Page 1 of 1

battery change

PostPosted:Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:08 am
by nuthatchwinters
hello all. just curious as to what some of the other guys experience has been with how frequently you have to change the 9 volt with the buffer/pre amp and OBEL. I've changed mine twice in the past week and just was curious if this is common. I do play a lot, at least a couple hours a day and sometime as much as 5 or 6 hours a day on the weekend so its definitely been in use an awful lot. thanks for any input.

Re: battery change

PostPosted:Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:36 am
by ac4468
Doesn't sound right to me. If you're wired properly, AND you unplug your guitar after each use you should get months out of a battery. Have guitars that have gone nearly a year with nightly home use which would mean well over 100 hours of use.

Re: battery change

PostPosted:Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:51 am
by nuthatchwinters
ok. thanks 4468. and yes, if anyone might ask, I unplug jack after playing every time.

Re: battery change

PostPosted:Fri Nov 10, 2017 12:03 pm
by TI4-1009
Yeah- if it's wired right the only time the battery is in the circuit is when you have a plug in the output (not the OBEL) jack. That's why the output jack is a three-connection jack- not the normal two-connection. The third connection makes the battery circuit complete. Check and see if there are three wires going to BOTH of the jacks in the control cavity.

Re: battery change

PostPosted:Fri Dec 01, 2017 11:32 am
by nuthatchwinters
well just to update, turns out to be a bad tube in the amp and no battery or wiring problem. had been playing and was losing volume and the sound was off and automatically just assume its a problem with the guitar having just had it modded and just waiting for something to go wrong with it (guitar) but everything seems to be good. just have to replace a tube or maybe 2.

Re: battery change

PostPosted:Sat Dec 02, 2017 4:57 am
by kurt eye
TI4-1009 wrote:Yeah- if it's wired right the only time the battery is in the circuit is when you have a plug in the output (not the OBEL) jack. That's why the output jack is a three-connection jack- not the normal two-connection. The third connection makes the battery circuit complete. Check and see if there are three wires going to BOTH of the jacks in the control cavity.
I've really come to hate that design of relying on the output jack for the battery circuit. I'm going to modify my guitar to have a battery and buffer on/off. Anyone have a wiring diagram they'd care to share? :lol:

Re: battery change

PostPosted:Mon Dec 04, 2017 7:43 pm
by TI4-1009
kurt eye wrote:
TI4-1009 wrote:Yeah- if it's wired right the only time the battery is in the circuit is when you have a plug in the output (not the OBEL) jack. That's why the output jack is a three-connection jack- not the normal two-connection. The third connection makes the battery circuit complete. Check and see if there are three wires going to BOTH of the jacks in the control cavity.
I've really come to hate that design of relying on the output jack for the battery circuit. I'm going to modify my guitar to have a battery and buffer on/off. Anyone have a wiring diagram they'd care to share? :lol:
Seems like all you'd have to do is add a switch in the battery/buffer loop? Wasn't there a thread a few months (or more?) ago about using a push/pull pot for that purpose? Do a search for buffer switch push pull and you'll find some.

Re: battery change

PostPosted:Tue Dec 19, 2017 8:25 am
by flyingheelhook
i actually figured out how to test my batteries with a simple volt meter the other day. Turns out most of the ones I had switched out as part of a regular maintenance pattern (3-5 months) (saved them for other possible uses), still had between 8.5 - 9 volts reading. Thats without load, of course.

Re: battery change

PostPosted:Tue Dec 19, 2017 8:32 am
by milobender
flyingheelhook wrote:i actually figured out how to test my batteries with a simple volt meter the other day. Turns out most of the ones I had switched out as part of a regular maintenance pattern (3-5 months) (saved them for other possible uses), still had between 8.5 - 9 volts reading. Thats without load, of course.
Without a load is the key... You have to have it under load to see it's actual potential. If I suspect the battery, it goes in the garbage, and a new one goes in. If the problem is the same, I try another battery, same thing... it's not the battery. And you can always use a remote power solution "o) :smile: :smile: :smile:

Re: battery change

PostPosted:Tue Dec 19, 2017 1:33 pm
by TI4-1009
milobender wrote: If I suspect the battery, it goes in the garbage,
Brian, I realize you're in the Wild West of Wyoming outside the reach of the Federales :lol: , but

Image

And flyingheelhook- it doesn't take too many tenths of volts below 9 to turn a good battery into an iffy battery.

Re: battery change

PostPosted:Wed Dec 20, 2017 6:13 am
by flyingheelhook
No, I understand what you are saying - my point is that I should be listening and not just taking them out. The funny thing is that I don't really have any other use for them - and I thought I did. They'll all be given a listening test and then recycled if they fail.