Navico Axis 200 VHF Battery

[marhaba]

Can anyone help me source a replacement battery for an Axis 200 handheld VHF?
The original has given up the ghost and won't accept a charge anymore.
Many thanks.

 

[pvb]

You can replace the cells...

The NiCd cells in my Axis packed up last year. I e-mailed Simrad to ask for battery pack price, but didn't get a reply. Very carefully, with a fine hacksaw, I cut the end off the battery (the end with the contacts). Inside, there are 8 AA cells, sealed in rigid foam which needs digging out. I bought 8 NiMh cells (2200mAh) with solder tags from EuroBatteries, wired them together, and inserted them in the case. Then glued the top back on with Araldite. New lease of life for £20, and much better battery performance than the old NiCds.

 

[marhaba]

Re: You can replace the cells...

Wow - That's ingenious. I would never have thought of a DIY job and better performance to boot. I'll certainly give it a go - nothing to loose.
Cheers.

 

[pvb]

Re: You can replace the cells...

As you say, there's nothing to be lost by taking the old one apart. Rebuilding it is, if I'm totally honest, a bit of a fiddly job. I seem to remember there's some sort of thermal resistor in there as well, to stop the cells overheating during charging. Just make a few sketches of what you find as you dismantle it, and which bits are connected.

 

[marhaba]

Re: You can replace the cells...

pvb - thanks for your advice so far but I'm afraid I have another query. I notice that the original battery unit is 700mAh. If I substitute it with 2100mAh as you suggest should I assume will it take 3 times as long to charge. I use the charger that came with the Axis 200 and there's no indicator light to show when charging is complete. Would you know if its possible to over-charge the "new" NiMh batteries if I leave the unit on charge for longer than necessary?

 

[pvb]

Don\'t think they\'ll come to much harm...

Don't think they'll come to much harm. There are lots of fairly simple chargers around for NiMh cells, and they all seem to work OK.