sol314 Posted July 2, 2005 Report Share Posted July 2, 2005 Hi folks,I am new to this forum, but it was helpfull for me when I was in Japan. I knew MD, but I was never really interested, until I saw that cool MZ-RH10 in a shop in Tokyo/Akihabara. www.minidisc.org helped me with the decision: to buy or not to buy. You know the result ...Anyway, I am a little bit disappointed about the battery life time. In the manual you can read something about 14 hours, mine is far away from that.So I did some measurements. The results may be interesting for the public.I have measured the current drawn from the power supplies while playing a loud song coded as Hi-LP (Attrc3plus 64kb/s).internal battery only:stand by (quick mode "on"): 0.640mAdisc access: up to 600mAplay, dark display: 100-120mA (full vol), 75mA (vol=0)play, full display: 170mAplay, display half brightness: 90mArecord Hi-SP: several 100mAinternal battery, external 1.5V:stand by (quick mode "on"): 0 .. -2mA (depends on external voltage)disc access: max 1mA, up to 400mAplay, full display: -0.9mA, 120mAplay, display half brightness: -1.1mA, 70mASo how can they say it works for 14 hours? Easy: no disc access, no display, avarage volume. This way you end up with 100mA current. 1400mAh / 100mA = 14h.That's in no way realistic.Quick mode "on" means your battery will be empty after approx. 1400mAh/0.64mA = 2187h = 91 days.Please take these numbers as a raw estimate. It's difficult to measure since the voltage drop across the amp meter prevents the RH10 from switching on so it needs external support for activation.Conclusion: "quick mode" may actually save energy if you switch on/off the device often, as it skips the expensive disc search step (up to 600mA!).The OLED appears not to be a problem, its power consumption is moderate.If you have an external battery (1.5V!) applied, a constant current is drawn from it (up to 2mA) to charge the internal battery. As long as the external voltage is higher than the internal voltage, the internal battery is not used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted July 2, 2005 Report Share Posted July 2, 2005 What mAh battery comes with the RH10? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sol314 Posted July 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2005 What mAh battery comes with the RH10?←NH-14WM"gum stick", 1.2V, 1350mAh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dex Otaku Posted July 2, 2005 Report Share Posted July 2, 2005 Sounds pretty strange. I have the JP model, and have been truly surprised at how long the NH-14WM lasts. It appear to last at least as long as my NH700 does with an alkaline AA battery.That said, what I listen to with it as a portable is usually HiSP or MP3 [192-320kbps and VBR], with the unit on shuffle, the display set for 'auto off', and the 40ELK remote in use at all times. Keep in mind that:* generally speaking, HiSP playback takes more power than HiLP playback* MP3 playback has been claimed to take more power* shuffle mode definitely takes more power [seeking between every song]* the 40ELK remote is backlit with a displayMy battery lasts around 20 hours. When I'm going out recording, I always take the AA caddy with me and a couple of fresh alkalines. I have yet to actually need them.edit:* quick mode and disc memory are also both on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comspec Posted July 5, 2005 Report Share Posted July 5, 2005 I have to agree with dex Otaku. Battery life on my RH10 is great.I typically go 3 to 4 days between charges... playing a mix of hisp 256k and LP2 132k recordings roughly 6 hours a day. Mine is the US version, running with the quick mode turned ON. Turning it off extends the batt life even more.ComSpecSounds pretty strange. I have the JP model, and have been truly surprised at how long the NH-14WM lasts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dabitt Posted July 7, 2005 Report Share Posted July 7, 2005 I find this very strange...are you guys using the battery add-on or is my rh10 (japanese model) just not pumping out those hours like you say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dex Otaku Posted July 7, 2005 Report Share Posted July 7, 2005 I use the AA sidecar occasionally, but usually only when recording. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmachine Posted July 7, 2005 Report Share Posted July 7, 2005 I find this very strange...are you guys using the battery add-on or is my rh10 (japanese model) just not pumping out those hours like you say?←Battery life depends significantly on how you treat your battery. Overcharging, frequent partial discharging + recharging and deep discharging will reduce capacity in general.The 'Battery University' carries a lot of useful information on how to get the best performance from the 'nickel-metal-hydride' and other battery systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comspec Posted July 7, 2005 Report Share Posted July 7, 2005 I've only used the external battery when recording.Hopefully you'll get some more input on this. Your numbers are very low, and I'd be upset with them too. Battery life is yet ANOTHER reason I chose to move back to MD from iPod.I find this very strange...are you guys using the battery add-on or is my rh10 (japanese model) just not pumping out those hours like you say?← Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamjendad Posted July 7, 2005 Report Share Posted July 7, 2005 Turning off the quick start makes tremendous difference. 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.