Vince, The chargers and battery packs for the optacon 2 were unique, made by Canon, and were made especially for the optacon, so a battery pack will have to be purchased from someone who isn't using theirs. They were the same battery packs that work with the power braille; I was told this when I asked about an additional extra battery. If you know somebody who has a powerbraille braille display, the battery pack for it will work with the optacon 2; I used both devices and know this for sure. The charger is also unique and you'll have to find somebody who has one they're not using. My concern is: do you have the optacon 2 documentation? You won't be able to use the machine unless you read the user's manual. It isn't just a matter of turning the thing on and picking up the camera. There is a skill involved, and it will require practice to learn how to track properly across the page or the screen. Let me know if you want a text file of the optacon 2 documentation and I'll send it via file attachment. Mary To unsubscribe at any time, just send a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject. Tell your friends about the list. They can subscribe by sending a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "subscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject.