Line 6 G50 Wireless and Battery Life

[JackTheRipper]

I've had a Line 6 G50 wireless for about 6 months now that I bought new and have used it at probably 3 or 4 gigs. I really like it, but have a nagging issue with the transmitter's battery life. FWIW, I use Duracell alkaline batteries in it.

The issue is that when I get to a gig, the batteries in the transmitter are dead. I've had this happen twice now. I'm 100% sure that I turned the transmitter off when I stored it in my bag. Is it too much to expect the batteries to work after say 30 or so days of not using the unit (I don't use it for rehearsals)?

I guess I'll just start pulling the batteries out after use as part of my normal routine, but that kinda sucks.

--jack

[theduke1]

I have always removed batteries from anything between gigs My G50 and my Carvin in ear monitors. and always get great life out of the batteries.
I don't knowwhy you would leave them in???

[QweziRider]

I not only always remove them, I always use fresh batteries for every gig. I know, they're supposed to have a lot of hours on them. I just don't trust them as a weak link in the system and think of fresh batteries as a cost of doing business.

[bassgod0dmw]

Originally Posted by theduke1

I don't knowwhy you would leave them in???

Had I not seen this thread...I would leave them in. I don't take the batteries out of my active basses or anything else that is battery powered in my rig.

I don't own a wireless yet. Reason being, I don't want to use new batteries for every single gig. I'm far from being an environmental nut but I think it's too wasteful. One of these days I'll come around, I just wish there were good options for rechargeables.

[TXLawDawg]

Good options for rechargeables? I've never used anything but Energizer rechargeables in my G30; not a single problem. This is the second thread I've seen regarding similar topics so I may indeed be the exception and not the rule.

[Got2SadowskyNYC]

I've don't have this problem and I leave them in all the time.

FYI: I use Energize NiMH rechargeable. A bit better battery life and save you lots of money. One thing, when the battery life light starts flashing, better change quick.

I run mine in low power mode nearly all the time.

[QweziRider]

Originally Posted by bassgod0dmw

...I don't want to use new batteries for every single gig. I'm far from being an environmental nut but I think it's too wasteful.

I just give 'em to my kid after a gig. He has so many projects and things he likes to build that use batteries, it's better to let him kill them off than throw them out.

[JackTheRipper]

Originally Posted by theduke1

I have always removed batteries from anything between gigs My G50 and my Carvin in ear monitors. and always get great life out of the batteries.
I don't knowwhy you would leave them in???

Why would I leave them in? Really?? Well, convenience for one. Secondly, my gigs rarely last more than an hour, so I would expect to get a few gigs out of the batteries. Modern batteries have a decent shelf life so I expect that they would be good to go after sitting for 30 days or so.

Do you remove the battery from your car every day? Your flashlight? Active bass?

--jack

[JackTheRipper]

Originally Posted by Got2SadowskyNYC

I've don't have this problem and I leave them in all the time.

FYI: I use Energize NiMH rechargeable. A bit better battery life and save you lots of money. One thing, when the battery life light starts flashing, better change quick.

I run mine in low power mode nearly all the time.

Thanks, this was very helpful. I might try the rechargeable route at some point. I just wanted to know if other people were having the same experience or if I perhaps had a problem with my transmitter. I have a second transmitter that I will try and see if it does the same thing.

--jack

[bluewine]

I play 4 hour gigs, that means new batteries for every show.

Blue

[Gearhead17]

Strange issue. You are supposed to get 8-9 hours of life on two AA's. I think I average the 8 hours. I leave them in after every gig and get two 3 hour shows out of them without an issue. Never had them drained even after leaving them in for 3 weeks without a show....

I use Rayovac AA's. I buy a 20 pack and save some money.

[bassmeknik]

My G50 lasts for about an hour after the warning light goes red. A non issue as none of our sets are that long...

If run continuously mine lasts the night (4 hr. show) and part of the next night. If I shut it off between sets it lasts a little more than 2 performances. Had the light go red on the first song and it still made it through the set.

FWIW I use Meijer brand alkaline batteries, decent lasting for the money IMO.

[spego]

I leave batteries in mine all the time......whether its alkaline or rechargables......they don't die. They shouldn't be dead if the transmitter is off.....something isn't right there and never heard of that before. You can remove them to avoid killing batteries if you HAVE to but you shouldn't have to do that. It may be a sign of a larger issue to come.

I only use rechargables in mine anymore......the power graph doesn't compute correctly though (shows full charge and then suddenly drops to red right before it dies). If you just put a fresh charged set in before the gig you will never have issues. I use the remaining power for rehearsals to kill them before recharging (or just leave it on to drain them). I have like 5 or 6 sets now I always have charged in case.

[craig.p]

There are fakes floating around out there. About a year ago I "got used" when I bought a few dozen Duracells for various purposes around the house, though I was unaware of it at the time. About a year after I got them I started getting crappy life out of them. Then they started leaking that white junk in everything I put them in. Then they started leaking white junk right in the blister pack. They were years away from the printed expiration date. Close inspection of the blister pack revealed they were cheap Chinese knock-offs of the real thing. No wonder they were such a good deal.

[JackTheRipper]

For those of you that don't have the issue I'm having...When you store the transmitter, do you unplug the instrument cable? I don't and I'm wondering if that has any influence on the issue. I have opened a support ticket with Line 6 so we'll see how it goes.

--jack

[TXLawDawg]

I don't remove the cable but that's with a G30.

[spego]

Originally Posted by JackTheRipper

For those of you that don't have the issue I'm having...When you store the transmitter, do you unplug the instrument cable? I don't and I'm wondering if that has any influence on the issue. I have opened a support ticket with Line 6 so we'll see how it goes.

--jack

I do not unplug the cable on my G50.......it stays attached and the transmitter stays attached to the strap.

Good luck.

[bassmeknik]

I usually unplug the cable from the transmitter and always put the entire package (G50) in my bass case (hard shell case).

[dboomer]

Originally Posted by JackTheRipper

For those of you that don't have the issue I'm having...When you store the transmitter, do you unplug the instrument cable? I don't and I'm wondering if that has any influence on the issue. I have opened a support ticket with Line 6 so we'll see how it goes.

--jack

Hey Jack

There is zero drain on the batteries when the transmitter power switch is off. Doesn't matter whether or not a cable is plugged in.

Just for your own ease of mind you should do a battery test. If you have a G50/55/90 you can read the time available. you should see between 7 1/2 and 8 1/2 hours depending on how fresh the batteries are. Put a new set of alkaline batteries in and turn on the transmitter. Mark the time on a clock. Remember that when the red LED comes on you have aprox 2 hours left. Red LED does not mean dead. It blinks when you get down to the last 40 minutes... Chose your own comfort level. So how many hours do you get?

I think when you use an hour here and an hour there people just lose track.

NImH rechargeable usually work fine... But the battery meter won't be right at all and as someone mentioned when the red LED comes on you may have only minutes left. Usually anything bigger than 2400mAH batteries don't fit as they exceed the standards for AA batteries so if you use them they may get stuck. You won't get as much time as with alkalines so recharging before every gig is probably a good idea. YMMV

Don Boomer
Line 6, Inc

[JackTheRipper]

Originally Posted by dboomer

Hey Jack

There is zero drain on the batteries when the transmitter power switch is off. Doesn't matter whether or not a cable is plugged in.

Just for your own ease of mind you should do a battery test. If you have a G50/55/90 you can read the time available. you should see between 7 1/2 and 8 1/2 hours depending on how fresh the batteries are. Put a new set of alkaline batteries in and turn on the transmitter. Mark the time on a clock. Remember that when the red LED comes on you have aprox 2 hours left. Red LED does not mean dead. It blinks when you get down to the last 40 minutes... Chose your own comfort level. So how many hours do you get?

I think when you use an hour here and an hour there people just lose track.

NImH rechargeable usually work fine... But the battery meter won't be right at all and as someone mentioned when the red LED comes on you may have only minutes left. Usually anything bigger than 2400mAH batteries don't fit as they exceed the standards for AA batteries so if you use them they may get stuck. You won't get as much time as with alkalines so recharging before every gig is probably a good idea. YMMV

Don Boomer
Line 6, Inc

Thanks, Don. I will do a battery test and see how long they last. I know for certain that I put a new set of Duracell batteries in for about a 1-hour gig. Turned the transmitter off and put it away for about 4 weeks. When I went to use it, the batteries are dead. New set of batteries and the unit works fine. I have only used the G50 3 or 4 times since I bought it new. Each time for about an hour.

Thanks, I'll try to do the battery test tomorrow.

--jack