Relay Users, I Think I've Found Our AAs

[walterw]

i just acquired a line 6 relay G50, and not wanting to be running out of batteries all the time, i scored this rechargeable AA setup from greenbatteries.com.



all i can say is "wow!"

the damn things say that they charge up to 1.6V (instead of a regular AA's 1.5V), but i measured them after the initial charge-up at more like 1.82V.

the gig was 2 days after i charged them up (where i measured them still hanging at like 1.8V), but here's the kicker:

after three 45 minute sets, they still had about 1.7 volts in them! (i measured before load-out.) that means that as far as the transmitter was concerned (which has a charge meter display reading in "hours left"), after a full night of playing they still had 100% of their charge!

i'll be running the same pair again tomorrow night to see how they hang over the course of two gigs, and will report back, but so far i'm very impressed. (and the relay g50 itself is a winner, too.)

[anarkink]

Hmm..keep us posted. I thought those things destroyed batteries.

[TL5]

The problem I've had with most over the counter AA rechargeables is, even with a full charge they're only 1.2 volts.
This looks interesting.

[TheMutt]

Interesting to know. I don't own a wireless unit, but regularly use batteries in all manner of other electronics around the house, and will need to use them in an external flash unit I want to get for my camera.
I've heard many good things about Eneloops, but if these are better, I might have to pick some up. I'll probably wait til someone (or lots of someones) else has tried em first however. Not that I doubt you, I'm just hoping that you didn't get the super awesome freak occurrence pack of AA's.

[walterw]

OK, these things are freaking me out a little.

second gig, three 45-50 minute sets on the same initial charge, and after it's over they're reading about 1.6V!

that means after two gigs in a row, they're still showing in the transmitter's display at 100% power.

pretty good if you ask me.

[Robertron]

Gigs or not, I really want these for the house if this is true.

[walterw]

i suppose they wouldn't make sense for long-term low-drain stuff like flashlights or tv remotes, but for high-drain things like camera flashes they might just be the ticket.

[StuartV]

Just for the record, these batteries are only 1500mAh.

I got a pack of Energizer AA NiMH batteries a while back that are 2450mAh. Got 'em at Sam's Club. 8 pack, plus 4 AAA, plus a charger, for around $30, I think.

I know some people say that AA rechargeable's are too low of a voltage for some stuff, but I've had no issues with them running my IEM receiver or anything else that I use them in.

Low voltage is a concern, but high voltage with half the Ah of juice might not actually last any longer in any particular device.

[walterw]

after a few gigs, this bears out.

the batteries stay above 1.6V until right before they die.

unfortunately, this means that the "hours left" display in the transmitter becomes useless.

i can still get two solid gigs out of one charge, which is plenty of justification for rechargables for me.

i will just routinely swap out the pair for the charged-up pair at the beginning of each gig and i should be just fine.

[FreaqyFrequency]

Whoa...Walter? Alpha Music Walter? Holy crap. I didn't know you were here! (FWIW, I'm the kid who has the blue EB/MM Bongo 6 when I come in, you may or may not remember me.)

Anyway, thanks for reporting in on this. I'll pick up a set when I cash out for a G30.

[walterw]

hey, man, yeah i remember you!

anyway, it's the charger that has the 1500mAh figure.

the batteries themselves boast "2500mWhrs". (i'm not quite sure how that figure translates from milliamps to milliwatts, though.)

the charger now lives on a pedaltrain nano along with the receiver, which sits on top of my amp and all gets powered with one AC cable.

works great.

[StuartV]

Watts = Amps x Volts. So, 1.5A * 1.5V = 2.25W.

In other words a 1500mAH AA battery (nominal 1.5V) means it's 2250mWH.

Also, I got my Line6 G30 last week. B Stock from American Musical was $200 w/free shipping. It looks like brand new and, so far, works just fine with NiMH AA rechargeables (which mine are 2450mAH).

[ga_edwards]

I would look at rechargeable batteries mAh capacity more than voltage for longevity. Any AA will supply required voltage to operate the unit well, mAh is what gives you longer running time. I believe 2800 mAh is about as high as you can get.

[steve_rolfeca]

I've been researching the Powergenix NiZn AA's, and reports are mixed about them.

For instance, if you look up the 4-pack with charger on Amazon, you'll see some negative reviews, mainly from photographers using them in strobes and other high-drain devices, and positives from people using them in equipment with lower current draw...

They are indeed 1500Mah, so they don't pack as much wallop as 2400 or 2700Mah NiMH's, but they hold their voltage higher and more consistently. There are already a few references to them on TB from people who've used them successfully in their wireless systems.

My read of the mixed reviews, is that they don't like to be deep-discharged or run hard enough to get hot, and that the higher voltage can be a problem in some devices that use them in a series pair ( 3.7v just out of the charger). They also self-discharge quickly if they're left in the charger when it's unplugged, but that's the charger's fault, not the batteries.

I wouldn't use them in a high current draw situation (I saw one report that they off-gas hydrogen if run for too long in a high-power flashlight), but they sound ideal for our application.

The keys would be to recharge often, store them out of the charger when it's not powered up, and keep them insulated from each other when not in use.

That last item is a biggie with any battery chemistry, as anyone can tell you who's received a burn from keeping NiCad or NiMH rechargeable batteries loose in the same pocket!