ian hatch Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Hi allI know this subject has come up plenty of times before, but the topic was bought up again at a recent gig and it got me thinking.I know in the past rechargeables were never really recommended for radio mics because of the power output & how long they lasted, but with some of the rechargeable batteries now with ratings of 2600mAh the lasting times shouldn't now be a problem.The reason the subject came up again was, I'm now working with a band that uses 5 Sennheiser G2's radio mics and they were moaning about the amount of Duracells they have to buy and they asked me about rechargeable batteries, and I couldn't really give them a yes or no.so I was just wondering what people's thoughts are.Cheers Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanhill Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Hi allI know this subject has come up plenty of times before, but the topic was bought up again at a recent gig and it got me thinking.I know in the past rechargeables were never really recommended for radio mics because of the power output & how long they lasted, but with some of the rechargeable batteries now with ratings of 2600mAh the lasting times shouldn't now be a problem.The reason the subject came up again was, I'm now working with a band that uses 5 Sennheiser G2's radio mics and they were moaning about the amount of Duracells they have to buy and they asked me about rechargeable batteries, and I couldn't really give them a yes or no.so I was just wondering what people's thoughts are.Cheers Ian Don't think that the capacity of the battery is the issue. The problem will be that the terminal voltage is only 1.2V per cell for either NiCd or NiMH batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleah Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Don't think that the capacity of the battery is the issue. The problem will be that the terminal voltage is only 1.2V per cell for either NiCd or NiMH batteries. Correct. As soon as they begin to run down slightly, the terminal voltage also drops slightly, to just below the threshold of most radio mics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Beech Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 How many are they really having to buy? With a band in that situation I'd be happy to get 6 hours from a pair of procells. If say for example they are doing 90 minutes per night could you not say 3 shows plus sound check? I'd never start a show with 1 bar remaining, but I would with 2, and providing it's not more than 90 minutes or so, I don't mind if it goes to 1 bar in the 3rd bar of the first song. I know my mics, I know my batteries. I've never had one of MINE go down on me yet.Procells are what... 19p a piece + vat. so £1.90+vat per 3 shows, 63p+vat per show for 5 mics (10 batteries). Sennheiser also do special rechargable units. But be prepared to pay for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardtank Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 We have Sennheiser radio mics and as Rob was saying with Durcell Procell batteries they last several uses quite easily! I assume this band are going down the local Asda and buying commercial batteries which is going to, obviously, cost quite a bit of money of a period of time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanhill Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 We have Sennheiser radio mics and as Rob was saying with Durcell Procell batteries they last several uses quite easily! I assume this band are going down the local Asda and buying commercial batteries which is going to, obviously, cost quite a bit of money of a period of time! Go to CPC, RS or Farnell for cheap batteries in small quantities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardtank Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I have a friend that works at an electrical wholesalers and he gets them at cost price, So I'm alright for places to get them from. Thanks though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian hatch Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 How many are they really having to buy? With a band in that situation I'd be happy to get 6 hours from a pair of procells. If say for example they are doing 90 minutes per night could you not say 3 shows plus sound check? I'd never start a show with 1 bar remaining, but I would with 2, and providing it's not more than 90 minutes or so, I don't mind if it goes to 1 bar in the 3rd bar of the first song. I know my mics, I know my batteries. I've never had one of MINE go down on me yet.Procells are what... 19p a piece + vat. so £1.90+vat per 3 shows, 63p+vat per show for 5 mics (10 batteries). Sennheiser also do special rechargable units. But be prepared to pay for them.Cheers Rob for the reply.The rechargeables are still a No-No then even though they last longer nowadays, but still the voltage problem remains.I'm guessing that the band are going to the local supermarket and buying packs of batteries as suggested by one of the other replies.I've never really have had to buy trade batteries before (Procell) how and where is the best place to get them? I'm in Southampton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardtank Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I've never really have had to buy trade batteries before (Procell) how and where is the best place to get them? I'm in Southampton. Go to CPC, RS or Farnell for cheap batteries in small quantities. You're welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 The terminal voltage of the batteries shouldn't matter with the G2s - they step up whatever voltage they're presented with to a higher level to power the electronics. As the voltage drops, the current draw simply increases. They output a constant RF power level until the battery is absolutely dead.The battery monitoring circuitry may be a little misleading because of the lower voltage, but it shouldn't affect any other aspect of operation. Having said all that, I've not actually tried it but would be quite happy to run a few rechargables down in the interests of science Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattonaudio Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I've never really have had to buy trade batteries before (Procell) how and where is the best place to get them? I'm in Southampton. Go to CPC, RS or Farnell for cheap batteries in small quantities. You're welcome I don't mind using commercial batteries. I mean the Procells are sometimes refered to as Commercial ones repackaged so no one steals them for the house! At the min Argos are selling Enegizer AAs in 24 pack for £6 so thats what 25p per cell. I am getting 6 hrs out of them on my AKG WMS4000's body packs. Rob where the heck are you getting procells for 19p+vat I prefer procells as they can be charged as sundries easier than commerical ones to when hiring out the mics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris4monitors Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 A lot of years ago I was given very good advice by the monitor guy from Earth Wind and Fire........ Dont loose a $1000 a week gig for a $2 battery that someone else is paying for. I never do a show without changing the batteries regardless of the cost, the band will always moan about this even if they are huge stars playing to 10 000 people, but they only have one show, you can work for any other artist as long as your reputation is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p.k.roberts Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I'm now working with a band that uses 5 Sennheiser G2's radio mics and they were moaning about the amount of Duracells they have to buy If you're buying Duracells/Procells you might want to reconsider the brand you are buying; some interesting research here - http://www.chriswoolf.co.uk/ibs/battery.htm Not from personal experience, but colleagues assure me they have had good prices and service from this company - http://www.buybatteriesonline.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Beech Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I'm not sure really. I haven't had time to read it fully but have looked on the charts provided. The procells seems to be above average, not the best, but probably not the most expensive. I've not had a problem with them, I buy 10,000 at a time. Which gets me to a price lower than 19p a battery, so it's not bulk buying that gets this price, although I'd expect you'd need to buy several hundred to get this price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowan Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 As I've said on this matter previously, the Fischer Amps batteries sold by Autograph are very reliable, they charge up in about an hour and will last nearly an entire days worth of rehearsals in the G2 Sennheisers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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