rek@hpwrce.HP.COM (Ron Kittle) (10/24/90)
I've got a T1000 with a dead battery pack. I checked at Fry's, and they can order a replacement, but it's $70! What other options do I have to replace the battery pack? Here's what I'm thinking: 1. I can check the mail order ads; I should be able to do better than $70. If anyone here has recommendations for a particular mail order outlet, I'd be interested to hear about it. 2. The pack consists of 4 NiCad 1.2V cells wired together; they are a bit smaller than C cells, so just wiring together 4 NiCad C cells would not work as cleanly as I had hoped. Has anyone on the net come up with a slick way to replace the T1000 pack with off-the-shelf NiCads? Hoping to hear some good advice, Ron Kittle rek@hpwrc.hp.com 415-691-3619
coryc@crg8.sequent.com (Cory Carpenter) (10/25/90)
In article <10650003@hpwrce.HP.COM> rek@hpwrce.HP.COM (Ron Kittle) writes: >I've got a T1000 with a dead battery pack. I checked at Fry's, and they can >order a replacement, but it's $70! What other options do I have to replace >the battery pack? Here's what I'm thinking: > <DELETED> >2. The pack consists of 4 NiCad 1.2V cells wired together; they are a bit > smaller than C cells, so just wiring together 4 NiCad C cells would not > work as cleanly as I had hoped. Has anyone on the net come up with a > slick way to replace the T1000 pack with off-the-shelf NiCads? > <DELETED> I did exactly that, about three months ago. The interesting thing about NiCad C-cells is that they're really the same size as the cells in the T1000 battery pack, with a C-sized shell around them and an extension "button" on the positive end. It takes a little bit of work, but it's not too difficult to remove the shell from standard NiCad C-cells and wire them up as a replacement pack (aside from the age-old problem of getting solder to stick effectively). Mine's been working fine ever since I popped it in. Total cost: $8.49 for a 4-pack of C-sized NiCads. -coryc -- | >> Disclaimer: I speak for Sequent only in our hardware manuals << | | Cory R. Carpenter, Tech Writer | "The Durango Ninety-five purred away real | | Sequent Computer Systems, Inc. | horrorshow. A nice, warm, vibraty feeling | | Beaverton, Oregon, USA | all through your gutty-wuts. || coryc@sequent.com | --Alex from "A Clockwork Orange" |
zlraa@iceman.jcu.oz (Ross Alford) (10/25/90)
In article <10650003@hpwrce.HP.COM> rek@hpwrce.HP.COM (Ron Kittle) writes: >I've got a T1000 with a dead battery pack. I checked at Fry's, and they can >order a replacement, but it's $70! What other options do I have to replace >the battery pack? Here's what I'm thinking: > ... >2. The pack consists of 4 NiCad 1.2V cells wired together; they are a bit > smaller than C cells, so just wiring together 4 NiCad C cells would not > work as cleanly as I had hoped. Has anyone on the net come up with a > slick way to replace the T1000 pack with off-the-shelf NiCads? > >Hoping to hear some good advice, > >Ron Kittle >rek@hpwrc.hp.com >415-691-3619 The NiCd cells are called 'sub-C' cells. They are what's actually hiding inside the normal-capacity rechargeable C and D cells sold most places (if you don't believe this, check the capacity ratings in amp-hours of standard rechargeable C and D cells--they're usually identical). Most electronics supply places, and even Tandy the last time I looked, actually sell sub-C cells to be used as replacements for built-ins. You should be able to get them for no more than $3.00 each. The alternative approach is to buy high-capacity C-cells, which usually have about three times the capacity of sub-C's, and slightly enlarge the size of the battery compartment in the T1000. I haven't tried this, but there was an article in a 1988 or 1989 issue of Micro Cornucopia from someone who had successfully managed it. This approach obviously will totally kill any warranty you may have left, but as I recall, the person in Micro C claimed that they got about 10-12 hours of use on a battery charge, which would be *very* nice. Ross Alford zlraa@marlin.jcu.edu.au
minsky@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Marvin Minsky) (10/27/90)
In article <20274@crg5.UUCP> coryc@crg8.UUCP (Cory Carpenter) writes: >In article <10650003@hpwrce.HP.COM> rek@hpwrce.HP.COM (Ron Kittle) writes: >>I've got a T1000 with a dead battery pack. I checked at Fry's, and they can >>order a replacement, but it's $70! What other options do I have to replace >>the battery pack? Here's what I'm thinking: It is possible (I did it) to cram four high-capacity size D Nicads into the T1000. Remove the plastic carrier, etc, solder the batteries into a chain with about 3" of wire between them, tape them carefully, and you'll find that they fit. I used the heavy duty yellow ones from RadioShack. The T1000 will then run for 14 solid hours!! This was a machine without internal modem, etc.
hadden@SRC.Honeywell.COM (George D. Hadden) (10/28/90)
well, here's somthing i posted a year and a half ago. it works for t1100+'s (i've done it twice, now), but probably needs to be modified for t1000's. good luck. From: hadden@ella.SRC.Honeywell.COM (George D. Hadden) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: toshiba 1100+ battery pack Date: 14 Apr 89 22:13:59 GMT hi, a while back i posted a question asking if anyone knew how to roll their own nicad battery pack for the 1100+. (toshiba wants 80 bucks or so for a replacement.) nobody did, so i gave it a shot myself. i've got some apparently successful results. here's what you need to do: 0) you'll need a phillips head screwdriver, some wide scotch tape (cellophane shipping tape is what i used), and a heavy duty (100 watts or so) soldering iron. 1) buy 4 heavy duty ni-cad batteries from radio shack. these are the 4 amp-hour, $7.95 jobs, not the wimpy 1.2 amp-hour ones that you can buy at 2 for $5.00 from target. (i can't remember the part number.) 2) take the top off of the machine -- 3 screws in back, 4 on the bottom. 3) unplug the battery pack and lift it out. you'll see it's basically four d-cells shrink-wrapped together. don't be put off by the seeming complexity of the four wires going to the cells -- they're just doubled up, i.e. two go to the positive and two to the negative. 4) remove the shrink-wrap, and unsolder the wires (carefully -- you're going to use them again) from the battery end. 5) lay the batteries out, alternating polarity, and tape them together like this: --------------------------------------- 2 black wires from plug | | 2 red wires from plug | --------- --------- | | | wire | | -- -------- -- -------- ------- --- --- | | --- --- | | ^ | || || || | | | || || || | | || || || | line up | || || || | like this | || || || | | || || || | | | || || || | | | || || || | | | | --- --- | | --- --- V -------- -- -------- -- ------- | | | | --------- --------- wire wire 6) solder the wires from the plug as shown above to the batteries, and solder the three other wires as shown. you probably don't want to keep your iron on these things all day, as it might damage the batteries. 7) pop the new pack into the 1100+, and put it back together. naturally, i'm not going to guarantee any of this -- you do this at your own risk. you'll also void your warrentee, but if your machine is under warrentee, let toshiba do it! -geo --- George D. Hadden, Honeywell Systems and Research Center PHONE: (612)782-7769 MAIL: 3660 Technology Drive MN65-2100, Minneapolis, MN 55418 ARPA: hadden@src.honeywell.com UUCP: {umn-cs, ems, bthpyd}!srcsip!hadden