Battery holder or options for Bolex 551

Stewart McLain · March 11, 2016

So I recently picked up a Bolex 551 that has a broken battery holder. I'm wondering if either someone here has a spare holder from a similar model that I could purchase or if anyone has some suggestions on how to power it. I was able to test it with the holder from another Bolex so I know that it works but I don't have access to that holder anymore.

I picked up a 6AA holder from a hobby shop with the thought that I might solder the leads to the contacts inside the camera which are in the handle. Unfortunately the holder is slightly too big to allow the handle latch to close. I was thinking maybe I could stick the holder on the outside of the camera but the handle is made of plastic so I'm reticent to try drilling a hole through it the feed the wires through.

Has anyone tried something like this? My other thought is that 6AA batteries produce 9 volts so maybe I could buy a holder for a single 9v battery which might have a better chance of fitting inside the handle. Might that work? Is there any reason not to try that?

Sorry for a lengthy post on what is kind of a dull subject but any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Seth C King · March 11, 2016

With regards to the 9 volt battery solution, you won't have the same mAh capacity as the AA batts so much shorter run times. I don't know the exact number on a 9 volt but I think it's somewhere around 750, maybe less.

Stewart McLain · March 12, 2016

Good to know. Thank you, Seth.

Andries Molenaar · March 14, 2016

Try a set of AAA. The modern AAA have more capacity than the AA from the time of the design of the camera. You could even consider a set of rechargables. Voltage is slightly lower then.