Interesting and unsettling experience with batteries

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gecko zzed

gecko zzed

Grumpy Mod
In October I was doing sound for a show, which entailed using four radio mikes.

During sound check I noted that the batteries in the mikes were running a bit low, so I went to replace them. Oops . . . no spare batteries. I normally have batteries floating around everywhere.

No worries . . . I popped into the car and went looking for some more. Only place open nearby was a pharmacy that happened to have some. But they only had Lithium batteries, which cost three times the normal price. But I got them anyway, and had fresh batteries for the show. All went well, no problems.

Since October, I was involved in another show and its rehearsals, also requiring radio mikes. Rehearsals went well, and no problems with the mikes.

The show started, and first night went well. Again no problems. The Lithium batteries were doing the job and showing great staying powers.

Second night starts, and the batteries are still showing full power. Awesome.

Then a singer does her song, puts the mike the stand. Next singer picks it up, sings . . . and nothing. Battery indicator shows zero! WTF?

And one by one, the four mikes go from full to nothing.

Fortunately, I had other batteries and managed to salvage the situation.

I wonder if this is a characteristic of Li batteries; that they go from full to nothing when they run out.

I'm used to seeing the battery power indicators gradually dropping off as the batteries near then end of their lives., not going from max to mininum in a blink.
 
It might be that the mics have a very specifc operating range, and once the battery drain hits it, they show as 100% dead...?
 
miroslav said:
It might be that the mics have a very specifc operating range, and once the battery drain hits it, they show as 100% dead...?
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Possibly.

However, when using more conventional batteries, I'm used to seeing the power indicators gradually showing a reduction in available capacity.
 
*Never trust a used battery*

That's our motto here.
Fresh batteries for every night or matinee shows.
Used one's are OK for an afternoon's rehearsal for it's not that big of a deal if they die, die, die.

The manual for the wireless microphone sets will tell you what to expect for a rough amount of hours of being on not so much as being used. before your in trouble.

Problem being that all the different makes and models of wireless units vary in there consumption of the poor defenseless Volt.

Then to top it all off ..... you can't trust the quality control from the battery factories. China's being the worst!

Now how long do you think that those batteries that you picked up at the pharmacy sat on the self? Most people don't purchase such items there, they get them at the big box stores that sell them at a cheaper price. ~ a battery can lose up to 20% of it's charge by sitting on a shelf for 8 months.

I've found that 9Volts are the worst with wireless units. Boom! Zoom! They barely make it through a long show.
Where as an AA battery set up has greater staying power.

I think that is why your seeing all most ALL of the makers of wireless systems navigating to the AA voltaic pile.
 
Yo Gecko! Yes, that is a function of lithium batteries. The up side- they don't get weak when they are old. The downside- when they bite, they bite real fast. I use lithiums for lots of remote applications, but I don't re-use them at all. The new rechargeable alkalines (not Nickel Metal Hydride/NiMH) work pretty well. Most importantly, like lithiums and alkalines, they don't lose their charge just sitting around. If you need to pickup that damned emergency flashlight and know it will work- Lithium's are good for that. They're a good buy in terms of non-mission critical equipment, but if you have to toss them after a show, they are not cost effective- unless you can move the used batteries to something that doesn't have to work. There are also, BTW, some electrical systems which attempt to compensate for this, so your battery life indicator can be set for lithium. How well this works, or what the principle behind it is, I have no clue.
 
Good info to know. The cost of Lithiums keep me from using them but now I know the pitfall.
 
Tomm Williams said:
Good info to know. The cost of Lithiums keep me from using them but now I know the pitfall.
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Well, that's part of my point. If you are using them in a CD player or something where you can just change the batteries when they bite, Lithiums beat even the best alkalines, juice per dollar. And for mission critical applications, they are the best battery out there-once. So I use them in the Zoom H4n when they're new, and then put them in a CD player or a Pocket Pod or something afterwards. You will definitely find Lithiums in my CO2 detectors, emergency lights, especially for my med kit, and I usually put a new one in my Taylor and a stomp box before an important gig.
 
It's the same now with portable tools too. Used to be the old NiCAD batteries would slowly wind down and you would know it was time to get a fresh one. The current LiIon batteries go great right up to a point---- and then they cease operation entirely with little advance notice.
 
Good to know. I figured the bat drill I use dropped it off line so suddenly it might have been function in the drill.
 
c7sus said:
It's the same now with portable tools too. Used to be the old NiCAD batteries would slowly wind down and you would know it was time to get a fresh one. The current LiIon batteries go great right up to a point---- and then they cease operation entirely with little advance notice.
Click to expand...

Manufacturers frequently specify what batteries they recommend. Zaxcom specifically advises against using Alkaline in their wireless transmitters as I recall.
 
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