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Author Topic: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660  (Read 21961 times)

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Offline aberg

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Re: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660
« Reply #15 on: March 22, 2006, 08:01:46 PM »
fwiw, I think this tops ratdog.
www.nickspicks.com/mp3/phil2006-02-22set2t06.flac
waste a disc and give that a listen...at concert volume.


Are you still running 140s > pmd660?

Offline Nick's Picks

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Re: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660
« Reply #16 on: March 22, 2006, 08:44:27 PM »
nope.
i was running pelusos and an lsd.  i'm now down to just the lsd.  its such an amazing sounding mic, and it is very "soundfieldesque" w/the ACMod behind it.  totaly enveloping 3D soundstage.  I love it.

Offline tfs8271

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Re: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660
« Reply #17 on: March 22, 2006, 09:07:40 PM »
+T that sounds killer, can't wait to hear it with headphones! Wait, what happens at 6:22 of the track?

When are going to put the whole thing up for download?
A six pack a day, that's all we ask.

Neumann skm140>ACM Oade PMD660
or Oade Mod R4

Offline tooldvn

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Re: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660
« Reply #18 on: March 22, 2006, 10:07:56 PM »
you gatta love 7 hours on 4 AAs in a tiny little 660 that sounds FUCKING BAD ASS
love that box.

No offense intended, but I am always seeing people refer to the 660 as tiny, and maybe thats relative to your own frame of reference.  But let me be a voice of reason to others who might be reading this thread and thinking about the 660 as "tiny"...  I owned a 660 for 3 months and sold it because I was very unhappy with the size.  The hand holding it in the promo pics (edit :not NicksPicks, which I just noticed, his is more like the actual size.) must be from a giant, because it does NOT fit in your hand that way. (I'm a big guy too, and it looked nothing like the photo in my hands).  Take a look at this photo of it from tfs7821's rig.  Notice the size of it next to a cassette tape.  I did not buy it for its primary function to be stealthing, I was going to use it mainly to capture sbd feeds,  but I had thought about maybe using it as a stealthing deck as a bonus. Long story short, MT came out and solved all problems.

I'm not saying that it can't be stealthed, because there are a few people on this board who routinely do.  As far as I know though, the shows they stealth are not of the security ass-raping flavor, just of the no patdown low key stealth kind.  I'm just sayin, it would be a huge hassle to get it in a show where the ONLY available stealth space is your crotch. It would require really baggy pants and a favorable draw in who was administering your patdown. It can be done, no doubt, but more of a PITA than its worth to me.

/rant 
 
Sorry to hijack the thread for a minute there, just had to get that off my chest ;-)

-dvn
« Last Edit: March 22, 2006, 10:20:53 PM by tooldvn »
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Offline tfs8271

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Re: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660
« Reply #19 on: March 23, 2006, 01:25:27 AM »
I'm just sayin, it would be a huge hassle to get it in a show where the ONLY available stealth space is your crotch. It would require really baggy pants and a favorable draw in who was administering your patdown.

I've stealthed it Fillmore West and yes easily stealthed shows (no pat down). I crotch it with a big gut and 501s tight :o, no baggies on this old timer. The only thing I need to do is re-adjust it before the gates and I tuck it in the underware...remember that, if I ever sell this 660!   :crazy:

The great thing is it's an all in one rig...can't say the same for the MT ^-^
A six pack a day, that's all we ask.

Neumann skm140>ACM Oade PMD660
or Oade Mod R4

Offline Nick's Picks

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Re: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660
« Reply #20 on: March 23, 2006, 07:05:22 AM »
its pretty tiny, imo.  show me something else that is in this class and smaller.
its slightly smaller than a standard brick.

as for the 6:22 mark, that is where my batteries died, which is why I was not going to seed it.
but, if anyone wants to hear the rest, and the full first set w/the Peluso hypers, just PM me and i'll make it available

Offline Kevin Straker

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Re: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660
« Reply #21 on: March 23, 2006, 08:53:00 AM »

One odd thing about the PMD660 and rechargeables... with some rechargeables, the body is slightly longer and the positive post is slight shorter. The 660 battery compartment has little tolerance for this. When I first tried the Maha's, the 660 would NOT power on because the batteries weren't making contact (almost impossible to see). I ended up placing a paper shim behind each of the 4 positive contacts to get it to work.

Both tests were done with the PMD660, 16/44.1 stereo, with JW mod AKG 461's, phantom power on, attenuation on, normal meter lights on

Ok, I'm getting the same thing with the longer bodies. What do mean by placing a paper shim (pictures) behind each + contact? I just purchased a 6V battery (7.2 Ah) with a charger and was going to make a battery pack with a 5V regulator. I haven't been able to get that much recording time from my NiMH batteries which is why I purchased it. I have two sets of 2500mAh, a set of 2300mAh and a set of 2000mAh and a LaCrosse charger but I seem to get about 2 hours max....I'm running 16/44.1, phantom on, attenuation @ -20dB, matters @ peak only. I have charged my NiMH a few times from my last recording so I think they have a little more capacity than originally. Should I just hook my 660 up and dummy run it in the living room to see how long they will run. Should I go with the battery pack (Doug advised against having one and said to just use the AAs) or return it tomorrow?

Any way to do a similar shimming to the 671 battery sled? I"m really unhappy with the internal AA's>
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Offline tfs8271

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Re: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660
« Reply #22 on: March 23, 2006, 09:06:48 AM »

One odd thing about the PMD660 and rechargeables... with some rechargeables, the body is slightly longer and the positive post is slight shorter. The 660 battery compartment has little tolerance for this. When I first tried the Maha's, the 660 would NOT power on because the batteries weren't making contact (almost impossible to see). I ended up placing a paper shim behind each of the 4 positive contacts to get it to work.

Both tests were done with the PMD660, 16/44.1 stereo, with JW mod AKG 461's, phantom power on, attenuation on, normal meter lights on

Ok, I'm getting the same thing with the longer bodies. What do mean by placing a paper shim (pictures) behind each + contact? I just purchased a 6V battery (7.2 Ah) with a charger and was going to make a battery pack with a 5V regulator. I haven't been able to get that much recording time from my NiMH batteries which is why I purchased it. I have two sets of 2500mAh, a set of 2300mAh and a set of 2000mAh and a LaCrosse charger but I seem to get about 2 hours max....I'm running 16/44.1, phantom on, attenuation @ -20dB, matters @ peak only. I have charged my NiMH a few times from my last recording so I think they have a little more capacity than originally. Should I just hook my 660 up and dummy run it in the living room to see how long they will run. Should I go with the battery pack (Doug advised against having one and said to just use the AAs) or return it tomorrow?

Any way to do a similar shimming to the 671 battery sled? I"m really unhappy with the internal AA's>

First try to adjust the contacts or shave the plastic close to the contacts. Caaarrefullllll
A six pack a day, that's all we ask.

Neumann skm140>ACM Oade PMD660
or Oade Mod R4

Offline tooldvn

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Re: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660
« Reply #23 on: March 23, 2006, 11:22:08 AM »
I'm just sayin, it would be a huge hassle to get it in a show where the ONLY available stealth space is your crotch. It would require really baggy pants and a favorable draw in who was administering your patdown.

I've stealthed it Fillmore West and yes easily stealthed shows (no pat down). I crotch it with a big gut and 501s tight :o, no baggies on this old timer. The only thing I need to do is re-adjust it before the gates and I tuck it in the underware...remember that, if I ever sell this 660!   :crazy:

The great thing is it's an all in one rig...can't say the same for the MT ^-^

Haha you don't double bag? ;-)   (2 pairs of undies, deck inbetween the two)   Once you get it inside, I'm guessing you wear it on its strap and just wear a button down or jacket over it so you can reach inside and get it rolling/check levels etc?

Thats cool though, just wouldnt do for my crotching/super pat-down needs...  I don't have as big a gut as I used to, and I'm definitely not prepared to have my pants falling down or cinched up with a belt all night... maybe when I was younger, but now I'm trying to delicately balance my comfort at shows too.

True, it is all in one and I do really like how the ACM mod sounds,  definite +'s over the MT alone,  but my external pre&a/d + the MT is smaller together than the 660.   Much as people hate Len, and I'm certainly no fan of his customer service,  the mic2496 really is quite decent at both those functions and (comparitively) tiny for stealthing. Plus the MT rig is 24/96 as opposed to 16/48 for the 660.  Now if it could just break that 2gb barrier...  ::)
DPA 4061²  &  AKG 61/63

Offline spyder9

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Re: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660
« Reply #24 on: March 29, 2006, 03:16:39 PM »
Try crotching a JB3, an AD20, and a PS2.   :o   The walk is no fun.  But I have beaten heavy patdowns.   ;)  Lay those 3 boxes out on a table, and you'll find they take up more volume than a 660.

This 660 should be a piece of cake to crotch and easier to walk with.  All plastic body should clear the wands.  The only issue I have:  its an 1 1/2 inches longer than the AD20, which might require buying baggier pants.   

FWIW, My gut is small and  I use a wastebag for my stealth gear.


Just my 2 cents.  Take it for what its worth.    :)

Offline phr

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Re: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660
« Reply #25 on: May 16, 2006, 05:17:11 AM »
I don't think you can solve the short cell problem by bending the contacts around since they'd just bend back.  I hadn't really thought about shaving the plastic.  Really, the paper shim method works fine, I used a slice of a business card folded over for 2 layers.  I'm using Sanyo 2500 mah NiMH cells which last about 7 hours (no phantom).  Energizer L91 lithium AA cells (around $2 each and non-rechargeable) should last a few hours longer, if you're in some setting that demands it and is worth the expenditure.  There are also 2700 mah NiMH cells out now but I don't have any yet.

I'm pretty interested in the Edirol R09 when it comes out.  It's about 1/4th the size of the 660 and has better features.  It should be very stealthable.  I would not buy an MT under any circumstances--the non-removable battery is totally useless for the type of recording I do (festival-like events, 30 hours of recording in 3-4 days).  Also there's another thread about an MT battery catching on fire.  I sure wouldn't want that to happen while stealthing with the rig in my underwear :(.

I've been wanting to get around to finding the connector plug to make a very small external battery pack (e.g. from a 9 volt cell) to power the 660 for very short periods (like 1 minute).  That would allow recording nonstop while changing out the internal cells, and still not having to deal with a bulky external pack connected up to the unit the rest of the time.

Offline Nick's Picks

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Re: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660
« Reply #26 on: May 16, 2006, 07:26:13 AM »
the connector is found at radio shack, not sure of the tip size.  just bring in the stock  AC cable and match it up.
a 5v VR (though it only outputs 1amp current) is also available there for under $2.  You could make your little "temp DC" pack from that.

though....
you could also buy a 7.2v RC battery (with said voltage regulator, if it works) and run one for a long time.  that would be a nice outboard pack on the cheap.

Offline aberg

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Re: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660
« Reply #27 on: August 18, 2006, 11:53:13 PM »
What do mean by placing a paper shim (pictures) behind each + contact?

see below... about the thickness of a business card should do.

I also shaved a little plastic off the rests inside the battery compartment that support the positive side of the battery. You can see this in the picture; the jagged plastic on each side of the positive contact. I was real careful doing this, making sure to only take off a sliver and making sure not to let any drop inside the 660.

... I seem to get about 2 hours max....I'm running 16/44.1, phantom on, attenuation @ -20dB, matters @ peak only. I have charged my NiMH a few times from my last recording so I think they have a little more capacity than originally. Should I just hook my 660 up and dummy run it in the living room to see how long they will run.

It's possible that you're only getting 2 hours because only 2 of the 4 batteries are making contact. The 660 battery compartment is apparently wired (2 in series) in parallel with (2 in series) and will power up and work with only 2 batteries installed ...go figure.



I thought I'd give this paper shim thing a try on my new 660 (bought july 06) but i can't fit any paper (even thin stuff) in there... have they changed the design to fix this battery problem?

Offline d5

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Re: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660
« Reply #28 on: August 21, 2006, 10:37:09 PM »
I thought I'd give this paper shim thing a try on my new 660 (bought july 06) but i can't fit any paper (even thin stuff) in there... have they changed the design to fix this battery problem?

I wouldn't be surprised if they did fix the problem as there were quite a few posts on transom.org about this. This site is geared more for journalists, which is the market that Marantz was aiming for with the 660. A vice president of Marantz Professional actually posted there regarding the early brickwalling/resistor issues, so they do take notice.

http://talk.transom.org/WebX?128@397.hFqDaQ7eNXF.1@.eeb41d8

How does yours compare visually to the pic earlier in this thread?

Also, are you having problems with rechargeables batteries? The typical problems are either; 1) the deck doesn't power on at all -or- 2) it doesn't stay powered nearly as long as it should (< 3 hours) and this depends on which batteries in the sled aren't making good contact.
« Last Edit: August 21, 2006, 11:00:00 PM by d5 »
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Offline Jammin72

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Re: NiMH Rechareables/PMD660
« Reply #29 on: August 21, 2006, 11:02:55 PM »
I'm in the same boat... I can't figure out how you're going to fit any type of shim in there.  I'm getting at least 4 hours of runtime on a single set of 2500maH AA NiMH's but haven't tested beyond that.  I'm hot swapping just to be sure so far.  I really need to set up a good test to find out.  Maybe battery compartment revisions came along with the new boards?!
Yes, but what do you HEAR?

 

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