Over on the Tapers Section forum, a fellow who posts as "JasonSobel" report=
s running the Marantz PMD661 and a pair of mics that need phantom power for=
160 minutes before the battery was exhausted. This run time is similar to=
the 180 minutes I observed when I tested the PMD661 with Rode NT1A mics.
That's not a long time.
If you need longer run times, or don't want to be bothered changing batteri=
es in the field, consider an external lithium-ion battery. "JasonSobel" w=
as able to run the PMD661 non-stop for almost 15 hours using an external Te=
kkeon MP3450 Li-Ion battery.
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,112681.msg1592977.html#msg1592977
When the test ended, the battery power indicator showed 25% to 40% power re=
maining. So the MP3450 is likely able to run the PMD661 for an additional =
Message: 3.
Subject: 5 hours, maybe as much as an additional 6 hours.
Test conditions: The recorder was providing phantom power to a pair of beye=
rdynamic CK 930 mics. The mics are rated to draw 4.6mA each. The quantizat=
ion rate was 24/48. The SDHC card was an 8gb Sandisk Ultra II.
Tekkeon sells several battery models. The MP3450 can store 50 Wh of power. =
The smaller MP3300 stores 36 Wh of power, and is switch-selectable to provi=
de 3V and 4.5V DC output in addition to 5V. The Tekkeon kit includes 9 pow=
er tips. One fits the PMD661 DC input.
Street price for the MP3450 is $110-$120. The MP3300 costs about $75.
The MP3450 and MP3300 are very close to the size of the Marantz PMD661: =
MP3450 -- 6.9 x 3.3 x 0.9 in., 15.3 oz.
PMD661 -- 6.5 x 3.7 x 1.4 in., 14 oz without battery
Read about the Tekkeon products here
http://www.tekkeon.com/products-mypowerall.html
A less expensive solution could be fabricated from a plastic battery holder=
and four "D" size NiMH rechargable cells. Rob Danielson has provided inst=
ructions to create a 10 cell battery here.
http://www.uwm.edu/~type/audio-reports/BatteryPack_NiMH_722/Battery10KaHr_7=
Message: 22_744.
Subject: htm
You could build your own 4 cell version by modifying these instructions.
--oryoki
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