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My batteries are ALWAYS dead. HELP!?

patlozrox

patlozrox

Guest
Apr 10, 2012
165
5
Munster, Indiana
Disclosures
Losiniecki LED Customs (My own company)
#1
So, I have an active Washburn bass. I love the thing. The tone. The neck. The look. But my battery is dead about every 2 weeks. I don't leave it plugged in when I'm not playing it. Is there something else that can kill them? I bought it used, so did the previous owner maybe do something to it? This is becoming a real problem. Help?
 
#3
I had the EXACT same problem a few years back with a Warwick Corvette Rockbass. Even the time - it was every 2 weeks for me as well. Did some research, turns out something caused the battery to still be pumping out juice even when the cable was unplugged. Tried to fix it myself, botched it, and took it in for someone else to fix whatever minor wiring issue it was. Cost me about $15-$20, after that it was perfect.
 
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#4
You should use a multimeter in current (Ampere) measuring mode and put it between battery and battery clip. That way you can see whether you still leak current when it is not plugged in.

Obviously the most likely cause of such leakage would be an input plug that is partially cut short, so alternatively you could just take the plug out and measure resistance around it.

Chances are that re-seating or replacing the plug fixes it without investigation.
 
#5
In most cases, this is caused by the ground, somehow remaining when the jack is removed from the trs jack.
First thing to check is if there are 3 contacts on the input jack, if there are only 2, then this is your issue.
if it is not, find the lug on the jack where the neg (-) side of the battery clips is, (if you have a multi-meter, this will be
very helpful) use a multi meter and switch it to "continuity", with the input jack not plugged in, test the neg (-) battery lug of the
jack with the other jack lugs (and cavity ground), if continuity is found, ensure that the ground is isolated from the neg (-) battery lug. Make sure that if there is cavity shielding, that it is not interfering with this. Also, ensure that there is no other ground used on the neg(-) lug of the input jack.
 
#7
The Battery negative is probably connected to the sleeve instead of the ring, or it is possible that someone put a mono jack in place of the stereo jack so you are not getting a switching action when the cable is unplugged.
 
#8
Hopkins said:
The Battery negative is probably connected to the sleeve instead of the ring, or it is possible that someone put a mono jack in place of the stereo jack so you are not getting a switching action when the cable is unplugged.
Click to expand...
That should not matter as long as the ring and sleeve in the jack are not touching or shorting to one another. It takes the sleeve on the guitar cable to short between the ring and sleeve to complete the power circuit. With the cable unplugged the ring and sleeve should not be connected thereby opening up the Battery Power circuit and turning the pre-amp off.
 
#9
LoveThatBass said:
That should not matter as long as the ring and sleeve in the jack are not touching or shorting to one another. It takes the sleeve on the guitar cable to short between the ring and sleeve to complete the power circuit. With the cable unplugged the ring and sleeve should not be connected thereby opening up the Battery Power circuit and turning the pre-amp off.
Click to expand...

If the negative off of the battery is connected to the ground circuit when the cable is not plugged in it will be a constant drain on the battery, which is why I said the negative may be connected to the ring instead of the sleeve. It matters a great deal.
 
#11
LoveThatBass said:
Oh now we are on the same page, however I would hook only the negative wire from the battery to the sleeve or if you prefer only the negative battery wire to thr ring. All grounds should go to the contact the negative wire is not connected to
Click to expand...

Right, that's what I said. The negative battery wire should go to the sleeve, what I was saying is that it sounds like someone hooked it up to the ring with the rest of the connections, or replaced the jack with the wrong jack, which basically would be the same thing.
 
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#12
patlozrox said:
So, I have an active Washburn bass. I love the thing. The tone. The neck. The look. But my battery is dead about every 2 weeks. I don't leave it plugged in when I'm not playing it. Is there something else that can kill them? I bought it used, so did the previous owner maybe do something to it? This is becoming a real problem. Help?
Click to expand...
Can you post clear photos of the connections to the jack socket, that should be enough to see what is going on in the cavity.
 
#14
The negative battery wire should go to the sleeve
Click to expand...

The negative battery wire goes to the ring. The sleeve is for the earth connection.


26364d1384714819-trs-explanation.jpg
 
#16
patlozrox said:
So, I have an active Washburn bass. I love the thing. The tone. The neck. The look. But my battery is dead about every 2 weeks. I don't leave it plugged in when I'm not playing it. Is there something else that can kill them? I bought it used, so did the previous owner maybe do something to it? This is becoming a real problem. Help?
Click to expand...
Had the same problem. The input jack is stuck. There are 3 contacts, ring, tip, sleeve. The ring is still in contact when unplugged. Its the - side of the power circuit, activating when plugged in. Replace the jack, or remove it and bent the tang away slightly. Just noticed the picture, posted above. Mines looks like a barrel.
 
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#17
Sometimes, the jack is fine, but it's been installed or tightened so its ring lug is shorting on some shielding paint or something.

If the socket is like the one in that link I found, you can bend the lugs in and away from any shielding. You can also put heatshrink over the solder joints if it looks like a close thing, or if it's likely to happen again.

+1 for Ex-tension's post. There's heaps of threads about this...
 

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