pp3/9v battery recharger?

[wilkinsi]

well, google wasn't any help. i'm trying to find a battery recharging unit and batteries. two questions: 1) are rechargeable batteries safe to put in my guitar, or are they unreliable (prone to leaking i'm told). 2) which recharging unit would you recommend? links?

why am i asking stupid questions? cuz my local retailer is hopeless at getting 9v batteries in stock, and i'm sick of paying 4 quid per batt.

[Rsmacker]

No, no, no! Don't bother with rechargables, they are a total ball-ache. They will hold a charge for so long then phut! just when you hit the stage. They don't run down nicely like throwaways, they either work or don't.
Professionally, I avoid them like the plague, in guitars and radio mics, because I know if there is silence when there shouldn't be, it'll be down to batteries.

Just use a good brand, Duracells or similar, NOT Tesco Value or Poundshop specials, and unplug the guitar when you are not using it (the jack makes the circuit, switching it on), and they should last a loooong time. It certainly shouldn't eat them up, depending on how much active stuff is on your guitar.

Buy packets of batteries (10's) from City Electrical Factors or similar, or Argos, you shouldn't pay anything like £4 a time. You'll have enough to go and replace all the ones in your smoke alarms then too!
Try R.S. Components for packs of batteries too, and for chargers if you do decide to follow this route.

[wilkinsi]

ok, i'll buy energizer/duracell in bulk.

[fett]

Are you talking 4 pounds a unchargable battery? And if rechargable batteries are good for everything else, why wouldn't they be good for active electronics in a guitar?

[Rsmacker]

Ah well, they are NOT good for everything else!

Because of memory effect and the fact that they won't actually be 9 volt, they will be slightly less, using rechargables is likely to let you down. Ordinary batteries wear down, you know they are on their way, things don't sound so good and you decide to change them when the degradation is too noticable. Rechargables work, then they don't.
This is fine, I guess, if you only play at home and don't mind opening up your guitar when you are practising to change the battery. However,if you are gigging or recording, it will be a pain in the arse not knowing the state of your batteries, and you know they will let you down at a critical moment, that's Sod's Law! Simply charging your battery before a gig is not going to do you any favours unless it is totally discharged - your rechargable battery will soon be knackered and even more hit-and-miss.

I have a PA company and have worked on many large shows and conferences. I would consider using rechargables for rehearsals, but NEVER for the real thing, nor would any of the techs I work with, they simply aren't reliable enough. I believe the military train and do exercises with rechargables, but when they are "live", they use standard batteries.

Technology marches onwards, of course, and they are getting better, I'm sure soon enough there will be rechargables that will out-perform standard cells. It depends on what situation you are in, and how critical it is to have your electronics working perfectly all of the time. For the expense of buying a charger and battery, then making sure you charge/discharge/recharge properly I'd just buy boxes of PP3s, use them, then bin them when they are shot, simple.

[fett]

OK, That does it for me.:ROTF: :ROTF: :ROTF:

[dg]

I agree totally with what Rsmacker is saying. The rechargeables tend to be all-or-nothing. A great example of this is is with my Zoom PS-04 Palmtop recorder. I have to be very careful when using rechargeables in there because the low-battery indicator doesn't detect any dropoff in voltage before the batteries just quit, so I get no warning to save my project before shutdown. With alkalines, it gives plenty of warning to save the work. I do use rechargeables, but it's something to always be aware of.

[fett]

My rechargable batteries in my dig-cam tell me when they get weak. These are the AA's. And I get lots of warning. It has to do with power inside the battery. I guess.

[m2pmd70]

Rechargeables do last longer and hold a more even charge if you completely discharge 'em before charging. I learned that from RC car racing.