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supermod

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May 9, 2014
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Sebastian, FL
The 9v. batteries go dead on my Bongo way too soon (from my point of veiw). Has anyone added a dp/st switch to stop the drain when not being played?:confused:
 

five7

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Nov 24, 2008
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I unplug mine in between sets, the batteries last for long time. Between 6 months and a year.
 

A.J.

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Aug 16, 2007
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SLO
If you are unplugging the bass while not in use and the batteries are draining very quickly please contact us and we will help you sort out the problem. five7 is right, the batteries should last between 6 months and a year depending upon how often you play.
 

jlepre

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Dec 30, 2007
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Parsippany, NJ, United States
Mine always last at least 6 months, and I gig almost every weekend. I never leave my guitar cord plugged in between sets or whenever my bass is not being played.
 

bvdrummer

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The OC
+1 to what others have said. (which reminds me to check mine 'cuz I'm well over 6 months)

And just because it wasn't explicitly mentioned here: when the plug is removed from the jack in the bass, you should have an open circuit, so adding another switch would be redundant.
 

jlepre

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I experienced a battery drain this past weekend. I had a gig last weekend and changed my battery. Still had a loss of signal so I thought it was my preamp tubes. I replaced all 3 tubes, and it seemed fine all week. I played a gig on Saturday, and right in the middle of my set I lost signal again. I replaced the battery, and bingo worked fine.

I was wondering if the internal switch on my jack could be stuck in the closed circuit position and draining my batteries? I have another gig on Friday, so we will see. I usually replace my battery every 5 months or so.
 

bvdrummer

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The "switch" in the jack is not a physical switch that could get stuck. It is a stereo (TRS) jack that is wired in open-circuit from the ring to the sleeve connectors. When you insert a mono cable (TS) the sleeve part is the connector between the ring and sleeve of the jack, closing the circuit.

You could check for a leak if you've got a TRS stereo cable and a multimeter: plug in the TRS stereo cable and check for continuity between the ring and sleeve on the other end of the cable. If you've got continuity there, then yes you've got a connection somewhere (not necessarily in the jack) that's draining the battery.
 

nervous

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Nov 9, 2014
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Central NY
The "switch" in the jack is not a physical switch that could get stuck. It is a stereo (TRS) jack that is wired in open-circuit from the ring to the sleeve connectors. When you insert a mono cable (TS) the sleeve part is the connector between the ring and sleeve of the jack, closing the circuit.

Are you sure on this? My SR5 uses a 4 terminal, plastic box jack and not a normal TRS jack, wired as the White to tip (signal), black to sleeve (ground), and then the two red wires to the remaining two terminals that are normally open, and then closed when a cable is inserted by means of a switch which is insulated by a plastic piece.My SR5 The power connection is then made on the (+) side and not the usual (-) side ring to ground connection that you describe.

So, unless the OP has something different it's worth a closer look.
 

bvdrummer

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Are you sure on this? My SR5 uses a 4 terminal, plastic box jack and not a normal TRS jack, wired as the White to tip (signal), black to sleeve (ground), and then the two red wires to the remaining two terminals that are normally open, and then closed when a cable is inserted by means of a switch which is insulated by a plastic piece.My SR5 The power connection is then made on the (+) side and not the usual (-) side ring to ground connection that you describe.

So, unless the OP has something different it's worth a closer look.

Hmmm...I'll check tonight. I'll be embarrassed if I'm wrong. I haven't looked closely at the EBMM ones, but I have rewired several other active basses and they've all been the same, so I just assumed...I guess you know what they say about that.
 

nervous

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Hmmm...I'll check tonight. I'll be embarrassed if I'm wrong. I haven't looked closely at the EBMM ones, but I have rewired several other active basses and they've all been the same, so I just assumed...I guess you know what they say about that.

It's also pretty clear on this diagram if that helps.

SR5 Wiring.jpg
 

bvdrummer

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Aug 7, 2014
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The OC
Yeah so my Sterling (and I guess the Sting Ray) is like that box-type jack. But my Bongo has the TRS jack that I was talking about.
 
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