeff stearns, john fluke mfg co

P.S.  By the way, if you get really adventurous, you can replace the capacitor
in the clock circuit and get a nifty speed increase.  Mine now runs about 50%
faster than before.  (Are you listening, HP?)
Now if they'd just let me do that to the VAX...