Community: Message List - Rechargeable Battery Pack for Variax

Re: Rechargeable Battery Pack for Variax

support@line6.com — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 19:56:47 GMT

I notice that this is a rather old thread, but I have been working on this issue for awhile and just recently got a solution that I think works. I have the electronics from a 500 in a beautiful walnut Warmoth custom body and maple neck that I'm not about to part with (to buy a new Variax with the nice rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack). But I'm sick of hauling around an external power supply or buying disposable AAs in 20 packs.The first thing I tried was loading the standard 6 pack of AAs with Eneloops. For the reasons described so well in this thread, that did not work at all. I guess 6 x 1.2 or 7.2 volts just doesn't cut it. I didn't want to mess with a voltage regulator also described in this thread, so I went with 7 Eneloop AAAs which theoretically should be producing about 8.4 volts. I bought a 4-AAA battery case (with a 9v snap connector) and a 3-AAA battery case (with solder lugs) and glued them back-to-back. I cut the wire that goes across the 4-battery case and soldered it up to the lugs of the 3-battery case. That combination fits in the orginal cavity in the guitar--no modification required. It works like a champ. I just started using it so I don't have much to say about battery life. I'm hoping that using 7 batteries will mitigate, to some degree, the smaller AAAs and the reduced life of rechargables. Thanks to thealiasofMark in this chain who really helped me figure this out. If anybody else out there has experience with a similar set up, I'd love to hear about it.

Re: Rechargeable Battery Pack for Variax

support@line6.com — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:47:39 GMT

+1 ^

Re: Rechargeable Battery Pack for Variax

support@line6.com — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:06:20 GMT

Yes, this thread pertains only to the older Variax models, before the JTV.

Re: Rechargeable Battery Pack for Variax

support@line6.com — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:23:32 GMT

amx05462 wrote:

the trouble is that the variax requires peak battery performance to work correctly. when the batteries are discharged slightly your guitar will shut down or not work right ( cut out) .

yet the batteries are perfectly fine for any other application.

Are we talking about the old Variax models? I assume so, since I am expecting that JTV's are going to provide 12 hours of battery life for each charge, as advertised. They must have addressed this issue of the Variax requiring "peak battery performance to work correctly". Yes?

Re: Rechargeable Battery Pack for Variax

support@line6.com — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 10:50:09 GMT

the trouble is that the variax requires peak battery performance to work correctly. when the batteries are discharged slightly your guitar will shut down or not work right ( cut out) .

yet the batteries are perfectly fine for any other application.

Re: Rechargeable Battery Pack for Variax

support@line6.com — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 01:43:54 GMT

One more question on this topic. What about the Eneloop batteries? They are rated at 1.2V, but are supposed to last longer. Are these safe to use in a Variax 600?

Thanks

Re: ((8>D}}... read this really well-crafted answer by "thealiasofMarc"!

support@line6.com — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 22:19:55 GMT

Thanks, this is one of the best explanations of the "rechargeable problem" I have read!

Sincerely,

JellyWheat

Re: Rechargeable Battery Pack for Variax

support@line6.com — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:49:21 GMT

The reason the rechargeable batteries seem to run out so quickly has to do with voltage. Standard alkaline batteries are rated at 1.5V each, while standard rechargeable batteries are only 1.2V. That's not going to make a huge difference to a flashlight, but when you are dealing with one of these guitars (or most anything that uses a whole bunch of batteries in series, you're going to notice the difference a lot more. Even fully charged, (6)(1.2V) is only getting you up to 7.2V, as opposed to the full (6)(1.5V)=9V you would start at with alkalines. So you charge up your NiMH AA's all the way, pop 'em into your guitar and the instrument is seeing weak batteries from the moment you put them in. The way around this would be to construct your own battery pack, using more cells [say 8 instead of 6, for (8)(1.2V)=9.6V)] and attach it using a 9V battery connector, so you wouldn't even have to splice anything. Even if you used AAA NiMH cells to make sure everything fit, you'd still be ahead of the game as long as you end up in a closer voltage range... And if you're really nitpicky or overly concerned about blowing the Variax circuitry with an extra 0.6 V, then you could always wire a voltage regulator into your battery pack to keep it at a consistent 9V...

There is some theory, now do what you will with that information.

Cheers.

Re: Rechargeable Battery Pack for Variax

support@line6.com — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 23:07:13 GMT

+1 to nick

Re: Rechargeable Battery Pack for Variax

support@line6.com — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 20:33:51 GMT

I agree with Nick. But if you plan to use rechargeables, bring a spare pack because they tend to have a shorter life. The Variax seems to require batteries that are nearly fully charged, and the rechargeables tend to lose their charge more quickly than alkaline when used in the Variax.