Skol303 Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 ...apart from using my tongue! So, the basses I now own (a grand total of two) are all active and I have half a dozen pedals - all of them using 9v batteries. I'm not currently gigging and find that I can usually get away with changing the batteries on everything once a year or thereabouts. I tend to do this without checking the batteries with a meter ('cos a don't own one) or before I begin getting audible clues that the batteries are fading (distortion) because I'm concerned about leakage. I'm starting to think that it would be more practical/economical/sustainable for me to check each battery before I discard it. I could of course buy a voltmeter - plenty of them going cheap - but I'd rather the convenience of something that plugs into the 1/4" jack socket of my gear, avoiding the faff of removing each battery individually. I've found this online, the Bat-O-Meter... http://www.keithmcmillen.com/batt-o-meter/overview ...but the reviews of it are poor. Can anybody recommend something similar? Or am I just being lazy and should buy a voltmeter or rely on the traditional 'buzzing tongue' / 'when it stops working, change it' approach? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Multimeter. You can use it for all sorts of other stuff too. Depending on the battery connectors you should be able to get the probes on the battery contacts without taking it out., but you'd probably have to unscrew the cover anyway, so that sort of defeats the point... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 (edited) I'm surprised that device doesn't work, it's got a gold plated connector. Seriously though. How does it know what voltage is the minimum required for that particular device. Actually how do you know? I think most devices have led indication on them don't they. I'm not sure how the voltage left in them relates to the likelihood that they will leak. I thought they just leaked. Edited December 3, 2013 by TimR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vsmith1 Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Multimeter - not only can it check for batteries but you can also use it to check leads, connections, bulbs, etc. Simple multimeter see: [url="http://cpc.farnell.com/_/in06139/digital-multimeter/dp/IN06139"]http://cpc.farnell.com/_/in06139/digital-multimeter/dp/IN06139[/url] Less than £6 delivered for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted December 3, 2013 Author Share Posted December 3, 2013 [quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1386081893' post='2295449']Multimeter. You can use it for all sorts of other stuff too. Depending on the battery connectors you should be able to get the probes on the battery contacts without taking it out..[/quote] Good point. I could use a multimeter to test them without needing to remove them (in my basses at least). That could well be the lazyboy solution I'm looking for [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1386082046' post='2295454']How does it know what voltage is the minimum required for that particular device. Actually how do you know? I think most devices have led indication on them don't they. I'm not sure how the voltage left in them relates to the likelihood that they will leak. I thought they just leaked.[/quote] I think the Batt-O-Meter thingy just shows the voltage remaining in the batteries. So anything up to 9v or 18v if it's an instrument running two in parallel (or series, whichever is it). It's basically a voltmeter with a 1/4" jack cable. As for leakage relating to voltage...the general consensus I've read online is that batteries are much more likely to leak when running low (i.e. just before or after they go flat). Hot conditions, like the boot of a car on a sunny day, are also prime contributors to leakage. Allegedly. [quote name='vsmith1' timestamp='1386083118' post='2295477']Multimeter - not only can it check for batteries but you can also use it to check leads, connections, bulbs, etc. Simple multimeter see: [url="http://cpc.farnell.com/_/in06139/digital-multimeter/dp/IN06139"]http://cpc.farnell.c...eter/dp/IN06139[/url] Less than £6 delivered for free.[/quote] Nice one! That's a bargain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I see where you're coming from with the 'leave the battery in the bass' thing, but IMHO that's a false economy. It takes 60 seconds tops to take the battery out of any active bass I've ever owned (and yes, that does include those where a screwdriver is needed) and testing the battery properly buys you three hours of peace of mind on stage in front of an audience ... one less thing to worry about. Maplins sell a really simple no-name battery tester for about a fiver, it's smaller than a box of matches, robust enough to survive life in the pocket of a gigbag, and doesn't involve messing about with range dials and probes to operate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I've recently changed a set of batteries - they were at least a year old, tested fine on my old tester..but in the bass they produced a "static" type noise and the occasional thump. New batteries fixed the problem. My thinking is the tester is looking for one thing (voltage?) but the guitar circuit also needs something else, like more amps?? Can anyone explain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 (edited) [quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1386083211' post='2295480'] ... I think the Batt-O-Meter thingy just shows the voltage remaining in the batteries. So anything up to 9v or 18v if it's an instrument running two in parallel (or series, whichever is it). It's basically a voltmeter with a 1/4" jack cable. As for leakage relating to voltage...the general consensus I've read online is that batteries are much more likely to leak when running low (i.e. just before or after they go flat). Hot conditions, like the boot of a car on a sunny day, are also prime contributors to leakage. Allegedly. Nice one! That's a bargain [/quote] So the fact that most pedals run on CMOS technology at 3.5v means you're throwing batteries away when they've still got plenty of life in them. To make best use of the multimeter you need to take regular readings of the battery and take note of the voltage. Then when the device stops working you'll know the minimum voltage it works at and plan your replacement stratedgy. As soon as you use a battery (new it'll read 9.6v) it starts developing internal resistance, they'll read around 8.5 for ages, most devices will operate comfortably at 7.6v. Leakage is more to do with age and storage but yes used ones will have more pressure of hydrogen has in them. Edited December 3, 2013 by TimR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted December 3, 2013 Author Share Posted December 3, 2013 (edited) [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1386083498' post='2295484']I see where you're coming from with the 'leave the battery in the bass' thing, but IMHO that's a false economy. It takes 60 seconds tops to take the battery out of any active bass I've ever owned (and yes, that does include those where a screwdriver is needed) and testing the battery properly buys you three hours of peace of mind on stage in front of an audience ... one less thing to worry about.[/quote] Very true! [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1386083705' post='2295486'] So the fact that most pedals run on CMOS technology at 3.5v means you're throwing batteries away when they've still got plenty of life in them. To make best use of the multimeter you need to take regular readings of the battery and take note of the voltage. Then when the device stops working you'll know the minimum voltage it works at and plan your replacement stratedgy.[/quote] Good point. I think this is all pointing me towards getting a trusty multimeter! Thanks for the advice on this folks. The main reason I'm concerned about monitoring battery voltage is paranoia over leakage, which I can probably address by just keeping my basses in a cool room away from things like radiators (which I do) and generally not worrying about it too much A multimeter would be a handy gadget to have around the house regardless, so that would seem like money well spent. Thanks again, Paul Edited December 3, 2013 by Skol303 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 [quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1386081436' post='2295438'] I've found this online, the Bat-O-Meter... http://www.keithmcmillen.com/batt-o-meter/overview [/quote] Just had a look at that. Ironic that the 9v battery needed to power it isn't included! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 A multimeter is a very useful tool but, like any tool, has to be used correctly and with some understanding. A simply voltage measurement of a battery is not as good as measuring its voltage when powering a load of some sort, so measuring battery voltage in situ is generally a better indicator of battery condition. And TimR makes a very valid point about the difference between battery voltage and circuit operating voltage. Voltage regulators are so cheap these days that they are a pretty good way of providing over-voltage protection - not such a big risk with battery operated gear, but eminently possible with anything powered by an external 'wall-wart' PSU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 [quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1386093424' post='2295660'] A multimeter is a very useful tool but, like any tool, has to be used correctly and with some understanding. A simply voltage measurement of a battery is not as good as measuring its voltage when powering a load of some sort, so measuring battery voltage in situ is generally a better indicator of battery condition. [/quote] +1 You can't just stick a 9v battery across a multimeter and expect to get a meaningful answer - at the very least, you need a load equivalent to the item the battery is normally powering and measuring current as well to get a vague idea of what state the battery is in. It still won't be accurate though as different battery types have different discharge characteristics. I know that my basses will be struggling to see 5 months use from an Alkaline battery - so I just change them every four months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Cheapo Silverline battery tester from Amazon about a fiver job done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger2611 Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 What's wrong with the tongue method, it's worked for me for decades...I quite look forward to the battery test times now....it's like Russian Roulette for the risk averse 21st Century Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.