Early Sony Mavica still camera help needed

[Dave A]

Mods...I parked this here on the thin premise that this digital camera records in analog on a 2" mini-floppy disc from the 80's. Hope this passes the test. Feel free to move if you decide.

The problem. The camera was a doomed Sony product from the mid-80's. A MOS chip for the image but the recording was analog on a removeable 2" mini-disc that played back on an adaptor in NTSC only. No download. No file. Just watch it on a tv with the included RF adaptor as it jittered away on the screen. 50 or so shots per disc. Sony pulled it but I saved mine and I want to try to make it run again.

The problem is the 6vdc 400ma BP-1 NiCad battery long gone to powder. Photos below are in no particular order.

I talked to Grace at nicadlady.com and she was kind enough to cut it open for me and tell me that her stock of the cell wafers were long gone. Now I had an open battery but no cells.

I first tried 5 1.2vdc NiMh AAA batteries in series but the 750ma was too big for the tiny charger built in. It shut down after 5 seconds. I looked for NiMh AAAA batteries but they are rare in the 400ma range and only from Hong Kong.

The next trick was a 9v battery. They come in all sorts of construction. Early ones are stacked cells like in the powdery photo. Current alkalines are 6 AAAA in series inside the shell. Not rechargeable though. I took a flyer on a rechargeable 9v and opened it to find 7 1/4 size AAA inside all tabbed together. (7x1.2v = 9vdc). Most of these are in the under 350ma range but this one was not marked. I took two cells out and you can see the end assembly with the cells with the green wrappers at 6.2vdc at the tabs. It still shut down. Not sure what I am doing wrong.

Any suggestions? Otherwise I will drill a 1/8" earphone connector in to the camera shell and use an outside battery pack.