Alphasmart Neo 2 Battery Support Positive Terminal

This thing builds upon the excellent work from electronicsluckydip for a replacement negative battery terminal (the one with the spring) on the Alphasmart Neo2. This is a remix that adds a second object to support the positive terminal.

When batteries corrode, the plastic that holds the battery contacts can weaken and break under the pressure of expanding corrosion. This plastic is already rather thin on the Neo2 which is otherwise an extremely durable case. However, given the intentionally snug fit, three AA batteries push outwards against the terminals on both sides, and the thin plastic “slots” snap, leaving the terminals unsupported and falling back inside the shell. The negative side with the spring might break first, since the owner pushes batteries against this terminal to compress the spring. However, I have restored several examples of the Neo 2 where the positive terminal is broken too.

This is a snug fit—maybe even a little tighter than electronicsluckydip‘s original. You do have to grind out the existing plastic to clear the way for the replacement. Like the original, this butts up against a plastic “wall” further inside and provides a more solid backstop. The difference here is that the space behind the positive terminal is used to store the connector for the optional rechargeable battery pack. As such, I needed to make this side a bit more hollow, and notch it appropriately for the wires to enter this area.