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Battery Usage


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Since getting my Variax recently I spent far more time playing around with its setup (i.e. how to connect it to my other hardware), and while I did play around with the cool features of the guitar itself, I've mostly left them alone.

 

Yesterday I wanted to play a few notes using the awesome acoustic sounds after finishing my setup and found, to my slight surprise, that the battery was depleted. So, OK, it was a week since I charged it, and I was using the Variax during the week but, as stated, I didn't really use the effects all that much.

 

So, a rather simple question:

Am I right to suspect that the Variax drains the battery even when the effects aren't turned on? Does its sleep mode (i.e. cables unplugged) also drain the battery?

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The battery is being used (drained) whenever there is a cord/plug in the 1/4" connector jack. That plug acts as the power switch on the JTV, and it is "ON" (using battery charge) whether the modeling is being used or not. It's like powering your computer on with the battery then walking away from the computer - the computer is still using its battery to patiently listen for any commands. Your computer has a 'sleep' setting that you can use to let it rest when you are not there for a while. The JTV has no such sleep mode or setting; it is either on (cable plugged in) or off (cable disconnected). Like any battery it has a shelf life - it will eventually discharge even when disconnected for a long period of time.

 

If you want to use only the magnetic pickups of the JTV and don't want to drain the battery, just remove the battery.

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 Your computer has a 'sleep' setting that you can use to let it rest when you are not there for a while. The JTV has no such sleep mode or setting;

 

AFAIR there is some kind of "sleep mode" in the JTV by turning down the volume knob to 0! Isn't it?

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Yes, moondancer, you're right - sorry for the misinformation. I wasn't thinking of that in this situation because Shaamaan wants to use the JTV mag pickups without draining the battery, so that means the Vol can't be set to zero and he can't use the sleep option.

 

But you're right - this is an option in most cases (e.g. taking a break) when you want to interrupt playing without unplugging. Thanks for the clarification.

 

Also - some people have reported that they don't see much difference in battery drainage when in sleep mode vs. active mode; apparently there's not much saving of battery life. So I think the most effective thing to save battery life is to unplug.

Edited by silverhead
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Also - some people have reported that they don't see much difference in battery drainage when in sleep mode vs. active mode; apparently there's not much saving of battery life. So I think the most effective thing to save battery life is to unplug.

 

Yes this is also what I think. If you're in modeled mode the knob is still lightened. I guess the only benefit is, that signal path between the piezo and the electronic is at zero and the electronic has no job ;)

And yes, best way is unplugging the cable. On the other hand it can make the plug wear out.

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Thanks for the answer. I did unplug the guitar when I wasn't using it, but I guess I did play for those 10 or so hours the battery should hold. :)

 

The downside is that it's not so easy to take the battery out and I need to apply a bit of force - I'm always afraid I'll break it. >_<

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Thanks for the answer. I did unplug the guitar when I wasn't using it, but I guess I did play for those 10 or so hours the battery should hold. :)

 

The downside is that it's not so easy to take the battery out and I need to apply a bit of force - I'm always afraid I'll break it. >_<

 

I play in two band. In one band I use my JTV with a HD500 and a VDI-cable and I removed the battery. In the other band I play my JTV in a little amp (only for open tunes with the slide) and insert the battery. I unplug the guitar always, when not in use. So I don't know how many hours the battery works, but it's about 2-3 month (using the guitar with battery at least once a week).

I think that the battery and the power consumption of the guitar is a well done thing!

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  • 4 weeks later...
Hello. I have a JTV89 with POD500. I have problems with the guitar when I want to use the battery. Without the battery everything works fine. With the battery I have no sound. The charge indicator indicates a full charge. I connect the guitar with different cables but nothing changes. As soon as I remove the battery, I found the sound. I tested the battery on another machine and it works. I do not know what to do ...

Thank you for your help! Chris (sorry for my bad english)

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