Topic: SP-SPSB-8 moving battery question

[klingklang]

I've had a SP-SPSB-8 since about July 2010.  In January 2011, I started having a problem where my mics sometimes wouldn't be picked up by the recorder.  It was frustrating because everything would work at home or before I got into a venue, but once at the show, it wouldn't work.  And last week, I taped a show where I would look at my recorder to make sure it's running and I ended up with some bad popping and dropouts (I keep my recorder in the same pocket as the battery box).   

I've since discovered it's because the 9v in the SP-SPSB-8 is shifting (the foam that lays at the base of the battery is getting worn down).  I did a makeshift job at stuffing the battery box with more foam, but when I taped a show this past Monday, I still had problems (e.g. the mics wouldn't get picked up because the battery shifted; I've got popping in my recording when I had to move to let people go by me in the row I was sitting in).  I've now got Scotch fastener material next to the worn down foam in the battery box since I thought this to be a sturdier material to hold the battery in place.  But I was wondering, is it bad for the connectors of the battery box to have the battery so secure and possibly creating pressure?  It's not secure to the point of where I can't get the battery in and out, but it's extremely tight in there.  It's definitely keeping the battery from moving, though, and I'm not getting any pops or dropouts when I'm doing test runs at home.   

Thanks in advance!

[mattmiller]

Are you sure it's the battery moving that's causing the problem and not a loose connection to the battery?  Do the contacts snap onto the battery securely?  I'd think that if that connection was secure, a little movement of the battery wouldn't matter.

[kfrinkle]

I had the same problem with my spsb-8, and it was the connection that went from the battery to the 1/8"  male plug, unfortunately, it was inside the plasticy mess between the battery and the cable, so it had to be completely rebuilt.

[klingklang]

Are you sure it's the battery moving that's causing the problem and not a loose connection to the battery?  Do the contacts snap onto the battery securely?  I'd think that if that connection was secure, a little movement of the battery wouldn't matter.

The contacts seem to snap okay at first, but then the battery moves and the + side of the battery comes completely off its contact.  Before I shoved fastener in there, the battery actually had to lean to the left in order for the + side of the battery to stay in place.  Now I have it more evenly balanced. 

I had the same problem with my spsb-8, and it was the connection that went from the battery to the 1/8"  male plug, unfortunately, it was inside the plasticy mess between the battery and the cable, so it had to be completely rebuilt.

I was wondering if that might be my problem too.  Either that or the line-in on my recorder.  But I've tried moving around both the male and female plugs, and it doesn't seem to cause any sound problems.  Did you know it was your cable causing the problem before it got fixed?  Or was that discovered during its rebuilding?

I'm tempted to ask Sound Pros, but I don't want to be without a battery box for the next couple of months (since I'd probably have to send it in for them to check it).