Palico Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Learned something last night. When to open mic jam at local venue. I normally use my Variax via VDI so power is not issue. Well I knew I would be using someone elses rig for this I picked up some recharable batteries from wally world. Well I get to the show and plug in and nothing! Luckly for me another guitarist there was kind of enough to let me use his lovely PRS instead. So I get home today and plug into my rig using a 1/4 plug instead of the VDI. Sure enough nothing. So I pull out the battery pack and grab a multi-meter. 8.35 volts, seems low. I pull out check the first battery 1.35 volts. hmmm should be 1.5 or more. Check each one which all show the same and then look on the battery itself, it list as 1.2 volts! Grab some disposable AA and put them in the guitar. Sure enough comes right to life. So I figured I post this as a reminder or heads up for any other Variax users, before you use a recharable battery check the voltage! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I always use rechargeable NIMH batteries in my Variax. Yes the voltage is a little lower than the throw away batteries but I get plenty of run time with them. I get high quality Sanyo batteries and they work fine. I have had the sets I am using now for at least 6 years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palico Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 hmmm Wonder if mine is just touchy to voltage? Variax 500, your's a 500 or different model? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotterp Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I've seen different mAh levels (milliamps per hour??) on different rechargeable batteries. I have some AAA's here at my desk. 3 brands. The Duracell ones are 1000 mAh, the Enercell ones are 850, and the Radio Shack ones are 700. I don't have the AA's that I have used before here at work so I can't report on those. This may only affect how long they will last. What voltage does it say on the battery? If it says 1.5 V but is only outputting 1.35, then you have purchased sub-quality batteries. I too have used rechargeable batteries successfully in my Variax 300 in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 My old Variax is a 500. I use either 2200 or 2500 mAH batteries. (Sanyo NiMh) They get up to almost 1.5V fully charged and they are about 1.2V when they are discharged. I would not expect anything less than 1500mAH to work though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 All Nicads and NiMh rechargables are lower voltage than Standard Throw away batteries. They should work in a Variax though. Always have for me. The Variax electronics run on 5Volts (regulated) so you need over 5 Volts to power it. (somewhere around 7V I believe is the cutoff) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palico Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 I don't know the mAH values on those, I'll check them when I get home. The recharageables (Rayvac) were listed 1.2v and fully charged show 1.35v. The total output from the 5.83v, which come to think about I would expect to be at least 6v (actualy calculates to 8.1v if each one giving full output) since each battery should be contriubing at least 1v. Maybe there is something shorting or not connecting on my battery pack. A cut off a 7V would make sense as the rechargeables measured output in the pack didn't make that. Hmmm.I didn't measure the disposables output in the pack itself, I just threw them in and it worked. Got more measuring to do later today. I think maybe I got bad connector or something in the pack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Not all rechargables are equal. Most of the store bought ones are not that great. I stick with Sanyo or Panasonic. With six cells at 1.25V you should have 7.5V and that should work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay-man Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I always use rechargeable NIMH batteries in my Variax. Yes the voltage is a little lower than the throw away batteries but I get plenty of run time with them. I get high quality Sanyo batteries and they work fine. I have had the sets I am using now for at least 6 years. What's the average battery life? Also what's the behavior when they die? Mine was that the guitar just cuts out. You can plug it back in and it'll go again for a few seconds then it shuts off again. Awkwardly enough it's enough to power the workbench dongle still when it (the guitar) won't turn on. Sounds a lot better too, in the sense that I don't get extremely annoying electrical crackling when I move the cable or change the pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 When the batteries get towards fully discharged, the guitar abruptly shuts off. I get about 5 or 6 hours with my 2500mAH batteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay-man Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 When the batteries get towards fully discharged, the guitar abruptly shuts off. I get about 5 or 6 hours with my 2500mAH batteries. Not bad. Not as nice as 12 hours on a JTV, but still very decent if you're using rechargeable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 I usually use the VDI now but for several years I only used the batteries. I have two sets so I can swap when they are discharged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay-man Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 I usually use the VDI now but for several years I only used the batteries. I have two sets so I can swap when they are discharged. Any noticeable quirks using VDI over the batteries? Like I've stated, I get annoying click noises when switching pickups, and other stuff. Honestly, this doesn't help, but I also think my power supply is taking a dump. It keeps making noises out of the blue on random days regardless if there's a variax plugged in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Not sure what you are asking. VDI works with the HD500x and it supplies power from that. I never use the external power supply that came with my Variax. It's either VDI or batteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay-man Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Not sure what you are asking. VDI works with the HD500x and it supplies power from that. I never use the external power supply that came with my Variax. It's either VDI or batteries. I'm asking if there is any noise when changing pickups with a VDI. There is when I'm using my XPS unit to power my Variax, but not when I use batteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 On the 500 I get a pop the first time I select an acoustic model. Always have. Doesn't matter what is powering it. It only does it once then there is no noise when switching models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palico Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 Update: I pulled out the Battery holder to setup some more Test with it. After checking back and forth and getting workable numbers from the rechargables left me befuddled for a bit. Then I finally noticed on the connector part of the connector is broken. That finally explains the problems I've had when attempting to use battery power! Now to order a new battery holder. and FYI on the noise when switching models, I mine is just like Charlie, there is little pop when going acoutic models but all others are dead quite not matter which power source is being used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregormathews Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 My Variax 300 was shutting off after 15-45 seconds on batteries and wall plugin power pack. I sent it in to Line 6 in California and one of the Head Techs there said he played it & left it plugged in for over an hour with no problems. They sent it back to me - I plugged in a fresh 9v battery, plugged it into my Bugera amp - it played fine for about a minute - then nothing. I tried the wall power pack - again same results. I unplugged the cord from the guitar - plugged back in - worked for about 15 seconds - again nothing. Unplugged/Re-plugged the battery in - tried an entire new pack of batteries - tried the same procedures again 5 times and would not come on at all. The wall plugin powerpack operates my JTV69 just fine - used it at a 3 hour gig. Befor the Tech sent the guitar back to me, I ask the him exactly how he set the guitar up - he said popped in a battery - plugged the guitar into the amp - it played fine - left it on for an hour - played it again - no problems. Said he used a 9v battery - and a battery pack of AA's that equaled 9v and it worked just fine. He said it also worked fine off the wall plugin powerpack. I ask him what kind of battery pack - he said one they had there that Line 6 does not sell any longer - so I went to Radio Shack and got a 6 pack AA holder - guitar does not work. The only thing I didn't ask him was EXACTLY what brand/style of guitar cord, and brand/model of batteries he used - still doesn't explain why it won't work on a proven-functioning wall plugin Line 6 powerpack. Do any of you Variax owners have any ideas? Thanks Gregor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palico Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 Using the wall power supply and still getting and problem would seems to eliminate the batteries as the problem. In fact on my old 500 (just sold it) you can remove the battery pack entirely if you plugged into the wall, I did this as a test to the setup right before I sold my 500. You check the chord and for using the wall power are you seeing the red light on the XPS light up? Also you might try a different chord. When I was test I plugged a TRS cord into the XPS and the red light even lit up. The guitar would cut in and out. But the chord I was using was long chord and thinner variety (headphone type) so I dropped by GC and picked up a good quality TRS chord (Live wire, I would swear by them). After that it was perfect so the chord itself has to have enough pipe to deliver the current. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 They do not run long at all with a small 9 battery but they run fine with a pack of 6 AA's. I use NiMh rechargables and I get plenty of run time on my 500. I never use the power supply. My 500 is one of the originals and my batteries are probably almost 10 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb7170 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Just a quick tech note -- mAH ratings are capacity ratings -- so many milli-amp hours. So a 2500 mAH battery will put out 2500 milliamps for an hour before it's totally discharged. The draw of the equipment it's powering defines the draw on the battery, so if a device draws only 2.5 milli-amps, the 2500 mAH battery would power it for 100 hours. 1000 mA = 1 Amp, so a device drawing 1 Amp would discharge the 2500 mAH battery in 2.5 Hours. Most 12 volt car batteries are rated like 600 Amp Hours for cranking the car to start it. Math is fun, and us engineers are geeks.... ;) Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 The Variax 500 uses somewhere around 500 mA I believe. I use 2100 mAH NiMh rechargeable batteries in mine. (6 X AA) I get about 3 to 4 hours of playing time on a charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb7170 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Thanks Charlie. The math works out... I'd bet the 6 AA are all in series at 1.5v x 6 Batteries = 9 volts. In series, the total capacity is still 2100mAH for the single 9 volt pack. 2100 mAH/500 mA = 4.2 Hours theoretical, and with minor inefficiency or slightly degraded capacity due to age, 3 to 4 hours seems reasonable... To gain more capacity, the batteries would need to be in parallel, but would not provide the needed voltage level to run the Variax... In series, the total capacity is limited by the weakest link in the chain... When one is discharged, the voltage drops to an unusable level... Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 The 500 came with a battery holder for 6 AA batteries. I have several so I can have a charged up spare ready to plug in. It works for me. The little 9V batteries will not run for long so I have never used one of those. I don't know what the mAH rating is on them but it's under 1000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTSC777 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I use rechargeable Energizer bunny grade NiMH batteries and they work great. Older Nicad batteries suck. Dont use them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Sanyo NiMH are the best out there by far. I have used them for 10 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palico Posted August 13, 2015 Author Share Posted August 13, 2015 Sorry I needed to mark this as solved. The problem was a broken battery holder. It was replaced and then the rechargeable worked properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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.