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How often do you change batteries in your active instruments?
- Thread starter semborg
- Start date
Same here. I've never had an issue with battery life although I have noticed that some actives draw almost no power and some others draw quite a bit more.
But since I've gone TRS active power I've been loving it. I've added LEDs to the basses to let me know when power is there (they don't work if I return to battery mode so they won't drain batteries). I've got a converter/wall wart box that works with most actives and I've also built a wall wart into my amps so I can just plug a TRS cable into the amp and bass and go. I LOVE THAT! And on the back of the amp I added a 9v jack that can run a cord to the pedals to power all of them as well.
So far what I haven't done is to deal with the active basses that have snap-out battery holders since I need to have a battery-shaped object that will go in there and short the contacts. I've taken an old 9v battery apart to experiment but haven't made the battery short yet. And of course the BIG coup with TRS power is going to be marker LEDS on my fretless basses with NO BATTERIES. To cool for words.
By the way, my latest mod is on my Morley optical volume pedal. I TRS converted it so it works stock but also will power a TRS powered active bass AND the pedal either from the TRS power from the amp, or the 9v wall wart jack that normally powers it or from the internal 9 volt battery.
No question Rob and I have seen the future of active bass and LOVE it!
I change 'em every 6 months. They'll last a LOT longer than this, but they're cheap enough, and I don't want to wait until I notice the sound deteriorating.
And I only use Duracell/Energiser/etc.
And I only use Duracell/Energiser/etc.
If you think of your active bass like a pedal using battery power, you'll always unplug when not in use. I took a chance when I first got my active, I forgot to change the battery from previous owner. I could barely get the bass to tune. Got really confused, as it sounded like my amp was blowing. So my girl had to run to the store to get batteries during our first song. Never again. I change before every show, just to ensure I don't cause a bad set.
+1 to the line tester.....I need one of those!
+1 to the line tester.....I need one of those!
I put a sticker with the date on every battery. The ones in a bass that I have not been using a lot have a 2008 date. I think that they need to be replaced when the are near 6V.
There was a thread here not too long ago. That was mostly about a box I built to use with the One Spot 9v power wart but basically I also did the same thing inside my amp. Only difference was I added a 9v jack on the back of the amp to power pedals as well as wiring the jacks TRS for power.
Nothing much to see as amp pretty much looks the same except for a "phantom" power on-off switch and an LED pilot light. In "off" position the ring line is shorted so that active basses with batteries will still work without going to a mono cable. One spot warts are short-circuit protected just in case you plug in a mono cable with the power on.
I bought a Keith McMillen Batt-O - Meter (advertised in Bass Player magazine). You can plug it in to your bass or any battery powered device and a digital read out will give you the % of battery and the hours of power left. You can also test 9 volt batteries on the side of the device. Never guess again - never replace batteries before necessary - a great investment
