Use AA batteries to temporarily replace your exisitng battery pack.
BirDog manufactures satellite identification and alignment meters. The BirDog meter is powered by a 7.2 volt nickel cadmium (NiCd) rechargeable battery pack constructed using six 1.2 volt NiCd cells wired in series. Replacement BirDog batteries can cost about $50, but you can temporarily replace your battery pack with inexpensive regular alkaline AA batteries.
Instructions
1. Open the battery cover on your BirDog meter. Remove the existing NiCd battery pack. Disconnect the plug on the end of the battery pack wire from the socket inside the battery pack. Simply pull it out.
2. Get five regular AA batteries to replace your BirDog battery pack. You only need five because an AA battery produces 1.5 volts so five batteries wired in series produce 7.5 volts; the additional 0.3 volts you get from the AA batteries won't damage your meter. Label the batteries numerically 1 through 5 using a pen.
3. Put the batteries flat on a table so that the positive and negative battery terminals alternate. The terminals are clearly labeled "+" and "-." You need three positive terminals and two negative facing one way and three negative and two positive terminals facing the other; it makes wiring your replacement BirDog battery pack easier.
4. Wrap a long strip of electrical insulating tape around the five AA batteries so they form a tight pack that's similar to the existing BirDog NiCd pack. Ensure you can still identify the numbers you wrote on the batteries earlier.
5. Cut six strips of AWG 16 gauge wire using a knife. Cut two strips about 12 inches long and then label one wire "P" for positive and the other "N" for negative. Cut the other four strips 1 inch long; you don't need to label them.
6. Use wire strippers to remove ¼ inch of plastic off the ends of every wire strip. This exposes the copper wire that connects to the AA battery terminals.
7. Attach one end of the 12-inch strip of wire you labeled "P" to the positive terminal of battery "1." The opposite end connects to the BirDog meter. Attach one end of the remaining 12-inch strip of wire you labeled "N" to the negative terminal of battery "5." Use a 2-inch strip of insulating tape to hold the wires on the terminals.
8. Attach the end of the short strip of wire to the negative terminal of battery "1" using tape. Attach the opposite end to the positive terminal of battery "2" using the same method.
9. Repeat attaching short strips of wire to the negative and then to the positive battery terminals sequentially. The last end of the final short strip of wire connects to the positive terminal of battery "5."
10. Use insulating tape and wrap the entire replacement pack so the terminals are covered. Ensure you leave the two long strips of wire exposed as you need to connect them to the BirDog meter.
11. Place the replacement pack inside the battery compartment. Locate the two terminals inside the battery compartment. One is labeled "+" and the other "-." Slide the end of the wire labeled "P" into the terminal labeled "+" and secure it using tape. Slide the end of the wire labeled "N" into the terminal labeled "-" and secure it using tape. Replace the battery cover.
12. Use tape to cover the input socket on the rear of the BirDog meter labeled "AC" then clearly write "Do not use" on the tape. Repeat the process for the "DC" socket. This ensures you do not accidently plug in the AC charge plug or the DC charge plug. AA alkaline batteries cannot be recharged.
Tags: battery pack, BirDog meter, terminal battery, strip wire, wire labeled