Pentax Digital Spot Meter battery/storage

[pcswann]

Hi all,

I've recently acquired a Pentax Digital Spotmeter in excellent condition. My question is about the battery and storage. I'm using a Duracell Lithium 28L battery. Is it safe to store with the battery installed? Do you all generally remove the batteries after use? Don't want to risk corrosion.

Thanks!

[BrianShaw]

I remove batteries unless planning on using a meter in the foreseeable future. Better safe than sorry.

[Sal Santamaura]

No problem leaving the battery in, even for extended periods. However, I'd strongly suggest using a silver oxide PX28, not a lithium wannabe. Here's why:

https://www.largeformatphotography.i...ll=1#post14945

[Alan9940]

Like Sal, I leave mine in for extended periods. Also, +1 his comment regarding use of a silver oxide battery.

[Vaughn]

I keep the battery in the PDS Meter, but now that someone posted about it, it will go dead the next time I use it. A battery last too many years for me to keep track.

[Eric Woodbury]

I don't remove them, but I should. After a battery leaks, it is a big mess and hard to recover. Another thing I should do, but don't, is to simply replace all batteries every year. Changing batteries in the field is always inconvenience and a bad time.

I agree that the need for lithium batteries is unnecessary. Alkaline bats last as long or longer in low current applications (meters) and are less expensive. Lithium are good for high current applications (power winders) because their output impedance is so low.

[Greg]

Before putting the battery inside the meter, I clean it and its chamber with alcohol swabs. Battery is only held and inserted by hands with cotton gloves on them. Years ago was told that natural occurring skin oils and chemicals passed onto objects by handling them were the greatest initiators of battery corrosion. Have always done this and have never had a case of battery corrosion since then.

[Drew Wiley]

Always, always, always remove batteries before any kind of long-term storage. I could tell many electronic gear horror stories from failure to do this, referring to non-toys like HVAC multimeters, power tools, etc. And I'm not speaking from just anecdotal personal incidents, but from a wide spectrum of factory training and binding warranty contracts. Under my former dept, at least a million of dollars of industrial batteries were sold per year, and there was a very large repair dept adjunct to my purchasing role. Seen it all. Lithium batteries can be downright hazardous if they are underbuilt and corrode; even alkaline batteries can be flammable. Millions of counterfeit ones are out there, often mixed into shipment of the real deal to hide the subterfuge.

But the more common problem, especially in humid area storage, is potentially irreversible corrosion in the piece of equipment itself. So what is a reasonable compromise for short-term storage, week to week? A tight plastic box and desiccant, either silica gel or something like Dri-Our or Damp Rid. Just don't get any of those canister desiccant crystals onto gear itself, or even onto gloves and then onto your gear. It leaves a hydrophilic deposit very hard to remove. If you need to travel with something, use baked out silica gel instead, just like new camera lenses are packed with.

Now as per type, I'd second the opinion about silver oxide; but high-quality name-brand alkaline ones like Duracell can be fine too. Just inspect the packaging well, because popular name brands do attract counterfeiting. If something seems to cheap to be true, it is.

[Sal Santamaura]

No problem leaving the battery in, even for extended periods...

Always, always, always remove batteries before any kind of long-term storage...

I've owned my Pentax digital spot meter since purchasing it new in the 1980s. It always has a silver oxide PX28 in it. The batteries have lasted up to three or four years before needing replacement. Never has one leaked, developed any surface film, shown any signs of corrosion or caused problems for that meter.

Other battery chemistries, other devices (that could actually place a small drain on the battery even when not turned on) and extreme environmental conditions are instances in which I might give different advice. For the Pentax digital spot meter, don't worry, be happy.

[pcswann]

Thanks for all the great responses to my first ever post on the Large Format Photography forum! My 15 year old daughter and I are learning to shoot 4x5 together, and this forum has been a wonderful resource. Going to order a couple of silver oxide PX28s now.