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Author Topic: Korg MR1 - Battery replace  (Read 38876 times)

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Offline inkyblackness

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Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« on: April 01, 2010, 03:34:26 PM »
Hi, I need to replace the battery in a dead MR1 but info is scarce.
Any input greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Offline guysonic

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2010, 02:02:38 AM »
While not a low cost solution, my company makes a very, very long running series of portable deck powering solutions. 

So, if your deck still has a still working, but old and now way too low capacity internal rechargeable battery, THEN always using an external battery capable of both internal battery recharging while also fully running the deck is an option.

Then no need to replace the internal battery, just always use a reliable external power source having large capacity.

See these powering solutions at: http://www.sonicstudios.com/batsys98.htm#bcmr1
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Offline tedyun

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2010, 11:10:21 AM »
I think the "official" answer is to contact Korg to replace the battery. I have opened up my MR-1 and if I remember correctly, the battery is plugged in there pretty securely. I'm not sure if it's glued or something, but because it didn't come out with a firm tug, I didn't want to chance it.

Having technical service replace it will probably be costly. If space is not a problem, you can get away with an external battery pack. Korg was supplying a battery pack for free for a while there, but you can get one for about $14 I think. It simply takes 4 AA batteries and it is pretty tiny.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/543019-REG/Korg_BATPACKMR1_4_AA_External_Battery_Pack.html

If you want something that lasts longer and is rechargeable, you can get a USB LiIon battery, but you have to make sure the one you get can supply 5V, and 1 A (most ipod packs supply around 500 mA).

I use this one:

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/macally-ip-a481-external-li-ion-battery-for-ipod/

and it works well. It is not in production anymore, but you can find them on eBay for about $20-30. You will need a cable to link it to the MR-1. You can either make one yourself, or this one is cheap and fits:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8693
(The company is in China, and it takes about 1-2 wk for shipment, but they are reliable and CHEAP!).


Hi, I need to replace the battery in a dead MR1 but info is scarce.
Any input greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2010, 11:16:06 AM by tedyun »
Mics: B&K 4011, Schoeps MK5 (Nbobs, Naiant PFA), Busman BSC-1 (K11/K21/K31/K41 caps), Church CA-14 (o, c), Church CAFS, Core Sound Binaurals
Pre: EAA PSP-2,  Lunatec V3, Nbox-Platinum, Church CA-9200
ADC: Mytek 192 ADC, Oade Mod SBM-1
Rec: Oade Supermod PMD-661, Tascam DR60D, M-Audio MicroTrack II, Korg MR-1 (32GB SSD mod); Sony PCM-M10, Edirol R09HR; iRiver HP-120
Photo: Canon 5D3, Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8, Canon EF 35mm f1.4L Canon EF 24-70 f2.8L MkI, Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS MkI, Canon EF 50 mm f1.4, Canon EF 50 f1.2L, Canon EF 300 f/4L IS, Canon EF 100-400 f4-5.6L IS MkI
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Offline it-goes-to-eleven

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2010, 03:02:43 PM »
The MR1 is "futureproof" - the internal battery eventually fails, so it won't work in the future ;)

If the internal battery has failed (as you describe) it is a bad idea to try and force charge it by feeding the unit external power.   That assumes that the power connector also feeds the charging circuit and that it cannot be disabled (as it does on the microtrack - I don't know if that is the case on the mr1).

First, you would lose a lot of your external power driving the charging circuit.  Second, you risk a lithium battery malfunction that could be dramatic.

Ideally, send it to Korg for service.   Or at least disconnect the internal battery.

Not surprisingly, Korg doesn't seem to mention battery replacement on their website... I did find this bleak post:

http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=43691&sid=29cc2888310b3366ab761a8b04e7b98b

On March 26, 2009, I sent my MR-1 recorder in to have the internal lithium battery replaced. On May 12, 2009, the service center completed the battery replacement. Korg Parts was unable to ship the replacement battery to the service center for installation into the MR-1 recorder any sooner. It cost $68.95 for the internal lithium battery only (I did not include the labor cost to replace the battery).

There was a sudden diminishing of the charge capacity of my MR-1 after the PC board failed. I would avoid using the external battery pack (containing 4 AA batteries) with this recorder as much as possible. If the internal battery runs down completely during extended operation with the external battery pack, the MR-1 stops recording (thus, causing you to lose the file being recorded) and the MR-1 then remains in a state of suspended operation. This remaining on by the MR-1 could cause damage to its PC board (that is, failure by your PC to recognize your MR-1 through the USB) and dimished life of MR-1's internal lithium battery (the recorder becomes noticibly warm to the touch during this state of suspended operation). It is my opinion that that is what happened to my MR-1 recorder, that is, use of the external battery pack prevented the MR-1 from shutting down properly after the internal battery lost its charge (for example, proper shut down would be to not lose the recorded file and to protect both the PC board and internal battery from damage).

Offline guysonic

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #4 on: April 05, 2010, 11:29:18 AM »
Most times the internal lithium battery has not failed, but has lost enough capacity to not be useful for even 1 hour or less recording time.  So recharging/runtime both lasts for shorter time, and connecting up an external portable battery to run the deck and keep the internal battery at whatever is possible charge is not a liability in this case.

I have at times detractors of my external battery solutions with way too often post self-serving comments bogging down a discussion thread.

For those who wish to add any type of commentary about my powering products suggest a better place than an inquiry thread named "HIGHWAY ROBBERY" found in the TS Retail Section at: http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=83618.0
« Last Edit: April 05, 2010, 11:55:14 AM by guysonic »
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Offline tedyun

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #5 on: April 05, 2010, 12:20:54 PM »
I'm not sure if your post was directed at me or at Freelunch -- the grammar is a bit hard to follow.

I think the bottom line from my and Freelunch's posts was to contact Korg (either an authorized dealer or the company directly) to replace the battery. I believe this is the safest, yet most costly solution. I am baffled as to how these posts are self-serving because the only party that would benefit from our advice is Korg.

I suggested other external solutions in addition to your battery sled, and my intent was to be helpful in highlighting relatively low cost solutions to the OP's problem in case the service quote from Korg would be too expensive.

I thought Freelunch's post was very informative and will make me think twice about plugging in an external source if I know that the battery has failed. I had not realized the unit could be damaged in this situation.

Guy, I have nothing but respect for your products and the information you provide from your testing.  I have some recordings in my collection made with your mics/preamp that are stunning. Also, I constantly referred to your reviews when shopping for the MR-1 and with the R-09/09HR.

Personally, I feel that your products are priced for a different market than the hobbyist concert taper, especially when there are high value options available for mics, preamps, and external power, however, I do not feel it is my place to tell you how to set your price points. You have obviously found a market and can support your business with it. I wish you best of luck on your continued success in producing these high quality products, and I also hope that you will continue providing your opinions and reviews to the community.


Most times the internal lithium battery has not failed, but has lost enough capacity to not be useful for even 1 hour or less recording time.  So recharging/runtime both lasts for shorter time, and connecting up an external portable battery to run the deck and keep the internal battery at whatever is possible charge is not a liability in this case.

I have at times detractors of my external battery solutions with way too often post self-serving comments bogging down a discussion thread.

For those who wish to add any type of commentary about my powering products suggest a better place than an inquiry thread named "HIGHWAY ROBBERY" found in the TS Retail Section at: http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=83618.0
Mics: B&K 4011, Schoeps MK5 (Nbobs, Naiant PFA), Busman BSC-1 (K11/K21/K31/K41 caps), Church CA-14 (o, c), Church CAFS, Core Sound Binaurals
Pre: EAA PSP-2,  Lunatec V3, Nbox-Platinum, Church CA-9200
ADC: Mytek 192 ADC, Oade Mod SBM-1
Rec: Oade Supermod PMD-661, Tascam DR60D, M-Audio MicroTrack II, Korg MR-1 (32GB SSD mod); Sony PCM-M10, Edirol R09HR; iRiver HP-120
Photo: Canon 5D3, Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8, Canon EF 35mm f1.4L Canon EF 24-70 f2.8L MkI, Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS MkI, Canon EF 50 mm f1.4, Canon EF 50 f1.2L, Canon EF 300 f/4L IS, Canon EF 100-400 f4-5.6L IS MkI
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Offline guysonic

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #6 on: April 05, 2010, 01:55:50 PM »
Sorry for not being more clear, and NO direct comment on any of the helpful posts in this thread.  However, invitation to comment in the Retail Section was prompted by another current TS thread rave(s) about my sleds posting.

Some MR1 power specifications most helpful to many seeking information on what it takes to externally power this deck can be found in the tech review on my site at:
www.sonicstudios.com/mr1revw.htm
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Offline inkyblackness

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #7 on: April 11, 2010, 05:44:53 AM »
Thanks for all your input and suggestions. It's much appreciated. i delayed responding
as I wanted to include Korg's response and here's what they said:

"Hi
You need a CR2032 lithium battery.
Take the top of the rack off and you will see the battery on the inside."

Regards, Mike Molloy, Korg UK LTD - Technical Support, incorporating Samson, Vox and Hartke products,

Pretty good eh? :) I bought the CR2032 battery but there is a problem. The original battery is easily removeable, it almost falls
out of the MR1 when you open it. It's a hard-wired rectangular unit rated 3.7V 2000mAH whereas the CR2032 is circular and 3V.
I'll try and source an original 3.7V and report back. I understand that Korg charge around £40 to fit a replacement, maybe it's
because they don't know what they're doing.

Offline it-goes-to-eleven

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #8 on: April 11, 2010, 02:24:12 PM »
A quick search reveals a korg m1r product that takes a cr2032.

http://www.polynominal.com/site/studio/gear/synth/korg_m1r/index.html

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #9 on: April 11, 2010, 02:48:00 PM »
Isnt a cr2032 just a watch battery...?

Its the same thing that keeps your clock and bios settings on you motherboard...Its not the battery that powers the unit.

But - I suppose its possible that some stuff might malfunction if this battery were to go dead...(perhaps making the other battery appear dead or fail to charge properly)


Offline inkyblackness

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #10 on: April 12, 2010, 06:51:25 AM »
Yes, the CR2032 is a watch battery. I've attached a photo of the MR1 breakdown.
The battery on the right is definitely not a CR2032.

Offline guysonic

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #11 on: April 12, 2010, 07:18:47 AM »
Suggest sending your photo to Korg tech service getting the correct battery info this time. 

Good to see at least the original battery made in Japan where QA is usually better than some other places making original/after market lithiums.
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Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #12 on: June 05, 2010, 01:08:26 PM »
My battery holds its charge for about an hour now.
But I still love this recorder.
They USED to have info on their website about replacement, but the M1 is discontinued now....
Would love to be able to just pop it open and put in a new battery.
An hour is enough time to get get your tape started, but then you have to remember to plug it in before the end of the set.

Truly annoying with all those cables and wires...
But like has been mentioned here: if the battery holds a charge for an hour or so, that's enough to keep your recorder working for a while.
But EVENTUALLY it will be like my @#$%ing laptop and as soon as I unplug it, it will say "battery empty: shut down" so replacing that internal is pretty important.


once again, lost in all the noise

Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #13 on: July 01, 2010, 07:37:46 PM »
So...
Looks like the MR-1 is now out of business.
They were going cheap for a while, but now out of stock everywhere...

Makes me miss them.
Any news on that battery from Korg, or did we start trying to replace the batteries and they decided to pull the unit instead of that.
Because now I want to buy a handful of $69 batteries!

Heh.

THAT'S all it took for me to like the thing?
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Offline it-goes-to-eleven

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #14 on: July 01, 2010, 09:01:00 PM »
Looks like the MR-1 is now out of business.

The mr2 is only $700.  Future-proof!

Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #15 on: August 31, 2010, 02:40:36 AM »
I still want to know how to get the battery replaced on one of these.
There is, as far as I can tell, no way to find out from Korg.

Anyone else tried to find this info?
once again, lost in all the noise

Offline KSI

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #16 on: September 11, 2010, 09:01:48 AM »
the internal battery of my MR-1 has the following specifications:

  3.7V, 2000mAh, ~44g

and the frame for the battery is 53 x 38 x 10 mm.

The NP-120 / D-L17 / DB-43 batteries (used e.g. for FujiFilm FinePix F11 camera) have very similar specs:

  3.6-3.7V, 1600-2200mAh, ~43-48g

and

  53 x 35,3 x 11 mm

Whether the battery really works in the MR-1 I don't know, however. I have not tried it, because the battery of my MR-1 is still OK.

Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #17 on: September 13, 2010, 06:11:04 PM »
That's interesting.

Well, the real fun all happens when you try to contact Korg.
I'm pretty sure that we will all be trying to hack new batteries into these in a few years...
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Offline it-goes-to-eleven

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #18 on: September 13, 2010, 08:08:36 PM »
I'm pretty sure that we will all be trying to hack new batteries into these in a few years...

Futureproof!!

Offline jozifkwan

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #19 on: November 04, 2010, 11:11:15 PM »
Good day,

I have the same problem and my battery can not stand for over an hour now. Anyone sort out the battery replacement

Offline dain45yl

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #20 on: November 09, 2010, 01:07:07 PM »
Sorry for not being more clear, and NO direct comment on any of the helpful posts in this thread.  However, invitation to comment in the Retail Section was prompted by another current TS thread rave(s) about my sleds posting.

Offline page

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #21 on: November 09, 2010, 02:58:14 PM »
Sorry for not being more clear, and NO direct comment on any of the helpful posts in this thread.  However, invitation to comment in the Retail Section was prompted by another current TS thread rave(s) about my sleds posting.

Yeah, I have an MR-1, and most folks rig up a battery pack that will feed it the equivilent of USB power to the power jack and keep on using it with external power. Since the internal battery is a real bear to change, it's pay Korg, or go the external route.
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Offline sunjan

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #22 on: November 09, 2010, 05:56:10 PM »
They USED to have info on their website about replacement, but the M1 is discontinued now....

Wayback machine?
I don't know on which sub-site  the battery info was, maybe this can jog your memory?
http://web.archive.org/web/20071028001710/http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?a_prod_no=MR1&category_id=3
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Offline RTD

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #23 on: July 16, 2011, 03:15:05 PM »
hmm...did anyone made a progress to replace the internal battery of the MR-1. Mine is useless Meanwhile. When I´m trying to charge it It need to be USB connected but it doesn´t charge anyway.
There must be a f.... way... ::)

Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #24 on: September 01, 2011, 12:47:42 PM »
I'm currently out of $, so I won't be doing this, but I sure do love this recorder.

My advice is simple: Guitar Center is the only local store that seems to have Korg connections.
Since you can't contact Korg directly, get GC to do it for you. MAKE someone call up Korg and try to find someone who will replace the battery.
Its supposed to cost $80. IF you can find anyone who will do it, try to get as many of the batteries as possible before they are gone.
I'll bet that here in this thread alone you would find a marketplace for 100 of them.

Good Hunting!
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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #25 on: September 01, 2011, 01:50:27 PM »
My advice is simple: Guitar Center is the only local store that seems to have Korg connections.
Since you can't contact Korg directly, get GC to do it for you. MAKE someone call up Korg and try to find someone who will replace the battery.
Its supposed to cost $80. IF you can find anyone who will do it, try to get as many of the batteries as possible before they are gone.
I'll bet that here in this thread alone you would find a marketplace for 100 of them.

The problem is...... Shipping those batteries, and devices with those batteries, is restricted.  They are often prohibited.  Even if allowed, it is only with a significant additional charge.

I was going to offer to replace a bunch of microtrack batteries for folks, but then I got to thinking.. What if one blows up? Ultimately, I don't want that liability.

Offline KSI

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #26 on: September 01, 2011, 02:40:05 PM »
hmm...did anyone made a progress to replace the internal battery of the MR-1. Mine is useless Meanwhile. When I´m trying to charge it It need to be USB connected but it doesn´t charge anyway.
There must be a f.... way... ::)

Some days ago, I had the intention to try and replace the internal battery by the following battery:

   Fuji FinePix 603 3,7V, 1800mAh/6,7Wh, Li-Ion

But: when I opened the frame of the MR-1 internal battery in order to see where the cable goes, I found that there is some extra electronics included in the battery, and I don't know its purpose. So I decided to stop at that point.

Offline H₂O

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #27 on: September 01, 2011, 03:22:45 PM »
What are the codes on the chips?

Could be the charging circuit (although I would think more leads would be required to provide status back to the DSP - i.e. update the meters and charging status - I guess the DSP could guess at this using a current and voltage sense circuit). LiPoly cells need to be managed a bit to keep stable with one another so it could be a balancing circuit as well.

Also are there any codes on the Cell's them selves?  It may be possible to swap out the cells
« Last Edit: September 01, 2011, 03:25:41 PM by H²O »
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Offline phanophish

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #28 on: September 01, 2011, 03:43:48 PM »
http://www.batteriesplus.com

Find one of these places locally.  They really are good.  I have used them for several devices and they have the ability to custom build packs.  My guess is that circuit board is a charge regulator or balancing circuit for charging.  You could probably pull a part number from the Ic and figure out what it does with a quick google search  They can build you a pack with the old board and a coupe of new cells.  Might not cost you nearly as much as you think 
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Offline sunjan

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #29 on: September 01, 2011, 04:10:11 PM »
If anyone has use for it, here's a good overview of the guts:
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=145604.msg1874172#msg1874172

But: when I opened the frame of the MR-1 internal battery in order to see where the cable goes, I found that there is some extra electronics included in the battery, and I don't know its purpose.

That's the protection circuit, but I guess it serves a purpose for distributing charge too.
Good idea by H2O to keep the PCB and just replace the individual cells.
Looks like the single 1000mAh cells are PL603450 (http://www.batteryspace.com/Other-Size-Polymer-Li-Ion-Batteries----UL-listed-Cell.aspx)
There's an equivalent single cell called PL113450 (2000mah) that fits the dimensions too. Seems to be rarer though, only found it on Chinese web sites

The parts are damn cheap, retail price in China for one cell is RMB16 (less than $3).

The best bet would probably be to hit up batteryspace.com (or any of the other retailers selling PL603450) , e-mail them this thread with pictures of the guts, and ask if they could reverse-engineer this battery. They might decide to sell it in their web shop or do a custom group order for TS.com.
Anybody with contacts at Batteryspace???
Mics: A-51s LE, CK 930, Line Audo CM3, AT853Rx (hc,c,sc),  ECM 121, ECM 909A
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Offline jbell

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #30 on: September 01, 2011, 10:51:07 PM »
Don't know why you fight it!!!  Sony M10  :jawdrop:
Mics: DPA ST4011ER & 4018ER
Preamps: DPA MMA 6000 | Audioroot Femto
Recorders: Sound Devices Mixpre-10 II | Sony PCM A10

-20        -12         -6        TDS   (32/48)     
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]][}   
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]][} 
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|Record|  Runtime: 4:19.99  {|||] 75%

Offline H₂O

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #31 on: September 02, 2011, 11:10:50 AM »
I love the MR-1 - It is the only real handheld recorder with balanced inputs (microtrack is a toy).  It supports up to 24/192 and all the Sample rates in between that and 16/44.1 in addition to DSD.

All of my preamp's (except my PSP-2) are balanced only (NT222, Grace Lunatec 316 Custom)

I do have an M10 as well.
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Offline jbell

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #32 on: September 02, 2011, 11:48:40 AM »
Good point!  The internal battery would be to much of a PIA for me. 

I love the MR-1 - It is the only real handheld recorder with balanced inputs (microtrack is a toy).  It supports up to 24/192 and all the Sample rates in between that and 16/44.1 in addition to DSD.

All of my preamp's (except my PSP-2) are balanced only (NT222, Grace Lunatec 316 Custom)

I do have an M10 as well.
Mics: DPA ST4011ER & 4018ER
Preamps: DPA MMA 6000 | Audioroot Femto
Recorders: Sound Devices Mixpre-10 II | Sony PCM A10

-20        -12         -6        TDS   (32/48)     
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]][}   
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]][} 
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Offline SmokinJoe

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #33 on: September 16, 2011, 02:46:13 AM »
I haven't taken my MR1 apart to look at the logistics, but has anyone thought about:
- removing the old battery,
- keep that little circuit board, and
- run wires that went to the old battery outside to a pair of 18650's mounted on the back? 

2 of them in parallel would be 5200mah, so it would last a long time.  Using the built in charging circuit it would charge slowly, taking about 2.5x as long, but I can live with that.  I don't think it would overwork the charging circuit, it would just do what it could, right?

I too like the MR1 for balanced inputs, and a hard drive.  What else is there?  R4 and 722?  R4 is kinda big, and 722 is kinda expensive.
Mics: Schoeps MK4 & CMC5's / Gefell M200's & M210's / ADK-TL / DPA4061's
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Offline it-goes-to-eleven

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #34 on: September 16, 2011, 10:00:07 AM »
The microtrack will not work, even on external power, once the battery dies.  I had hoped it would.  I also wondered it if would work on external power once the battery was removed/snipped.  It does not.  Hopefully the mr1 behaves differently.

I'm not convinced the balanced is worth much.  After the microtrack, I wonder whether it is even balanced.  Some mics "fake" balance.  Korg probably didn't fake it, but I am less trusting than I once was.

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #35 on: September 16, 2011, 10:10:35 AM »
I'm not quite talking about "removing" the battery from the circuit.  I'm talking about replacing it with another larger one which happens to be mounted outside.  I'm wondering if increasing storage by a factor of 2.5x effects the circuit in strange ways.
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Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #36 on: September 27, 2011, 03:24:35 PM »
I'm not quite talking about "removing" the battery from the circuit.  I'm talking about replacing it with another larger one which happens to be mounted outside.  I'm wondering if increasing storage by a factor of 2.5x effects the circuit in strange ways.

This does sound like a good idea.
I wish I was someone who could even try it.
I opened up the one I have that has a batter that holds a charge for 12 mins today and had a good look.
It is one solid piece of equipment, that's for sure. Yup the tape over the switches on the top was a great idea!
The battery and hard drive are easily removable.
No issue with the HD. Its plenty big enough. The battery and case moved around easily enough, but to remove the battery and run wires outside... you would need to put something in place of the old battery, just to stop the HD from moving around. You COULD easily run the wire to an external battery using the same wire, but basically it would be easier to find a solid external and plug it in like iGene's solution a few pages back...

Once I get some money and time I think I will look into H2O's idea about replacing the individual cells.
If anyone goes any further, please post!

Thanks!

jb
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Offline KSI

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #37 on: October 15, 2011, 05:18:57 AM »
I have consulted an electric engineer, who took a look at the MR-1 battery,
so first some more info on this. The battery cell has the following identification (img 1):

  Sony Fukushima SEW
  US473850 A8T
  02B80F30G

We searched for this cell on the web, and it seems that the cell is used in many different applications. However, it looks like it is only possible to order the cells in packs of at least several hundred pieces. So, I think they are not meant for end users.

Another important point the engineer mentioned is that when replacing the two cells by new ones, it is very important that the replacement cells are a "matched pair" (you probably know this principle from matched Mics for stereo recording).

The other part of the MR-1 battery is the small electronics, and the codes on the chips are (img 2):

  G2PN
  WB 6E2

We couldn't find out much on the web on these - maybe someone else is more lucky.


So now to my battery replacement. A while ago I had purchased the battery

  Replace NP-120
  for Fuji FinePix 603 3,7V, 1800mAh/6,7Wh, Li-Ion
  (Replace DB-43 D-Li7 NP-120 BP-1500S)

as a replacement battery in the MR-1.

The egineer encouraged me to try to replace the two battery cells and put instead the single cell form the battery NP-120 - on my own risk, of course.

So we took the battery apart, and he mounted the new single cell on where the old two cells where mounted (img 3). As the old cells where mounted directly in parallel onto the electronics, mounting a single cell instead should be possible.  After the egineer had soldered the new cell onto the electronics of the old MR-1 battery, we packed the new cell back into its original case, and put that into the frame of the old cell (img 4, had to cut the original case in length a little). Then I mounted the battery into the MR-1 (img 5) and tried it out. It worked.

A test recording with the fully charged new internal battery gave me a recording time of 1h25Min. With the old battery I only had 3 Minutes! So up to now the replacement seems successful.

I played in a concert last week and took a recording - worked, and another rehearsal session during the week - worked. Up to now I'm quite happy with the replacement.

But I should also say that I never would have tried this without an experienced person.

Offline it-goes-to-eleven

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #38 on: October 15, 2011, 10:25:59 AM »
Well done!   Thanks for documenting your effort.


Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #39 on: October 21, 2011, 02:11:14 PM »
Totally Excellent Post!

So you are saying that you now have ONLY 1h25mins, or that you have gotten that much so far...

How much did all this cost? (because I'd bet more people would like to try it!)

Thanks again!

jb
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Offline KSI

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #40 on: October 26, 2011, 04:48:09 AM »
Quote
So you are saying that you now have ONLY 1h25mins, or that you have gotten that much so far...

The battery is not a new one. I purchased it already about a year ago, and maybe it wasn't completely new at that time either.

However, also when I purchased the MR-1 the battery life was not much more than about 1h 30Min, either, so from that point of view, the replacement battery is not too bad, I think.

Of course, you can probably still find some better replacement cells. I just took these ones, because I already had them.


Quote
How much did all this cost? (because I'd bet more people would like to try it!)

The battery was not that expensive, about 15 Euro, and the engineer did me a favour' (and I took the full responsibility onto my own shoulders).  The whole work took maybe 1-2 hours, plus the time for the internet search (didn't check the watch).

Offline andrea doria

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #41 on: April 26, 2012, 06:09:54 PM »
i've cut the cables of the original batt. and soldered on the ends a quite normal 5$ fp120 battery. the machine runs now since more than half a year in every day work and has internal batt. runtime of ca. 75 min. (looks like these batt.s have ca. 1000ma); i think the platines in those batteries are the usual 'bms' (battery management system) needed in most li ions.

batt. problem now is done, it's easy to solder. protect the open machine against dust and fizzly hot material.

another: my two mr1 both are becoming a bit warm running on external batt. pack usb in or ac in, i think after ca. 60 minutes. i'm doing 15-30 minute takes. so it's no problem, it's time enough to load and to cool down between the takes. worth questioning for same experience.

first Mr1 runs with hd, second with the mtron 32gb, both without probs till the medium is full.

yes, the balanced mono ins are outstanding, pcm1804 in such a small device, straight system-software too, feel no need for exchange.

Offline andrea doria

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #42 on: April 26, 2012, 06:47:04 PM »
the warming up phenomen leads to running MR1s without bag. one has original Korg battery (now after years runtime 40 mins, next ripe for exchange), second the fp120 replacement, both same warming up.

here as newcomer i thank Ted for spending and driving best Korg discours.

Offline KSI

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #43 on: April 30, 2012, 12:20:10 PM »
Quote
first Mr1 runs with hd, second with the mtron 32gb, both without probs till the medium is full.

Do you record in DSD format onto the MTRON SSD without any problems?

Offline tedyun

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #44 on: May 02, 2012, 04:37:29 PM »
Thanks for posting your experiences!

Can you send a link to the battery -- do you mean the fuji np120?

And if you have pictures of how to solder that battery, that would be very helpful too....

the warming up phenomen leads to running MR1s without bag. one has original Korg battery (now after years runtime 40 mins, next ripe for exchange), second the fp120 replacement, both same warming up.

here as newcomer i thank Ted for spending and driving best Korg discours.
Mics: B&K 4011, Schoeps MK5 (Nbobs, Naiant PFA), Busman BSC-1 (K11/K21/K31/K41 caps), Church CA-14 (o, c), Church CAFS, Core Sound Binaurals
Pre: EAA PSP-2,  Lunatec V3, Nbox-Platinum, Church CA-9200
ADC: Mytek 192 ADC, Oade Mod SBM-1
Rec: Oade Supermod PMD-661, Tascam DR60D, M-Audio MicroTrack II, Korg MR-1 (32GB SSD mod); Sony PCM-M10, Edirol R09HR; iRiver HP-120
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Offline tedyun

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #45 on: May 02, 2012, 04:46:37 PM »
I did this mod a while back and have been running it, although lately, I haven't been taking it out in the field. No problems recording DSD onto the MTRON SSD. I've recorded concerts about 2 hr long. I usually reformat the drive before using it.

It really doesn't give you any benefit going with the SSD, aside from the "no moving parts" bragging rights. The effect on battery life is minimal. If you are looking to increase storage, an HDD would give you more value.

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=93710.msg1669503

If you are intent on going the SSD route, I'm not sure if MTRON makes the SSD's anymore. If you go with another manufacturer, make sure you choose an SSD with SLC flash media. In the discussion in that thread, we surmised that MLC media doesn't seem to allow DSD recording.


Quote
first Mr1 runs with hd, second with the mtron 32gb, both without probs till the medium is full.

Do you record in DSD format onto the MTRON SSD without any problems?
Mics: B&K 4011, Schoeps MK5 (Nbobs, Naiant PFA), Busman BSC-1 (K11/K21/K31/K41 caps), Church CA-14 (o, c), Church CAFS, Core Sound Binaurals
Pre: EAA PSP-2,  Lunatec V3, Nbox-Platinum, Church CA-9200
ADC: Mytek 192 ADC, Oade Mod SBM-1
Rec: Oade Supermod PMD-661, Tascam DR60D, M-Audio MicroTrack II, Korg MR-1 (32GB SSD mod); Sony PCM-M10, Edirol R09HR; iRiver HP-120
Photo: Canon 5D3, Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8, Canon EF 35mm f1.4L Canon EF 24-70 f2.8L MkI, Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS MkI, Canon EF 50 mm f1.4, Canon EF 50 f1.2L, Canon EF 300 f/4L IS, Canon EF 100-400 f4-5.6L IS MkI
Video: Canon HF100

Offline KSI

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #46 on: May 03, 2012, 03:33:10 AM »
Quote
No problems recording DSD onto the MTRON SSD. I've recorded concerts about 2 hr long. I usually reformat the drive before using it

Thanks a lot for this! I have not really decided yet to replace the original HD, but at some stage I think I will, then it is good to have some informations at hand.

But to come back to the topic of this thread: My battery replacement (see above) still works fine, but I usally make use of external batteries for recordings longer than 1hr.

Offline andrea doria

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #47 on: May 04, 2012, 09:29:49 AM »
Hi Ted,

yes i did pictures, but had no succes in uploading here (needing help).

soldering is easy. cut the cables off near the batt., do two big soldering drops on the fp120 + and - contacts in good distance from open mr1 (it's a quite normal no name fp120 for fuji and others around 5$). measure the two cables from mr1 batt to define the + - poles.  the fp120 has 3 contacts. ignore the middle position. the black mr1 cable goes to the outside contact of the fp120, the red mr1 cable to the third fp120 contact positioned not direct on the other outside. so it's mine (measure it yourself). fill the empty space in the mr1 housing with two folded pieces of allround kitchen cleaning paper to avoid electric contact and batt. rumbling in the moved machine. the fp120 has like other camera batts an inbuilt power management system defining loading and working limits. the mr1 loads it and works it down after that system. think You can take every other 3,7v managed batt, it's a question of size.

***  think it's worth looking for a good running and not oversized ext. batt. solution. the inward batt runs for shorter takes and remains necessary for all ext. solutions because both power entrances (usb, ac) aren't saved against interruption like the hirose connected pro gear, sd, sqn and others; but they all are much much bigger; and the mr1 entrances are more professional defined as the small nagras. if you use good or better portable preamps you don't need the doubles in the big bags. and if you can't pay smiling guys carring it, than mr1 is unbeatable and a really necessary starting a possible future layout; no 3,5mm jack per se is kidish, but every stereo jack. ***

some words to the mtron. i think, Ted, its good running with mr1 is (YOUR) great observation. one of mine mr1 hitachi hds did writing tickle noisy hearable in a circle of 2m around the mics. i need essentially an organic silence in the recording and the monitoring haedphones. trickle trickle, Korg didn't select the hds. in one is a quiet hd, other plays with fingernails on the desk. another single bought exchangement zip hitachi sounded above 6 khz like a small intriguing bagpipe, and the zip hds are going out like the zip mlrs, so the price for mine (used) mtron 32gb mlr went down year ago to 42 €.

and the ssd works nearly elegant. starts and shuts tree times faster, copies fastest. gives a better feeling in hands, especially in the field. runs with all formats till it's full, mtron is more long time reliable (if for 100 years i hope to experience it).

in long lasting field work i wrote it full. easy rule: never delete tracks from portable devices, to risk no fragmentation. when it's necessary, format it. every morning formating comes from older times small media capacities and from craftsmen religion. a newly formated disk is not "empty" like an unexposed film.   

who can show us a newer small sized device with pro ad conversion (pcm is excellent too on mr1) and balanced line ins, yes, remember: two balanced mono 3,5mm line ins, two mono with choosable 3v plugin power feeding p.e. two mono dpas for who likes it minimized?? such an extreme solution today?  who did it before? 

remaining - encore - mr1 batt desaster.

Offline H₂O

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #48 on: May 04, 2012, 10:19:21 AM »
and the zip hds are going out like the zip mlrs, so the price for mine (used) mtron 32gb mlr went down year ago to 42 €.

Wish I could find a deal like that  :o   They sell new for $200

I did pick up a Samsung 64GB SSD and could never get consistent results above 24bit 88.1Khz with the MR-1 (above this it would fail to write some of the files)

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Offline andrea doria

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #49 on: May 04, 2012, 07:51:36 PM »
hi H2O,

one year ago i saw 5 or more mtrons used around 40, 50 €. mine was 42. possibly korg users now are the last zip slc users.   

i don't think ssd speed is in question. in dslr cameras cheap, slow and normal 2, 4, 6 class cf or sd cards are writing 6, 7, 8, 10 times faster 1080p streams, 350 mb per minute. a slc mtron could write a monstrous uncompressed 4k video stream. mr1 writes eight minute dsd takes of 340 mb.

possibly the samsung is a mlc? Ted described the mlc problem.   

it's a case of compatibilty, will say: not of speed.

try the another kind of zip cable, termination is different, not even the mtron slc uses the korg zip cable. zip was a short living connection, ripened to a half standard. we're lucky to find running slc format thx Ted. the korg engineer, happy to get a hitachi to write, hasn't thought about changing it out later. zip hd and internal li-ion batt was 2005-06 a best and expensif solution.

nobody would have designed such an ad conversion in a small minimalistic device without the nearly idealistic dsd ambition. myself heretically nowadays turned the korgs back to more real 24/48 pcm, doubting other people around me will use audiogate today or in the next aeon to recognize unknown file formats. burr brown pcm1804 does an excellent pcm wav job. in audiogate nothing better could be implemented. audio programmers correct me.

what we can get from minimizing techniques like the nice little korg machines is a more near awareness and understanding of our own voices and their for us mostly unknown interferences.

Offline Tak Kuratsuwa

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #50 on: February 28, 2013, 04:45:00 PM »
Hi

I tried to replace the KORG original internal battery with NP-120 batteries but can not achieve more than 30 minute recording time after a full charge.

the following is the how the new battery is connected to the battery controller. The connecting cables are soldered to the battery and the controller.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kdd30zforc6njti/2013-02-24%2021.19.52.jpg?m
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rq290za4x5b8r8z/2013-02-24%2021.20.22.jpg?m

With this mod I have achieved only 30 min. recording time. I used a no bland NP-120.
I decided to test other NP-120 batteries I bought for the GNS NAVI GPS mouse. I put solder balls at the ends of the cables from the battery controller and fixed them on the + and - contact surfaces of the battery with addhisive tapes.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/p2f6jc7nf686tzd/2013-02-28%2001.04.33.jpg?m

With this three year old battery, which I did not used in the past, I only achieved 20 minute battery life after 7 hour full charge, ie automaic stopping of charging the battery with 3 bars on the battery icon. Strang thing is that the battery voltage measures at 3.98-3.99V after the MR-1 stop recording with no bar in the battery icon.

I charged these batteries in the GPS mouse, connecting it to a USB port on my PC. After 4-5 hours the voltage was 4.2V.
I put the charged battery in the MR-1 but the MR-1 did not start.

Another problem: After taking the MR-1 apart, I found a very thin copper strip on the floor. It is shown on some of the photos in this thread and alos in the Chinese website showing how to change the HD to SSD. It say one end should touch a silber sheet on the bottom case but does no say about the other end. After googling I have encountered a description " a floating copper strip for grounding." Can somebody show where the other end should touch or should not?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/c30awhuocngxqe5/2013-02-25%2002.42.44.jpg?m

I would appreciate it very much for any imput you could make for solving this problem.

thanks Tak

Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #51 on: April 22, 2014, 03:36:07 PM »
So after ALL THE RUNAROUND korg has done while i tried to replace the battery, I finally found a
Place that would let me order one.

$103 Plus shipping.

http://www.guitar-parts.com/catalog/korg-rechargable-battery-mr-1-500520002900

I paid them, now let's see if korg will actually send them the part.
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Offline StuStu

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #52 on: April 22, 2014, 03:39:24 PM »

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

So after ALL THE RUNAROUND korg has done while i tried to replace the battery, I finally found a
Place that would let me order one.

$103 Plus shipping.

http://www.guitar-parts.com/catalog/korg-rechargable-battery-mr-1-500520002900

I paid them, now let's see if korg will actually send them the part.
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Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #53 on: April 29, 2014, 03:04:45 PM »
Just got the invoice for $6.99 and they should ship today. I guess I'll have to resurrect some threads soon.
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Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #54 on: May 02, 2014, 11:08:28 PM »
Well.
Looks like the batteries are definitely not exactly the same as the originals, but appear to be the same size.
Looks like a weekend of taking things apart.
Funny, I registered my mr1, followed all the rules, replied to the korg guy when he entered the forum, but they were just never going to replace those batteries or ever, no matter what they said.

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Offline Colin Liston

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #55 on: May 03, 2014, 08:39:29 AM »
Wouldn't it be easier to use an external battery pack?
Occasionally....music mics record

Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #56 on: May 03, 2014, 11:10:51 AM »
Oh I do. But the battery in my best one only holds a 7 minute charge. And you want it to at least have an hour or so.
I just got don reading a million posts on the subject and it's funny. I hadn't even thought of replacing the hard drive, but that's what was on everyone's mind.
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Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #57 on: May 07, 2014, 06:27:11 PM »
A few days before I get to deal with this.
I always use the Battery Pack plugged in to the MR1, but saw tedyun's post about this battery:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Macally/JBOXMINI/

I'll need a USB > MR1 battery jack for this, anyone have suggestions or tips about this?
I'd like the thinnest cable I can find.

Thanks!
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Offline MIKE7999

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #58 on: January 14, 2016, 04:48:40 PM »
even with korg MR1 problems is new old stock still in the box worth $350.00 or is there too much trouble with box?

Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #59 on: July 31, 2017, 03:07:39 PM »
Wow.
Well, THREE YEAR LATER...

I have just finished replacing the batteries in 2 of my MR1s, it was so easy that I can't believe it took me so long to do it!
I think my romance with the ocmR44 and its low noise floor and 4 channels was the problem. But I had a low-pro show that required something small and so I got these going and I can't believe how much I love them. Carrying 2 R44s around is HEAVY, but 4 stereo channels that sync up is pretty great.

Here's the best forum picture of the old battery:

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=145604.msg1874157#msg1874157

Now the question I'm wondering is, has technology gotten us far enough that I could get the cells replaced in the 500520002900 lithium battery I removed instead of buying another 500520002900 as a special order for $103 plus shipping if it even exists?

After an overnight charge, the new (3-year-old) batteries I installed held a decent charge for over an hour (at least) but I didn't test them full-to-empty.
I used the 4 AA battery pack that Korg sold way back after the internal battery became its Achilles Heel, with some older Eneloop batteries in it and was able to get 3.5 hours of recording DSDIFF time as well as an afternoon of playback the next day. Not too bad, but I'd really like to be able to get some fresh lithium battery action inside that internal battery pack!
« Last Edit: August 16, 2017, 06:59:01 PM by jb63 »
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Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #60 on: August 16, 2017, 07:08:58 PM »
Well, I'm wrapping up the summer taping using two R44s again. Plus some whacky stuff to use 2 digital preamps, and I have to point out that the Achilles Heel of the R44 is the double volume knob that adjusts only in increments of 6 db. The korg MR1's individual inputs are fantastic and the unit is so light! I really think all the fuss about putting in a bigger hard drive was a mistake and it's putting in a better battery that we should have been looking into.

Has anyone had any luck finding a battery store that refurbishes lithium batteries?
Can that even be done?
How long should lithium batteries last?
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Offline andrea doria

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #61 on: January 25, 2018, 09:56:41 AM »
to reanimate the old thread:

I use two MR1s since 2010 sooften I'm too lazy for equipment, and did meantime loads of takes after the mtron ssd mod (runs totally quiet and reliable) and after a simply exchange of batteries. batteries for me aren't that problem of the machine, using everytime external solutions, mostly a 4x18650 2A powerbank into the dc in. lasts endless, in 7 years never reached to empty it on a workers day. For intern rugged solutions the space is too narrow. Look to fix together reliably the MR1 and the powerbank, may be with gaffa.

Till today the MR1 in terms of a/d conversion seems finest small machine under the Zax and Sax class. And two 3,5mm jacks balanced mono line ins are very delicate and unique, though the small machine isn't made to stay rugged outdoors in sun, rain and snow.

I confered MR1 takes sometimes with a good studio converter and can say, it's hearable quality going 1bit with later pc conversion to pcm wav is smooth enough and useable. The machine was badmouthed some years ago with irrelevant arguments may be to save the concurrencies courage.

An important weak point and price minimizer is the smallish cursor wheel, made for clean and tender ladies thumbs. From time to time will need --  no, I'll conceal.

Think the MR1 will give future years fine takes in commodius and lazy situations, if good preamps are nearby. Small machines with professional preamps now run the sound recording way. MR1 with SD 302 frontend doubles the weight of a SD Mixpre3. In 2010 it was a challenge, nowadays perfectly well responded, shurely not a last step minimizing size of great sound quality. Only the physical need for not less than 1/2 inch microphone capsules and xlr ins will stop that.
       

Offline boyacrobat

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #62 on: January 26, 2018, 10:12:36 PM »
I still use the mr1 for rec with ext usb power and gaffa
I carry 4 bit buckets at every show I rec
3 dr2ds and 1 mr1 for my dsd addiction

I still love my mr1 and its my main mic rig.
mtron ssd mod I will look into .


g

Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #63 on: January 31, 2018, 03:04:44 PM »
Okay.


Well thanks for keeping this thread going!
I was looking into battery solutions, because I want to be able to carry 3 or 4 MR1s, each with their own preamp. For 1 I use a tinybox, so that's about the same size as the MR1, then add the Korg 4AA powering pack, and that's 3 things all wired together bigger than my fist. But that's the smallest I've ever been able to make it. If I could just trust the internal battery for 2.5 hours, then that would help a bit, but I've given up on that now. The trick is to just never let it die completely! (I guess)

What I'm looking for now is a clean preamp to the dpa4021 mics with their giant XLR connectors powered at p48 and into the MR1.

Eventually an external battery will come along that lets me plug in all 4 MR1 units and get the 2.4amps out from each, ideally it would be about the size of a DVD battery.

Right now I use this:

https://www.amazon.com/Tera-Grand-7800mAh-Digital-Display/dp/B00F02UKYE/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1400700628&sr=1-8&keywords=lithium+5v+2+a+output

which gets me only one 5v 2a output, but it does the job pretty well.

Anyway.

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Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #64 on: January 31, 2018, 03:18:57 PM »
Okay.


Well thanks for keeping this thread going!
I was looking into battery solutions, because I want to be able to carry 3 or 4 MR1s, each with their own preamp. For 1 I use a tinybox, so that's about the same size as the MR1, then add the Korg 4AA powering pack, and that's 3 things all wired together bigger than my fist. But that's the smallest I've ever been able to make it. If I could just trust the internal battery for 2.5 hours, then that would help a bit, but I've given up on that now. The trick is to just never let it die completely! (I guess)

What I'm looking for now is a clean preamp to the dpa4021 mics with their giant XLR connectors powered at p48 and into the MR1.

Eventually an external battery will come along that lets me plug in all 4 MR1 units and get the 2.4amps out from each, ideally it would be about the size of a DVD battery.

Right now I use this:

https://www.amazon.com/Tera-Grand-7800mAh-Digital-Display/dp/B00F02UKYE/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1400700628&sr=1-8&keywords=lithium+5v+2+a+output

which gets me only one 5v 2a output, but it does the job pretty well.

Anyway.

oh, look! 2 of these might do the trick!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X5RV14Y/ref=psdc_7073960011_t2_B071VMN1M5
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Offline goodcooker

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #65 on: September 17, 2021, 03:13:22 AM »

Found a new battery for the MR1 on Reverb for $30. Going to have to cut the connector off the old battery and solder it onto the new one.

I've never actually used mine. Got it from Smokin Joe way back when in a mic purchase. The battery had reduced in capacity so far to make it impractical to use and the DC input jack was messed up so it couldn't get a charge or use an external. It just sat in a bag for years.

Got the jack fixed and have finally sourced a replacement battery so I'm going to give it a run sometime soon.
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Offline goodcooker

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #66 on: September 22, 2021, 04:26:40 PM »
Welp. That didn't pan out. The battery he shipped me is about half the size of the original and is a typical RC helicopter battery that you can get for around $10.

Did some calling around to a few stores to see if they had anything even close and no real luck so I think at this point I'm going to hack an RC car battery into it by just mounting it on the back of the unit and feeding the leads through the hole left by the lost plug in power switch (it disappeared when I opened it up the first time no big deal I only plan to use it line in).

Really this is just an experiment the things been sitting on a shelf for years...

EDIT - the dude that sold me the battery didn't respond to my request for a refund (my very first less than perfect transaction there) so I thought what the heck I'll just hack this thing in there and see if it works. It does. Charged right up and everything seems to be working exactly as expected. Not a perfect fit but it doesn't rattle around with handling so I'm hopeful. It's just a 3.7 volt Li Ion battery with bare wires. You can buy them for less than 10 bucks all day long. If you have one of these sitting on a shelf due to a dead battery it can be fixed very easily. Took 5 minutes.

Going to take it out for a spin for Billy Strings on Tuesday and see how it behaves.
« Last Edit: September 26, 2021, 04:18:36 AM by goodcooker »
Line Audio CM3/OM1 || MBHO KA500 hyper>PFA|| ADK A51 type IV || AKG C522XY
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SD Mixpre6 || Oade Concert Mod DR100mkii

pocket sized - CA11 cards > SP SB10 > Sony PCM A10

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Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #67 on: September 30, 2021, 12:31:47 AM »
I’m interested in what kind of runtime you got.
He was saying 3 hours but I got 1.

The replacements are here:

https://www.partsisparts.net/catalog/korg-mr1-lithium-ion-battery-500520002900

If they still exist. I’d order a bunch if you are interested.
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Offline goodcooker

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #68 on: October 02, 2021, 10:20:55 AM »
I’m interested in what kind of runtime you got.
He was saying 3 hours but I got 1.
The replacements are here:
https://www.partsisparts.net/catalog/korg-mr1-lithium-ion-battery-500520002900
If they still exist. I’d order a bunch if you are interested.

The Reverb battery was a total letdown and completely misrepresented. I ordered another 3.7 v 2000mAh battery and installed it (this one - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08214DJLJ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details).
Doing a runtime test right now. The second one I installed seems to be better quality and more robust also an exact fit although the connector didn't match so I had to hack the old connector off again.

The good news is that while it may not last for a whole show on the internal battery I can use it now with an external.
« Last Edit: October 02, 2021, 11:55:42 AM by goodcooker »
Line Audio CM3/OM1 || MBHO KA500 hyper>PFA|| ADK A51 type IV || AKG C522XY
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SD Mixpre6 || Oade Concert Mod DR100mkii

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Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #69 on: October 02, 2021, 11:08:16 AM »
The good news is that while it may not last for a whole show on the internal battery I can use it now with an external.

Let me know how much time you get out of it. I was hoping to us the MR-1 for  >:D jobs but having to bring a battery pack kills that on the spot, unless they let you in the door with the battery as a phone charger. But TWO MR-1s that run for an hour and a half each might do the job. The Reverb battery dies after 1 hour.

If there were a way to make that Amazon battery into an external charger, that would probably do the trick, because its so small. One inside and one outside should get you the whole show. Right now the 4 AA org battery pack will get me 5+ hours recording DSDIFF on top of the internal charge.
« Last Edit: October 02, 2021, 11:13:48 AM by jb63 »
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Offline goodcooker

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #70 on: October 02, 2021, 11:25:36 AM »

I got an hour and a half recording in WSD. I'm going to look into how to wire a larger capacity battery in parallel and mount it to the back. Or I'll just use one of the 5V batteries I have laying around already. I don't do much undercover work.
Line Audio CM3/OM1 || MBHO KA500 hyper>PFA|| ADK A51 type IV || AKG C522XY
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SD Mixpre6 || Oade Concert Mod DR100mkii

pocket sized - CA11 cards > SP SB10 > Sony PCM A10

http://www.archive.org/bookmarks/goodcooker

"Are you the Zman?" - fan at Panic 10-08-10 Kansas City
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Offline goodcooker

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #71 on: October 05, 2021, 04:22:54 PM »

Mainly for shits and giggles I hacked another battery onto the back of the MR1. It's a 4000mAh battery that's almost as long as and the same width as the MR1 chassis. It's very thin. I just drilled a hole into the bottom of the case and ran the wires into it. There's an aluminum bar at that same spot so I andgled under it putting a scratch on the front circuit card in the process. The front card only controls the buttons on the front of the unit so I dodged a bullet. Picked that spot to drill for that reason though just in case and I'm glad I did. This should give me 6000mAh of capacity or 3 times the original battery. I'm hoping for 4-5 hours but will give it a runtime test tonight after it's finished charging.

Here's some pics of the (sort of) finished project. The battery is just taped to the back with gaffer's tape and not perfectly square, nor waterproof or likely to pass TSA inspection.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eHrN8rTkQAcLnO8Hc4dapVwvQVA_6bmq/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eFjfJ0Wgg7Pznmj7y-rZdE4oSdZsFoX-/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eI0hf-T0FFeSI4Vd8ZXUrbZ_Qkcu0dJJ/view?usp=sharing

Line Audio CM3/OM1 || MBHO KA500 hyper>PFA|| ADK A51 type IV || AKG C522XY
Oade Warm Mod and Presence+ Mod UA5s || Aerco MP2(needs help) || Neve Portico 5012 || Apogee MMP
SD Mixpre6 || Oade Concert Mod DR100mkii

pocket sized - CA11 cards > SP SB10 > Sony PCM A10

http://www.archive.org/bookmarks/goodcooker

"Are you the Zman?" - fan at Panic 10-08-10 Kansas City
"I don't know who left this perfectly good inflatable wook doll here, but if I'm blowing her up, I'm keeping her." -  hoppedup

Offline jb63

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #72 on: October 05, 2021, 06:42:21 PM »
Holy crap!
So is that spliced into the same 2 wires, replacing the internal battery, or can you use both?
Wait, that doesn't make sense. BUT, I suppose you could rig up something that plugs one or the other...
That's pretty small. Might not even register with a wand. I am impressed!
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Offline goodcooker

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Re: Korg MR1 - Battery replace
« Reply #73 on: October 06, 2021, 01:47:11 AM »
Wiring the batteries in parallel makes the device see both batteries as a larger capacity single unit with the same voltage. In this case 6000mAh (2000 inside and 4000 on the back).

Both positive leads are attached to the positive terminal on the plug that connects to the circuit card. Same with both negative leads.

Going to give it a lengthy test tomorrow. Seems like it's taking a long time to charge but that makes sense. The back battery has integrated charging protection to protect against over charging but I'm going to play it safe since this is a hack job and don't want to leave this charging overnight on my desk unattended.

EDIT - rather than bump this to the top again - I ran two tests and got over 4 hours of record time both times.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2021, 01:49:56 PM by goodcooker »
Line Audio CM3/OM1 || MBHO KA500 hyper>PFA|| ADK A51 type IV || AKG C522XY
Oade Warm Mod and Presence+ Mod UA5s || Aerco MP2(needs help) || Neve Portico 5012 || Apogee MMP
SD Mixpre6 || Oade Concert Mod DR100mkii

pocket sized - CA11 cards > SP SB10 > Sony PCM A10

http://www.archive.org/bookmarks/goodcooker

"Are you the Zman?" - fan at Panic 10-08-10 Kansas City
"I don't know who left this perfectly good inflatable wook doll here, but if I'm blowing her up, I'm keeping her." -  hoppedup

 

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