[bevisfrond]

Hi
Need to change batteries in my integrated 30.2 Signature.
I have ordered a pair of PBQ 12v 5.2ah batteries, that my dealer told me was good. He also said that being 5.2ah instead of 5.0ah was no problem.
Is this true?

[Vinnie R.]

Hi
Need to change batteries in my integrated 30.2 Signature.
I have ordered a pair of PBQ 12v 5.2ah batteries, that my dealer told me was good. He also said that being 5.2ah instead of 5.0ah was no problem.
Is this true?

Hi bevisfrond,

Welcome to Audiocircle and the RWA forum!

I am not familiar with PBQ batteries (their reputation, quality, etc), but using 5.2Ah SLA batteries instead of 5Ah SLA batteries is not a problem - just make sure the dimensions of the batteries are the same as the 5Ah model.  Otherwise, the batteries will not fit in the battery hold-down brackets.

This link might be helpful with regards to required dimensions:
http://www.powersonic.com/site/doc/prod/86.pdf

The 12V, 5Ah SLA is a VERY common size and many battery companies make this size battery...

Hope this helps,

Vinnie

[bevisfrond]

Hi Vinnie, and thank you for your reply.
I live in Norway, Europe, and most 12v batteries were either slightly less or slightly more than 5ah. Good to find out that 5.2ah is not a problem, and I have checked that the size is ok.
According to the importer of the PBQ batteries, they are among the best, and he told me he mainly delivers to the Norwegian police and military. They better be good, since he took me for aprox. $120. Having since checked prices on the www, I will probably not buy from him the next time.
How long are the average lifespan on the batteries used in Signature 30.2.

Sincerely bevisfrond

[Vinnie R.]

Hi bevisfrond,

According to the importer of the PBQ batteries, they are among the best, and he told me he mainly delivers to the Norwegian police and military. They better be good, since he took me for aprox. $120.

Wow, that is a lot.  Hopefully you are getting VERY good ones at $60 each! 

How long are the average lifespan on the batteries used in Signature 30.2.

Approx. 1 to 3 years (possibly more!), but here are some of the main variables:

1) How deep do you discharge the battery.  This depends on:

a. How long you play between charges
b. How loud you play
c. Speaker load (e.g. 8-ohm vs. 4-ohm)
d. Speaker sensitivity

The less deep of a discharge, the more charge cycles you will get out of the battery

A very deep discharge (leaving the unit on for days - before we offered SMART boards to monitor the battery voltage and automatically shut down) can kill an SLA battery. 

2) Making sure you recharge as soon as you are finished listening, as SLA batteries
don't like to sit around in a discharged state (this results in sulfation - a corrosion of the of the battery plates if left in a discharged state).

3) How long you need to play between charges.  If a new set of batteries can get you say 15 hours of play time, but you only play for around 3 hours on average, then even as the battery ages and its play time gets reduced to 10 hours, 8 hours, 6 hours, etc. - you will not  notice or care about this (unless you are looking to play for longer amounts of time).

4) Storage.  If you are not going to listen for a long time and are going to put it in storage, make sure you fully charge the unit, then remove the charger from the unit - but  make sure you apply a top-off charge within 6 months).  Batteries do have a self-discharge rate.

This is why I recommend always leaving the charger connected, which "float charges" the batteries to keep them in a "topped-off" state.  But if you have a long power outage, this is not good because the batteries will slowly discharge through the un-powered battery chargers resistance.

5) The charger used (type of SLA charger, charging current, etc.)


I'll conclude by stating SLA batteries are similar to standard lead-acid batteries used for automobiles (regarding not liking a deep discharge, cycling, storage, etc.).

They are also similar to tubes - they do NOT last forever, and vary in life based on how they are used. 

Hope this is helpful information.

Best regards,

Vinnie

[aamaterasu]

Hi,

Sorry im new and the life-span of the isabellina hpa's batteries is also 1-3 years? Im rather disturbed by the fact that I have to change the batteries myself as im really bad at technical stuffs.

Is there any way to know when is the right time to change the batteries?

Thanks!

[jtwrace]

Hi,

Sorry im new and the life-span of the isabellina hpa's batteries is also 1-3 years? Im rather disturbed by the fact that I have to change the batteries myself as im really bad at technical stuffs.

Is there any way to know when is the right time to change the batteries?

Thanks!

I'm sure that Vinnie would be more then happy to take your money to change the batteries...or maybe there's also an upgrade and that's how you can justify sending it in.  See the bright side?  New batteries and upgraded equipment! Can't loose on this.   

[Vinnie R.]

Hi,

Sorry im new and the life-span of the isabellina hpa's batteries is also 1-3 years? Im rather disturbed by the fact that I have to change the batteries myself as im really bad at technical stuffs.

Is there any way to know when is the right time to change the batteries?

Thanks!

Hi aamaterasu,

Welcome to Audiocircle and the RWA forum.

The lifespan of the battery in the HPA varies in the same ways as I mentioned above (for the 30.2).

You'll know when it is time to change the battery when the unit switches itself off (via the SMART board) sooner and sooner.  For example, if you get an hour of two of play time and then it switches off, this indicates its time to replace the battery. 

Im rather disturbed by the fact that I have to change the batteries myself as im really bad at technical stuffs.

As jtwrace mentioned above, I also offer this service in case you are not comfortable doing this yourself.

Feel free to contact me if you ever need help.

Just remember - batteries are like tubes in that they don't last forever, and sometimes they need to be changed sooner and sometimes you get more life out of them...

Best regards,

Vinnie

[jjoonnaass]

I'm in a similar position to the original poster in that it's time to have the batteries replaced. Looking at the PowerSonic website I found the obvious 12V/5Ah "standard" battery but they also have the PSH-1255FR which is a 12V/6Ah battery with the same dimensions. This looks like a better battery that would stand up for longer listening sessions. The only real spec difference is the internal resistance at 28 vs 40milliohms for the "standard" PS-1250. Could this change have an impact on the charger or is this something that I can ignore? I know that Vinnie's said that lower is better so not knowing better I'm tempted to go for the 1255. Good idea or not really?

[Vinnie R.]

I'm in a similar position to the original poster in that it's time to have the batteries replaced. Looking at the PowerSonic website I found the obvious 12V/5Ah "standard" battery but they also have the PSH-1255FR which is a 12V/6Ah battery with the same dimensions. This looks like a better battery that would stand up for longer listening sessions. The only real spec difference is the internal resistance at 28 vs 40milliohms for the "standard" PS-1250. Could this change have an impact on the charger or is this something that I can ignore? I know that Vinnie's said that lower is better so not knowing better I'm tempted to go for the 1255. Good idea or not really?

Hi jjoonnaass,

If they have the same dimensions, you can definitely give them a try! - it will not hurt the charger.

Best regards,

Vinnie