Datasheet says 2v minimum, it is a 5 volt device.
Anywhere in between should be good.

http://www.datasheetcatalog.com/data...264LP-70.shtml



I'm willing to try the watch cell thing, but am a little nervous about
soldering directly to a Lithium battery.

I'm also thinking that in this particular application, you wouldn't
necessarily expect another 15 years out of it.
A good few years would probably cope with expectation here, we are talking
Vintage Synths.

Y'all don't need to solder. you will get two small pieces of brass or copper flat-stock, and some thin PTFE (Teflon) sheeting. Stack the batteries to the correct height for the use. Between each goes a small piece of Teflon as an insulator. Cut the flat-stock so little legs come out at battery-height for each battery. One goes *UP* for the one pole, the other goes *DOWN* for the other. Shrink-wrap the entire shebang. That makes positive contact for as many cells as needed in parallel, not series. Lace your fingers, put a piece of paper between each, the left hand fingers are on the bottom of the piece, the right hand fingers on the top as illustration. If you are a fanatic, you will use a drop of electronics-grade (no acetic acid) silicon to seal the top and bottom but for where the copper strip comes out for connecting to the board.

Been there, done that. The application was a bias cell for a vintage 1930s Coronado radio.

http://antiqueradios.com/gallery/mai...serialNumber=2

That was 15 years ago, still going strong. I needed only 1.5V, but I wanted a bit more longevity than a single watch cell would provide.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA