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Gear / Technical Help => Ask The Tapers => Topic started by: Norm on April 25, 2005, 06:59:34 AM

Title: Something has gone wrong...
Post by: Norm on April 25, 2005, 06:59:34 AM

Hi,

I have some SPCM8s, a Sound Pro Battery Box and a JB3.
I have made 10's of successful recordings of various stuff.
My last outing, both the bands are nearly un recognisable on the recording. Very muffled, pretty quiet and maybe missing the higher frequencies.
I am hoping my battery in the Battery box is dead, but I have a feeling it may be something more serious. Due to me being in the UK, its normally a pain to get these batteries, but hopefully I will have the correct ones arriving ain a few days.

Any ideas anyone?

Cheers

Norm

Title: Re: Something has gone wrong...
Post by: sunjan on April 25, 2005, 09:20:45 AM

Quote from: Norm on April 25, 2005, 06:59:34 AM

I have some SPCM8s, a Sound Pro Battery Box and a JB3.

I am hoping my battery in the Battery box is dead, but I have a feeling it may be something more serious. Due to me being in the UK, its normally a pain to get these batteries, but hopefully I will have the correct ones arriving ain a few days.

Norm

Hi Norm,

What battery box are you using?
Shouldn't the battery box for CMC 8 (ie. SPSB-6) use a standard 9 volt batt???
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-SPSB-6

Or did you mean something else? Have you taken readings off the batt with a multimeter?

/Jan

Title: Re: Something has gone wrong...
Post by: Norm on April 25, 2005, 10:06:56 AM

It does use a 9v battery, its not standard is a tiny little one.

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-MINI-9V


I dont have a multi meter, does it sound like it could be the issue though?

Thanks

Norm

Title: Re: Something has gone wrong...
Post by: Norm on April 26, 2005, 02:31:32 AM

Bump.
No ideas?

Cheers

Norm

Title: Re: Something has gone wrong...
Post by: kfrinkle on April 26, 2005, 12:29:04 PM

You better be switching out those mini 9 volts every show (or at least every other show).  They last 10 hours max i think.. not like the other battery boxes with standard 9 volts whihc last hundreds of hours.  I have the small battery box (sp-spsb-3) which takes the mini 9 volts, and i always switch out before a new show...

Title: Re: Something has gone wrong...
Post by: sunjan on April 26, 2005, 01:51:24 PM

Quote from: Norm on April 25, 2005, 10:06:56 AM

It does use a 9v battery, its not standard is a tiny little one.

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-MINI-9V

I dont have a multi meter, does it sound like it could be the issue though?

Every taper should have a multimeter. Indispensable when it comes to troubleshooting. You should be able to pick up a simple multimeter for GBP 10 or less.

By your description, the battery is most probably dead.
It shouldn't be that hard to find another, even in UK.

I've done a little research for you. The trick is that GP25A is selling under another name outside US.
Compare these two pages:
http://www.gpina.com/consumer/primary/button.htm
http://www.gpbatteries.com.hk/html/techinfo/photo_alkaline.asp

Now we've established that the non-US model number is GP29A.
Here's a fact sheet:
http://www.gpbatteries.com.hk/pic/GP29A.pdf

As you can see, the projected life span is about 35 hours.

And here's the UK web site listing GP29A, with links to retailers.
http://www.gppowerbank.co.uk/otherGPBatteries.html

Now, go and get yourself a multimeter, and make a habit out of checking the reading before every show you tape. You can't gamble when it comes to these crucial things.

After that, grab a new battery and tell us if that solved the problem...

Take care,

Jan