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SMWB Battery Life


Max Hirtenstein

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When I was researching it in the past, the only info I could come across was in a B&H video here:

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1367684-REG/lectrosonics_smdwba1_smdwb_dual_digital_hybrid.html

First Look | Lectrosonics SMWB and SMDWB Transmitters - This is the video where they talk about it.  Click the play button and select the first video.

 

Seems like the SMWB and SMDWB get very similar battery life to the SMVs and SMQVs.  Just a little bit better if/when they operate at 25mW.

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29 minutes ago, Southeast Sound Guy said:

Seems like the SMWB and SMDWB get very similar battery life to the SMVs and SMQVs. 

Wrong it is a shorter battery life as an example a SMV at 50Mw will get close to 8 hours on a lithium AA

An SMWB close to 5 

30 minutes ago, Southeast Sound Guy said:

Just a little bit better if/when they operate at 25mW.

The SMV and SMQV had a variable output RF board so turning down the power improved battery life the SMWB and SMDWB only pad the RF signal down turning the output power down on the units does not improve battery life. 

 

BH is the worst place to shop or get any information from 

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2 hours ago, ProSound said:

Wrong it is a shorter battery life as an example a SMV at 50Mw will get close to 8 hours on a lithium AA

An SMWB close to 5 

The SMV and SMQV had a variable output RF board so turning down the power improved battery life the SMWB and SMDWB only pad the RF signal down turning the output power down on the units does not improve battery life. 

 

BH is the worst place to shop or get any information from 

 

I tried to inquire about some of the battery specifications directly from Lectrosonics back in December 2019, but never heard back as far as I can tell.  I also asked about it in another thread that Larry commented on, but the information didn't seem readily available.  Since the data from B&H was different than anything Lectrosonics published, it seemed plausible.  The battery life of the SMQVs versus SMDWBs on Lithium AAs was what I was primarily looking into at the time.

 

My experiences with BH and Gotham sound have both been good, although I try to use the latter when I can due to the specialization.

 

Thanks for the info Whitney.

 

 

 

 

 

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Lectro state the run times in their manual for both Lithiums and Alkalines. 

According to that the SMWB will run for 4.4 hours on a Lithium. So that close to what Whitney quoted above. Lectro tend to be fairly conservative with these measurements, but battery life is also dependent on environmental conditions, so 4.4 hours is probably a fairly safe bet. 

 

But please: use rechargeables 

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Thanks for the info Constantin / Whitney.  This is how they had things listed in a prior revision of the data sheets (29 July 2019), so I wasn't sure what to expect for SMDWB lithium for what operating conditions (25mW, 50mW, 100mW).  Someone had mentioned that they padded the excess RF in another thread, but at the time I couldn't find anything to confirm it, and it seemed an unlikely thing to do.

 

Battery:   AA, disposable     SMWB Lithium recommended     SMDWB Alkaline recommended
Battery Life w/ AA:   
SMWB (1 AA): Lithium 4.4hrs SMDWB (2 AA): Alkaline 11.2 hrs

 

The new revision recommends lithium but still lists 11.2 hrs operating time for the SMDWBs (27 January 2020).

 

Battery:   AA, disposable, Lithium recommended
Battery Life w/ AA:   
SMWB (1 AA): 4.4hrs SMDWB (2 AA): 11.2 hrs
 

I've used Tenergy Premiums in the past, but experienced poor results - possibly due to the quick chargers that were common at the time.  Eneloops seem to be a lot more reliable.

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Not to beat a horse dead, but I was hoping Larry could comment, since I was interested in purchasing some of the SMDWBs unless another option becomes available.  Is this accurate, or does output power not affect battery life on these models?

 

https://www.lectrosonics.com/SMWB-Wideband-Transmitter/product.html

 

Selectable output power to maximize battery life or operating range
Ultra-lightweight, corrosion resistant housing
Water resistant seals for use in damp environments
LCD interface with lockout option
Programmable compatibility modes for use with a wide variety of different receivers
Servo Bias input circuitry
IR (infrared) port for fast setup
Covers 2 frequency blocks (export versions cover 3 frequency blocks)
Update firmware in the field via Micro SD card reader
Alternate use as a recorder on an internal microSDHC memory card
To meet the demand for both extended operating range and extended battery life, the “WB” series SM transmitters offer selectable output power of 25, 50 and 100 mW (25 and 50 mW for export versions). With higher power output, the operating range is improved at the expense of battery life. When range is not an issue, a lower power level can be used to extend the battery life.

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7 hours ago, Southeast Sound Guy said:

Not to beat a horse dead,

The horse is dead if you really want an answer from Lectrosonics pick up the phone and call them instead of posting online hoping they will respond. There is only one battery life chart in SMWB manual in the SMV/SMQV it shows run time at different output powers. 

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13 minutes ago, ProSound said:

The horse is dead if you really want an answer from Lectrosonics pick up the phone and call them instead of posting online hoping they will respond. There is only one battery life chart in SMWB manual in the SMV/SMQV it shows run time at different output powers. 

 

Thanks for your input Whitney.  Like I said, I tried to contact Lectrosonics.  They didn't respond.

 

If changing the RF output doesn't affect battery life, then it directly contradicts their marketing which would mean people are likely due a recall or reimbursement for failure to match their own product claims.  That's a big deal - like hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of value potentially due back to consumers.

 

First you said BH was the worst place to get information, but Lectrosonics own marketing products directly contradicts what you are saying.  You might be right. Who knows.

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They can handle it either way.  They've been contacted.  Didn't respond.  Maybe they don't want to put anything in writing because you are right, and it means there is significant product liability for a marketing mistake, from consumers and their competitors.

 

When I joined the forums, I was really glad to see some of the manufacturers comment on some of their products here, including LarryF and some of the guys that have connections to Rycote, etc.

 

LarryF's explanation for the lack of battery tables for the SMWBs and SMDWBs was bureaucracy and cost - not because battery life is the same regardless of RF output.

 

If you are right, then it directly contradicts their marketing, which is very significant.

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I rarely have seen any company that is as honest, upfront and helpful as lectrosonic. 
I‘m simply glad that they exist and that it is still possible to run a business this way in todays world.

 

Hopefully that continues the same way for a long time to come

chris

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On 2/29/2020 at 10:14 AM, Southeast Sound Guy said:

 

They can handle it either way.  They've been contacted.  Didn't respond.  Maybe they don't want to put anything in writing because you are right, and it means there is significant product liability for a marketing mistake, from consumers and their competitors.

 

When I joined the forums, I was really glad to see some of the manufacturers comment on some of their products here, including LarryF and some of the guys that have connections to Rycote, etc.

 

LarryF's explanation for the lack of battery tables for the SMWBs and SMDWBs was bureaucracy and cost - not because battery life is the same regardless of RF output.

 

If you are right, then it directly contradicts their marketing, which is very significant.

Just a heads up. The “Lectrosonics Family” lost Howard Kaufman last week. I think you will get a response to your questions, but it may take a little longer. Check out the Lectrosonics Instagram page for more information about Howard’s legacy. My condolences to his family and his Lectrosonics family.

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Lectro is one of the most responsive and accessible companies I have ever dealt with. Their customer service has always exceeded my expectations. Like Mark said, they lost someone this week and am sure things are hectic to say the least right now. Give them a minute to recover and I’m sure they’ll give you the A+ support they are known for.

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2 hours ago, mark kirchner said:

Just a heads up. The “Lectrosonics Family” lost Howard Kaufman last week. I think you will get a response to your questions, but it may take a little longer. Check out the Lectrosonics Instagram page for more information about Howard’s legacy. My condolences to his family and his Lectrosonics family.

 

I wasn't aware of their recent loss and am sorry to hear it.  For my end, at first I was hesitant to accept what Whitney was saying, but now I'm uncertain.  In the latest data sheets, the marketing claims have been removed. This lends credence to the possibility of a marketing error, with people due either a recall or reimbursement for a potentially false marketing claim.  It's possible that at some point they changed the features of the model, but the marketing was still out there that is incorrect.  Anything is possible at this point.

 

Below are screenshots of the different revisions of the data sheets - 29 July 2019, versus 27 January 2020).  I made my inquiry at the end of December 2019.  Below that is the currently active marketing for the SMWB, which is inconsistent with the new data sheet.

 

 

SMWB Data Sheet rev 29 July 2019.jpg

SMWB Data Sheet rev 27 January 2020.jpg

SMWB product marketing captured 03012020 cropped.jpg

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1 hour ago, Southeast Sound Guy said:

 People due either a recall or reimbursement for a potentially false marketing claim.  It's possible that at some point they changed the features of the model, but the marketing was still out there that is incorrect.  Anything is possible at this point.

 

 

No one is owed anything I am not sure why you keep beating this dead horse. 

I already gave you the information you are seeking I own 6 Channels of SMWB the battery life is the same regardless of power output setting I know this from personal experience. 

 

Nothing has changed in this product since release and anything IS NOT possible except you are a dense individual who hasn't taken the time to call Lectrosonics on the phone if you want the answer directly from them instead you want to keep posting a bunch of hot air on this thread,  

 

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Just now, ProSound said:

 

No one is owed anything I am not sure why you keep beating this dead horse. 

I already gave you the information you are seeking I own 6 Channels of SMWB the battery life is the same regardless of power output setting I know this from personal experience. 

 

Nothing has changed in this product since release and anything IS NOT possible except you are a dense individual who hasn't taken the time to call Lectrosonics on the phone if you want the answer directly from them instead you want to keep posting a bunch of hot air on this thread,  

 

 

Hi Whitney. I appreciate your insight, but you are not correct about the implications of a false marketing claim.  This is something that affects whether a person would choose the model over others or that of their competitors.

 

For you to insult another forum member for revealing discrepancies in their marketing which are relied upon to make a purchase decision is uncalled for.  I am certain I am not the first individual to have trouble trying to figure out what is what, which is obviously how the thread started (by someone else) to begin with.

 

If you bought a car that claimed to be a v8 and it turned out to be a 4-cylinder, do you think there are potential damages due? Of course there are, both to the consumers and competitors for an effect on their market share.

 

For a 20 yr sound pro to act in your manner - it doesn't give me much faith in the community.

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Hi all, and thank you for bringing this to our attention. 

 

Sometime last year (July, I believe), we updated most of our marketing materials for the SMWB family of products. 

 

Intially, it was thought that we could have a variable RF output that also translate to differences in battery life like we see for most previous products with this feature. Pre-release materials included this information, which is where B&H got it for their video that was released shortly after the product was introduced. 

 

Once the design was finalized, we realized that the way to make the most stable RF output with this design was to use attenuation to derive the lower power settings. Because of this, there is no difference in battery life with any of the RF settings within a specific unit. Thus, the only differences would be for the EU version (which has a 50 mW highest RF output level) and then of course with the different number of batteries and battery types. 

 

Although we had corrected the data sheets and manuals last year, we didn't get to the web pages for these products until now. My apologies for this oversight. 

 

And, if anyone has had an experience where you have contacted us and not received a reply, please PM me - that is very unusual for us. I'll want to know the method you used to contact us (for instance - "I sent a general note to sales@lectrosonics.com from the web site" or whatever it might be. Sometimes, those get caught in the spam filter, although usually it works fine. Those messages come into a general in-box and then are distributed internally to the most likely candidate that can answer the question. Again, my apologies if we did not get back to you. I think we are very easily reachable, but sometimes things go wrong. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Karl Winkler

Lectrosonics, Inc. 

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Thanks for your reply Karl.  It is greatly appreciated.  If you look around the web, there are still plenty of places that have incorrect marketing for the products (Trew Audio, BHphotovideo, etc).  Back in late December I downloaded all of the manuals and data sheets in an attempt to try to determine what model would best suit my purposes.

 

My initial intention was to invest in the WB series if the V series did not become available in the A1 B1 bands.  Besides what was currently on the web, the data sheets are what listed that the WB series also had the V series variable power battery saving benefit (SMV data sheet rev 31 Oct 2019, SMWB data sheet rev 29 July 2019 - both downloaded in December 2019).  It's significant because over the course of 5-10 years, the added expense of extra lithium batteries can outweigh the cost of the entire unit, especially for the SMWB models.

 

The variable power output battery savings was one of the features that was most desireable for the 'WB' series from a consumer standpoint.  There are reviews out there where some people are very disappointed with the actual battery life compared to what was represented for the products features.

 

I did attempt to contact sales@lectrosonics.com - Dec 27 2019 to try to make sense of things and see what operating conditions the battery tests for the SMWB models were done under.  After not hearing back, I inquired a bit here on the forums which yielded that the lack of battery tables was due to cost and bureaucracy associated with certifications, so up until this thread, I still believed that the WB series had the feature.  I'm glad this is getting sorted out.  The marketing that is out there on the web makes things very confusing for someone trying to buy Lectrosonics products.

SMV crop 31 October 2019.jpg

SMWB crop 29 July 2019.jpg

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