Topic: Battery life in a recording device (for me, Edirol R-09HR)

[sethrich]

I've been using my brand new Edirol R-09HR for a couple weeks now and the AA alkaline batteries have just died on me. I think I recorded (using external mics and a battery box) about 4 to 5 hours. Is that typical for batteries to only last that long?

I've used the wall adapter when transferring from the device to my computer. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? I mean I don't mind replacing the batteries when necessary, but I'm curious if I'm overlooking something...

[guysonic]

Your experience with conventional AA alkaline seems usual.  Some report ~2X (8-9 Hr.) longer times with highest capacity NiMH (~2700 ma cap.)  Also, >11 hours using costly Energizer L91 2900 ma photo-lithium cells.

My battery page has some tips on these and other types  of cells:
www.sonicstudios.com/batsys98.htm

[rastasean]

Were you using plug-in power "mic in" or line in? You didn't really specify beyond using external mics and a battery box
Did you have the speaker on or off during playback?

I would try using rechargeable batteries to see what kind of recording time you get. I have solely used rechargeable in my 09hr and they have only died ONE time and that was towards the end of the show so I didn't miss much.

[sethrich]

Were you using plug-in power "mic in" or line in? You didn't really specify beyond using external mics and a battery box
Did you have the speaker on or off during playback?

I would try using rechargeable batteries to see what kind of recording time you get. I have solely used rechargeable in my 09hr and they have only died ONE time and that was towards the end of the show so I didn't miss much.

Ah yes, I've been using LINE IN with my external mics with plug-in power off (because of the battery box). And I haven't used the playback feature yet.

[fmaderjr]

Good freshly charged rechargeable NiMh's will last longer than alkalines plus they are rechargeable. I've never used alkalines in any recorder.

I've had great results with 2000 mA Eneloops, which seem to be much more reliable over the long term than quicker discharging NiMh's. Plus when reconditioned in a LaCrosse BC-900 charger most of them actually test out at at 2100+ mA while the best of my supposedly 2900 NiMH's only test out at 2550 (most at 2300+), so there is not really as big a difference in mA as it appears. 

I'm sure they'd last 6 hours or so in the HR, plus you can recharge them before each show and not have to worry about when to replace the batteries.

[tonedeaf]

To more directly address your question...no you're not doing anything wrong.  Five hours out of two AA Alkaline's is about what you should expect.  As others have said, rechargeables are the way to go, but before you still might need to buy alkalines, say for festivals or other situations where you need long run times.  When I've used the R-09HR at a festival, I just buy one of those 20 packs and I plan on going through almost the whole thing over the weekend, if that gives you any indication of the battery usage.

[sethrich]

I checked the manual last night (why didn't I think of that before?!) and turns out the estimated battery life when recording with internal mics is about 4.5 hours. So there you go. I assume external mics would get more a little more than that, which I think they have for me.

Looks like I should invest in some rechargeable batteries and a charging unit too.

[tonedeaf]

I checked the manual last night (why didn't I think of that before?!) and turns out the estimated battery life when recording with internal mics is about 4.5 hours. So there you go. I assume external mics would get more a little more than that, which I think they have for me.

Looks like I should invest in some rechargeable batteries and a charging unit too.

Yes, double AA rechargeables and a charger are really handy, but if you do need long run-times, rather than going with a 20 pack of alkalines like I suggested above, a Tekkeon 3450 is probably the best alternative.  I've run my R-09HR literally an entire 3-day festival weekend without a recharge using one of those.  If you search ebay for the term Tekkeon 3450, you should find plenty of them listed in the $100 range.  It's pricey, but you never have to worry about battery power for the R-09HR ever again and you could probably use the Tekkeon to power any number of other devices too, since it has variable output voltage.  I simply love mine.