Ultimate Power Pack for the Olympus E-10

Like most E-10 users, it wan't long before Bart Baldwin of Waycross, Georgia discovered that a good set of 1600 mAh NiMH batteries didn't last as long as he wanted them to. So he set out to build a portable external power source of his own. His solution is based on a Radio Shack 7.2 volt 3000 mAh battery that is used in remote control cars. He chose this path for it's size, slightly higher voltage, and minimal construction effort. After he finished his project and test it to almost 1000 shots on a single charge, he dropped me a note with the details.

Before I go on, I'll state a warning similar to the one I used on my battery pack project. If your VCR display is flashing 12:00 and you don't even own a soldering iron or a multi-meter, this project probably isn't for you. Bart is sharing his own solution, which is not endorsed in any way by Olympus. If you choose to duplicate his efforts or use the ideas to create your own solution, you do so at your own risk.

Here are Bart's personal notes and photographs.

I tried to build an external battery pack about a year ago for my C-2000z, but I only used 4 cells (AA)... didn't have the courage to go add one more cell. After reading your info on the "Ultimate Batter Pack", I got up the courage to try again. This time I went a different route, I went to Radio Shack. and got all of the connectors that I would need... and I decided to go with a 7.2V NiMH battery and charger designed for Remote Control Cars. I figured that since there are 7.2V battery packs out there... I would give it a shot. Well, (drum roll please..) It works..!!! I spent about $75.00 for the whole sha-bang.

	Battery, cable and modified battery holder



	Cable to power the camera from the external power source jack.

First I made up a cable that used the Adaptaplug "C" (from Radio Shack) and plugged it into the DC IN Jack of the E-10. It didn't take long to figure out that keeping it plugged into the camera out "in the field" was not what I wanted to have to concentrate on... So I decided to see if there was a way to "hard wire" it into the Battery Holder..."

Dave's notes: The Radio Shack Adaptaplug "C" connector can fit one of several cables. The flat cables have a white stripe on the wire that goes to the side of the connector marked "tip", this should be connected to the positive terminal of the battery pack. When you plug the "C" connector into the cable, align the side marked "+" with the word "TIP" on the cable.

If you use a Radio Shack coiled cord, or other coiled cord just be sure to double check your work with a volt meter. The tip of the power plug must be connected to the positive end of the battery pack. If the you wire the plug backwards, you will damage your camera. So check and recheck your work.

To make the alterations to the Battery holder... first I drilled a small whole in the bottom to pass the wires through (photo). If you look closely at your battery holder you will notice that there is a circular "cut out" in the contact that lines up where I drilled the hole. I made sure to place the hole inside of the cutout, that way I can still use the battery holder with AA batteries as if nothing had been done to it. Then I had to cut a whole in the center divider wall to pass the "neg" wire through.

Next came the most difficult part. I cut four sections of a wood 1/2" dowel to the aprox. length of a AA cell. Then I had to cut one of them of at an angle on the bottom so that there would be room for the wires to pass though the bottom plate where I had made the first hole. Cut outs had to be made in the dowels to make room for the "neg" wire to pass through to the other side. I left one end on both sets at a full 1/2" so that they would be wide enough to hold each other in the holder once they were taped together. (Note: the ends of the dowels that you see taped together in the photos had to be wrapped several times to build them up to the relative size of an AA cell)

After the dowels were taped together, I put a screw in the top of the two dowels that line up to the "contact holes". I ran the wires through and attached them to the screws... Positive on the same side as the first hole (on the bottom) and the Negative on the other.

This gives you some idea of the battery size compared to the E-10.

Next, plug everything together BUT before installing it into the camera... MAKE SURE TO USE A VOLT METER AND TEST THE POLARITY..!!! That's all there is to it. Now I guess the only thing left to do is to order another battery holed so that one can be left in this configuration, and the other for AA cells for "normal use".

Dave's notes about the B-HLD-1 battery holders.

They cost about $25 and come with a white plastic case. Having a few of these is actually pretty nice. It only takes a few seconds to make a battery change. Even if you only have one spare, you can still carry some extra batteries and reload a battery holder when you get a break.

Please direct quesitons and comments about this battery pack to Bart Baldwin at the address below.
Email to Bart Baldwin