Topic: AT933 > PM4 > PS-2 and power issues

[mattb]

I used to have a home made battery pack for my PS-2/AD-20 combo using a Makita 9.6v battery and harness I made. It worked pretty well for a while but when I used it last November at RNMS at the Fox my PS-2 battery light was on for the duration of the show and there was serious brickwalling going on for any loud bass-heavy parts. I figured the old Makita battery was the culprit and decided to get a RatShack RC battery and a nice charger.
Last night (I don't get out to tape much these days) I plugged in my battery to tape EMT and I got the PS-2 battery light again. The battery is a 1500 (or maybe 2000 - I forget) MaH battery, that I've charged and run down a couple of times to break it in. I gave it a top-up charge yesterday afternoon. I recorded the first set on this setup but worried I'd hear that brickwalling again (no headphones with me to monitor) so at set break I decided to get out my old SP battery box and use that to go analog in for set two. The show was very loud (AD-20 at minimum gain) and bass-heavy. Listening to it today, I found the opposite of what I expected. Set one sounds good (using the PS-2 with the battery light on the whole time) and set two is all brickwalled.
I guess I'm not too surprised the 9v plug-in power wasn't enough - it sure was loud. But what worries me is the PS-2 light being on all the time. It seems it doesn't get enough juice, but worked ok last night. The problem for me is I can't tell with the light being on if I should be concerned for the recording. Last night I got scared and now I have a bunk recording of set two. At RNMS I didn't worry (or do anything about it anyway) and the whole recording was shot.
Does anyone have any good ideas on how to troubleshoot this? Should I get a second battery so the PS-2 and AD-20 each have their own? I'd do that if I knew it would work but I'd hate to buy the second battery and have the same trouble.
Suggeastions or ideas would be appreciated!

[dnsacks]

matt:

what happens on the ps2 if you insert a "normal" 9v battery (the rectangular one that fits in the side of the ps2)?

Also, do you have a voltmeter with which you can confirm the voltage of your external pack?

I'm wondering whether your ps2 is defective in some way

Assuming all's working OK, one fully-charged 9.6v rc car battery (or 9v) wallmart lithium ion batter should power both the ad20 and ps2 for a LONG time

[mattb]

I put a meter on the pack before I went out last night and was getting 11.4 but that's with no load of course.
I haven't tried a regular 9v in a while so I'll give that a try and see what happens.

By the way, I left the mics connected and left the PS-2 and AD-20 on all night and it's still going as of my lunch hour today (with the PS-2 light still on and no warning on the PS-2).