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Ibanez active bypass switch and battery life


Guest MoJo
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I'm hoping that some technically minded bod might be able to answer this one. I have, as you can see in my sig, an Ibanez BTB1605. This comes with a switch that bypasses the active EQ. I have removed the battery and the bass can be played in bypass mode without it. My question is, with the EQ bypassed, is the bass still drawing current from the battery while the lead is plugged in? As with all previous active basses, I have been removing the lead from the bass after sound check and between sets to maximise battery life, but if the switch is stopping the current draw from the battery, when in bypass mode, I could leave it plugged in all the time at gigs.

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Difficult to say without seeing a wiring diagram. Ibanez have them on their website but would need the age of the Bass. What year is it?
As a footnote I have had a look at the diagrams for 3 of the active basses I own and switching to passive DOES NOT disconnect the battery, so suspect that will be the case with yours Mark.

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[quote name='BassBunny' timestamp='1483439907' post='3207080']
Difficult to say without seeing a wiring diagram. Ibanez have them on their website but would need the age of the Bass. What year is it?
As a footnote I have had a look at the diagrams for 3 of the active basses I own and switching to passive DOES NOT disconnect the battery, so suspect that will be the case with yours Mark.
[/quote]

Thanks

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[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1483483649' post='3207655']
The switch most likely just takes the active circuitry out of the signal path, I doubt it does anything to the power.

Have a look at the switch - you may be able to see if any wires go back to the battery.
[/quote]

I will do, I'm also contemplating putting a multimeter in series with the battery to see if there is any current flow with the switch set in the bypass position, just to satisfy my curiosity

Edited by MoJo
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[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1483483649' post='3207655']
The switch most likely just takes the active circuitry out of the signal path, I doubt it does anything to the power.
[/quote]
That is exactly what I figured. The circuit diagrams I have show that is exactly what happens.

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1483518653' post='3207748']
I will do, I'm also contemplating putting a multimeter in series with the battery to see if there is any current flow with the switch set in the bypass position, just to satisfy my curiosity
[/quote]
Current consumption is likely to be pretty minimal Mark. As an example I have a Harley Benton Deko Acoustic Bass and like many other who bought these discovered that the fault with them is that the battery is permanently connected due to an issue with the output board. It takes about 4-6 weeks to drain it and that won't be a particularly upmarket pre-amp. So that's a minimum of 672 hours and even leaving a lead plugged in during a gig would equate to about 4hrs per Gig or 168 gigs.

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[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1483518653' post='3207748']
I will do, I'm also contemplating putting a multimeter in series with the battery to see if there is any current flow with the switch set in the bypass position, just to satisfy my curiosity
[/quote]

A man after my own heart ! If your 'meter has a continuity setting you could take the battery out and see if the circuit is broken when the passive mode is on.

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[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1483528264' post='3207862']
A man after my own heart ! If your 'meter has a continuity setting you could take the battery out and see if the circuit is broken when the passive mode is on.
[/quote]

Good thinking. Thanks ;)

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Honestly, unless the Ibanez has some kind of serious fault, or you're doing several hundred gigs a year, it's not going to make a noticeable difference. I leave my Bass Collection, or my BBNE2 plugged in between sets and after sound checks, and change the battery every couple of years , but the old batteries still have more than enough voltage to power the basses.

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[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1483572180' post='3208460']
Honestly, unless the Ibanez has some kind of serious fault, or you're doing several hundred gigs a year, it's not going to make a noticeable difference. I leave my Bass Collection, or my BBNE2 plugged in between sets and after sound checks, and change the battery every couple of years , but the old batteries still have more than enough voltage to power the basses.
[/quote]

Cheers Pete
I've only had it a few weeks. Just a bit paranoid I suppose

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