Active basses, jack in/jack out?

[mcnach]

2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=9v+rechargeable+USB+PP3&_sacat=0&_sop=15

"Stable discharge Voltage from 8.45v down to 7v to supply power for device "

7V should be plenty for most applications.

 

when a battery has died on me on various basses (invariably on 'home use' instruments, any gigging instrument gets battery replacements regularly) the voltage appeared to be anything between 8-8.4 V

This is measured simply with a multimeter, it may not be the correct way to measure it?

[dmccombe7]

10 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

when a battery has died on me on various basses (invariably on 'home use' instruments, any gigging instrument gets battery replacements regularly) the voltage appeared to be anything between 8-8.4 V

This is measured simply with a multimeter, it may not be the correct way to measure it?

Think that's the measurement off load. A new battery would normally be 9.3 - 9.5V off load You'd have to check it when plugged in and playing thru your amp for an accurate reading.

Once a battery reads 8-8.5V off load i bin them.

My rechargeable AA & AAA batteries charge up to 1.41 Volts when fully charged.

Dave

Edited October 15, 2019 by dmccombe7

[DoubleOhStephan]

1 hour ago, TimR said:

Yes. 7.6v is what most batteries deliver under load. 
 

Could always replace the standard volume control with a push/pull (on/off)/ volume control. 

I've had "remove the lead" drummed into me, but out of interest, would the push/pull active/passive volume controls do the same the job? 

[Stub Mandrel]

Truth  is, with the lithium batteries, all I can do is try them out and see how long they last.

My guess is that on the Hohner system there's an LED that probably uses 10mA which would flatten them in about three days on its own, but switched off (but still plugged in) the drain might be a few mA (guess) that would take a couple of weeks.

[Woodinblack]

31 minutes ago, DoubleOhStephan said:

I've had "remove the lead" drummed into me, but out of interest, would the push/pull active/passive volume controls do the same the job? 

Not generally, they just put the signal through, but they don't disconnect the battery. 

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

Not generally, they just put the signal through, but they don't disconnect the battery. 

To explain why, when you switch on an amplifier it will almost always make a click or pop as the capacitors charge up and the bias levels settle down.

As it's not unknown for people to switch active in and out during a performance, this needs to be avoided.

So... if the amp switches on when you plug in a jack, it is in 'standby' and the other switches are just re-routing the signal or changing parameters, less likely to make an unwanted click, pop or even thump.

[mcnach]

4 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Think that's the measurement off load. A new battery would normally be 9.3 - 9.5V off load You'd have to check it when plugged in and playing thru your amp for an accurate reading.

Once a battery reads 8-8.5V off load i bin them.

My rechargeable batteries charge up to 1.41 Volts when fully charged.

Dave

 

I knew there had to be something, thanks!

so how does one measure a battery under load?

[dmccombe7]

4 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

I knew there had to be something, thanks!

so how does one measure a battery under load?

You can connect small croc clips to the battery connectors and play thru your amp and you'll see the voltage drop when plugged in and playing. Have to say i've never actually tried it with a bass so no idea what readings you'll see.

I've done battery voltage checks at work on Instrumentation equipment and its quite noticeable. (it was a quiet day at work )

Dave

[TrevorR]

9 hours ago, DoubleOhStephan said:

I've had "remove the lead" drummed into me, but out of interest, would the push/pull active/passive volume controls do the same the job? 

No, it wouldn’t. But if you did wire a bass like that with “pull for off” it could. Right until you closed the lid of your bass’s case! Click! Same with mini toggles, potentially.

So many (pointless) over engineered solutions on here which rely as much on memory as just unplugging the darned thing. @NancyJohnson, do tell me that your OP was just trolling the lot of us!

Edited October 15, 2019 by TrevorR

[NancyJohnson]

Hey hey @TrevorR

Nope, honestly not trolling.  When I was a kid I remember my brother dishing out some kind of schpiel about leaving headphones plugged into my little cassette recorder would make the batteries go flat, so I guess I have an underlying fear of power failures.

I've had active basses previously (Ibanez, Warwick, MusicMan Bongo, plus a John East) but - and not that I've looked much - I honestly don't have a clue about battery life.  It's 2019, probably would have expected new basses to have some kind of cut out.  I tend to just have a bass plugged in for readiness in the house, suppose I just need to unplug the Spector more often.

See you Sunday.

[TrevorR]

Yup, active players soon get used to unplugging their basses as they put them back on the stand after playing. Most basses use a stereo jack socket - TRS. When you put a (mono) jack in the R & S complete the power circuit as well as acting as negative/earth  for the signal. 

 

Except on Wals where the socket actually has a switch built in which the jack plug physically closes! Typical Wal bit of engineering. 

Unplugging every time and a battery will last months, a year even! Plugged in the battery will just go after a bit, depending on how power hungry the preamp is.

Active Bass 101...

 

[DoubleOhStephan]

@TrevorR thanks for the reply. As I mentioned, I pull the lead out as a matter of course, so it was just a question out of curiosity more than anything. Tbh, I'm as likely to forget to pull the volume knob to go passive, let alone to save battery! 😁

25 minutes ago, TrevorR said:

Unplugging every time and a battery will last months, a year even!

I've put a couple of active bass into storage for a year or two, should the batteries be removed altogether? 

[dmccombe7]

1 hour ago, DoubleOhStephan said:

@TrevorR thanks for the reply. As I mentioned, I pull the lead out as a matter of course, so it was just a question out of curiosity more than anything. Tbh, I'm as likely to forget to pull the volume knob to go passive, let alone to save battery! 😁

I've put a couple of active bass into storage for a year or two, should the batteries be removed altogether? 

Definitely remove batteries if you aren't using them for yrs at a time. If the battery leaks at all it can cost you a few quid depending where the battery is situated on the bass.

I have basses i don't use very often but i check they still play ok every few months and also check battery voltage maybe once or twice a year on all my basses. My Sandberg is used most so i tend to check the battery more regularly.

I only use Duracell in my basses but use Eneloop rechargeable batteries in my wireless keeping a fully charged pair as back up.

Dave

[DoubleOhStephan]

Thanks Dave

We're moving to a slightly smaller home in the coming weeks and I'm losing some bass space (but are gaining a beach!) so I've had to take a few of my basses to my mums. It didn't cross my mind to take the batteries out of the active one! 

[dmccombe7]

33 minutes ago, DoubleOhStephan said:

Thanks Dave

We're moving to a slightly smaller home in the coming weeks and I'm losing some bass space (but are gaining a beach!) so I've had to take a few of my basses to my mums. It didn't cross my mind to take the batteries out of the active one! 

There's always wall hangers for those basses that have been fostered out to your mums. Every owner has a responsibility to ensure his basses are kept lovingly at home. 

All the best with the new house. Living at the beach sounds like a good move tho. Do you need that many basses ???

Dave 

[Twigman]

On this subject, does anyone know how long a 9V battery lasts when left in a plugged in EBMM 3band bass?

I ask because often we leave our instruments on stage between the sound check and the show. The soundcheck might be at 3pm and the show not start til 11pm or later. A couple of times I've almost forgotten to unplug the bass at the end of the soundcheck and i'm wondering if I ever forget, whether I will be facing disaster?

[dmccombe7]

9 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

I knew there had to be something, thanks!

so how does one measure a battery under load?

These are what i use 

[mcnach]

5 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

These are what i use 

 

Thanks!

 

[DoubleOhStephan]

24 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

There's always wall hangers for those basses that have been fostered out to your mums. Every owner has a responsibility to ensure his basses are kept lovingly at home. 

Its most definitely a temporary measure. Once out territories have been established, I'll begin the encroachment war, one hanger at a time 😂

24 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

All the best with the new house. Living at the beach sounds like a good move tho. Do you need that many basses ???

Thanks mate, we can't wait. It's been 2 years in the planning so hoping for the best 😊

You know, I didn't think I did needed that many basses until I didn't have them... 😁

[Stub Mandrel]

39 minutes ago, Twigman said:

On this subject, does anyone know how long a 9V battery lasts when left in a plugged in EBMM 3band bass?

I ask because often we leave our instruments on stage between the sound check and the show. The soundcheck might be at 3pm and the show not start til 11pm or later. A couple of times I've almost forgotten to unplug the bass at the end of the soundcheck and i'm wondering if I ever forget, whether I will be facing disaster?

Get one of these and stop worrying:

[drTStingray]

1 hour ago, Twigman said:

On this subject, does anyone know how long a 9V battery lasts when left in a plugged in EBMM 3band bass?

I ask because often we leave our instruments on stage between the sound check and the show. The soundcheck might be at 3pm and the show not start til 11pm or later. A couple of times I've almost forgotten to unplug the bass at the end of the soundcheck and i'm wondering if I ever forget, whether I will be facing disaster?

I've used these basses for about 40 yrs, and have never had a battery last less than 18 months - I never used to unplug them and have only really done so since reading some of the stories on forums. 

The original Stingray had the battery permanently under load (even when not plugged in) - the circuit was changed after a few years - however even with it in circuit the battery life could be counted in years rather than months - this was covered in the manual.

So this really is a non-issue, often stressed about on other people's behalf by people who don't even own active basses. 

I always pull the end of my jack plug slightly out of the amp socket when the amp is on and the bass not being used and I leave the guitar end of the lead hanging over the bout of the bass (that way I remember to plug it in when starting a gig), and when we start the set push the lead back into the amp - avoiding all pops and bangs, and sudden onsets of feedback!! It also means the battery life is extended.

As I say this really is a non problem and you're far more likely to suffer a lead failure or even a sudden dry joint in the nearly 60 yr old original wiring on your passive 62 P bass!! 

However for those budding inventors around, any chance you could invent an auto toilet seat lowerer - which would help avoid many her who must be obeyeds or mother in laws from maligning the entire male population for the transgression of failing to lower it on every occasion 😂👍😁

Edited October 15, 2019 by drTStingray

[Twigman]

13 minutes ago, drTStingray said:

I always pull the end of my jack plug slightly out of the amp socket when the amp is on and the bass not being used and I leave the guitar end of the lead hanging over the bout of the bass (that way I remember to plug it in when starting a gig), and when we start the set push the lead back into the amp - avoiding all pops and bangs, and sudden onsets of feedback!!

I ALWAYS have the DI on post and ALWAYS press the Mute button on my amp at the end of soundcheck and have not yet forgotten to un-Mute it before the start of the set - it's the last thing I press before playing and the first thing I press before going off stage - that way any plugging and unplugging of cables won't get pops and bangs won't get to the speakers. I also currently drape the bass end of the cable over the stand....i was just concerned about if I could get away with not unplugging the bass end as it would give me one less thing to remember when I get out on stage.

[Twigman]

18 minutes ago, drTStingray said:

 you're far more likely to suffer a sudden dry joint in the nearly 60 yr old original wiring on your passive 62 P bass!! 

 

I don't have one, hence the talk of batteries.

 

 

 

I do however have a 35 year old JV-62 P - but it never gets played these days

[caitlin]

23 minutes ago, drTStingray said:

a sudden dry joint in the nearly 60 yr old original wiring on your passive 62 P bass!! 

Why wouldn't one re-flow the joints with *some* regularity, this is just *maintenance*

[TimR]

You will start to hear distortion from the preamp well before (hours) the battery dies. In my experience, they don’t just suddenly stop working.