Electronics expert can answer this question about battery drain

[MichiganMadDog]

It's my thought that my Schecter 18 volt three band EQ with EMG pups drain the batteries in a month of playing because I crank up the bass, almost all the mids, and highs. Wouldn't playing with bass boosted cause more battery drain?
So if I EQed it down around mid range my batteries would last longer?
Yes I unplug it when done and I practice two to three times a week for at least an hour.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

I am no expert but your EQ will not cause any change in battery drain. That seems like a very short battery life, have you contacted Schecter about the expected battery life?

 

[ddnidd1]

Diming your controls significantly increases the output of a preamp. Increasing the output does draw more current from the battery. Exactly how much - good question.

However a month seems awfully short.

 

[JustForSport]

Your batteries should last 9 mos anyway, poss a year or more,
So there's something not right in the circuit.
Best to have an electrician/tech find where the current is going, and when,
then remedy it.

 

[RobbieK]

Diming your controls significantly increases the output of a preamp. Increasing the output does draw more current from the battery.

Yes and no. When you run a lot of onboard boost, the reduced battery life is not really from any extra current draw, it's more from the higher output reaching the limits of headroom faster as the battery voltage diminishes.

However a month seems awfully short.

I agree. Especially with an 18volt circuit. Try measuring the current draw with a miltimeter. Even with a couple of EMGs and a typical 3-band, it should still be well under 10mA. Even though you unplug when not playing, I'd still check the current draw with the bass unplugged. The jack may be faulty. I've also seen a few basses where the ring connector is shorting to some shielding paint and causing the pre to still be on when unplugged.

Also batteries can really vary in quality. Make sure you use two new batteries of the same brand and type each time you change them. I'd also be checking their individual volatages if you are having troubles like this. Do you buy batteries in bulk? Perhaps you have a bad batch.

 

[line6man]

The amount of boost that you dial in does not have any significant effect on battery life. It is clear that something is wrong with your setup, to cause battery life that short. You should be able to get 6 months to a year, at the very minimum, from the batteries. Start by checking the current draw of the bass, both plugged and unplugged.

 

[lz4005]

You have a defective output jack. It's always a defective output jack.
No way you are draining batteries in 12 hours of use any other way.

 

[Funkinthetrunk]

You have a defective output jack. It's always a defective output jack.
No way you are draining batteries in 12 hours of use any other way.

Or incorrectly wired output jack.

 

[mikezimmerman]

What kind (brand) of 9v batteries do you use?

 

[InterL]

You have a defective output jack.

Or incorrectly wired output jack.

Doesn't it being wired wrong automatically make it defective?

 

[line6man]

Doesn't it being wired wrong automatically make it defective?

No. User error does not constitute a manufacturing defect.

 

[InterL]

No. User error does not constitute a manufacturing defect.

Let me guess: during the day you're a defense attorney for the insurance industry.

 

[Funkinthetrunk]

Doesn't it being wired wrong automatically make it defective?

Not necessarily. If you were to switch 2 spark plug wires on your car, does that mean your engine is defective? (Well, with new cars today, it might cause a thermal nuclear explosion or an inadvertent time travel.)

Sometimes the battery minus and the ground wire are soldered to the wrong connections on the jack. It happens. Does not affect the tone of the preamp, just the battery life...as the battery is always on and not switched off by unplugging the instrument cord. Reverse these connections and all's good. If that's the OP's issue...

 

[InterL]

Not necessarily. If you were to switch 2 spark plug wires on your car, does that mean your engine is defective?

Jeebus people. It was a sarcastic question, not a philosophical argument. You folks gonna start quoting Plato on the nature of language next?

No, I was not starting an argument over the legal definition of the word "defect". I was just pointing out that a miswired jack is still just as broke as an internally goofed up one. I didn't expect a Spanish Inquisition over it.

Sarcastic comment gladly withdrawn.

 

[Funkinthetrunk]

Plato had a car?

 

[InterL]

Plato had a car?

Sure he does.

Jason Plato's won the British Touring Car Champoonship two or three times.. He's a heck of a driver!

 

[nashvillebill]

The circuit is defective if the jack is miswired, but the jack may not be actually defective. When trying to diagnose and repair electronic stuff these semantics actually do make a difference. A defective jack gets replaced. A miswired circuit gets rewired properly. Gotta agree with line6man.

 

[walterw]

Jeebus people. It was a sarcastic question, not a philosophical argument. You folks gonna start quoting Plato on the nature of language next?

those shadows on the wall of the cave you're trapped in are actually schematics

 

[InterL]

The circuit is defective if the jack is miswired, but the jack may not be actually defective. When trying to diagnose and repair electronic stuff these semantics actually do make a difference. A defective jack gets replaced. A miswired circuit gets rewired properly. Gotta agree with line6man.

Dude, the remark was SARCASTIC. As in not serious. Get it?

Honestly . . . !

 

[InterL]

those shadows on the wall of the cave you're trapped in are actually schematics

It's my own fault for attempting casual conversation in a thread filled with people who memorize resistor color charts for fun.