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Lithium ion power pack for fr4x????

Tom

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Say Ventura or one of you other wizards out there,

Could you use something like a Lithium Ion Battery pack like the one below to power a Roland Fr4x? Could you plug something like this in to the Fr4x where you plug in the 120v converter? Maybe attach it to the back of the keyboard or sit it on the music stand? Then you wouldn’t have to take out, charge, and replace the batteries, carry a spare set, or worry that they would fail while playing. Could you get 3 - 4 hours at moderate volume, or would you need quite a heavier duty battery pack?

I am absolutely clueless about this and looking for your opinions.

Thank you!


 
the key thing to consider regarding this idea is that
there is no combination of lithium cells/individual batteries
that naturally natively equal 12 volts..

packs such as this are rated at 12 volts because for a short
while when fully charged, they can equal or exceed 12 volts,
but they cannot sustain it.. the native voltage
of a single lithium battery/cell is typically 3.6 volts, so they have 3 cells
to make a "12 volt" pack because when freshly charged they are
more like 4.2 volts each.. sensitive equipment does not like
either the peak overvoltage, or the lower sustainable voltage

since they cannot sustain it, if you look closely at the specs,
for example they have settings for several voltages, and they
can GUARANTEE sustained voltage at 9 volts, or 5 volts, but
not at 12 volts. that is because the natural voltage of the cells
inside is greater than 9 volts or 6 volts, and so can be regulated
down for those levels lower than the natural voltage of the pack

so, briefly, they used to sell a 24 volt talentcell pack
and that had a guaranteed sustained voltage at lower
levels, like 12 volts 9 volts etc, while also being able to run
something at 24 volts for a good while.
however, the 24 volt packs with a 12 volt regulated "tap"
( i had looked at them awhile back ) were too bulky
to slip under the backpad, so i didn't get one.. they
quit making them in 24 volt packs

runtime for lithium packs is based on batteries in parallel..
so a homemade 12 volt regulated setup with 4 cells
that didn't run long enough for you would need to be
upgraded to an 8 cell pack (4 paired cells = 8 batteries)

devices that actually can run on anything from 10 to 14 volts
without hassle are what an "advertised 12 volt" pack like these are
targeted toward. Electronic devices like the Rolands are rather
sensitive and actually require a steady voltage that does not waver
or drop or exceed the needed voltage the device is designed for

the second issue is, a regulator circuit that can control
a custom 4 cell lithium pack may not be able to output
the AMPERAGE the device will draw, especially with the
volume all the way up

so if i take 4 individual lithium batteries (that kinda look like
big fat long AA batteries) and buy a plastic battery holder
for them then wire them to a regulator then wire a plug on
the regulator that fits into the bottom power socket of the Roland,
i would have a steady 12 volt power that the Roland would
be happy with and it would likely last longer than 10 AA NiMh

but if you were gonna be OK with a battery on your music stand and a
wire yea long could also just use a 12 volt sealed lead acid battery
which is for sure 12 volts and come in many sizes/amps


and actually, i have quite a few of my portable battery operated
PA setups and wireless gear and mixers being run from just such
lithium batteries, battery holders, and regulators.. some at 5 volts
some at 9 and some at 12, but those are all in cases or little amps
setups i could fit the stuff inside or velcro it on top

with the Roland, we have our back pocket, or slip a pack under the
backpad as the possible locations

when the FR3 came out, we found a nice flat pack NiMh 10 battery
pack that slipped nicely under the backpad that gave us good runtime
and ease of swapping out, so i understand why you want something like this..
Caps had one and i had one and we published the info way back and others
got them too.. but NiMh flat packs and accompanying chargers are
hard to find now..
 
Th
the key thing to consider regarding this idea is that
there is no combination of lithium cells/individual batteries
that naturally natively equal 12 volts..

packs such as this are rated at 12 volts because for a short
while when fully charged, they can equal or exceed 12 volts,
but they cannot sustain it.. the native voltage
of a single lithium battery/cell is typically 3.6 volts, so they have 3 cells
to make a "12 volt" pack because when freshly charged they are
more like 4.2 volts each.. sensitive equipment does not like
either the peak overvoltage, or the lower sustainable voltage

since they cannot sustain it, if you look closely at the specs,
for example they have settings for several voltages, and they
can GUARANTEE sustained voltage at 9 volts, or 5 volts, but
not at 12 volts. that is because the natural voltage of the cells
inside is greater than 9 volts or 6 volts, and so can be regulated
down for those levels lower than the natural voltage of the pack

so, briefly, they used to sell a 24 volt talentcell pack
and that had a guaranteed sustained voltage at lower
levels, like 12 volts 9 volts etc, while also being able to run
something at 24 volts for a good while.
however, the 24 volt packs with a 12 volt regulated "tap"
( i had looked at them awhile back ) were too bulky
to slip under the backpad, so i didn't get one.. they
quit making them in 24 volt packs

runtime for lithium packs is based on batteries in parallel..
so a homemade 12 volt regulated setup with 4 cells
that didn't run long enough for you would need to be
upgraded to an 8 cell pack (4 paired cells = 8 batteries)

devices that actually can run on anything from 10 to 14 volts
without hassle are what an "advertised 12 volt" pack like these are
targeted toward. Electronic devices like the Rolands are rather
sensitive and actually require a steady voltage that does not waver
or drop or exceed the needed voltage the device is designed for

the second issue is, a regulator circuit that can control
a custom 4 cell lithium pack may not be able to output
the AMPERAGE the device will draw, especially with the
volume all the way up

so if i take 4 individual lithium batteries (that kinda look like
big fat long AA batteries) and buy a plastic battery holder
for them then wire them to a regulator then wire a plug on
the regulator that fits into the bottom power socket of the Roland,
i would have a steady 12 volt power that the Roland would
be happy with and it would likely last longer than 10 AA NiMh

but if you were gonna be OK with a battery on your music stand and a
wire yea long could also just use a 12 volt sealed lead acid battery
which is for sure 12 volts and come in many sizes/amps


and actually, i have quite a few of my portable battery operated
PA setups and wireless gear and mixers being run from just such
lithium batteries, battery holders, and regulators.. some at 5 volts
some at 9 and some at 12, but those are all in cases or little amps
setups i could fit the stuff inside or velcro it on top

with the Roland, we have our back pocket, or slip a pack under the
backpad as the possible locations

when the FR3 came out, we found a nice flat pack NiMh 10 battery
pack that slipped nicely under the backpad that gave us good runtime
and ease of swapping out, so i understand why you want something like this..
Caps had one and i had one and we published the info way back and others
got them too.. but NiMh flat packs and accompanying chargers are
hard to find now..
Thanks for your detailed and informative response Ventura. Sounds complicated, guess I’ll just stick with the batteries for now and/or investigate the sealed lead acid power pack….
 
before Lithium batteries became handy, many of the outdoor
"Tailgate" PA systems from 8 or 10 years ago ( like the ION products,
PYLE, and others ) ran on 5 or 7 AmpHour sealed lead acid
batteries. These had charging circuits built in and would run for
days it seemed on a charge. if you intend to have a small
PA system also for the Farmers mkt. and can find one of
these, you could tap into it (the battery is usually hidden
under a 4 screw removable panel for eazy access/replacement)

if you could find one of these used.. lots of them had wheels and handles
for rolling like a dolly.. some had nice speakers and were pretty loud..
by now if you found an old one, likely has a dead battery.. as long
as it didn't leak and corrode anything important could be fixed
up like new

i have one of these


which was such new.old-stock by 2022 the batteries were dead so Amazon
got rid of them for really cheap

they seem to still have some models around.. this one has a 7amp battery
built in but God Knows how long it has been sitting in a warehouse..
actually scroll way down it shows "first made available September 13, 2015"


read the info closely because most are now upgraded to
Lithium battery setups and can't be easily tapped for 12 volts

Amazon prime is needed as these are heavy, and you can send one back
if it is a mess for free under prime too and they send a different one
until you get a decent one

i could mail you a kit of parts to tap one of these
as i keep pigtail male and female 12 volt DC power pigtail
cables handy in my shop, and a dc socket.. like these


and you need to solder 1 diode inline on the hot side to protect
against any accidental reverse-polarity moment

there are a couple sizes of these

 
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Sounds complicated! I’m kind of surprised there is not a commercial “power pack” that uses a rechargeable lead acid or lithium battery that is made to deliver dependable 12 volts with a standard 120v converter and female plug(s) already attached for devices like the Fr4x. It seems like these would be useful in the RV world. Maybe there’s not a market because everyone is assumed to have 120 v available. Go figure!
 
There are many options for portable batteries that output 12 volts.

Visit Amazon, enter TALENTCELL and 12 volt. Lots of options and that’s just one brand/name. Size vs mAh capacity are the biggest consideration.
 
Hi Jerry,

That’s the one we were talking about, that may not be consistent enough for an Fr4x, because they are rated at 12 - 9 volt output. More research needed! But first I’m off to the post office, talk to you later….
 
been playing with lithium batteries for awhile now..
the amount of power they can hold is awesome and
very appealing, but they have issues

like charge it with too high a voltage they turn into expensive doorstops

charge with too much "force" they get pregnant.. even explode..

so i have settled mostly on individual chubby batterylookinglike
cells and plastic battery holders i can wire up myself and outboard
voltage regulator modules and of course my own connector wires

charging the batteries in individual cell chargers made for Lithium
batteries is as easy and reliable as it was for NiCad/NiMh..
slip 10 batteries in their slots turn the charger on it measures/senses
each cell and feeds it the appropriate charge level

then there are the imitation AA cells we have discussed in the past,
which are charged by special Lithium chargers, and i feel are better
than NiMh in my Roland AX synth, Axis Keytar, and FR4

then there are imitation 9 volt batteries which have a USB power
port for re-charging and seem to work well in any number of
9volt battery powered things i have around here
(water sensors, driveway intrusion sensors, etc.)

there are now even 12 volt imitation lawn tractor batteries that have
all the circuitry built in and seemingly can handle over-voltage
over amperage issues
(but i don't feel confident enough in them yet to try one)

no doubt as battery tech continues to advance and demand
dictates, we will see more innovation and application

as for the talentcell packs, they obviously COULD build one
with 4 lithium cells instead of 3 and a regulator that guarantees steady
12 volt output (like the ones i built for myself) but they don't..
there are even stacked parallel high amperage packs all over the place
now too as emergency jump=starters you can keep in your glovebox
in case your truck battery dies

these actually work and give a helluva burst of juice for a few moments,
but they don't give a sustained 12 volts either.. but then again a car
starter is glad to have anything between 10-14 volts and won't complain
while a FR4 is definitely gonna bitch and moan and act up if it
doesn't have it's happy juice just so

2 ounces rye whiskey
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
a lemon twist
 
before Lithium batteries became handy, many of the outdoor
"Tailgate" PA systems from 8 or 10 years ago ( like the ION products,
PYLE, and others ) ran on 5 or 7 AmpHour sealed lead acid
batteries. These had charging circuits built in and would run for
days it seemed on a charge.

I'm still using something of this ilk - a portable busking amp with a lead acid battery. Made circa 2000 by Crate, and imported from St.Louis, MO. Quite heavy, but it's NEVER ran out of power in use. It's modern replacement uses NiMH AA cells and I'm forever charging them :(

I did recently build a pedal board for my lyre-playing friend. We used a "PD" lithium power pack with a little USB-C PCB that 'talks' to it to request 9v.
 
I'm still using something of this ilk - a portable busking amp with a lead acid battery. Made circa 2000 by Crate, and imported from St.Louis, MO. Quite heavy, but it's NEVER ran out of power in use. It's modern replacement uses NiMH AA cells and I'm forever charging them :(

I did recently build a pedal board for my lyre-playing friend. We used a "PD" lithium power pack with a little USB-C PCB that 'talks' to it to request 9v.
so an odd Crate amp made it all the way across the pond !

St Louis Music began life as a Jobber to the music retail industry,
buying large quantities of strings and such at discount and reselling
to mom and pop music stores. They grew and became major importers
for brands like Alvarez Guitars (Japan)

they eventually wanted to add sound-reinforcment but all
the good brands were taken, so they started their own
Crate
and were very successful providing no-nonsense no-frills
rugged and reliable small amps built in "crate" looking cabinetry
instead of the heavy particleboard black amps common at the time
eventually they added AMPEG to their line and took over manufacturing
and support for the brand

around 2005 the modern company chose to focus on just being a Jobber
again, and sold off Crate and Ampeg to the parent company of Mackie,
who specializes in sound re-inforcment (Loud Technologies)

we still see tons of old beat-up crate amps at the local
Music-go-round kinds of places.. seems like you can't
kill 'em !
 
so an odd Crate amp made it all the way across the pond !

Yes, they're not common, but I know of three hereabouts - all used by Morris musicians who like something portable.
 
Last edited:
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