Battery Life

[boyet]

I'll be working on a 6 month stint gig aboard a cruise ship but I haven't decided yet if I'll be bringing my Bongo 5HH. I'm kinda worried about the battery life...I'll probably be using it around 8 hours a day for 6 months straight. How many fresh batteries do you guys think I should bring?

 

[WillPlay4Food]

I'd bring at least two 6-packs of Duracell 9 volts. I don't think you'll go through that many, but it's better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it.

My batteries seem to last about a year, but I only play about an hour a day.

 

[adouglas]

Yeah, that sounds about right.

I have a Bongo (18 volts) and play an average of, say, five to seven hours a week. I am in the habit of changing strings and batteries every six months.

Last time I did it, I checked the voltage on the batteries. It was down to about 6 volts. Bass still sounded fine, but I was surprised that they'd dropped that much.

Far, far better to have more than you need than to have not enough.

 

[Caca de Kick]

If not, I'm sure they sell batteries on cruise ships....

 

[boyet]

Thanks for the replies! Hopefully a couple of six packs (will that be 12 batteries? ) will be more than enough.

 

[adouglas]

Do the math... your avatar shows that you have a Bongo, like I do. 12 batteries is six changes, or once a month.

If you're actually using the bass 8 hours a day, every day (my fingers hurt just thinking about that), that's 240 hours per set of batteries.

As noted above, when I changed mine after six months of playing about an hour a day on average, they'd dropped to six volts. That's 180 hours. (The bass still worked fine, BTW...I don't know what the threshold actually is.)

I am in the habit of always unplugging whenever I'm not actually playing.

 

[WillPlay4Food]

Now that you've done the math, adouglas, I'm wondering if a 3rd 6-pack might be needed. Just to be on the safe side and all that.

 

[boyet]

I am in the habit of always unplugging whenever I'm not actually playing.

Yup I've acquired that habit as well and from the time I purchased my Bongo the batteries lasted for almost a year with an average of using the Bongo for 2 -3 hours a day. I guess the once a month change will be enough.

 

[ExLurker]

If you don't mind me saying, I would'nt take something as nice as your Bongo if you are are working cruise ships. The salt in the sea air will eat the thing to pieces. If you have to take it, always keep it in a plastic bag in its case when not in use and put some silica gel packets in the case.

 

[boyet]

If you don't mind me saying, I would'nt take something as nice as your Bongo if you are are working cruise ships. The salt in the sea air will eat the thing to pieces. If you have to take it, always keep it in a plastic bag in its case when not in use and put some silica gel packets in the case.

That's what some people told me so if that is really the case I'll probably just bring my Fender Jazz. No more batteries, no more worries. I'm gonna miss my Bongo though...

 

[ExLurker]

I have a F***er Jazz up my sleeve just for that reason (and really bad bar gigs), lets face it they are two a penny .

Seriously, I know of a couple of fellow muso's who even buy 2nd hand lower grade amps to take on cruise ships because the salt air eats printed circuit boards.

 

[Ole Man Blues]

Just pick up a case and sell what you don't use to the poor smucks who didn't bring ANY batteries.........

 

[paranoid70]

Here is a question I have... Has anyone ever had a battery corrode in their bass before? I don't really play the bass that often (I am a guitarist 90% of the time). So, should I take the battery out when I am done using it... or should I just check on it periodically?

 

[ExLurker]

I've never had a battery corrode. But I change my batteries 1st Jan and 1st July - bit of a habit I've got into...

 

[Moose308]

The Bongo I most recently purchased was suffering from a corroded battery. The fellow before me had jammed one of the battery compartments shut by shimming the battery in there with some cardboard in attempt to increase the pressure on the contacts.

What the fool should have done was realise that the contacts weren't bent, or not making contact from pressure, it was the green rings of corrosion on the brass(?) pads of the battery box, probably from a corroded battery. I suspect the way the bass was cutting in and out due to intermittent power was one of the reasons he sold it.

It took me a screwdriver to remove the battery compartment so I could unjam the one shimmed battery. Then, it took a Q-Tip, some rubbing alcohol, and then some metal polish to remove the corrosion from the contacts and restore them to shining glory. 100% electrical funtionality for 5 minutes work.

So yes, batteries can corrode, or cause corrosion. However, it generally isn't a problem.

 

[boyet]

Wow nice work there Moose! That would've cost you a couple of hundred bucks just to clean the battery compartments. That gave me an idea, I'll probably remove the batteries on my Bongo just to make sure no corrosions will happen on my absence.