2. amps-preamps
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Dodd preamp battery plays 40 minutes

I have a Dodd battery operated preamp. It sounds very good, but the batteries (four square units well seated in their alloted places) do not play more than about 40 minutes. At that time, the preamp starts beeping to be recharged. It recharges, but then again will not play through a whole CD. Any suggestions?

The Dodd has a switch on the front to select between two sets of batteries, but I understand that this is a holdover from an earlier design and that in fact the preamp automatically uses all the batteries before it asks for a recharge. Changing the switch position to the other set of batteries does not change things. The preamp is plugged in via its adaptor, and is supposed to disconnect the wall power when it is turned on, and then to reconnect to wall power for recharging when turned off. I realize the batteries may be faulty, but it's a new preamp and it seems unlikely. Any guidance is appreciated.
audiomole
ije
29 posts
 
Don't open that door T.
Usblues (Threads | Answers)

Isn't it a valid question?
Tvad (Threads | Answers)

That sounds like a very valid question T. Frankly I sure would like to know also
ije
29 posts
 
ok.. Just read a 6 Moons May 2008 review that says "battery life expectancy of 12-14 months, cost of battery replacement $19.95 x4 direct from Dodd".
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
The pre uses 4 batteries an should cost $80 or so. I think the issue with the batteries is if you run them and they don't fully discharge, let's say you operate them 2-3 hours and then you keep'em charging and then play them the next day for 2-3 hours eventually the "memory" of the battery starts working as if a full charge cycle is 2-3 hours so that eventually a full charge is 2-3 hours. I think you need a battery engineer to explain this phenomenon. Managing the batteries properly to ensure 12-15 hours of continuos operation per cycle requires some thought, that can be managed. The preamp sounds incredibly good, so I think it is worth it, but it is not a simple plug and play approach. I wonder if the Red Wine preamp has the same battery cycling issue.
cruz123
586 posts
 
Yes, it's $80 from Gary for a new set (4) of batteries or you can find them from multiple online sources for that price. It cost me $100 to buy a set at my local Batteriesplus store, so it just depends on how desparately you need them. They should last a year or more with normal use. Again, my mistake in killing the batteries was leaving the pre on long AFTER the warning beep went off. My normal listening sessions are less than 5 hours and, in that case, the warning beep never goes off. After a recharge of an hour or so they're ready to go again. I'm confident I could get a least 7-8 hours of continuous use before the batteries need to be recharged under normal conditions. It's really care free, just remember to turn it off when you're done :)
redwineaudio
32 posts
 
Hi Pabul57,

The "memory effect" is not true for the sealed-lead acid batteries (we use SLA batteries, and so does Dodd). In general, SLA batteries want to always be in the fully-charged state, so it is best to turn OFF and charge as soon as you are finished playing (even if you only play for 30 minutes). They don't have memory effect like NiCads.

What is most important is that you never want to deep-cycle SLA batteries, or you can kill them. This is why we designed our SMART module. It continuously monitors the battery voltage and if it falls below the set threshold, it safely shuts off the unit and automatically begins the charge process. So if you forget to shut off, the unit will shut off and charge for you when the battery voltage gets low enough (but not in the "deep cycle" territory).

Regarding the original post, I have to admit that we have also had a few cases of defective batteries that did not last as long as they should have. We are now using a new make/model of SLA battery that is much more reliable and this has solved the issue.

Sincerely,

Vinnie Rossi
Red Wine Audio
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