MD: Funky charging on the R900
Ed Heckman writes: Thanks for the lead. I bought a charger plus a spare battery from Planet Minidisc about 2 weeks ago. This let me use the two rechargeables to record all the sessions I was in at a conference last week. It really saved my butt. Don't let the specs fool you, the R900 gets significantly less recording time on the rechargeable battery than 8 hours. I say only about 6 hours (or so) in LP4 mode. And playback time isn't that much better. (These estimates are based on the battery indicator in the display.) However, the R900 has much better battery life than the R-90 overall. The display is deceiving. It can be close to the bottom and play for hours. Recording is a different story. You do have to be careful. Use a AA along with the gum battery or plug the unit in. By the way, based on Larrys advice, I got a proper voltage adapter to plug in my R-900. Sony makes these way cool 100-240 V, 1000 mA travel adapters. They are available in various voltages (I got 3V for the R-900) and they are TINY. Very small and light, with a plug that folds in for travel. Only costs a few dollars more than the standard wall wart from Sony, (about $22 at Yodbashi Camera in Tokyo) albiet more than the cheapest no-name brand you can find. Regards, Leland - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Funky charging on the R900
I agree that the R900 doesn't give near-spec performance for battery life. At least not in recording. :) Still, I personally find the R900's charging all right. The battery level indicator, though, feels a tad "funky". It's probably because (a) the range of speed the spindle is on, and (b) unlike Li-ion, there's no circuitry in the battery that doubles as a precise sensor. Given that, I wonder how Sharp's latest portables are in this area. The MT66's indicator probably doesn't work as accurately as the 831's. The BC-7HT is very likable. Sony chargers have had the same form factor since 1991, if not before, until everyone ended up using chargers of the same size. The downsizing to the BC-7HT is very nice. Leon At 9/24/00 5:00 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] increased the world's knowledge by typing: The model number is BC-7HT. Thanks for the lead. I bought a charger plus a spare battery from Planet Minidisc about 2 weeks ago. This let me use the two rechargeables to record all the sessions I was in at a conference last week. It really saved my butt. Don't let the specs fool you, the R900 gets significantly less recording time on the rechargeable battery than 8 hours. I say only about 6 hours (or so) in LP4 mode. And playback time isn't that much better. (These estimates are based on the battery indicator in the display.) - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Funky charging on the R900
At 9/24/00 5:00 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] increased the world's knowledge by typing: The model number is BC-7HT. Thanks for the lead. I bought a charger plus a spare battery from Planet Minidisc about 2 weeks ago. This let me use the two rechargeables to record all the sessions I was in at a conference last week. It really saved my butt. Don't let the specs fool you, the R900 gets significantly less recording time on the rechargeable battery than 8 hours. I say only about 6 hours (or so) in LP4 mode. And playback time isn't that much better. (These estimates are based on the battery indicator in the display.) Ed "What the" Heckman [EMAIL PROTECTED] +--+ | In a single day, Samson slew a thousand Philistines with the | | jawbone of an ass. Every day, thousands of dreams are killed| | with the same weapon.| +--+ - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Funky charging on the R900
Sorry, Ed. I have an R-900 but can't help you answer this. I do not use the unit to charge the battery. I use the stand alone charger that comes with some of the player only units. I have one I bought that handles 100-240 V AC so I can use it when I travel and keep a couple extra gum batteries on hand so I always have battery power. I only use the AA pack as a last resort. The other benefit of the separate battery charger is speed. It charges to full capacity in only about 90 minutes and I believe it will charge to 90% of full charge in less than 30 minutes. It weighs much less than the transformer, so is more portable. The model number is BC-7HT. They sell for about $30 in Japan. Don't know where you might find one here. Sometimes JR will have this type of thing, but not in the catalog. You have to ask. Regards, Leland BTW, Digest 766 only had 2 MD related posts and the rest argument about spam. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Funky charging on the R900
Ok, this one is for you other R900 owners out there. Have you noticed anything funky about recharging the R900? I don't mean needing to push the button to start charging, although that's funky enough. I'm referring to the fact that it doesn't seem to take a full charge without having to hit the charge button more than once. And Sony, if you're listening. Please go back to how charging was handled on the R50. You didn't have to push any buttons, and the battery could be recharged while the unit was recording or playing. I definitely prefer this approach. (BTW... I've gotten pretty sick of the "coupon" threads. I've just been deleting them without reading 'em. Can we get back to MiniDiscs now?) Ed "What the" Heckman [EMAIL PROTECTED] +--+ | Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.| | -- Colin Powell | +--+ - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
