Battery Question

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beeroclcock

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Battery Question
« on: 6 Aug 2008, 09:59 pm »
Hi All

work commitments at present mean I am only able to listen 2 or 3 times a week for 1-2 hrs and was wondering if I should just leave my Sig 30 plugged in all the time or if it I could switch off the charger at night and just recharge during the day?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Does anyone have any idea how much energy is used once the battery is charged and on trickle?

many thanks

philip

jrebman

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Re: Battery Question
« Reply #1 on: 6 Aug 2008, 10:05 pm »
I can't answer the question of how much the charger is consuming at idle, but you'll definitely want to disconnect the charger from the amp when you unplug the charger from the wall outlet.

-- Jim

Vinnie R.

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Re: Battery Question
« Reply #2 on: 7 Aug 2008, 12:54 am »
Hi All

work commitments at present mean I am only able to listen 2 or 3 times a week for 1-2 hrs and was wondering if I should just leave my Sig 30 plugged in all the time or if it I could switch off the charger at night and just recharge during the day?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Does anyone have any idea how much energy is used once the battery is charged and on trickle?

many thanks

philip

Hi Philip,

Whenever you are finished playing (no matter if you play for 10 minutes or 10 hours), you should turn OFF the Sig 30 and let it charge.  The SLA batteries love to be in the charged state.

I recommend that you always leave the charger plugged into your electrical outlet and plugged into the Sig 30 at all times.  When trickle charging, there is very, very little power consumption. 

Quote
but you'll definitely want to disconnect the charger from the amp when you unplug the charger from the wall outlet.

jrebman is correct!

Best regards,

Vinnie

VincentH

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Re: Battery Question
« Reply #3 on: 18 Mar 2009, 03:55 am »
Hi, I need to disassemble my system for about a month or longer and need advice on how to take care of Signature 30.2,
Is it ok if I leave it with charger connected without input and speakers connection?
What is the best way in this situation.
Thanks

richidoo

Re: Battery Question
« Reply #4 on: 18 Mar 2009, 05:09 am »
SLA batts self discharge about 8% per month. Vinnie says that the charger has trickle function, so yes, you can leave them charging the whole time. It is better for the battery, but one month (8%) discharge won't hurt it. If one month turns into three or five, now you are really stressing the battery, which may not fully recover its full capacity. I know where you could send it to keep it warm and well tended...  8)

I'm not sure I would leave it unattended while charging for that long, but that's what tricklers are made for. I'm sure it has safety features built in to sense battery trouble.

VincentH

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Re: Battery Question
« Reply #5 on: 19 Mar 2009, 02:01 am »
Thank you richidoo, I will keep it plugged and keep an eye on it. Anyway, I am just new owner of an used one.

Vinnie R.

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Re: Battery Question
« Reply #6 on: 19 Mar 2009, 01:57 pm »
Hi VincentH,

Welcome to audiocircle and the RWA forum!

If you are going to be away for only a month, you can disconnect the charger from your 30.2 (if you feel more comfortable not having it plugged in).  First, fully charge your 30.2.  Then unplug your charger from your wall outlet AND the 30.2.

If you are not going to be using it for longer than that, it is probably better to leave the charger plugged in.  You can disconnect all your equipment form the 30.2 and leave the charger plugged into the 30.2 and wall outlet.  The charger will keep the batteries "float charged," which is the best for them as SLA batteries like to always be in the fully charged state for longest life.

Best regards,

Vinnie

VincentH

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Re: Battery Question
« Reply #7 on: 23 Mar 2009, 07:54 pm »
Hi Vinnie

I feel safe now. Just curiousity: If I use the amp for total of 6,7  hrs (at different time) with minimum volume , should I see the charger red light on when I turn off the amp or the batteries level are still high enought that they do not need charged?

Is there ant way to know that the charger is working properly before bettaries getting too low?

Vincent

Vinnie R.

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Re: Battery Question
« Reply #8 on: 24 Mar 2009, 02:03 pm »
Hi Vinnie

I feel safe now. Just curiousity: If I use the amp for total of 6,7  hrs (at different time) with minimum volume , should I see the charger red light on when I turn off the amp or the batteries level are still high enought that they do not need charged?

Is there ant way to know that the charger is working properly before bettaries getting too low?

Vincent

Hi Vincent,

I would think that after 6 continuous hours, you should see the red light on the charger as soon as you turn off. 

If you suspect something is on not right, please email me (vinnie@redwineaudio.com) or call me: 203-440-4944 to discuss this in detail,
and we can set up a time to send me your 30.2 for a check-up if needed...

Best regards,

Vinnie

balu

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Re: Battery Question
« Reply #9 on: 25 Mar 2009, 01:14 am »
My case is slightly different, but I'd like to understand what happened.

I was using my Sig 30 for 2-3 hrs/day and keeping it properly charged. I fell ill last year and didn't listen to it for almost a year. The unit was plugged in and was in a charged state (at least, as indicated by the light) throughout. When I tried using it later, the amp was functional but started to distort with the volume control around the 11 O'clock position. A few months later, it seems completely dead - I mean it switches on, the LED comes on but I get no output. I suppose the battery is gone, but should this happen even if it were charged all the time?

Vinnie R.

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Re: Battery Question
« Reply #10 on: 25 Mar 2009, 01:38 pm »
My case is slightly different, but I'd like to understand what happened.

I was using my Sig 30 for 2-3 hrs/day and keeping it properly charged. I fell ill last year and didn't listen to it for almost a year. The unit was plugged in and was in a charged state (at least, as indicated by the light) throughout. When I tried using it later, the amp was functional but started to distort with the volume control around the 11 O'clock position. A few months later, it seems completely dead - I mean it switches on, the LED comes on but I get no output. I suppose the battery is gone, but should this happen even if it were charged all the time?


Hi balu,

Is it possible that there was a period of time when you had no power (power outage)?  With the Sig 30 (not the 30.2), if the charger is plugged into the Sig 30, the charger should be plugged into a live AC outlet.  Otherwise, the battery discharges via the internal resistance of the charger.  I'm not sure if your outlet was ever switched off or if you had a long power outage, but this is a possibility.

Based on what you are describing, it does sound like you need new batteries.  The LED does not need much voltage to come on, but the amplifier board voltage needs to be high enough or else it will not work.

You can send us your Sig 30 for battery replacement, or if you are comfortable doing it yourself, there is a proceedure in the user's manual.

Best regards,

Vinnie