To expand, the problem with lithiums and alkalines is that they cannot endure
the constant current drain of cameras like the OM-4, etc. _and_ the XA. The
XA's meter is always "on", after all, though with the barrier closed the
current drain is very small. Still, it's enough drain that alkalines and
lithiums are not recommended.
My grossly over-simplified understanding of the problem is this: Batteries
produce current by virtue of a chemical reaction. The nice thing about lithium
and alkaline batteries is that they are very stable when not being used --
meaning they have a magnificent shelf life. But when put under a constant
load, even a relatively minute one, the chemical reaction is rapidly depleted.
Silver oxide batteries are not as susceptible
to this problem. So with a camera such as the OM-4 or XA that is never truly
"off" (meaning that there is a constant current drain of as much as 20 micro
amps or so), anything but silver oxides will go dead much too quickly.
Functionally, the problem with weak batteries in an OM-4 is that it will
lock-up unpredictably. The problem with a camera like the XA is that, while
the camera may operate, the needle in the finder will not indicate properly.
We see the same thing with OM-1's that have weak alkaline batteries -- the
meter works, it's just off, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. So we suggest
you replace alkaline batteries in your converted
OM-1 once a year, whether you think you need to or not.
Moose wrote:
> I'm not sure the lithium is such a bad choice for an XA, which has much
> different voltage/current demands than an OM. It's not than lithium
> batteries are bad, just that they are not suited for this particular use.
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|