Topic: Sony PCM-M10 false readings from the battery meter (NiMH mode)

[bucsab12]

After draining the first pair of alkaline batteries that came with the M10, I decided to use it with my Sanyo 2700 NiMH batteries. I've changed the battery mode to NiMH  in the M10 and placed two fully charged batteries in the unit. I've used the recorder for a couple of hours and the battery meter went down till there was only one line left in it. I've replaced the batteries with a pair of freshly charged Sanyo 2700 batteries and again, after using the recorder for a couple of hours, the meter went down till only 1 line was apparent.

After that I have discharged all the batteries in my MAHA C-9000 charger and to my surprise, each battery still had about 1400-1600 MA od charge on it.

Did anyone else notice this issue with the battery meter while using NiMH batteries?

If I kept using the recorder, do you think it would have turned off or it would have just kept going for hours with 1 line on the battery meter?

Thanks in advance.

[rastasean]

If I kept using the recorder, do you think it would have turned off or it would have just kept going for hours with 1 line on the battery meter?

When I was reading this, I was wondering if you were going to say you let it run. I would think it would continue to run because the battery had the charge in it. Maybe the battery meter would have accurately showed the battery life too. let us know what you find.

[udovdh]

After draining the first pair of alkaline batteries that came with the M10, I decided to use it with my Sanyo 2700 NiMH batteries. I've changed the battery mode to NiMH  in the M10 and placed two fully charged batteries in the unit. I've used the recorder for a couple of hours and the battery meter went down till there was only one line left in it. I've replaced the batteries with a pair of freshly charged Sanyo 2700 batteries and again, after using the recorder for a couple of hours, the meter went down till only 1 line was apparent.

Why not use the batteries until the final line in the meter is gone?
You will be surprised.

[bucsab12]

I just finished charging them.

Does anybody know what happens if the batteries run out while there is a recording going on? Will the file be saved?

[kfrinkle]

I just finished charging them.

Does anybody know what happens if the batteries run out while there is a recording going on? Will the file be saved?

test and see....

[bucsab12]

I have finished my tests of the PCM-M10 with the Sanyo 2700 batteries and I gotta say that the M10's power consumption is AMAZING.

For the test, I've changed the recording mode to MP3 at 128 kbps so I won't run out of space. I connected the recorder to my tuner and just started recording whatever was on the radio.

Reults

The batteries lasted for 44 hours and 48 minutes, almost twice more as much as advertised!!!

Does anybody know what happens if the batteries run out while there is a recording going on? Will the file be saved?

The file is saved automatically when the batteries run out.

If I kept using the recorder, do you think it would have turned off or it would have just kept going for hours with 1 line on the battery meter?

When I ran my test, the M10 kept going for over 17 hours after the battery meter went down to 1 line. When the battery is getting closer to its end, the battery symbol on the M10 starts flashing and it will do so for a couple of hours so their is plenty of time to change the batteries.

When the batteries are completely empty, the following icon appears on the M10's screen:



When I placed the batteries in my C9000 charger after they were drained, one battery was completely empty and the other had 5 MAH on it so the recorder can really squeeze every bit of charge out of the batteries.

[disco]

nice recon on the m10, good to know that if I run out of juice I just run out of juice no harm will come to the recording.

[Jhurlbs81]

The batteries lasted for 44 hours and 48 minutes, almost twice more as much as advertised!!!

That is just amazing.  I ran the m-1o twice this weekend, and I am in love with it!  It sounds great, is easy to run and the batteries life is awesome.  This deck is a real winner!

[Crumbo]

After draining the first pair of alkaline batteries that came with the M10, I decided to use it with my Sanyo 2700 NiMH batteries. I've changed the battery mode to NiMH  in the M10 and placed two fully charged batteries in the unit. I've used the recorder for a couple of hours and the battery meter went down till there was only one line left in it. I've replaced the batteries with a pair of freshly charged Sanyo 2700 batteries and again, after using the recorder for a couple of hours, the meter went down till only 1 line was apparent.

After that I have discharged all the batteries in my MAHA C-9000 charger and to my surprise, each battery still had about 1400-1600 MA od charge on it.

Did anyone else notice this issue with the battery meter while using NiMH batteries?

If I kept using the recorder, do you think it would have turned off or it would have just kept going for hours with 1 line on the battery meter?

Thanks in advance.

I had this issue with a unit I bought

sent it back for an exchange and the new one has been working perfectly

[bucsab12]

After draining the first pair of alkaline batteries that came with the M10, I decided to use it with my Sanyo 2700 NiMH batteries. I've changed the battery mode to NiMH  in the M10 and placed two fully charged batteries in the unit. I've used the recorder for a couple of hours and the battery meter went down till there was only one line left in it. I've replaced the batteries with a pair of freshly charged Sanyo 2700 batteries and again, after using the recorder for a couple of hours, the meter went down till only 1 line was apparent.

After that I have discharged all the batteries in my MAHA C-9000 charger and to my surprise, each battery still had about 1400-1600 MA od charge on it.

Did anyone else notice this issue with the battery meter while using NiMH batteries?

If I kept using the recorder, do you think it would have turned off or it would have just kept going for hours with 1 line on the battery meter?

Thanks in advance.

I had this issue with a unit I bought

sent it back for an exchange and the new one has been working perfectly

This issue seems to be happening after the recorder has been sitting for some time. If I use the recorder  a few days after the last time it has been used, the battery meter will be full initially but very quickly it will drop to 2 lines. The 2 lines do not really represent the amount of charge that is left on the battery. When I ran my test, the time it took the battery to go down from full to 2 lines was considerably shorter than the time it took the battery to go down from 2 lines to empty.

[stevetoney]

For what it's worth, the manual says that with rechargeable batteries, the runtime at MP3 128 (without monitoring) is 37 hours.  It's still amazing runtime, but thought I'd note that your run times are somewhat in line with what the manual suggests they should be.   

 

I have finished my tests of the PCM-M10 with the Sanyo 2700 batteries and I gotta say that the M10's power consumption is AMAZING.

The batteries lasted for 44 hours and 48 minutes, almost twice more as much as advertised!!!

[bucsab12]

Thank you tonedeaf for your comment. I've taken a look at the manual following your post and I saw the table at the end of it. According to Sony, the longest runtime will be achieved when recording to WAV 44.10kHz/16 bit (44 hours). I wonder how long it will go for with the Sanyo 2700 considering it lasted almost 8 hours longer than what the manual said when recording to MP3. 50 hours will be crazy. Over 2 days of recording using a pair of AA batteries...

[stevetoney]

Thank you tonedeaf for your comment. I've taken a look at the manual following your post and I saw the table at the end of it. According to Sony, the longest runtime will be achieved when recording to WAV 44.10kHz/16 bit (44 hours). I wonder how long it will go for with the Sanyo 2700 considering it lasted almost 8 hours longer than what the manual said when recording to MP3. 50 hours will be crazy. Over 2 days of recording using a pair of AA batteries...

It really is crazy long runtime.  Since its release, this recorder is kinda leaving all the others in its wake. 

[it-goes-to-eleven]

It really is crazy long runtime.  Since its release, this recorder is kinda leaving all the others in its wake.

Hype it!

[kleiner Rainer]

Hi there,

the problem with the inaccurate battery charge level display is due to the battery voltage NOT representing the state of charge of the typical NiMH cell, in contrast to LiIon, LiPoly, lead acid or alkaline. You don't believe me?

Look here: http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/nh15-2300.pdf

Check the "Discharge Characteristics" diagram: at the beginning of the discharge cycle, there is a rapid voltage drop, then the voltage remains essentially constant for a long time before the voltage drops again. This is accurately displayed not only by the M10, but also by my Zoom H2 and other NiMH battery powered devices I own. NiMhs also tend to regain some voltage after discharge when not in use.

Compare this to an alkaline: http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/E91.pdf

Check the "Constant Current Performance" diagram on page 2. Compare.

As a design engineer, I know that the only accurate way to measure the remaining capacity of a Ni-based cell is to add up charge and discharge currents in a so-called "coulomb counter". And this circuit is so expensive, that it was only used in the more expensive laptops. So either we are willing to pay more for an accurate state-of-charge indicator or we accept the simple voltage meter (remember the "battery check" scale on the VU meter of the Sony TCD-5M or Marantz CP230/430?).
I would rather pay for more internal flash memory than for a precise state-of-charge indicator...

On the other hand, the PCM-M10 has such a low power consumption that I never had the problem of running low on battery power while on recording tour. A few months ago, I went to record steam trains on the famous "Schiefe Ebene" grade in Bavaria. Due to the 175th railway anniversary, we had steam trains all day, with a rather flexible timetable. My PCM-M10 was in record standby most of the time, but the battery drain was so low that I didn't need to charge batteries during those three days (yes, I had a pair of fully charged Enerloops in reserve). On the second day, I did not even bother to switch off the M10, but let it go into standby when not in use. Even after that, there was still enough power left to check the recordings and transfer them to the PC.

So stop worrying about the inaccurate display of the M10, In fact, its rather accurate, and the low battery warning still allows you to record for hours. Better yet: leave for your recording session with fully charged batteries, preferably Enerloops or comparable batteries with low self-discharge, then you will more probably run out of memory rather than power.

Greetings,

Rainer