Yashica MG-1 Battery

This is what I hope will be a useful tip to anyone who owns one of these or similar cameras.

The MG-1 was designed to work with a 5.6 volt Mercury Cell which is no longer available, and in fact banned in most countries. I understand that they can work with a 6v cell if you can get one to fit, and that it’s possible to get adaptors to work with this camera. Well I’ve just discovered a simple way to make an adaptor, (simple that is if you are a DIY’er).

By a very useful coincidence, the internal dimensions of 12 mm plastic push fit plumbing pipe are just right to push 4 LR44 1.5v alkaline battery cells into. I have a reel of this pipe in my garage, so I cut a length long enough to extend about 5 mm beyond the four LR44’s, pushed them in with all the -ve ends facing to one end and pushed that end into the camera, so the spring in the camera contacts the -ve side of the bottom battery. I then attached another spring from an old pen top to the screw cap which covers the battery compartment and as it is screwed up it makes contact with the +ve side of the top battery. Once it’s all assembled I tried the shutter and low and behold the exposure LED lights !

I’ll need to work out what difference it makes having 6v instead of 5.6v – but at least I have a working camera.

Hope this helps someone.