Tascam DR-40 battery problem

[mortstiff]

One month into using the DR-40, I've encountered a problem with the battery. I am no longer getting a full charge (only 3 bars out of 4), and today, after about 10-15 minutes of recording, I received a warning that the battery was nearly empty. I wondering if this is normal or if perhaps the player (or rechargeable) batteries are defective. Has anyone also encountered this problem? Any recommendations for coping? Thanks.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Hi there,
The DR40 uses three AA batteries so I'd just switch them out with new ones and see if you're then able to get a full charge.
That would rule out any fault with the DR.

Of course, make certain that the batteries you're using are, indeed, rechargeable.

 

[keith.rogers]

You should get years out of NiMH batteries, but IME they don't last on a full charge as long as good Alkaline cells. But you can save a lot of $ using them. I keep a few AAs around (Panasonic Eneloop is my "go-to" brand.) for quick use when I need to fire up the old Zoom H2. But, TBH, if I'm using it at some casual thing I'll spring for some Alkaline batteries because they'll almost surely go the entire time.

You need to make sure the battery type you are using matches what you have set in the system menu in order to get an accurate reading of the battery level remaining.

If you really want to run the recorder for long periods of time, get one of those phone charger packs with massive storage. I use those with my Zoom H6. I tested the bigger one and got tired watching it record 4 tracks with phantom power for 6 hours and it still had juice left. And I've been using that for a few years. It is a bit less portable with the cabling, but boy does it remove the worry about running out of power.

P.S. [MENTION=197968]mortstiff[/MENTION], How are you charging the batteries and is the charger made specifically for those batteries, i.e., same brand and "generation"?

 

[mortstiff]

Thanks for these replies.

As it turned out, when I opened up the battery compartment, I was surprised to find that the AA alkaline batteries that came with the recorder were not rechargeable. I hadn't noticed that when I put them in, and when I checked their power, they were borderline low, so I replaced them with other alkalines and there is the full charge. I think what got me confused is that when I tried to recharge by connecting via cable to my laptop, they recharged, but only to a certain point.

As it turns out, I remembered that I had a powerful Jackery charger pack, so I'll probably just use that from this point on. I had been reluctant to connect to an AC outlet because of logistical problems and had completely forgotten about the Jackery. So on both counts, the best I can do is slap myself on the forehead and say 'duh.'

What is bizarre is that when I searched online for AA rechargeable alkalines, I couldn't find any. All the AA alkalines I came across are non-rechargeable. There are rechargeable AAA alkalines, however. I guess I'll keep searching, but it is not so urgent now.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Hey,
Glad it was something simple.
I'd dispose of those old alkalines - They could leak and cause damage to something.

 

[skysimonephoto]

Hey so I have this problem and its not my battieres. I bought the Tascam Dr40 a few years back but very rarely use it.. well the last week I've been trying to use it a lot, and the sound is amazing but the batteries die within like 30 minutes!

This thing is sucking battery life!

I've tried disposable AA's and I've tried rechargable Eneloops.. no matter what I try the batteries are dying in about 30 minutes, whats going on?

 

[TalismanRich]

I have a Zoom H4n, and I don't think I've used it on battery a half dozen times in 7 or 8 years that I've had it. It's AC all the way.

That said, the Tascam is supposed to run a long time on 2 channel. Two things that I can think of that will drain power is using phantom power on condensers (some use a fair amount) and monitoring at high levels or using very inefficient headphones. The Zoom claims to run "up to 5.5 hours" which probably means 2 channels using the internal mics. If I remember correctly, the one time I used mine with a pair of SDCs and the internals I got less than 2 hours out of it, so how you are using it will have a effect on battery life.

 

[skysimonephoto]

I have a Zoom H4n, and I don't think I've used it on battery a half dozen times in 7 or 8 years that I've had it. It's AC all the way.

That said, the Tascam is supposed to run a long time on 2 channel. Two things that I can think of that will drain power is using phantom power on condensers (some use a fair amount) and monitoring at high levels or using very inefficient headphones. The Zoom claims to run "up to 5.5 hours" which probably means 2 channels using the internal mics. If I remember correctly, the one time I used mine with a pair of SDCs and the internals I got less than 2 hours out of it, so how you are using it will have a effect on battery life.

Thanks for replying,

I did not have headphones plugged in. I have tried both eneloop rechargables as well as regular disposable batteries.

What is phantom power?

 

[TalismanRich]

I would think that Alkaline would give the longest time, although they are one time use. On your Enerloop rechargeables, there is usually a rating in milli amp hours. It can range from 1500 to 2500 for AA batteries. Are they new batteries, and are you doing a fast charge? Fast chargers usually don't reach maximum level.

RE: phantom power

Condenser microphones require voltage to operate. It provides power to put a charge on the capsule, and operate any circuitry in the mic that boosts the signal. You will mostly see them classified as Large Diameter Condensers and Small Diameter Condensers. Examples would the mics like the Rode NT1, MXL990, Neumann U87, AKG P170. LDCs have a capsule of 1 inch or larger. SDCs are usually around 1/2 inch. Interfaces, and hand held recorders have an option to apply that voltage in the setup.

The other popular mics are dynamic mics, which operate essentially like a speaker in reverse. You have a coil of wire around a magnet attached to a diaphragm. Examples would be the Shure SM57, Sennheiser e835 or ElectroVoice RE20.

If you are only using the internal mics on the DR40 you don't need to worry about the setting, however you might want to turn off the phantom power just to avoid it being active.

Tascam lists the following as record times, but notice they don't mention using external mics w/phantom. Just using 4 channels cuts time by 40-50%. In any case, 30 minutes seems unusually short.