Topic: Batteries are killing me...

[macroint]

I'm new to taping, started in the beginning of October and I do 2-3 shows a week. Most times I just go for the opening band and leave. Other times I stay for everything. All of my recordings when I've taped just the opening band are great. When I've taped opener and headliner, all the openers are great...and ALL of the headliners had battery failure in the second set! The AD-20 sucks 9v's dry and the phantom power is only slightly less greedy. For the openers, I used fresh 9v's (sometimes rechargeables, sometimes Energizers). In the beginning, I didn't change my batteries much for the headliner (wasn't aware that was the problem), but now I put a fresh 9v in for each set, though I usually have to replace the AD-20 battery late into the second set (second sets being longer than first sets).

I don't have a battery pack, primarily because I have enough crap to carry around without adding more. I've ordered a couple of dozen ultralife lithium's to use in combination with rechargeables...I don't really have a question, just wanted others to feel my pain.

[jpschust]

dude invest in some rechargables.

[Brian Skalinder]

Order a small 9.6v RC battery and charger, affix the battery to the side of the AD-20, give it two outputs - one for AD-20, one for your phantom box - and you're all set.  Seems to me carrying around a small battery is well worth the hassle of not losing juice during a headliner.

[dnsacks]

specifically the 9volt walmart lithium ion battery pack talked about ad-nauseum.  It's real small and light and will power both your ps2 and ad20 for a REALLY LONG time.  Battery problems suck and will continue to suck if you continue to rely on internal 9v batteries for your ps2 and ad20 --

[Brian Skalinder]

specifically the 9volt walmart lithium ion battery pack talked about ad-nauseum.

I take it back.  Skip the RC batt and get the Lion batt Mr. Sacks references.

[firmdragon]

i feel your pain.  i recently felt the battery screen of death.  good thing i brought extras and only missed 7 or so mins.

[Chuck]

specifically the 9volt walmart lithium ion battery pack talked about ad-nauseum.

I take it back.  Skip the RC batt and get the Lion batt Mr. Sacks references.

This is good advice.
Plus, you'll save monoey in the long run and be able to pull tapes for the openier and headliner.
It's a no brainer.

[admkrk]

last show i taped - 3 bands  - 2 stages.  these guys were killing me.  had just enough time to swing the stand around to the other stage and off they went(OK, they dicked around a bit before accualy starting, but hwitk?).     battts were running dry, tape was running out, wtf. i got lucky, they took a break at just the right time, and gave me just enough time to switch and power back up.  all i can say is, somebody wanted that tape! 

bottom line, be prepared!

[tfrench]

specifically the 9volt walmart lithium ion battery pack talked about ad-nauseum.  It's real small and light and will power both your ps2 and ad20 for a REALLY LONG time.  Battery problems suck and will continue to suck if you continue to rely on internal 9v batteries for your ps2 and ad20 --

Ok this has my interest.  I have the 9V/5400mAh battery mentioned above.  I use it to power my Hosa ODL-276.  How can I use this with my
PS-2 and AD-20?  Do I need a special cable?  Any assisance with gettting this setup would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Todd

[Chuck]

specifically the 9volt walmart lithium ion battery pack talked about ad-nauseum.  It's real small and light and will power both your ps2 and ad20 for a REALLY LONG time.  Battery problems suck and will continue to suck if you continue to rely on internal 9v batteries for your ps2 and ad20 --

Ok this has my interest.  I have the 9V/5400mAh battery mentioned above.  I use it to power my Hosa ODL-276.  How can I use this with my
PS-2 and AD-20?  Do I need a special cable?  Any assisance with gettting this setup would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Todd

The PS-2 has a 3.5 mm jack that accepts 9v DC. Not sure about the AD-20. You just have to split the 9v output on the LiIon battery to power more than 1 device. The plug you need should be easily found at Radio Shack.

[tfrench]

Calico, exactly the place I was planning on visiting.  Just wanted to make sure I had the cabel numbers.  I'll have to check tomorrow in the after turkey day madness.

Thanks, Todd

[caymanreview]

im not sure about the cable numbers. but i powered my ps2 on a rc pack using the 3.5mm power jack (basically a 1/8" mono jack)

[keepongoin]

all you need to do is use an adaptaplug end for the 3.5 mm end.  You can buy an adaptaplug splitter that can power both units.  I use 3000 mAh battery packs (NiMH)... I have 6 of them, and they powered the PS2 and AD20 for over 72 hours.  If you make your power cord with parallel power input, too, you can swap out batteries without losing power.

[F.O.Bean]

specifically the 9volt walmart lithium ion battery pack talked about ad-nauseum.  It's real small and light and will power both your ps2 and ad20 for a REALLY LONG time.  Battery problems suck and will continue to suck if you continue to rely on internal 9v batteries for your ps2 and ad20 --

Ok this has my interest.  I have the 9V/5400mAh battery mentioned above.  I use it to power my Hosa ODL-276.  How can I use this with my
PS-2 and AD-20?  Do I need a special cable?  Any assisance with gettting this setup would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Todd

wow, a 5400mah battery just to power the odl-276? that crazy, that battery could power it for like 350 hrs or something crazy

[tfrench]

  I know....got it with my Hosa purchase from Tim/Phishintime..........never have to worry about that piece looking power!

[F.O.Bean]

hehe, no you dont, hell, you could power every hosa box in the building w/ that thing

[tfrench]

Went out to Radio Shack on Friday and bought the following:
-
9V/5400mAh battery -> Adaptaplug B -> 6 Ft. Adaptaplug Extension Cable -> 6-Inch Adaptaplug Y-Cable Extension -> Adaptaplug F (off each of the Y-Cable Extensions) -> 1 Adaptaplug F to the PS-2 and 1 Adaptaplug F to the AD-20
-
Went out Friday night to record a local band to see how the recording would come out.  I got all types of pops/clicks through out the entire recording.  What gives? 

Do I need to run one 9V/5400mAh battery to the PS-2 and another one to the AD-20?

Thoughts?
Todd

[Sanjay]

should be able to split it, don't see why there would be a problem.  never heard of someone wiring it that way, usually they hack of the cable that came with it and wire a 4 pin to it, thats the only thing I could think of that might make a difference.  Good luck

[tfrench]

should be able to split it, don't see why there would be a problem.  never heard of someone wiring it that way, usually they hack of the cable that came with it and wire a 4 pin to it, thats the only thing I could think of that might make a difference.  Good luck

Yeah, bought the PS-2 and AD-20 together with no power cords.  Been recording with plain old 9V batteries.  After reading this thread this sounded like the solution to my battery problem.

[dnsacks]

ran the ps2 and ad20 off of a 12v sla for a while without problem -- hacked together the cable as a diy project.  Personally, I think hacking a cable together is the way to go with this setup --

[Sanjay]

well try hacking the cable that came with the wally mart battery (hey you got nothing to lose its otherwise useless) and soldering a 4 pin on and wiring it that way out to the ps2 and ad-20.  I am thinking that the 4 pin regulates the current better than a hodgepodge of adaptaplugs and it could possibly fix it, and or prevent you from blowing the battery with a mass of wiring. 

[tfrench]

What type of cable comes with this?

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2350787#long_descr

It looks to be a cable with each end having the following connection (O.D.: 4.0mm. I.D.: 1.7mm.).  Is this cable available somewhere so I don't have to purchase the entire battery setup?

Looking to get another cable to hack and test.

Todd

[Sanjay]

it came with a cable similar to the adaptaplug bungle you have, with one end for the batt and the other end with various tips for the diff dvd players.  Because of polarity issues that cable will not work witht he UA-5, so hence the adaptaplug.  But if you hack that one to pieces and add a 4 pin you should be good is golden.  Yours did not come with one?  Lemme see if i can find mine in the next few days and if i can i'll mail it out to you if you dont have one.

-sanjay

[tfrench]

it came with a cable similar to the adaptaplug bungle you have, with one end for the batt and the other end with various tips for the diff dvd players.  Because of polarity issues that cable will not work witht he UA-5, so hence the adaptaplug.  But if you hack that one to pieces and add a 4 pin you should be good is golden.  Yours did not come with one?  Lemme see if i can find mine in the next few days and if i can i'll mail it out to you if you dont have one.

-sanjay

sanjay, I have a cable but would like to keep it to power/run my Hosa box.  I'm looking to find another cable to cut open and try the following:
-
Hacked Cable ->Y-Cable Extension -> Adaptaplug F (off each of the Y-Cable Extensions) -> 1 Adaptaplug F to the PS-2 and 1 Adaptaplug F to the AD-20
-
If you have a cable you are not using or a extra one let me know and we'll work out something.

Thanks, Todd

[zhianosatch]

Went out Friday night to record a local band to see how the recording would come out.  I got all types of pops/clicks through out the entire recording.  What gives? 

same thing happens for about 5 minutes as a 9v dies in the ad-20.

[mattb]

What type of cable comes with this?

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2350787#long_descr

It looks to be a cable with each end having the following connection (O.D.: 4.0mm. I.D.: 1.7mm.).  Is this cable available somewhere so I don't have to purchase the entire battery setup?

Looking to get another cable to hack and test.

Todd

But this battery wouldn't be enought for the AD-20/PS-2 - both of those want 9-18v IIRC. I use a Makita 9.6 drill battery since I already had it. Made a harness out of a battery cap they come with and some wire and RC connectors terminatin in those miniplugs. Worked well a dozen or so times but the battery is running out of steam and ruined my last recording. I'll probably get an RC 9.6v system to replace it before the next one.

[tfrench]

But this battery wouldn't be enought for the AD-20/PS-2 - both of those want 9-18v IIRC. 

This is exactly what I was thinking.  By using a spliter the 9V battery would be halfing the power to the PS-2 and AD-20.

[Sanjay]

but then how can it run both a jb3 and a ua-5 at the same time?

[tfrench]

what power requirements do the UA-5 and JB3 need?  The PS-2 and AD-20 both need 9V.

[Sanjay]

jb3 needs something like 5v(in that area), and i would imagine that the ua-5 needs 9 but I am not sure. 

[tfrench]

jb3 needs something like 5v(in that area), and i would imagine that the ua-5 needs 9 but I am not sure. 

Which wire/cord are you using?  The one I mentioned above that I purchased/built from Radio Shack or the hack/cut wire/cord that come with the battery?

[Sanjay]

I'm only powering the UA-5, I found enough of a deal on batteries to stock up and have 6 for the JB3.  There is a diagram somewhere on the boards showing how you power a UA-5 and JB3

[dnsacks]

But this battery wouldn't be enought for the AD-20/PS-2 - both of those want 9-18v IIRC. 

This is exactly what I was thinking.  By using a spliter the 9V battery would be halfing the power to the PS-2 and AD-20.

Not true -- if the power from the 9 volt is split by running the 2 connectors in parallel (positive from the battery to positive on each of the 2 connectors and negative to negative), each of the connectors would receive the full 9 volts output by the battery (and would be able to obtain 1/2 of its total current output).  IF wired in parallel, each connector would be hot once the setup was attached to the battery and the battery should power both units simultaneously or either of the units individually.

I believe a voltage reduction would only occur if the 2 connectors were run in series, i.e. positive from battery connected to positive of first connector, then negative of first connector connected to positive of second connector and negative of second connector to battery.  If you wired the connectors in series, neither unit would operate unless both were plugged in (since both would need to be plugged in for the circuit to complete) and each would receive approx. 1/2 of the voltage being supplied by the battery.

Are you sure your lithium ion battery is putting out 9 volts (and is not a 7.2 volt battery)?

Do the low battery lights on the ps2 or ad20 illuminate when plugged into the battery? 

Is the polarity correct on each of the connectors?

a 5200mah 9 volt lithium ion battery should power both the ad20 and ps2 for a REALLY long time -- total capacity of a typical "normal" 9 volt alkaline battery is around 570 mah (see, e.g. http://www.pcconnection.com/ProductDetail?sku=4863137) -- thus, being conservative with numbers, the 5200mah external battery should run the ps2 and ad20 for at least 4 times as long as a pair of "normal" 9 volt batteries.


 

[mattb]

The only time I've heard pops and clicks with my AD-20 is when the battery is dying, so that's probably what happened.
I was also going to comment on the parallel/series thing, but you covered it well. Mine is wired parallel and usually gives about 11v to both devices on a fresh charge.

[tfrench]

When I get home I will check to make sure my battery is a 9V/5400mAh battery. 

Can you guys confirm my buid/setup by looking at the following Radio Shack URL:
-
http://www.radioshack.com/category.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F009%5F001%5F000%5F000&Page=1
-
I purchased the following to run with the battery:  Adaptaplug B -> 6 Ft. Adaptaplug Extension Cable -> 6-Inch Adaptaplug Y-Cable Extension -> Adaptaplug F (off each of the Y-Cable Extensions) -> 1 Adaptaplug F to the PS-2 and 1 Adaptaplug F to the AD-20

I'll post back when I get home and check the battery

Todd

[dnsacks]

Best way to determine what's going on is to pick up a voltmeter -- they're prety cheap at radioshack (and you could return it if you have no interest in keeping it).  This will let you confirm that the polarity on the plugs is correct and determine the voltage the ps2 and ad20 are receiving.

Next best way -- see if either the ps2 or the ad20 will run when the other's not plugged in -- this would not be possible if they're wired in series (the wrong way), but would work a-ok if wired in parallel (the right way)

[tfrench]

dnsacks, you willing to post up some pics?  I'm thinking mine is probably running in series and not parallel.  Would like to see a pick of how people got this to run in parallel. 

[dnsacks]

Unfortunately, I don't run this setup any more -- now use a walmart lithium ion battery to run a ua5 -- so I don't have anything to photograph.  If I did, such a photograph would merely show the positive wire coming out of the plug from the battery attached to the positive wires going to each of the plugs that power the ad20 and ps2 and the negative wire coming out of the plug from the battery attached to the negative wires going to each of the plugs that power the ad20 and ps2.

Do you have any soldiering experience?  If so, I can easily walk you through the steps necessary to put together the wiring you need -- let me know.  Otherwise, your best bet might be to see if one of the folks around here that put together custom cables for folks would be interested in brewing together the cable you'd need.

 

[tfrench]

It's been a while since I've broken out the sodering iron.  I think I can manage the job.  I'll just make a couple trial runs on some extra wiring in my toolbox.  I'll test the voltage first.  Thanks for all the feedback on this thread.  +T to all!

[dnsacks]

Sweet -- you'll need to make a total of 2 soldiering connections to do this -- should be easy.  Just be sure to use a voltmeter to check both power and polarity before soldiering (and plugging in for the first time) and you should be all set

IMPORTANT -- be sure to plug the harness into the PS2 and AD20 BEFORE plugging it into the battery (i.e. always connect the battery last) on this setup.  When you plug the harness into the ps2 and ad20 you will briefly short the connectors and if the battery is already plugged in, this could trip the battery's internal fuse.

Darrin