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Forum: General Discussion

Topic: Rechargeable Batteries

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I'm fed up with PP3 batteries not lasting long in my radio mics. I'm thinking of getting 4 rechargeables and a charger so that I can always have a pair on standby just in case.

Does anyone have any suggestions or horror stories with rechargeables? I knwo that they are never quite the full voltage (8.4 vs 9.0) and there are different mAh's. Any recommendations? Was looking at these on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280398484053

And then at: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350310570529

Cheers,

Roy
 
Posted Tue 18 May 10 @ 8:41 am
Hi Roy, I have gone through the same thing with my Sennheiser radio system. I have tried two or three different types of rechargeables and they have all been rubbish to be honest. They last no time at all and due to the lower voltage the signal tends not to carry as well. I just go back to Duracell but they're bloody expensive. Thankfully I don't use the Sennheiser system all that often, but it would be quite expensive to keep going on a regular basis.
 
I have a pair of Skytronic radio mics... Can't go back to wired. Would be impossible for weddings etc. or for interacting with the crowd. That's why I thought I'd go for a set of 4. Maybe I need to invest more in the charger - get a rapid one. In the long run it must save the pennies...

Roy
 
The only cordless mic I ever used that worked great with rechargeables was an old peavey mic..

All the others I have used or owned never worked with em very well..

oddly enough, my most expensive mic, my Sennheiser is actually THE WORST when it comes to rechargeables..

I did read some where that some of the new ones that use AA batteries (instead of the 9 volts) do work ok with rechargeables..
 
Are you guys seriously griping about using $4.00 worth of batteries at a gig that is paying hundreds of dollars? A couple of bucks spent to make sure your wireless mic doesn't cut out in the middle of a speech is a small price. I put in fresh batteries at every gig, then when I use them at home for my Xbox controller, remote controls, wall clocks, electric toothbrush etc.
 
@Dizzy - hence the reason for asking first. Not only that, you could argue that it's "greener" to use rechargeable than disposables.

But if there is no decent alternative then I'll stick with them. I'll just buy in bulk online befoe the current ones run out!!!

Roy
 
I use an AKG wireless mic that takes a single AA battery. I've been using it over a year and only changed the battery a couple of times!
 
Scott - you eitehr don't say much or that's a very impressive mic ;-)

Roy
 
I'm suprised they last as long as they do, but I'm not massively vocal. I'll do shouts, pisstakes and so on but I let the music do that talking for the most part.
 
dizzyrocks2001 wrote :
Are you guys seriously griping about using $4.00 worth of batteries at a gig that is paying hundreds of dollars?

yes.. because i'm a cheap bastard ;-)

actually the $$ part doesnt bug me.. its just that I too put a fresh 9 volt in before each show, which leaves me a lot of left over 9 volts that I can't use anywhere else (nothing in my house uses 9 volts except the smoke detectors)
 
dizzyrocks2001 wrote :
Are you guys seriously griping about using $4.00 worth of batteries at a gig that is paying hundreds of dollars?


Not everyone is in that well paying gigs unfortunately. It seems the rates charged by DJ's in the USA are well above the UK rates. For my Saturday night club gig, once I take off VAT and tax I am left with around £100, which isn't hundreds of dollars unfortunately :(
 
rechargables = bad
we tried rechargables under one of the "supercheapskate" management types and ended up having to replace 2 microphones because of them. something about low power and heat. dont know. not a techy type.
right now we're sticking with the AA's and a shure - not that i use it alot, but the other dj we have does, and the rest of the time it's turned off and i use the corded mic in the booth. depending on use the shure's batteries last about 8 hours according to the manual, but we're getting alot more than that just using plain energizer or duracell batteries.
 
Another thing to consider: rechargablles have a very steap drop-off in power, especially when they're new. The moment the battery-low warninglight comes on it's done with the mic. Because I'm using my mic's for singers it's something you don't want. Putting them back in the charger after every gig will ruin them and they won't last an evening. In the end it's cheaper using Alkalines.
 


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