Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Jump to content

Is my battery no good?..... Or is the charger toast.


Recommended Posts

I recently bought a second hand jtv-59, and have been learning a lot about it. I am a bit concerned about the battery. I had put the battery on the charger overnight and put it in the guitar. When I pressed the bottom button it showed 3 green lights, so I figured that the battery, being used a bit was just not able to hold a full charge. I planned to use the guitar at a gig on friday night, but after sound check, (I left the guitar plugged in), I went to hit the stage a couple of hours later, and the guitar was completely dead, with no lights displayed on the back side of the guitar when the button is pressed. I used an alternate guitar for the gig which I was more comfortable with. When I got home, I put the battery back on the charger, and paid more attention to what happened at charge time. When I plug the charger in, the light goes red, then goes out, I put the battery in, and then the light goes red, after a few hours, the light goes out. I read that once it is in the fully charged area, the red light will start to blink, mine never does that. Which has the problem, the battery or the charger?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's supposed to blink when charging.  It takes quite a while to get a full charge.  Sounds like your battery may not be too good.  You should get quite a bit of play time when you have three lights.  You should have four when it's fully charged.  Try leaving it on the charger for at least 8 hours and see if you get four lights.  You should unplug when not playing.  Turning the volume to zero reduces battery drain but it's not zero.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just FYI.... The 1/4" guitar cord acts as the power switch for the Variax. During breaks or long periods of rest you should disconnect the cord from the guitar to retain the battery charge. That's likely why your battery was dead a couple of hours after the sound check.

 

There is also a 'sleep' function that is engaged by turning the Vol knob down to zero but I find it best to simply disconnect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't know which you're looking for, but I've found parts at fullcompass.com in the past....

 

Charger:
http://www.fullcompass.com/product/443390.html

Battery:
http://www.fullcompass.com/product/482497.html

 

They're not the speediest in the world, but they do come through...

 

I have seen these at other on-line retailers, about the same prices, or straight from Line 6.

 

Good luck,

Dave

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't know which you're looking for, but I've found parts at fullcompass.com in the past....

 

Charger:

http://www.fullcompass.com/product/443390.html

Battery:

http://www.fullcompass.com/product/482497.html

 

They're not the speediest in the world, but they do come through...

 

I have seen these at other on-line retailers, about the same prices, or straight from Line 6.

 

Good luck,

Dave

Thanks Dave- I will check em' out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't be tempted to pickup a battery that doesn't say "Line6" on it.  The JTV Variaxes have a digital protection scheme that prevents the guitar from working with anything other than the rather costly ones they sell. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't be tempted to pickup a battery that doesn't say "Line6" on it. The JTV Variaxes have a digital protection scheme that prevents the guitar from working with anything other than the rather costly ones they sell.

Must be nice to have a captive audience...

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't be tempted to pickup a battery that doesn't say "Line6" on it.  The JTV Variaxes have a digital protection scheme that prevents the guitar from working with anything other than the rather costly ones they sell.

 

Thanks, I was wondering about non line 6 batteries-at this point in the game, I just want it to work properly, so I will get a line 6 bat. Is there only one model, or one that will give you longer life?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

Bond19 - You described my situation exactly.  The Line 6 support diagnosis: bad battery.  Under warranty, so I got another one.

 

I'm keeping the bum battery as backup.  I get @ 1.5 hrs on it, but when it fails it gets a bit nutty (mostly strings dropping out, then nada).

 

Glad I'm not alone in experiencing a weird battery.

 

Cheers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Glad I'm not alone in experiencing a weird battery.

Nope. It's more like 'Welcome to the club!'

 

I didn't immediately fall in love with my JTV-59 when I bought it. My trusty 500 felt more comfortable, despite the JTV's purported superiority as an instrument. At that particular time, my cruddy little trio wasn't active, so I didn't play either guitar all that much. So the JTV mostly stayed in the case, for months at a time. And when I did play it, I usually connected to a Pod XT Live with the VDI supplying power to it. The bottom line is, I didn't use the guitar in such a manner that promotes long and healthy battery life.

 

And it bit me, too. I started having a problem with the XT Live/VDI connection, where my 500 would be ok for a while, then it would start to cut in and out the way it does when the batteries are dying. I couldn't trace it to the XT Live, the VDI cable or the 500, because just about anything I tried cause the problem to go away temporarily.

 

So I started playing the JTV, figuring I should get used to it. The battery seemed ok at first, with the 4 LEDs indicating a full charge. I didn't attempt to estimate usage, but it seemed to run down more quickly than I anticipated it would.

 

Then, I started paying attention, and tried a couple of things. I paid attention to the charging process. It seems ok. Remains blinking as long as it's in the charger -- I thought that there was supposed to be a 'Full' indication - maybe the LED being on all the time? 

 

I put it in the JTV and all 4 LEDs light, indicating a full charge. But it doesn't keep much of a charge over the course of a few days, even if it's not played much or have a cable connected. I even turn the volume control down, although that shouldn't make much difference if there's no plug in the jack.

 

The last time I charged it, I didn't put it in the JTV. I just left it out and monitored the voltage. It measure 8.35 volts and remained rock-steady for at least 3 weeks out of the guitar. I put it in one day, was careful about not leaving a plug in the jack, and turned the volume down when I wasn't playing it. Without much playing time on it, it was flat in 2 or 3 days.

 

Clearly, the battery life is degraded, despite it not having that many 'hours' on it,  and I could use a replacement. I'm using a Relay G10 wireless these days, so I can't power it from the VDI or an XPS footswitch. Gotta have the battery! Ironically, I've come up with a GREAT, long-lasting rechargeable battery solution for my 500 & 600, but it won't work with the JTV.

 

Sigh...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Li-ion batteries are good (better than Ni-cads or Ni-MH) but they don't last forever. However, they do last longer if you maintain them properly. So whether it's your Variax, a cordless drill or lawn mower, here are some simple guidelines to follow:

 

1. Don't leave them in your device unless you use it every few days.

2. Never let them discharge completely.

3. Don't leave them in the charger longer than necessary.

4. For long-term storage (a few weeks or more) maintain them at half-charge. Storing them at full charge isn't recommended.

 

That last one is a pain, because we tend to forget to check, but it's vital. Batteries slowly leak charge, even when stored, so it's important to check their charge-state every couple of months.

 

Which reminds me...

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

So, my brand new battery went into the brand new charger.  The light stayed red (low charge?), then the light blinked red (charged?), then the light went out (done?)  Cant seem to find these indicators in any manuals or searches.  Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎1‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 9:44 AM, hebronrd said:

So, my brand new battery went into the brand new charger.  The light stayed red (low charge?), then the light blinked red (charged?), then the light went out (done?)  Cant seem to find these indicators in any manuals or searches.  Thanks.

I don't have the instructions that came with my charger in front of me, but IIRC:

Solid red for charging

Two blinks and off for two seconds, repeated, when fully charged.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...