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Loving the World of Hi-MD, Frustrated by Sony's offering

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Cadevil5

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Got my NH900 2 days ago...lots of options to play with...overall a very comprehensive machine...

The one drawback is that the device is half plastic, and my MZ-R900 felt like a much sturdier piece of hardware.

When the Hi-MD models were announced I was eyeing the NH1 for months until I realized there was not a dry batttery attachment for it. That little extra is so important for travel for me...especially in foreign countries. The charge on the NH1 wouldn't be enough to get me through the flight to Europe. Definate deal-breaker.

I'm just left wondering why Sony wouldn't offer the attachable battery compartment on the NH1 (it's "top of the line" model)...And why they would make half of the 900 metal and half plastic.

Sticking with my 900...loving the features...handling it with extra care. :whatever:

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Voltage problem: the 1.2V NiMH rechargeable battery sticks (which is what the NH900 uses) can easily match a typical AA battery which runs at 1.6V (but continues to drop as it's being drained... average voltage of an AA is near 1.2V), thus it's easy to run the batteries together.

However the Lithium-Ion rechargeable stick made for the NH1 is 3.7V... it would require about 3 AA's to match the voltage and run in parallel.

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For portable power, I found that the standard Ipaq battery extenders when filled with 4 AA alkalines (not NiMH) will plug into the NH1 dock and charge the NH1. Such a battery pack should be able to charge the NH1 Li-ion 370mah battery several times before running down.

So if you carry a the small dock and battery pack, you would have power for days.

Hopefully, Sony releases a power adapter to replace the dock for portable use.

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Voltage problem: the 1.2V NiMH rechargeable battery sticks (which is what the NH900 uses) can easily match a typical AA battery which runs at 1.6V (but continues to drop as it's being drained... average voltage of an AA is near 1.2V), thus it's easy to run the batteries together.

However the Lithium-Ion rechargeable stick made for the NH1 is 3.7V... it would require about 3 AA's to match the voltage and run in parallel.

Yes, sort of.

The Sony MZ-N10 NetMD unit uses a similar Li-Ion battery to the NH1, yet it has an external AA pack. The circuits in the N10 use the AA first, when the battery is attached, and then use the Li-Ion after the AA is drained completely. However, if the Li-Ion in the N10 is exhausted, the unit will not work at all, even with the external AA battery pack installed.

Units which use the gumstick battery draw power from both the NiMH and the AA at the same time due to the similar voltages.

The reason for Sony not including an external AA battery pack with the NH1 is unknown to me. It seems like such a high-end Hi-MD unit which most who purchased would primarily use it for recording... an external AA pack is crucial. My R900, which I use for live recording, never is without its external battery pack. Clueless as to why Sony made this blunder. More corner-cutting to reduce production costs, maybe? I'm sure the switching circuits in the N10 added significantly to individual unit production cost.

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Shortly after Compaq released their Ipaq PocketPC 2002 series with no DC input jack except through a proprietary mult-use connector, 3rd party vendors came out with a battery pack that was cabled with this connector. It plugged directly into the Ipaq and charged it.

Hopefully, Sony or a 3rd party vendor comes out with the same thing.

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