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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!brl-tgr!tgr!d3unix!jhs@Mitre-Bedford
From: jhs%Mitre-Bedford@d3unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.ham-radio
Subject: IC2aT BP-4 Battery Packs, Problems With
Message-ID: <10926@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 22-May-85 14:26:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.10926
Posted: Wed May 22 14:26:25 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 24-May-85 20:57:14 EDT
Sender: news@brl-tgr.ARPA
Lines: 31

HINTS AND KINKS Department:
--------------------------
If anybody out there in network-landt has had their IC2aT quit working
with BP-4 packs and wonders why, it may be the same phenomenon that had me
perplexed a couple of years ago:

There is a little spring contact which ties the two halves of the BP-4 pack
together.  The spring may lose its oomph after awhile and the two halves
suddenly lose electrical contact.

This mysterious spring is in the upper left-hand corner if you hold the
BP-4 pack with the "business end" facing you and the open side facing down
(the side that you start it onto the radio with).  By prying the contact up
with a sharp instrument, you can restore contact.

Another problem I used to have with BP-4s is that the spring contacts at the
ends of the AA cells tended to lose their oomph and leave the cells loose.
This especially happens if you drop the pack on a hard surface.  I cured this
by buying a small sheet of cork material about 1/16 inch thick and cutting out
some little pads maybe 1/8 or 3/16 inch square to glue in place inside each
spring contact.  Now the cork is what ultimately provides the spring tension,
and my BP-4 cells NEVER lose their grip on the AA cells.

I understand that ICOM now sells a BP-4A battery pack, which is MUCH better
contructed than the old BP-4s which I have.  If you have a choice, insist on
BP-4A not plain old BP-4 packs, and you may not have the problems I described
in the foist place.

						73,
						John Sangster, W3IKG
						jhs at mitre-bedford