UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Was there something odd about Japanese primary cells?

emeritus · 12th Feb 2020, 11:36 pm

AFAIR the U2 replacements that were available simultaneously were SP2 in white cases. There was also available at the same time the HP2 high power cells in orange cases. They were unsatisfactory as when fresh, they were too powerful for the EL3585's speed regulator, making it run fast. The EL3585's regulator consisted of a centrifugal switch that repetitively shorted (or not) a resistor in series with the motor, and must have relied on the internal impedance of the Zinc Carbon cells for correct operation. I never thought at the time of replacing one of the cells by a dummy, as the recorder would still work ok when the battery voltage had dropped to about 6.5V.

By the time the silver seal cells came out I had switched to a cassette recorder.

12th Feb 2020, 11:36 pm	#18
emeritus Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK. Posts: 5,339	Re: Was there something odd about Japanese primary cells? AFAIR the U2 replacements that were available simultaneously were SP2 in white cases. There was also available at the same time the HP2 high power cells in orange cases. They were unsatisfactory as when fresh, they were too powerful for the EL3585's speed regulator, making it run fast. The EL3585's regulator consisted of a centrifugal switch that repetitively shorted (or not) a resistor in series with the motor, and must have relied on the internal impedance of the Zinc Carbon cells for correct operation. I never thought at the time of replacing one of the cells by a dummy, as the recorder would still work ok when the battery voltage had dropped to about 6.5V. By the time the silver seal cells came out I had switched to a cassette recorder.