Topic: PS2-AD20 batt life / indoors vs. outdoors / warm vs. cold?

[T-90]

hey fellas....ive been running C4's>PS2>AD20>jb3 for long enough now to know how much recording time I can achieve with standard 9 volt alkaline batts in my favorite indoor venue, however at suwanee springfest my power consumption went way up taping outdoors from FOB....is this due to the fact that the gain on the AD20 was higher than I usually run indoors, or was it the 38* weather the batteries were subjected to, or a combination of the two?  Just wondering about this to be better prepared for my next outdoor fest.  Thanks in advance!

[keepongoin]

I would start using rechargable external power supplies... NiMH 9.6 v batteries - 2 3000 mAh in parallel used to last me 10+ hours... indoors or outdoors with that combination. I bought 6 of them for 3 day festival power, and never even came close to having an issue.

 

[spyder9]

According to Denecke's site:  http://www.denecke.com/products.htm

AD20 - 8-10 hours

PS2 - 4-38 hours (depending on load)

[keepongoin]

FWIW, i never got much past 2 hours out of a 9v batt with the PS2 powering my TLs.  The AD20, I would get about 6-7 h from with stadard 9V... but i never trusted it... plus i hated using so many alkaline batteries.

[T-90]

I would start using rechargable external power supplies... NiMH 9.6 v batteries - 2 3000 mAh in parallel used to last me 10+ hours... indoors or outdoors with that combination. I bought 6 of them for 3 day festival power, and never even came close to having an issue.

4 powerex NiMH 9.6 v batteries and car charger will arrive today

According to Denecke's site:  http://www.denecke.com/products.htm

AD20 - 8-10 hours

PS2 - 4-38 hours (depending on load)

nothing like a nice tight range....4-38 hrs.....LOL


Thanks for the thoughts fellas, +t's

[T-90]

FWIW, i never got much past 2 hours out of a 9v batt with the PS2 powering my TLs.  The AD20, I would get about 6-7 h from with stadard 9V... but i never trusted it... plus i hated using so many alkaline batteries.

yup...PS2 was done and AD20 still had half batt life....sounds about right

[dnsacks]

hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if the powerex batteries you're referring to are the same size as a normal 9 volt alkaline, they're not going do any better time-wise than the alkaline batteries you're currently using.  Likely they'll provide LESS time per battery than alkalines. 

The best solution for the ps2/ad20 is to build an external battery pack using either the walmart 9volt lithium ion battery or a 9.6 volt, 2000mah (over 10x the capacity of the powerex batteries you bought) radio controlled car battery pack.

[T-90]

hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if the powerex batteries you're referring to are the same size as a normal 9 volt alkaline, they're not going do any better time-wise than the alkaline batteries you're currently using.  Likely they'll provide LESS time per battery than alkalines. 

The best solution for the ps2/ad20 is to build an external battery pack using either the walmart 9volt lithium ion battery or a 9.6 volt, 2000mah (over 10x the capacity of the powerex batteries you bought) radio controlled car battery pack.

please feel free to bear all the bad news you like   the walmart 9volt lithium ion battery or a 9.6 volt rc batt is on the list....I needed to get some reg 9 volt rechargeables anyway, so I was gonna try them and see what they do.....thanks for the news   Really I was just wanting to know if the cold and higher gain levels did that much damage to the batt life or did I just have some bad batts....the PS2 really sucked em' down that night.

[keepongoin]

FWIW, i don't think the cold would, but the increased gain might have.

also, if you switched mic cables, it can make for different battery lives... all the silver cables and silver-clad copper cables seem to drain batteries faster than copper.  more electorns to push around equals more current drain.

[T-90]

FWIW, i don't think the cold would, but the increased gain might have.

also, if you switched mic cables, it can make for different battery lives... all the silver cables and silver-clad copper cables seem to drain batteries faster than copper.  more electorns to push around equals more current drain.

had to have been the higher gain settings.....everything else was the same except outdoor windys....dont see that causing extra battery drain....

FWIW - the powex 9.6 volt recharge-ables are lasting 3-1/2 hours in the PS2 and 4-1/2 in the AD20 in the test runs so far....a few cycles may increase run time....this is about the same I was getting with standard alkaline so these will be OK for now....they charge in 2 hours and my charger does 4 at a time.

[Unitmonster]

DEFINATELY go with the 3000mah RC batts.  To give you an idea of how well they work, I've accidentally left them plugged into my gear overnight and all of the next day, with everything connected, after recording a show, and gone on to record another show the next night with no problems.  They'll go for hours and hours and hours.

[F.O.Bean]

FWIW, i don't think the cold would, but the increased gain might have.

also, if you switched mic cables, it can make for different battery lives... all the silver cables and silver-clad copper cables seem to drain batteries faster than copper.  more electorns to push around equals more current drain.

you really think that HQ cables drain batteries faster than say, canares star-quads?

anyone have any insight on this? maybe a technical answer?

[keepongoin]

FWIW, i don't think the cold would, but the increased gain might have.

also, if you switched mic cables, it can make for different battery lives... all the silver cables and silver-clad copper cables seem to drain batteries faster than copper.  more electorns to push around equals more current drain.

you really think that HQ cables drain batteries faster than say, canares star-quads?

anyone have any insight on this? maybe a technical answer?

I have never, ever gotten a the low battery light to flash on my V3 during a show running with copper cables... every time i run silver-clad cables i get the low battery light at ~3.75 hours.  this is anecdotal currently, but i have heard similar stories from other folks.

i am pretty sure that the better conductivity of the cables has something to do with it... better conductivity is more electrons being pushed... while the cable may be more efficient in how it conducts the electricity as well, it is highly unlikely that the small gain in efficiency will overpower that large gain in total conductivity, thereby draining more power faster...  just a theory, but, IME, it is true.