This has got to be the simplest of hacks. And one of the cheapest.
I bought the battery holder at Radio shack for under $2 with tax, clipped the leads off an old dead battery from another machine, soldered it onto the battery holder, and put the heat-shrink tubing in place. The velcro from the back of the old battery even went on the new holder to help hold it in place.
Yes, I had to scrounge a bit to find three decent AAA batteries; notice there are three different brands represented in the new holder! I suppose I could've bought some new batteries while I was at Radio Shack, but I think their batteries are too expensive, and I'm cheap.
So, in the end, I save $8-10 over what I would've spent on a direct replacement for the PRAM battery for my daughter's 5200.
That's great! Glad it worked out.
The best hacks aren't necessarily the most expensive or ornate. :coolmac:
...I was quite pleased with the color scheme that came out of it; a little candy cane action with the red & black wires, with the green from the logic board and the one battery, not to mention the white on the main connector. Quite Christmas-ey, woudn't you say?