If you have purchased a used HX-20, or uncovered one from storage that hasn’t been touched for many years, chances are you will need to replace the battery pack. It is important to note that a battery pack is required even if you have an appropriate power supply. This is because the the HX-20’s power supply is used for charging the battery pack and must not be used to run the device itself.
The HX-20’s original battery pack consists of 4 x Sub-C 1.2v 1100mAh NiCd batteries connected in series. Some people have tried to replace these batteries with NiMH batteries and with different sizes. While this purportedly works without issue I would stick with Sub-C NiCd myself, as the charging circuits in the HX-20 are said to be pretty simple and keeping it original may prevent an issue. Also, being that it is also very easy to source Sub-C NiCd batteries, I don’t think there is any real need to change it.
There are 3 options when it comes to replacing the batteries:
- Make your own battery pack – This is a bit tricky without experience and will require a soldering iron and other equipment. Here’s a link to someone who has detailed their adventures in making one up. If you can, reuse the wire from the old pack.
- Find someone to make the battery pack for you – There are specialised stores that can offer this service. Any business that deals with remote control cars, boats, etc. can probably help with this.
- Purchase a ready made pack – Yes, despite the age of the device you can still purchase battery packs for it. Here’s one on ebay and another from this online store.