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Need help: Lectro SMa battery problem


Anthony Enns

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Hey All,

I've had a few SMa's for a couple years (got them new) and two of them have slowly developed an increasingly persistent problem with the battery compartment. Hard to explain all the details exactly, but the short (possible pun intended?) of it is if I tighten down the battery cover all the way, as one typically would, the reported battery voltage drops VERY quickly (can kill a AA Lithium in <30 minutes). If I loosen the cover just slightly, the voltage springs back up and reads correctly. But any pressure on the cover, such as pushing on it intentionally or being sat on in talent's pocket, etc. will either cause the voltage to quickly drop or the unit to shut off entirely. This of course makes them completely unreliable for real world use. Visually, everything in the battery chamber looks clean and normal compared to my other units that work fine so I'm just sitting here scratching my head. Has anyone else seen a problem like this?

Anthony

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Zack,

Have you been on the Lectrosonics forum? I have SMa's and SM's - 8 total. They have been working in lots of environments, for over three years and more. Never had the problem you refer too.

My SOP is to try not to place the transmitters in the talents pockets. But that still does not explain your problem -- perhaps a crappy batch of batteries?

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It really sounds like something shorting out. You could always send one and see what they find.

I had a MM400c with no visible damage and it turned out some sort of abuse was causing an intermittent shorting of the antenna to the case. I was getting a fraction of the range I should.

The fact that they seem pretty unreliable would make me think a trip to the mothership is in order. Actually, call Lectro. They will try some troubleshooting over the phone and if they don't have a quick fix then they tell you to send it in. You need to get a RA# from them anyway.

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I know this is tangential to the original question, but on the subject of SM transmitters, I have had a difficult time finding a rechargeable AA that seats well enough in the compartment to energize the device. I only have consistent success with Energizer Lithiums, but they're disposable of course. Anyone have a consistent favorite, or a similar experience?

    Thanks,

      greg

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Yes, yes, re-chargeable AA's in general have been discussed at length (in fact when I search I find some of my own posts!). I'm asking specifically about the compatibility of rechargeable AA's in the SM xmitters. I have several different brands and find that many of them will not make good contact in the SM's battery compartment. Just looking for similar experiences and what works well for this specific circumstance.

    thanks,

    greg

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  • 4 years later...

Hey All,

I've had a few SMa's for a couple years (got them new) and two of them have slowly developed an increasingly persistent problem with the battery compartment. Hard to explain all the details exactly, but the short (possible pun intended?) of it is if I tighten down the battery cover all the way, as one typically would, the reported battery voltage drops VERY quickly (can kill a AA Lithium in <30 minutes). If I loosen the cover just slightly, the voltage springs back up and reads correctly. But any pressure on the cover, such as pushing on it intentionally or being sat on in talent's pocket, etc. will either cause the voltage to quickly drop or the unit to shut off entirely. This of course makes them completely unreliable for real world use. Visually, everything in the battery chamber looks clean and normal compared to my other units that work fine so I'm just sitting here scratching my head. Has anyone else seen a problem like this?

Anthony

Hi Anthony,

Try removing the circlip (also called e clip) that is on the battery door thumbscrew. We have had several units where that binds up and the door is not pulled all the way down before the circlip bottoms on the case. If that isn't it, then it sounds as if the contact on the other end is messed up.

Best,

Larry F

Lectro

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I have used the paste.

 

This is a different problem.  It seems it is possible to tighten the thumb screw just a little too much to where it appears some sort of "short" occurs.  This is characterized by the power LED lighting up red almost immediately with a new battery, which will drain the battery VERY quickly.  If however, I loosen the thumb screw just a little, then the LED turns green and all is well. 

 

Tom

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello Tom. I just want to add that I have had the same problem as of late. I am taking the 2nd one to do that in today to get looked at. It seemed to be a problem with the circuitry that measures the battery voltage and sends that info to the receiver. I would have to ask the repair guys for a better explaination.

 

I would get the red LED and get a lower battery reading back at the receiver then stick that same battery in a newer SMa and the battery would read where it is supposed to be. Also, I left the battery in with the red LED and low voltage reading to see if it would actually die, but it didn't. It even blinked a low 1.10 volt reading back at the receiver for a long time without dying. That is when I asked the repair guys to look at the battery circuits. I will ask again what he found and report back. Maybe it is the same problem for you and others...

 

CRAIG

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Well, checked with my repair guy and he said usually cleaning battery door, inside contact and also cleaning in where battery door screws in fixes most problems. My problem was the other times. The contact inside goes over onto the circuits boards and needs solder touch up and also can be that whtever they happen to use under the battery contact inside to give it springy tension needs replacing due to breaking down over time. I just did the whole cleaning thing on the one I was going to send in and now everything preforms great. A little dirt causes BIG problems...

 

CRAIG

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