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Author Topic: R-4 Pro Power Draw?  (Read 5225 times)

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Offline gratefulphish

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R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« on: January 07, 2007, 12:28:23 AM »
I have a new R4 Pro on the way.  I downloaded the owner's manual, and it indicates that the power consumption is 2.0 A. 

1. Is this the max draw rate, or the constant power usage, as I need to figure out how many mAh I need to keep it running, including      running 48v phantom power on at least two channels.

2. It can run 9-12V.  What effect on the calculations will it have using a 9 versus 12V battery?

3. Any recommendations of reliable lithium batteries for this unit, and a good four pin XLR cable would be most apprecited. 


BTW, glad I finally found this board.
4 channel: Neumann TLM-170R>Segue Dogstar>SD 722   2 channel: Neumann TLM-170R>Segue Dogstar>Lunatec V3>SD 722
               Linked to Lunatec V3>MT 24/96                                     (Hi-Ho Silver Interconnects)     

Other gear: AKG C451Es, Tascam DA-P1, Sony D-8

Offline china_rider

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Re: R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2007, 12:41:38 AM »
I have a new R4 Pro on the way.  I downloaded the owner's manual, and it indicates that the power consumption is 2.0 A. 

1. Is this the max draw rate, or the constant power usage, as I need to figure out how many mAh I need to keep it running, including      running 48v phantom power on at least two channels.

2. It can run 9-12V.  What effect on the calculations will it have using a 9 versus 12V battery?

3. Any recommendations of reliable lithium batteries for this unit, and a good four pin XLR cable would be most apprecited. 


BTW, glad I finally found this board.

Welcome aboard you will find a wealth of knowledge and many kind people here.

I don't have the pro model but have a Busman modded R-4 with an upgraded HD.  With the standard 5400mAh Walmart DVD batteries I get a bit over 6 hours running all 4 channels with phantom on.  Before going to the DVD batteries I used 3000mAh RC batteries.  I've never ran those to empty but would always swap them out at a convenient point shortly after the 3 hour mark to be safe.

(#1) AKG C480b CK61,CK62,CK63,CK69 -> Silverpath XLRs -> BMod R-4
(#2) BMod ADK A51TL -> Silverpath XLRs -> BMod R-4
(#3) Sonic Studios DSM6SM -> Sonic Studios PA-3SX -> R-09

Offline gratefulphish

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Re: R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2007, 03:15:44 PM »
I thought that the Walmart battery was 7.2V. Is the current draw different on the R4 and the R4 Pro?  I have also already read some horror stories on here about the Walmart battery cirucuit protectors tripping (so to speak) and not providing power, until they were plugged into the wall again.

Thanks for the response.  It is truly good to be here.  I am a dinosaur when it comes to the net aspects of the taping world, but I have been at it in the field for over 30 years.  This is now one of my favorite places.
4 channel: Neumann TLM-170R>Segue Dogstar>SD 722   2 channel: Neumann TLM-170R>Segue Dogstar>Lunatec V3>SD 722
               Linked to Lunatec V3>MT 24/96                                     (Hi-Ho Silver Interconnects)     

Other gear: AKG C451Es, Tascam DA-P1, Sony D-8

Offline china_rider

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Re: R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2007, 03:29:04 PM »
The DVD batteries come in 7.2 and 9.  There are several manufactures that sell the batteries.  They all look the same so I'm guessing they are just rebranded.  I've been using the DVD batteries for 6-9 months and have never had an issue with them shutting down.  I have 2 from Walmart and 2 that are branded Lenmar.  I don't notice any difference between them.

If you are interested in the RC batteries I have probably 6 9v 3000mAh with a quick charger that I've just been keeping around for backup or extra power at festivals so I would not have to worry about charging from the car battery.  I could be talked into selling them.  If you are interested PM me and I could send you some pictures.

Dana
(#1) AKG C480b CK61,CK62,CK63,CK69 -> Silverpath XLRs -> BMod R-4
(#2) BMod ADK A51TL -> Silverpath XLRs -> BMod R-4
(#3) Sonic Studios DSM6SM -> Sonic Studios PA-3SX -> R-09

Offline gratefulphish

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Re: R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« Reply #4 on: January 07, 2007, 05:05:28 PM »
Thanks for the info.  I will look into the Walmarts, as they are significantly cheaper than some of the alternatives.  I may get one "good" higher amp hour battery, and a couple of Walmarts as backups.  You know that power paranoia thing.
4 channel: Neumann TLM-170R>Segue Dogstar>SD 722   2 channel: Neumann TLM-170R>Segue Dogstar>Lunatec V3>SD 722
               Linked to Lunatec V3>MT 24/96                                     (Hi-Ho Silver Interconnects)     

Other gear: AKG C451Es, Tascam DA-P1, Sony D-8

Offline Brian Skalinder

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Re: R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« Reply #5 on: January 07, 2007, 05:43:34 PM »
This may help for finding the "Walmart" batteries, i.e. different brandings for what seem to be the same production unit:

I and many others are using 9v lithium batteries marketed for portable DVD players.

Three specific brands / models of which I'm aware:  Lenmar DVD-U9, Initial RB-270, Memorex  (sorry, forget the model #)

Keywords to use for finding them on eBay or Froogle:  universal, DVD, lithium
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Offline gratefulphish

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Re: R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« Reply #6 on: January 07, 2007, 07:29:03 PM »

It seems that there are a lot of cable makers here on the board.  Does anyone stock a Walmart to 4 pin XLR connector that you know of?
4 channel: Neumann TLM-170R>Segue Dogstar>SD 722   2 channel: Neumann TLM-170R>Segue Dogstar>Lunatec V3>SD 722
               Linked to Lunatec V3>MT 24/96                                     (Hi-Ho Silver Interconnects)     

Other gear: AKG C451Es, Tascam DA-P1, Sony D-8

Offline china_rider

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Re: R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« Reply #7 on: January 08, 2007, 01:29:18 AM »
I'd post in the cable board for someone to make you one.  There are quite a few cable makers here.   I've had some various types of quality cables done by bdasilva but there are others that will be able to help or maybe even point you to a place you can pick up one.

I'm sure if you search around you will be able to find a battery with the connector you need but there is a good chance it will be much larger and heavier then the DVD or RC batteries.

I really like the DVD batteries.... I can get over 12 hours of power with 2 of them and the footprint in my bag is very minimal.  One more bonus is most come with LEDs on the front that will show you how much charge you have left.
(#1) AKG C480b CK61,CK62,CK63,CK69 -> Silverpath XLRs -> BMod R-4
(#2) BMod ADK A51TL -> Silverpath XLRs -> BMod R-4
(#3) Sonic Studios DSM6SM -> Sonic Studios PA-3SX -> R-09

Offline terrapinj

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Re: R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« Reply #8 on: January 08, 2007, 03:53:31 PM »

It seems that there are a lot of cable makers here on the board.  Does anyone stock a Walmart to 4 pin XLR connector that you know of?

contact Ed at KindKables.com - made me a very nice 4-pin to Li-ion power cable for my V2 - can even do RAs if you would like
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Offline Rick

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Re: R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« Reply #9 on: January 08, 2007, 05:17:36 PM »
Do you guys have the backlight on all the time? I can't imagine is has too much of an effect though
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Offline china_rider

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Re: R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« Reply #10 on: January 08, 2007, 06:50:28 PM »
Do you guys have the backlight on all the time? I can't imagine is has too much of an effect though

I leave mine on all the time but run the unit vertical in the bag which can make it hard to read the display.  Typically I hook everything up with a SVU attached to the RCA outs then zip the bag leaving only the SVU outside the bag.  This setup totally saved me at SCI late night Vegoose when a spun girl dropped a full beer on my bag.
(#1) AKG C480b CK61,CK62,CK63,CK69 -> Silverpath XLRs -> BMod R-4
(#2) BMod ADK A51TL -> Silverpath XLRs -> BMod R-4
(#3) Sonic Studios DSM6SM -> Sonic Studios PA-3SX -> R-09

Offline gratefulphish

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Re: R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« Reply #11 on: January 09, 2007, 11:52:59 PM »

I leave mine on all the time but run the unit vertical in the bag which can make it hard to read the display.  Typically I hook everything up with a SVU attached to the RCA outs then zip the bag leaving only the SVU outside the bag.  This setup totally saved me at SCI late night Vegoose when a spun girl dropped a full beer on my bag.

Is the SVU an external VU meter? If so, where do I get one?
4 channel: Neumann TLM-170R>Segue Dogstar>SD 722   2 channel: Neumann TLM-170R>Segue Dogstar>Lunatec V3>SD 722
               Linked to Lunatec V3>MT 24/96                                     (Hi-Ho Silver Interconnects)     

Other gear: AKG C451Es, Tascam DA-P1, Sony D-8

Offline china_rider

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Re: R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« Reply #12 on: January 10, 2007, 12:41:56 AM »
Yep... the SVU is an external meter that can be calibrated to whatever device you are using it with.  There is a SVU1 and SVU2.  The main difference is that the SVU2 has a headphone jack.  They are about the size of a pack of smokes with the SVU2 being a bit bigger.  Unfortunetly I don't think the SVUs are made any more. 

My SVU cleaned up nicely after the beer incident but I got a little nervous that something would go wrong with it and saw someone selling a different unit here in the yard sale section.  It is like the SVU but has a mini plug instead of RCAs.  Some real nice things is that brightness is adjustable and you can select that all lights show or just the peaks.  Response is not as fast though.  It just came in the mail the other day so I have not tried it in the field yet but it works well at home with the output on playback system.  It's a VU-PRO.  I've never purchased from the vendor but the www site printed on the back is www.studio1store.com.

I did not search the site for the unit but I would guess it is somewhere between 30-50.  To me it is totally worth it to be able to zip up your bag and just monitor the external meter.  If I did not have the SVU running at Vegoose there is a real good chance my R-4 would have taken a good deal of spill damage.

One thing that I really like is that for most venues I regularly tape at I can wander around without much fear of getting my gear messed with.  Good crowds and almost always other tapers looking out for you.  One of the best things about the external meters is that you can wander around the room and still see your levels from far away.

(#1) AKG C480b CK61,CK62,CK63,CK69 -> Silverpath XLRs -> BMod R-4
(#2) BMod ADK A51TL -> Silverpath XLRs -> BMod R-4
(#3) Sonic Studios DSM6SM -> Sonic Studios PA-3SX -> R-09

Offline gratefulphish

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Re: R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« Reply #13 on: January 10, 2007, 01:47:26 PM »
I found the SVU 1 and 2 on-line.  Can they be calibtrated down to "digital" levels, so that instead of +6, the top is 0 db, or a little lower, leaving one light to indicate clip level?
4 channel: Neumann TLM-170R>Segue Dogstar>SD 722   2 channel: Neumann TLM-170R>Segue Dogstar>Lunatec V3>SD 722
               Linked to Lunatec V3>MT 24/96                                     (Hi-Ho Silver Interconnects)     

Other gear: AKG C451Es, Tascam DA-P1, Sony D-8

Offline china_rider

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Re: R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« Reply #14 on: January 10, 2007, 02:43:42 PM »
Yep... There are two little screw holes in the back so you can calibrate each channel to whatever you want.  I have the first red set at -6 and try to set the levels so the next one just occasionally flashes.  If they stay steady it's a pretty safe bet I'm pushing 0.
(#1) AKG C480b CK61,CK62,CK63,CK69 -> Silverpath XLRs -> BMod R-4
(#2) BMod ADK A51TL -> Silverpath XLRs -> BMod R-4
(#3) Sonic Studios DSM6SM -> Sonic Studios PA-3SX -> R-09

Offline gratefulphish

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Re: R-4 Pro Power Draw?
« Reply #15 on: January 10, 2007, 05:00:11 PM »
Thanks for all the info and help.  One last question though.  When you are running four channels, what do you connect the two RCAs to?
4 channel: Neumann TLM-170R>Segue Dogstar>SD 722   2 channel: Neumann TLM-170R>Segue Dogstar>Lunatec V3>SD 722
               Linked to Lunatec V3>MT 24/96                                     (Hi-Ho Silver Interconnects)     

Other gear: AKG C451Es, Tascam DA-P1, Sony D-8

 

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