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Getting AA's out of a SD 302


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I dodged a bullet when a Powerex AA battery became lodged in my SD 302 and I was able to extract it. For a reason unknown to me, it had become swollen and wasn't coming out. I tried using a pencil-size magnet but no luck. Wig tape on a pen, no luck. Liquid nails on a dowel, no luck.

 

In a desperation move I drilled into the battery and screwed in a 4 inch deck screw. I got it out, but it left a lot of residue in the tube. Using another tool for grabbing dropped nuts and bolts (did I say I have fat fingers?), I grabbed a cotton ball soaked in alcohol, and rammed it in and out until it was clean.

 

All's good. I wouldn't reccomend this repair, unless you're a desperate as I was.

post-6960-0-99835000-1421969380_thumb.jp

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That's one way to do it, but while wearing safety goggles and rubber gloves of course. The residue is potassium hydroxide (think lye) and will eat eyeballs and skin. If the battery had pressure in it, the electrolyte would spray out much quicker than you could blink.

 

Alcohol is a good solvent for water based electrolytes. Just swab with fresh cotton balls multiple times because you don't want to leave any electrolyte behind. I would also use a damp but not wet ball because you don't want liquid to squeeze out and carry electrolyte into the innards of the device.

 

Best Regards,
Larry Fisher
 

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Glad it worked out, Tilt. Just wondering: did you try refrigerating the mixer for a while to see if that reduced battery swelling?

 

No, really;

 

===

How to Remove Stuck Batteries

It is possible that rechargeable batteries that have swelled due to heat will shrink when returned to room temperature. Additionally, you can cool the unit in a refrigerator to force the cells to a lower temperature, then gently tap the mixer to attempt to free any stuck cells. If they are hopelessly stuck, contact us.

===

From:

http://www.sounddevices.com/notes/mixers/stuck-batteries/

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Thanks for replying. I will try the refriderater trick next time, although it was in my car overnight and temps dropped below freezing. I'm guessing that the battery was swollen, but maybe something sticky got on the surface of the battery. When I did get it out, the skin of the PowerEx peeled off and was left inside  (that's the debris in the photo).

 

Yes, only Lithium Energizers from now on!

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This happened once in my 552 with PowerEx batts... deepest one would get stuck half way down the tube. I had a small pencil magnet that didn't have enough pull to get it out on its own. I resorted to putting gaff tape at the end of the magnet and pressing it firm against the batt. With a light pull, batt came out no problem.

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This also happend to my SD302 some years ago. The reseller wanted me to send it back to the factory, but I just took off the opposite panel (mic inputs) and pushed the battery with a thin screwdriver or rigid wire (there's a hole). As far as I remember, it wasn't too cumbersome.

 

Maybe you shouldn't do this if your SD302 is still under warranty...

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Powerex batteries are HUGE in comparison to other rechargeables. And once they swell a bit with age, you're screwed.

I use Imedion or White Eneloop with no trouble. And I only use newer ones for tight tolerance gear.

Powerex labels also seem to crack rather easily, which doesn't help. So I keep my batteries protected and not bouncing around on the cart or in drawers.

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Local dealer sent me a 552 recently - said his customer and he could not figure out "what's wrong". 

 

i checked the unit with ext DC - was nothing wrong with the unit except that they were using a dud sd card in it and had not even figured out how to format it. 

 

I had a bit of a scare when i tried to put in rechargable NiMh into the batt tube. one got stuck and it took me several jerks and muted strikes on the side of the table to get it out. 

 

I think it's better if SD had put in a small hole on the other side of the units that use this battery tube - just to ensure one can push stuck batts with a rigid pin. or else over size the tube by a few mm... :)

 

today's world is that of rechargeables - why would one want to use alkalines anyways since they dont run too long in these units - 552, 664 etc. and rechargeables are not bang-on standard size. 

 

-vin

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today's world is that of rechargeables - why would one want to use alkalines anyways since they dont run too long in these units - 552, 664 etc. and rechargeables are not bang-on standard size. 

 

 

i suspect it's for emergency backup when you're in the wilderness and no power to recharge...

 

admittedly one could build a external battery holder for these situations, so personally i would opt for a smaller lighter recorder with sony L and external DC power only too. still a nice unit though :)

 

++ c.

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On my MM1 we would use the smaller rechargeable (lower capacity) batteries like the white Enloops. it's a pain to keep multiple types of AA batteries, but so is drilling out your gear. Just to keep the wireless boom rig small, we didn't want to also add external power into the mix. Again, it would be another specialized battery and charger. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

While this may seem brute, i've taken a few 302's, flipped the opening to the ground, and literally just banged them with a quick, hard downward smack into a solid object like a table ledge and they would always pop right out with the right force and angle. I mean, the units are frickin solid themselves so the batteries just end up becoming a loose projectile.

worst case, if doing so does damage something inside, i bet it'd cost less to have SD or yourself repair some loose solder points than to replace your battery tube.

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14 minutes ago, Jonathan Michael Lau said:

worst case, if doing so does damage something inside, i bet it'd cost less to have SD or yourself repair some loose solder points than to replace your battery tube.

well, worst case I can imagine is that you only notice that some solder points came loose when it really hurts, so personally I'd try the freezer and glue trick first.

agreed they are very sturdy tools though, so using them as a hammer might be fun ; )

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