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Topic: Battery Tester |
Jon Light
From: Saugerties, NY
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 6:09 am
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Is there a way to read 9v battery health without opening an FX unit and removing the battery?
I'd love to wire a plug > test-leads > multimeter rig for testing battery strength in a couple of units that require removal of the case to access the battery.
I suspect the answer is no --- I think I used to know this --- but it's worth asking. |
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Jack Stoner
From: Kansas City, MO
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 6:46 am
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The general answer is no. I suppose you could wire an external test jack. |
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Ron Whitworth
From: Yuma,Ariz.USA Yeah they say it's a DRY heat !!
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 7:15 am
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Hello Jon;
I do not know if this will work for you but I use this meter to check the 9v battery in my stomp box pedals -
https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/tools-by-job/tools-for-electronics/batt-o-meter/
Just saw it is on backorder - if this will work for you maybe someone else sells them ??
My best to you.
Ron _________________ "Tone is in the hands. Unless your wife will let you buy a new amp. Then it's definitely in that amp."
We need to turn the TWANG up a little
It's not what you play through, it's what you play through it.
They say that tone is all in the fingers...I say it is all in your head
Some of the best pieces of life are the little pieces all added up..Ron
the value of friendship. Old friends shine like diamonds, you can always call them and - most important - you can't buy them. |
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Jon Light
From: Saugerties, NY
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 7:24 am
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Thanks Jack.
Thanks Ron. I remember seeing this StewMac product. I confused me because I thought I remembered learning that you had to disconnect the battery from the circuitry in order to read its actual capacity (and hence my question here). But maybe somehow the TRS plug on this unit actually does this?
Do you give this a good review from your use of it?
It is worth investigating. |
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Jerry Overstreet
From: Louisville Ky
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 7:48 am
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Be sure and read the info. Only works with center positive negtive ground jacks.
FWIW, Just for fun, I just tried to use a DVOM with a one spot cable adapter to measure battery voltage through the DC jack on a Small Stone. Center negative. I got no reading. |
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Samuel Phillippe
From: Douglas Michigan, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 7:59 am
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Ron they may be out of business. I checked about 5 different sites they are advertised on, ALL say not available. I would be interested in one also.....If I do find one I will post the site.
Sam |
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Ron Whitworth
From: Yuma,Ariz.USA Yeah they say it's a DRY heat !!
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 8:17 am
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Hello Jon;
It looks like the mfg is no longer building them so maybe ( if you want one ) you can search & find one that did not sell in a store.
It will tell you what your 9v battery voltage is while it is inside of what you want to check via the 1/4 plug -
plus if you have a 9v battery out in your hand it will check that too.
I have one of my acoustic guitars that has a 9v battery inside of it that i have to pull the 1/4 plug out a touch as it is not an exact fit
but i did get it to work & read the battery voltage & % of remaining life of the battery.
It has worked for me when i used it to check battery life of my stomp box pedals.
Here is a link to what it can do -
https://www.americanmusical.com/keith-mcmillen-batt-o-meter-musician-battery-tester/p/KES-BATOMETER-LIST
Hopefully you can find one - maybe even a used one.
Ron _________________ "Tone is in the hands. Unless your wife will let you buy a new amp. Then it's definitely in that amp."
We need to turn the TWANG up a little
It's not what you play through, it's what you play through it.
They say that tone is all in the fingers...I say it is all in your head
Some of the best pieces of life are the little pieces all added up..Ron
the value of friendship. Old friends shine like diamonds, you can always call them and - most important - you can't buy them. |
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Jon Light
From: Saugerties, NY
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 8:21 am
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Yeah -- looks like it is no longer made, per the Sweetwater message.
Quote: |
Sorry, the Keith McMillen Instruments Batt-O-Meter is no longer available. We've left this page up for reference only. |
Seems like a great idea. You'd think there would be similar products on the market but apparently not.
It's worth looking around for.
Thanks! |
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Jim Kennedy
From: Brentwood California, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 10:07 am
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Cut the end off a a quarter inch cable. Get some alligator clips and attach it to the the leads of your volt meter. Polarity wont matter if use a digital meter. You could also attach the appropriate connectors to the end of your cable and plug it directly into the meter. _________________ ShoBud Pro 1, 75 Tele, 85 Yamaha SA 2000, Fender Cybertwin, |
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Paul Arntson
From: Washington, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 10:37 am
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I think you'll want a stereo 1/4" cable to have a home made one work right. Ignore the tip and test between the ring and the ground. _________________ Excel D10 8&4, Supro 8, Regal resonator, Peavey Powerslide, homemade lap 12(a work in progress) |
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Jon Light
From: Saugerties, NY
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 11:11 am
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While considering if I might mess around with making a cable, I found a Bass-O-Matic on Ebay (from Greece!!! exotic!). So I've got on on the way. A few bux more than the StewMac price. |
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Don Downes
From: New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 11:30 am
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"WOW! That's terrific bass!" _________________ Tele, Strat, Gretsch 12-string, 335, Yamaha Bass, Blues Deluxe Reissue, JC-120, Hammond BV, Yamaha MO8, DW Collector Series drums, Cubase, and more stuff |
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Bill A. Moore
From: Silver City, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 1:20 pm
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The problem you'll have with most pedals, is that the wall wart connector bypasses the battery when something is inserted! |
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Jon Light
From: Saugerties, NY
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 3:33 pm
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Bill A. Moore wrote: |
The problem you'll have with most pedals, is that the wall wart connector bypasses the battery when something is inserted! |
Really not a problem -- any pedals that I power via adaptor, I never run by battery. In fact, there are very few things I run on batteries. The Freeloader is one of the major ones. And it requires opening the box via 4 screws. Every once in a while I forget to pull the input plug and then I fret about battery life (which is approximately 'forever'). So I'm always paranoid before gigs and I'm always checking the battery.
The tester gadget is an expensive overkill solution but it may ease my OCD. |
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Len Amaral
From: Rehoboth,MA 02769
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Posted 5 Feb 2022 10:49 am
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I have one of those battery testers from StewMac. It's convenient to find out if you have a battery in a pedal and what the voltage is without taking the pedal apart. It also has other functions but you have to read the manual to figure out the codes. A bit confusing and I rarely use it. _________________ I survived the sixties! |
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Tom Campbell
From: Houston, Texas, USA
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Posted 6 Feb 2022 1:28 pm
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To Paul Arntson,
Aren't the ring and ground wires connected together on the stereo plug and/or jack? |
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Jim Kennedy
From: Brentwood California, USA
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Posted 6 Feb 2022 1:53 pm
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Sleeve is ground. Tip and ring are left and right in stereo mode. Tip and ring carry signal to both sides of the center tap transformer when used in
balanced line input. _________________ ShoBud Pro 1, 75 Tele, 85 Yamaha SA 2000, Fender Cybertwin, |
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Dave Mudgett
From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 8 Feb 2022 9:29 am
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I did a bit of digging and found a source for these here in the US - https://www.thetapeworks.com/tape/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=30_198&products_id=545
The price was very reasonable. I got two, one for gig bag and one for the bench. The shipping was about the cost of one of them, but I got it in two days. When compared to what I was seeing these go for other places, I think it was still a reasonable deal.
Depending on how the battery is wired to the circuit, it clearly won't work for every possible situation. But it worked for the pedals on which I tried it. I still have to dig out my Freeloader to check it, but it worked on my Goodrich clamp-on pedals, assorted tuners, and some a couple of battery-operated stomp boxes OK, and it did seem to correctly distinguish between fresh batteries and several that were in various stages of discharge. I did have to make sure to maintain pressure to make sure the jack is pushed in all the way - without pressure, it doesn't seem to make contact with the pedals I tried.
BTW, for our European brethren - thomann seems to have them - https://www.thomannmusic.com/keith_mcmillen_batt_o_meter.htm |
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Jon Light
From: Saugerties, NY
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Posted 8 Feb 2022 9:44 am
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That's good info, Dave. I spent some time but never turned up that source. I don't lose sleep over woulda-coulda's but...I sure spent more $$ than that for one unit in Greece. Ah well. I'll while away the next two weeks thinking about gyros and waiting for it to arrive. |
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Ron Whitworth
From: Yuma,Ariz.USA Yeah they say it's a DRY heat !!
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Posted 8 Feb 2022 12:45 pm
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Great detective work there Dave.
Also about 1/2 price of what I paid for the same one.
It does do the job for me.
Thanks for finding that.
Ron _________________ "Tone is in the hands. Unless your wife will let you buy a new amp. Then it's definitely in that amp."
We need to turn the TWANG up a little
It's not what you play through, it's what you play through it.
They say that tone is all in the fingers...I say it is all in your head
Some of the best pieces of life are the little pieces all added up..Ron
the value of friendship. Old friends shine like diamonds, you can always call them and - most important - you can't buy them. |
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