When a severe thunderstorm warning with a tornado watch was issued recently, we prepared to occupy our usual safest area of the house.

When I tested our combination AM/FM/TV/Light Source, I was disappointed to find it dead. Fortunately we didn't need it because the storm passed. 

The next day when I examined the combo unit I was surprised 
to find all the battery contacts were ruined.    

This unit requires 12 Volts. It uses 8 D Cells, all packed
in the bottom. You can see in the empty battery compartment, the contacts are all rusted and unable to conduct electricity. 
So, what to do? Trash it or fix it? I decided to fix it. 
It's a very simple series circuit:  Red wire - batteries - Black wire. Of course the wires are not visible in the battery compartment. They are found inside the case.
First, open the case. This was a simple case to open. I had only six screws to remove. There's no need to touch anything inside the case. All I needed was the red and black wires that run from the battery compartment to the circuit board and they are underneath - so I carefully turned the unit on its side being careful to not pull any wires lose as I turned it on its side. 

The red and black wires were connected to the rusted battery clips. I marked the bottom of the case to show which contact was red (+) and which contact was black (-).

Then I drilled two small holes, cut the wires off the rusted contacts, and pulled the two wires through the holes. Then I reassembled the combo unit. 

Next, I removed the old battery contacts.

I used large paper clips to make a large coiled negative contact at one end and a smaller positive contact on the other end. Of course, I used bare metal paper clips - the plastic must be stripped off first.

The two end contacts are single pieces and the red and black wires connect to them.

The two rear paper clip assemblies are installed. I used a little cement to keep them securely in place.
Below are the front contacts. A single red (+), a double
in the center, and a single black (-). Solder the wires to the red and black contacts.
Insert the batteries.
Close the case.
Turn it on.
Remove the batteries and store them. I'm using the cardboard core of paper towel rolls. They are just the right size to hold 4 D cells each.
The front contacts.
11/7/07
Making Small Battery Contacts From Paper Clips.
aaaaaaaaaaaaiii