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how long does a 9v battery last in a boss pedal ?


mbengs1

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I tried a new 9v eveready battery for the first time in my boss ST-2 power stack and its been only at most 2 hours and the led is not as bright anymore. but it still sounds like new, just the led is a bit dimmer. i usually use a 1 spot with a multi-plug to power my pedals but i just wanted to try a battery this time. i wonder if my pedals are broken since they eat batterylife kinda fast. 

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Check the mA requirements of the pedals. A dirt box or a compressor might be low (3mA - 20mA) but a digital pedal can be 300mA or 400mA. Some are even 1700mA.

 

Also leaving the cable in the input side drains the battery even if the pedal is off.

 

 

 

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Yup... it entirely depends on which Boss pedal, and which type of 9V battery. In the case of the ST-2:

Current Draw
36 mA (DC 9 V)
Expected battery life under continuous use:
  • Carbon: 3 hours
  • Alkaline: 10 hours
These figures will vary depending on the actual conditions of use.
Tha's according to the info posted on the Boss site. :)
http://www.bossus.com/gear/productdetails.php?ProductId=1130
And Player99 is absolutely correct - you should always unplug the cable from the pedal's input whenever you're not using it. Doing so disconnects the battery from the circuit - essentially turning it off. If you don't unplug, you'll wear the battery out a lot faster than if you do.
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Another point,,,, don't assume that "new" batteries will be fully charged, even when they're fresh out of the package.

I recently found what I thought was a "great deal" on supposedly brand-new alkaline batteries, at a local electrical-supply place. Well, I'd put one of those in a device, and the battery-life was very short lived. After several batteries had produced similar results, I decided to put the "new" batteries on a tester. Those batteries were right on the margin,,,, almost dead, but not quite. Package after package yielded the same results. So much for "a good deal".

I decided to go to Costco, and try their alkaline batteries. I put those on the tester, and voila,,,, fully charged. I now buy my batteries from vendors who continuously move stock, and replenish frequently.

Battery testers are cheap. I'd highly recommend you get one. You might be shocked to see how bad "new" batteries can be,,, even top brand-names.

 

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