Last night I was messing around with my Zoom R16 and got frustrated that everytime I went from my room with the piano to my room with the guitars that I would have to unplug and replugin the Beatbuddy (since the R16 is battery powered). So I began researching the portable pedal power solutions out there, mainly read about the Joyo and the Sanyo Juice pack. Instead of ordering those, I ordered a simple 9v battery holder with on/off switch and 2.1mm power connector for $3 on Amazon with same-day delivery, as well as some EBL 9v rechargeable batteries.
So this morning after charging the batteries up decided to try it out. I put the battery in the holder and plugged it into the beatbuddy… and… nothing. Turns out the holder was created for center positive, so I just flipped the battery and plugged it in again and the Beatbuddy turned on. I started up just a regular beat, I think the Blues 2 with volume at 60% and let it sit on my desk as I worked all day.[ATTACH=full]3109[/ATTACH] It lasted 3 hours and I started thinking why the hell isn’t this already in there. So I began researching what the inside of the Beatbuddy looked like and saw that there appeared to be a gap big enough for a 9v inside. So I ended my experiment with seeing how long the 9v would last and instead took the battery holder apart, just keeping the wires and on/off switch. Inside the beatbuddy is this space right next to where the power wires are soldered onto the board, so I then took the red/black wires from my battery holder and soldered them onto those same spots (except switched the red/black since the holder was center positive). [ATTACH=full]3111[/ATTACH]Then I attached the battery, and ran the wire for the switch so that it would stick out after I screwed the bottom back on (I know probably won’t last long but this was just an experiment and to see if it would work, I plan on drilling a hole in the back below the SD slot so that I can install a push power on/off switch that will be a little more sustainable).[ATTACH=full]3112[/ATTACH]
I then screwed the back on, sat in a moment of silence wondering if I had soldered the wires on well enough, and flipped the switch. The power came right on. I listened to it via headphones, and there was no hum. I attached it to my R16 and no hum. Turned volume all the way up and all good. I can’t speak to how long the battery will last, but just like some of my other guitar pedals - all I will need to do is unscrew the three screws on the bottom and throw another 9v battery in there. The EBL pack I bought came with 4 (EBL 6F22 9v Li-ion batteries 600 mAH).
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So it worked. And from my experiment earlier today, know that it will last at least 3 hours if not more. And if I do need to plug it in, I still can.
Sorry if this has already been done and reported on before, but just had to write this up while it was still fresh.
That EBL battery the orig poster is using is a rechargeable.
Best rechargeable batteries I have found are Eneloop (used to be Sanyo, Panasonic now I think) although they only seem to do AA and AAA sizes. I use two sets (8 per set) that I swap between my keytar. I get around 4 hours playing per set. With up to 1500 recharge cycles they are well worth the initial investment.