2. amps-preamps
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Dodd preamp battery plays 40 minutes

I have a Dodd battery operated preamp. It sounds very good, but the batteries (four square units well seated in their alloted places) do not play more than about 40 minutes. At that time, the preamp starts beeping to be recharged. It recharges, but then again will not play through a whole CD. Any suggestions?

The Dodd has a switch on the front to select between two sets of batteries, but I understand that this is a holdover from an earlier design and that in fact the preamp automatically uses all the batteries before it asks for a recharge. Changing the switch position to the other set of batteries does not change things. The preamp is plugged in via its adaptor, and is supposed to disconnect the wall power when it is turned on, and then to reconnect to wall power for recharging when turned off. I realize the batteries may be faulty, but it's a new preamp and it seems unlikely. Any guidance is appreciated.
audiomole

Showing 4 responses by cruz123

cruz123
586 posts
 
The batteries are bad. I went throught he same thing when I bought mine last year. Gary has been having some issues with battery suppliers and has gotten some bad ones from time to time. Call Gary, he's very responsive.
cruz123
586 posts
 
my dodds been flawless except when I accidentally left it on too long got the beeps, recharged and good to go

FYI, if you leave it on too long after the beeping starts, it will damage the batteries to the point that they cannot be fully recharged. I have - twice - accidently left mine on overnight. They will recharge, but each succssive use will result in a shorter live until you have to replace the batteries after 4-5 listening sessions. I am much more careful now :)

Also, as an FYI, I have found a battery sold by the franchise store, BatteriesPlus. It's their Werker brand. It's pricey (they will discount if you buy four), but it works very well and it fits into the pre much better than the Powersonic brand Gary last sent to me. Plus they are sold with a one year warranty.
cruz123
586 posts
 
Yes, it's $80 from Gary for a new set (4) of batteries or you can find them from multiple online sources for that price. It cost me $100 to buy a set at my local Batteriesplus store, so it just depends on how desparately you need them. They should last a year or more with normal use. Again, my mistake in killing the batteries was leaving the pre on long AFTER the warning beep went off. My normal listening sessions are less than 5 hours and, in that case, the warning beep never goes off. After a recharge of an hour or so they're ready to go again. I'm confident I could get a least 7-8 hours of continuous use before the batteries need to be recharged under normal conditions. It's really care free, just remember to turn it off when you're done :)
cruz123
586 posts
 
Vinnie, a local retailer where I bought by last set of batteries suggested that these batteries will suffer reduced life if the batteries are not used and/or recharged while in the upright position, i.e. with terminals on top. I don't recall the exact technical explanation, but they suggested that using or recharging the battery positioned on its side was not optimal due to the way the liquid was contained in the battery. Do have an opinion on this and how do you position the battery in your products?
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