McMillen Batt-O-Meter... anyone tried it?

[BassMent]

I've read mixed reviews about using the Keith McMillen Batt-O-Meter with various brands of active instruments. It's a great idea (plug it into the 1/4" jack of your bass or stomp box, it tells you how much battery life you have left) that could potentially save a good bit of money and anxiety. It must work with some active basses, cuz Vic Wooten is endorsing it! But some reviews have said that it doesn't work with certain brands (Taylor guitars, for instance).

So, anyone know if it works with EBMMs?

 

[adouglas]

$0.02: Answer in search of a problem.

Change batteries regularly and you never need to check them.

 

[nurnay]

My tongue is my batt-o-meter. Once a month, as long as it zaps me pretty good, it's good. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Sonnyonbass]

$0.02: Answer in search of a problem.

Change batteries regularly and you never need to check them.

How true that is!
And I never had that moment on stage when your batteries die on you.
Just don't leave your cord in your bass when you're not playing.



And while Vic is a very capable bass player. (he really is) I somehow get the feeling he endorses everything that has written money on it.

 

[BassMent]

Guys, I've been playing bass for 30+ years. I know not to leave my bass plugged in when I'm not playing. My habit for most of my life has been to change batteries before a gig, when I knew full well that the ones in the instrument or stomp box still had life in them, "just to be on the safe side." But when I think about how many batteries I've dumped into the environment in my lifetime, it seems that optimizing their useful lifespan would be an earth-friendly thing to do. Why pull out a battery that's still got 5 hours of life in it before a gig and toss it into the landfill when a simple tool could tell you that you're good to go for the evening and don't have to worry?

So really, back to my original question... has anyone actually tried it with an EBMM?

 

[Kirby]

Yes, I have one, got it just to try out. It is nice because you can test non-installed batteries as well by just touching the 1/4 inch to an end and then touching the other end to poles on the unit. Nice idea when you have a bunch of EB's that you want to go through quickly to prevent an old battery from leaking.

 

[Rick Auricchio]

But when I think about how many batteries I've dumped into the environment in my lifetime, it seems that optimizing their useful lifespan would be an earth-friendly thing to do.

When I change the batteries in my smoke detectors (I have eight!), I put them in my gig bag. Naturally, I insulate the connector with a bit of masking tape. There's lots of life left in those.

 

[BassMent]

When I change the batteries in my smoke detectors (I have eight!), I put them in my gig bag. Naturally, I insulate the connector with a bit of masking tape. There's lots of life left in those.

Wow, is that true? I would have figured with the amount of time they typically spend in there before the warning beep goes off that they would be pretty well drained! Next time one goes off I'm going to take out the battery and give it a try!

 

[Rick Auricchio]

No, I mean replacing the batteries before the smoke detector complains about them.

Our local fire companies suggest replacement twice a year, when we change the clocks to/from Daylight time. I don't replace 'em that often; no more than once a year.

 

[adouglas]

Yeah, who says you have to throw away a battery that's not fully dead?

I use 'em in our bathroom scale, and anything else non-critical.

You can also recycle dead batteries these days. They don't need to go to the landfill.

 

[Norm66]

As far as using old batteries goes, tuners generally don't need a new battery and will run for a long time on one that's not quite good enough for a more critical use.

 

[strummer]

I use 'em in our bathroom scale, and anything else non-critical.

Non-critical? You are joking? The bathroom scale is a very importat piece of electronic equipment: It tells us just how much each bass weighs!

 

[guenter]

I use 'em in our bathroom scale, and anything else non-critical.

Hmmm... who says that bathroom scales are non-critical?

They are able to create instant panic!

 

[MadMatt]

They are able to create instant panic!

Or can be used to your advantage... Going on a trip? Tape a couple of those 9V batteries to the scale where they cant be seen. Remove them when you come back and your better half is in a great mood the next day

-M@