Minimum Voltage for a B-Band?

[midwinter]

Hi all.

Does anyone have a guess what the minimum voltage is for a B-Band pickup? B-Band never responded to me about this, and I've had my battery in for a *long* time, but last night at a show there was a little oddness (which went away after I wiggled some cords on my board) that got me wondering if it was time to change the battery.

LR Baggs gave me a clear number when I contacted them about minimum voltage (7.5v).

Any thoughts on this?

[jonfields45]

Originally Posted by midwinter

Hi all.

Does anyone have a guess what the minimum voltage is for a B-Band pickup? B-Band never responded to me about this, and I've had my battery in for a *long* time, but last night at a show there was a little oddness (which went away after I wiggled some cords on my board) that got me wondering if it was time to change the battery.

LR Baggs gave me a clear number when I contacted them about minimum voltage (7.5v).

Any thoughts on this?

It would be the voltage, under load, that you need to know (remove the battery and use a battery tester set to 9v alkaline battery type -- in all likelihood the tester will attempt to draw more current/power than a guitar preamp). Based on the circuit design (discrete or opamp, if opamp rail-to-rail or not) there is an answer, but it will depend on the design. That said, by the time a 9v battery is significantly degraded to drop to 7.5 volts under load, it is my opinion that it is not worth the risk to take to a gig (by the time I am suspicious enough to take the trouble to test the battery, given that effort, I replace them).