Bottlehead Forum
Bottlehead Finished Products => Bottlehead DAC => Legacy Products => Bottlebatt => Topic started by: Doc B. on May 20, 2015, 01:33:23 PM
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Early on in the development of the BHDAC we started playing with battery power, with nice results. Even with all of the sophisticated regulation in the DAC itself the battery seems to improve the dynamics a bit over the stock line lump. While we felt the DAC itself was not workable as a kit, we do plan to produce this battery supply in kit form. It will come in a cabinet similar to the DAC but wider and deeper. It will contain a 7AH battery that might give about 8 hours of play on a full charge, and a charging circuit that will allow the DAC to play on battery with the charger off, battery with charger active (in case you want to run the DAC for hours and hours at a very slight reduction in sonics) and charge only (DAC turned off and faster battery recharging).
The line lump that comes with the DAC will plug into the battery supply chassis and power the charging circuit. The battery supply will then plug into the DAC, which can sit beside or on top of the battery supply. We hope to have some photos of a prototype supply by early June. Price is TBD. I hope to have a ballpark figure later today.
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As a matter of interest, will the kit contain the battery? If so, guess you're aware that there may be shipping restrictions depending on the type of battery.
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Yes it will contain a battery. We are aware of shipping regulations and we are taking this into consideration. However when we started talking about how much time and effort it would take to make this a kit and that many users may not be kit builders (since the DAC is not a kit), we are rethinking the kit aspect. It might actually be more cost effective to sell these finished, like the DAC itself.
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Yes it will contain a battery. We are aware of shipping regulations and we are taking this into consideration. However when we started talking about how much time and effort it would take to make this a kit and that many users may not be kit builders (since the DAC is not a kit), we are rethinking the kit aspect. It might actually be more cost effective to sell these finished, like the DAC itself.
Thought you would have it covered. Shipped inside a device is generally much less of an issue as you would know.
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cool, looking forward to this
Debra
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Cool, I look forward to seeing how this develops.
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I'm interested too :)
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I'm also very interested. I had a chance to listen briefly with a prototype battery supply. It made a noticeable difference, in a direction that I liked. I want it!
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I'm also very interested. I had a chance to listen briefly with a prototype battery supply. It made a noticeable difference, in a direction that I liked. I want it!
can you say more?
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Sounds great doc! Any chance it could be made or configured more universally for you other battery powered gear?
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The voltages required for the different products are quite wide ranging, particularly if you include Quickie which needs a 36V supply. This supply will just be for the DAC, but perhaps we could consider a supply for Quicksand in the future.
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Is there a ballpark figure yet?
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Is there a ballpark figure yet?
I'm pulling all the bits together in the next week or so, and we will get the final price nailed down firmly in that time.
-PB
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can you say more?
Not really. As I said it ws a brief listen, so I want to save the flowery verbiage for later.
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Hi Doc, PB
Has there been a decision on kit vs. assembled?
Thanks
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Has there been a decision on kit vs. assembled?
It will be assembled.
-PB
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Thanks Paul.
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Any news on this front?
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I am as motivated to give you guys news about the supply as you are to receive it. Hopefully we will have a prototype ready to photograph tomorrow and we can start taking pre orders in the next day or two.
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Good news!
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I am ready willing and able to pre order. :)
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Here's a pic of the new battery supply, the Bottlebatt. Hope to have an order page up very soon.
(https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/s480x480/11219623_869843339718083_4950112727697027730_n.jpg?oh=61f7ab7cc4273443b0b0b1c2f043d097&oe=5653FDBF)
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THAT is amazing! ;D
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OK, the Bottlebatt web page is live!
http://bottlehead.com/product/bottlebatt/ (http://bottlehead.com/product/bottlebatt/)
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Hi Doc,PB,
Is there enough cable from the Bottlebatt to locate it about seven cable feet away from the DAC ?
Thanks
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Seven feet would be quite ungainly for a setup that most will configure as stacked or side by side. The power umbilical length is three feet.
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Thanks Doc,
I have space issues. the DAC fits but I know I can't stack.
Would you give me the Dimensions of the Bottlebatt so I can try to come up with with a solution.
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Looks proper smart. Though i think you missed a trick Doc, you should built the DAC into that enclosure from the start so it could all fit into the one enclosure.
Will this be a limit run kind of deal, or will it still be available a few months from now?
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The enclosure would have to be bigger than the battery supply for both DAC and battery supply in one box. And customers would have had to ship their DAC back to us for the upgrade. Considering how crazy the shipping gets between countries (I was going to order some $80 gloves from Germany until I found out shipping was $55!) let alone the potential for shipping damage, we chose to make the upgrade a separate unit.
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How long on average does it take to recharge the battery after say a five or six hour listening session on battery only? Also, I'd be curious to know what battery chemistry you guys settled on. Unless of course that is a trade secret. On my quickie I'm using NiMh and the class D amp I'm using an SLA. The reasons are not scientific. It's just what I had on hand.
I too am saving up for this upgrade. I'd like to get my hands on a Stereomour II as well.
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The way we run the DAC here is to leave it on all the time. If we are not listening it stays in BAT/CHG mode. When we listen we switch to BAT mode. When it gets low it goes back to BAT/CHG. So I don't have a number for full recharge time in charge only/DAC off mode. PB knows the charge rate and can probably come up with a realistic estimate of full recharge time.
The battery is SLA. We listened to several different chemistries and SLA offered the best combination of sonics and practicality. LiFePO4 sounds good too but is not practical from a standpoint of shipping - USPS won't ship the size of LiFePO4 battery we would need to use.
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I'm close to pulling the trigger on this. One more question if I may. Does the circuit offer under-volt cutoff? I almost hate to admit this but I frequently fall asleep during my listening sessions. Its a great way to relax at the end of the day. Running an SLA into too deep of a discharge will shorten its life. Will the circuit shut down when running on battery power if a certain (low) voltage is reached?
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The DAC itself will cease to function before the battery dies, and this give some protection on the battery for an overnight listen.
You could also just leave it on the charge/listen setting.
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I PMd him. I wanted him to know that he is not the only one who snoozes while listening. And I was happy to find out too.
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Yeah, but it kinda sucks when you are listening to vinyl...John
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http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/q-up-automatic-tonearm-lift/ (http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/q-up-automatic-tonearm-lift/)
You can find it at several vendors, including Amazon, but pcX recently had it on sale ....
..... now I don't worry about nodding off ..... works flawlessly on my VPI SSM.
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OH NO! I just realized that my on-order battery supply cannot be turned on and off by my 12V trigger system. I will have to get up out of my chair and walk 10 feet to turn it to bat only and then 10 feet back to my chair. I'll be exhausted after that. I'll have to build some kind of remote hand to turn the switch for me. ;) I have an Uptone Audio Regen on order as well - this DAC is going to look awesome with things hanging from it and below it - hopefully someone will invent a new accessory for this DAC every 3 months or so and it will grow into some kind of transformer. BTW, the Uptone piece was designed using the Bottlehead DAC so I feel sure it will be a great addition.
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OH NO! I just realized that my on-order battery supply cannot be turned on and off by my 12V trigger system. I will have to get up out of my chair and walk 10 feet to turn it to bat only and then 10 feet back to my chair. I'll be exhausted after that.
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.asseenontv.com%2Fimgcache%2Fproduct%2Fresized%2F000%2F295%2F535%2Fcatl%2F00295535-016668_500.jpg%3Fk%3Dd9398d8a%26amp%3Bpid%3D295535%26amp%3Bs%3Dcatl%26amp%3Bsn%3Dasseenontv&hash=684c31b6f2d16beb787538fd5752f2b6068159c9)
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Hey Doc & PB,
Would there be any issues with putting a wooden cover over the battery unit (e.g., heat, etc.)?
I mean a non-intrusive case that wouldn't require opening the unit itself, which I'm guessing would void one's warranty.
thanks,
David
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There shouldn't be any issue as long as there is a little airflow. We do apologize for these taking so long to get out the door. We've had a couple of hangups in getting materials from vendors. The last bits should be in early next week and hopefully the first units will be shipping then.
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Woo hoo, the first of the Bottlebatts shipped on Friday! More are under construction today and there should be more shipping throughout this week.
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Got the battery kit today. Seems to come with a charge as I've been listening on bat only.
The sound is awesome! Listening to Jenna Mammina event 37 from Blue Coast.
Its 5.6 Mhz Dsf and plays with hiss through Amarra, but fine through Audio Gate.
Using USB input on the DAC.
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Seems to come with a charge as I've been listening on bat only.
Yes the batteries have been measured at about 6.2 to 6.3 VDC when they are packed.
I should point out here that these supplies are not like iPhones where it's recommended to run the battery down all the way before charging in order to extend the usable lifetime. These are SLA batteries and thus they can be left in charge mode as much as one wants. There is no advantage to be gained in terms of lifetime by running them until the DAC dies. In my system the sonic difference between using the stock line lump and the battery supply is significant. Whether the battery supply sounds better in bat only mode or bat/chg mode is much more subtle and might not be easy to discern in a lot of systems. The difference is subtle enough that I usually forget to switch to bat only mode and thus most listening at BHQ ends up in bat/chg mode.
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Thanks for the info. I had trouble telling the difference between charge/bat and bat as well.
I thought it was that I was not standing in the sweet spot as I was switching back and forth, or
my hearing, which is fading. I didn't try the comparison between wall supply only and bat kit.