High End battery solution for the TC-7533 Bushmaster MKII

[Theadmans]

And here we go:

Thanks for contacting Anker Support.

If the current draw is lower than 0.05A then the Pro will shut off after around 50 seconds.


...interesting so for this latest version of the battery they are saying if the current draw is less that 0.05A or 50mA it shuts down in 50 seconds.

This is curious as the earlier version had a shutdown after 20 minutes.

The Bushmaster I believe draws between 40mA and 60mA. So at 50mA it is borderline whether the auto shutdown happens.

You may just have to try it and see - in the worst case you will just need to buy a grain of wheat bulb and wire in circuit.

[Kit1cat]

Well, the battery arrived from Amazon this morning and after a bumpy start my Bushmaster mk1 seems to be running fine from the battery, left it on for about 2 hours this afternoon with no problems. It did cut out every few minutes to start with but I charged the battery (this resets it) plus I took the Bushmaster out of sleep mode, perhaps having 2 lit led's on the dac made a differance?

[StanleyB]

It did cut out every few minutes to start with but I charged the battery (this resets it) plus I took the Bushmaster out of sleep mode, perhaps having 2 lit led's on the dac made a differance?
It might help. They draw about 5mA each.

[Kit1cat]

It might help. They draw about 5mA each.

Thanks Stan, 10mA could be enough to make a difference. Do you have you Touch connected to a battery as well? I connected mine last night and was rather surprised to see the battery drop from 60% charged to under 20% in the morning just running the clock.

[Kit1cat]

Solved the problem with the Touch by fitting a in-line switch, I miss the clock display but I prefer it being off then having to charge the battery every day. Bushmaster/Touch sounding great with the Anker battery, now looking to upgrade to a bushmaster mark 2.

[StanleyB]

Touch/Asynch-1/Bushmaster is well worth trying if you are running EDO.

[Kit1cat]

Touch/Asynch-1/Bushmaster is well worth trying if you are running EDO.

Thanks Stan, are you saying the Asynch-1 could be a better option then the Bushmaster mkII? I am running EDO.

[StanleyB]

Venom-3 mod plus battery firmware and Asynch-1 will closely match the stock BMII for performance, AND give you the use of a USB input. If you can solder, do the Venom-3 mod ASAP. If you require any more performance than that, you'll have to save up and use your AoS member discount to grab a CaimanII.

[Kit1cat]

Venom-3 mod plus battery firmware and Asynch-1 will closely match the stock BMII for performance, AND give you the use of a USB input. If you can solder, do the Venom-3 mod ASAP. If you require any more performance than that, you'll have to save up and use your AoS member discount to grab a CaimanII.

Thanks for info Stan, that has given me more food for thought, but not sure I want another link in the chain (I have no use for the USB input) still thinking of the Bushmaster mkll with the modded chip for battery use. Don't think my system would do justice to the CaimanII.

[Jabberwocky]

Hi All,
Thought that a few of you might be interested in this battery that I've just got for my Caiman Mk2:http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00FHVE1CU/ref=ox_ya_os_product_refresh_T1

23,000 mAH plus solar charger - works great - I've just got to conjure a longer connection lead so that I can leave the battery in the window charging while playing music from the Caiman!
48 hours of continuous 'burn-in' and still more than 75% capacity left.
No power drop outs with Caiman (haven't tried it with Bushmaster)
Standard lead supplied plugs into Standac without any adapters.

I ordered on Thursday and it was delivered Friday afternoon.
I'll post separately on my experience with my NEW Caiman 2

[drpetar]

I'm not sure I have to post here, but just for information. I bought an Anker Astro Pro 2nd Gen (20000mA) for my Caiman MKII. Works fine. No problem with the auto cut-off function of the battery. No need a bulb. I was a little bit sceptical about using a battery pack, but now I can say that I've been totally wrong. The improvement is significant to my ears, and more important - to my wife's ears :)

[Theadmans]

Great stuff Peter - Nice One :thumbsup:

....guess the Caiman II draws a bit more current than the Bushmaster II I use (and need a bulb).

BTW I ordered a Capella today so when I connect the BM and Capella together from the Anker I hope to kick the bulb in to touch !

[Harvey13]

Good evening everyone,

I can confirm Adam that it certainly should draw enough current so you can get rid of that pesky light bulb :) I'm using the Capella connected to the Caiman MK11 that I received a few days ago with the Anker pro battery and there hasn't been a cut out. Words cant describe how great songs are sounding!

Kindest Regards

Rupert

[drpetar]

Thanks Adam :thumbsup: ... And yes, I can guess too that BMII + Capella, both connected with the Anker battery should draw enough current (more than 50mA I think) even when idle, and the battery will not switch off. Anyway you will be able to check this soon, hope you will kick out the bulb. :)

[Theadmans]

The Good News is I have a Capella and I love it - best I have ever heard my HD650s - soundstage in particular is improved over the stock BM2 Headphone amp.

The Bad news is I still need the bulb on my Anker 1st Gen Pro 2 battery ? I connected the Capella to the battery and then my BM2 via the flylead fully expecting it draw enough power to stay up. However, both when idling and listening to music it stills cuts out. Reconnected the bulb and all is well. Very Strange!

I wonder if I connected via a Y cable the Capella and BM2 to the battery that would draw more current than using the flylead (any thoughts Stan?)

Not sure I want to do that anyway as it would mean powering the Capella when I only want to listen to the DAC through my speakers. My poor Anker has to power a lot - BM2, Capella, SBT through USB outlet and a grain of wheat bulb. Good job at 20000mah it seems man enough for the job!

[CADCAM]

I purchased the Astro Pro2 (not 2nd Gen) and it is shutting down every 20-25 min. I wonder if I returned it and bought the 2nd Gen with the digital screen if it would stay powered on?? BTW I have a Bushmaster MKII


I'm not sure I have to post here, but just for information. I bought an Anker Astro Pro 2nd Gen (20000mA) for my Caiman MKII. Works fine. No problem with the auto cut-off function of the battery. No need a bulb. I was a little bit sceptical about using a battery pack, but now I can say that I've been totally wrong. The improvement is significant to my ears, and more important - to my wife's ears :)

[drpetar]

Well I'm not quite sure, but I think you may have problems with the 2gen too. The BM2 draws about 40-60mA, and the 2nd gen cuts off under 50mA. See what Adam wrote in the posts 424 and 501 in this thread.

[Light Dependant Resistor]

...interesting so for this latest version of the battery they are saying if the current draw is less that 0.05A or 50mA it shuts down in 50 seconds.

This is curious as the earlier version had a shutdown after 20 minutes.

The Bushmaster I believe draws between 40mA and 60mA. So at 50mA it is borderline whether the auto shutdown happens.

You may just have to try it and see - in the worst case you will just need to buy a grain of wheat bulb and wire in circuit.

A grain of wheat lightbulb yes will dissipate some energy particularly at turn on, but be pretty well a piece of straight wire when it has been running for 10 seconds.
What is the voltage ? , a better circuit would be a resistor calculated to reduce 10ma but aid the indecision by using a non polar capacitor made from
2 polar capacitors approx 100uf wired in series + - -+ in parallel across the resistor,the caps should charge up sufficiently to maintain.

Cheers / Chris

[Kit1cat]

I purchased the Astro Pro2 (not 2nd Gen) and it is shutting down every 20-25 min. I wonder if I returned it and bought the 2nd Gen with the digital screen if it would stay powered on?? BTW I have a Bushmaster MKII

I am running the Anker® 2nd Gen Astro Pro2 20000mAh with a Bushmaster II with no drop out problems, but I do keep the Bushmaster led's on. Had the Bushmaster running for over 2 hours last night with no problems, even when not playing music. This is the battery I use ...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GSLRKJO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=ianker-21&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B00GSLRKJO

[coolblue]

I am planning to buy a battery too for my bushmaster mkII dac.. Is there a photo of connection the battery to the dac ?

[rallye666]

I am running the Anker® 2nd Gen Astro Pro2 20000mAh with a Bushmaster II with no drop out problems, but I do keep the Bushmaster led's on. Had the Bushmaster running for over 2 hours last night with no problems, even when not playing music. This is the battery I use ...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GSLRKJO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=ianker-21&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B00GSLRKJO

This is probably a stupid question..... Can the battery be left plugged in and charging constantly? I don't want to have to keep charging it when I want to listen to music

[orbscure]

I'm sure that leaving it plugged in defeats the object of attaching the battery in the first place. When I ran my Bushmaster from an Anker battery, it remained with a decent charge for long enough to leave it disconnected for long periods (days at a time) and could be plugged in and charged overnight...

[isj1202]

I am planning to buy a battery too for my bushmaster mkII dac.. Is there a photo of connection the battery to the dac ?

I don't have a picture, but the Anker Gen2 came with a suitable lead. The smaller end plugs into the battery and the larger end into the DAC (really simple).

I use it with a Caiman2 and a Squeezebox Touch and it powered both for about 10 hours on Saturday when I left them on, it had a 30% charge left (from full) when I remebered to switch it off in the evening.

[coolblue]

I don't have a picture, but the Anker Gen2 came with a suitable lead. The smaller end plugs into the battery and the larger end into the DAC (really simple).

Thank you for your reply.

What kind of cable do we need from the battery to the Dac? There is a cable on Russ Andrew's site. Is it worth to buy this kind of cable?
http://www.russandrews.com/product.asp?lookup=1&region=UK&currency=GBP&pf_id=1807&customer_id=PAA0303020715364CPDHVVVYXUTDSQND

[StanleyB]

The Anker battery already comes with a cable that connects from the battery to the DAC.

[coolblue]

The Anker battery already comes with a cable that connects from the battery to the DAC.

If I change that cable, can I get any improvements ? or not necessary ?

[StanleyB]

It won't make a difference with battery power. There isn't any RF noise to worry about.

[dave2010]

This is probably a stupid question..... Can the battery be left plugged in and charging constantly? I don't want to have to keep charging it when I want to listen to musicI see others have answered this. However, could it not simply be left plugged in, and then switched off at the mains when one wants to play music, and the mains turned on again afterwards? Maybe it doesn't work like that, but that could be a fairly simple solution.

Admittedly leaving the wires plugged in might just introduce problems, but that's not guaranteed.

If this "solution" works, it would then be interesting to know if there would be a significant difference in audio with the mains on, and the mains off.

I don't suppose the Anker device has any realistic hope of driving an amplifier - such as a T amp - so back to car batteries maybe.

[Theadmans]

What I personally do is that I plug the charger in before I go to bed and disconnect Bushmaster MKII / Capella and USB Squeezebox Touch power leads.

When I get up in the morning I disconnect the charger (with battery fully charged).

When I am ready to listen in the evening I plug back in the Bushmaster MKII + Capella and USB Squeezebox Touch power leads.

Works for me (it just becomes an everyday routine).

I know others who have used those timer switches to program the charging overnight.

[rallye666]

I was debating on either the MG PSU, or a massive one that I saw being demoed on youtube, but decided on the Anker 2nd Gen.

Seems a no brainer for £50. Will report back on any cutting out with my bushmaster mk2

[Eagle owl]

I've recently bought a Caiman MKII and an Anker Gen2, no switching off problems so far.

[electroid]

Will the Caiman Mk 2 run off the Energizer 8000 with linear XPAL 16 volts 3 Amps plugs OK ? I have it already so it would be good if they pair out the box...
If the 16 volts is too high...what could I be losing using my second linear XPAL 12 volts 3 Amps plug SQ-wise...

I think I read before that linear 16 volts might work with Caiman MK 2... ?

[StanleyB]

The Caiman will run off a 16V battery pack, but some of these packs use a switched mode system to produce the 16V. So they can actually be very noisy at 16V. Best to try it and listen out for any increase of noise. But 16V is the absolute top ceiling as far as any power supply into the Caiman is concerned.
But using a 16V battery power supply with the Capella, especially if you use the preamp output, is an extra step up, as long as the 16V is not generated in the battery pack by a switched mode method.

[electroid]

The Caiman will run off a 16V battery pack, but some of these packs use a switched mode system to produce the 16V. So they can actually be very noisy at 16V. Best to try it and listen out for any increase of noise. But 16V is the absolute top ceiling as far as any power supply into the Caiman is concerned.
But using a 16V battery power supply with the Capella, especially if you use the preamp output, is an extra step up, as long as the 16V is not generated in the battery pack by a switched mode method.

Thanks. How many mWatts into 50 ohms on the amp side of the unit ? I think you answered before in another measurement unit than mWatts but I may have messed up the correct conversion to Watts/mWatts.

[rallye666]

Anker gen2 arrived today and I'm very impressed so far:

First things first, its a quality item, well packaged.

http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j325/js_designs/Hi-fi/252f2a1a-85a4-457b-870b-b2b7b3117c25_zpsonpx4f7m.jpg (http://s1080.photobucket.com/user/js_designs/media/Hi-fi/252f2a1a-85a4-457b-870b-b2b7b3117c25_zpsonpx4f7m.jpg.html)

Looks neat next to my BM2

http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j325/js_designs/Hi-fi/168b4373-0ab7-4430-8338-3de8e93c2914_zpscvupvpxw.jpg (http://s1080.photobucket.com/user/js_designs/media/Hi-fi/168b4373-0ab7-4430-8338-3de8e93c2914_zpscvupvpxw.jpg.html)

I'll give it a few days but immediately whilst listening to a 96/24 download of Elvis at Madison square garden the soundstage is noticeably more 3D.
I was getting a real sense of musicians all of over the stage. Whereas before it was just a nice stereo image. Can't say I noticed any improvements in bass and treble.

http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j325/js_designs/Hi-fi/IMG_2854_zpsqaihfvvc.jpg (http://s1080.photobucket.com/user/js_designs/media/Hi-fi/IMG_2854_zpsqaihfvvc.jpg.html)

Much toe tapping ensued!

James

[mkrzych]

Anker gen2 arrived today and I'm very impressed so far:

First things first, its a quality item, well packaged.

http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j325/js_designs/Hi-fi/252f2a1a-85a4-457b-870b-b2b7b3117c25_zpsonpx4f7m.jpg (http://s1080.photobucket.com/user/js_designs/media/Hi-fi/252f2a1a-85a4-457b-870b-b2b7b3117c25_zpsonpx4f7m.jpg.html)

Looks neat next to my BM2

http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j325/js_designs/Hi-fi/168b4373-0ab7-4430-8338-3de8e93c2914_zpscvupvpxw.jpg (http://s1080.photobucket.com/user/js_designs/media/Hi-fi/168b4373-0ab7-4430-8338-3de8e93c2914_zpscvupvpxw.jpg.html)

I'll give it a few days but immediately whilst listening to a 96/24 download of Elvis at Madison square garden the soundstage is noticeably more 3D.
I was getting a real sense of musicians all of over the stage. Whereas before it was just a nice stereo image. Can't say I noticed any improvements in bass and treble.

http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j325/js_designs/Hi-fi/IMG_2854_zpsqaihfvvc.jpg (http://s1080.photobucket.com/user/js_designs/media/Hi-fi/IMG_2854_zpsqaihfvvc.jpg.html)

Much toe tapping ensued!

James

Happy listening. I bought mine just few minutes ago for my CMII. Hope it will work w/o any issues. Excited to listen on my gear and check if it makes any difference.

[rallye666]

Forgot to add, its not cutting out after 20 mins.
So as others have stated, if you don't want to faff around with bulbs etc, this is the battery to buy for the BM2

[mkrzych]

Forgot to add, its not cutting out after 20 mins.
So as others have stated, if you don't want to faff around with bulbs etc, this is the battery to buy for the BM2
I bought it for Caiman II, but saw on the forum that it should work with it as well.

[rallye666]

Good to know it work just as well with the caiman. Much as I love my Bushmaster, if a Caiman II appears on eBay I won't be able to resist!

[wee tee cee]

just wondering if anyone is running a headphone rig on on anker. I run my whole system off the grid on a big lead acid car battery. Anyone willing to say if the anker outperforms a big car battery sonically?

I could run my t amps with the car battery utilising an anker for HPA duties ( i use my capella as an active pre )-anything to gain?

[mkrzych]

I've recently bought a Caiman MKII and an Anker Gen2, no switching off problems so far.

That's a good news. Better sound in your case?

[mkrzych]

Hello,
Just would like to report that Anker 2nd Gen Astro Pro2 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GSLRKJO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00) battery arrived and first listening done. First of all, I was using the battery around 4 hours and no shutdown issues running my Caiman MKII. The battery came with the appropriate cable and after 4 hours of listening around 7% of juice was consumed only.

Now sonics. What is immediately audible is much more spacious sound, at least this is what I heard at the first try, more 3D and even subtle things are audible. Second thing is the kind of warm character of the sound, meaning, that over this relatively short period of time when I was listening over my speakers and cans, I couldn't hear any high register metalish kind of distortions of the timbre at all. Everything was smooth and surrounded.

It's hard to say without any blind testing etc. if what I heard is indeed the battery or my mental bias, but taking into account that this might be your best high end upgrade to the already owned equipment I think it is really worth the money. CMII draws very little current from the battery, so the problem of recharging the battery seems to be rather thing to do maybe one per month over night or even less, depends on how long usually you used to listen to music per day.

[Michaelz]

It is not psychological. Even when the curiosity factor subsided, one can still calmly and clearly notice the difference in SQ between Anker battery pack and the wal wart power supply.

This is with Caiman II, with Capella headphone amp, I much prefer the wal wart than Anker battery pack. Initially I thought it would be the other way around.

[skimminstones]

bought one of the 2nd gen batteries and it was delivered today. Been listening for the last 3 hours and doing some comparisons with the battery and the standard adapter that came with the BMII dac. Firstly i had no cut out issues at all but secondly i have to say i cant notice any difference at all. If anything its taken a little bit of punch from the bass away. Maybe the rest of my system isnt good enough to reveal anything but at the moment id say its a disappointment. Still it was only £50 and ill either get use from the battery elsewhere or sell it on if i continue to not notice any difference after an all day listening session tomorrow.

[StanleyB]

bought one of the 2nd gen batteries and it was delivered today. Been listening for the last 3 hours and doing some comparisons with the battery and the standard adapter that came with the BMII dac.
As far as I am aware, you are supposed to charge these high capacity battery packs for at least 24 hours before use. It can take another couple of charging and discharging cycles before rechargeable batteries start to perform properly. Normally that sort of stuff is written somewhere in the instructions that comes with the battery, where instructions are available.

[mkrzych]

As far as I am aware, you are supposed to charge these high capacity battery packs for at least 24 hours before use. It can take another couple of charging and discharging cycles before rechargeable batteries start to perform properly. Normally that sort of stuff is written somewhere in the instructions that comes with the battery, where instructions are available.

Interesting. So, do you mean that brand new battery won't work the same as the charged/discharged ones? Don't think so. For the Anker the manual is here (http://www.ianker.com/download.php?file=download/9B0D4E024DE8744_79AN7906-BA%20-%20poweriq%20-%204.29.2014.jpg) and the charging takes around 5-6h to full capacity and the battery should be discharged at least every 4 months to prevent its lifespan.

If someone does not hear the difference, the reason for that is the other equipment in the chain or hearing ability IMHO.

[StanleyB]

The technical term often used for the initial process of charging a new battery is called battery conditioning. A battery manufacturer might include a set of instructions to explain how the battery should be treated for the first couple of charging and re-charging cycles. I am not making any personal claims about the performance of a battery in its charged or discharged state. That process is entirely down to the property of the battery, which is directly related to the material the battery is made from. So the storage, usage, and charging procedure is different for Cadmium, Li-ion, etc. So too is the expected performance of the battery over its lifespan. But it is completely accurate to say that a brand new battery will perform different in a charged state, compared to its performance in a discharged state. The voltage under load would be completely different in both scenario, which is more than likely to have an impact on the performance of whatever equipment is connected to that battery.

Again, those processes are widely known about and are often included on a set of instructions with the battery or the charger.

[mkrzych]

The technical term often used for the initial process of charging a new battery is called battery conditioning. A battery manufacturer might include a set of instructions to explain how the battery should be treated for the first couple of charging and re-charging cycles. I am not making any personal claims about the performance of a battery in its charged or discharged state. That process is entirely down to the property of the battery, which is directly related to the material the battery is made from. So the storage, usage, and charging procedure is different for Cadmium, Li-ion, etc. So too is the expected performance of the battery over its lifespan. But it is completely accurate to say that a brand new battery will perform different in a charged state, compared to its performance in a discharged state. The voltage under load would be completely different in both scenario, which is more than likely to have an impact on the performance of whatever equipment is connected to that battery.

Again, those processes are widely known about and are often included on a set of instructions with the battery or the charger.

It seems that some designers picked up the idea of sort of Virtual DC and battery concept. Interesting trend: http://vinnierossi.com/videos/

[Audio Advent]

Good to know it work just as well with the caiman. Much as I love my Bushmaster, if a Caiman II appears on eBay I won't be able to resist!

Think I saw a Caiman II on ebay - the price difference wasn't worth the wait of one coming up and the risk of a secondhand purchase!

[Audio Advent]

The technical term often used for the initial process of charging a new battery is called battery conditioning. A battery manufacturer might include a set of instructions to explain how the battery should be treated for the first couple of charging and re-charging cycles. I am not making any personal claims about the performance of a battery in its charged or discharged state. That process is entirely down to the property of the battery, which is directly related to the material the battery is made from. So the storage, usage, and charging procedure is different for Cadmium, Li-ion, etc. So too is the expected performance of the battery over its lifespan. But it is completely accurate to say that a brand new battery will perform different in a charged state, compared to its performance in a discharged state. The voltage under load would be completely different in both scenario, which is more than likely to have an impact on the performance of whatever equipment is connected to that battery.

Again, those processes are widely known about and are often included on a set of instructions with the battery or the charger.

I bought a set of Makita 10V drills for use on a job that very morning - had to use them straight away with one battery on charge and the other straight in the drill out of the packet. Constantly swapping the batteries over charging quick, drain them quick etc etc to get the job done.

Compared to other people's very same drills, mine lack a little power and don't last as long - ie I knackered the batteries from the start. Battery conditioning is necessary to set up the chemical structure for max life-span and current output over their life time, hence they often have specific pre-use instructions. Still, don't see what that would necessarily effect the sound as Beresford products draw such little power, although I realise that batteries have their own chemically induced noise of sorts which possibly could be effected.

[drpetar]

Just for info. I found an online shop which offers the Ankaka battery. I'm not sure if it's in stock and how reliable the site is, but here is the link: http://www.freenergyshop.com/incredible-20000mah-battery-charger-universal-portable-battery

[electroid]

Stanley, if the C2 is taking the power from the battery, can my custom USB cable forego the 5 volts power line (1x line of 4)....so only the data channels (3x lines of 4) come out my computer from the USB cable, further isolating any computer noise from the input cable ?

[StanleyB]

Stanley, if the C2 is taking the power from the battery, can my custom USB cable forego the 5 volts power line (1x line of 4)....so only the data channels (3x lines of 4) come out my computer from the USB cable, further isolating any computer noise from the input cable ?
Sure. But I doubt that it will make any difference as far as noise is concerned. The 5V line on the USB cable is not connecting to anything inside the Caiman.

[electroid]

Sure. But I doubt that it will make any difference as far as noise is concerned. The 5V line on the USB cable is not connecting to anything inside the Caiman.
Great.
I tried searching google images for your C2 USB rear connection photo ...is it standard Type 1 Male USB (rectangular) or Type 2 male USB (squarish usually reserved for printer
connectors).

http://s22.postimg.org/ybeub2yep/Screen_Shot_2015_03_03_at_8_41_30_AM.jpg

[StanleyB]

It is the original USB B type socket. See http://www.usb.org/home for the number of pins and connection method of the various USB plugs and sockets.

[dave2010]

Just looking at the amazon page for anker batteries. There are a whole bunch of them - http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=anker&sprefix=anker%2Caps Is it really necessary to spend as much as £50 to get acceptable/good results?

There was another battery which was mentioned a while back in this thread, with solar panels, but it had multiple outputs, and IIRC some were quite high voltage. The idea of having a battery which could be inadvertently switched to a high voltage to fry the equipment scares me, so if I go this way at all I'll look for a battery which can't deliver more than the max voltage for any of the connected kit. I think that battery was this one - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00FHVE1CU/ref=ox_ya_os_product_refresh_T1 by Poweradd.

[Desmo]

Just looking at the amazon page for anker batteries. There are a whole bunch of them - http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=anker&sprefix=anker%2Caps Is it really necessary to spend as much as £50 to get acceptable/good results?

There was another battery which was mentioned a while back in this thread, with solar panels, but it had multiple outputs, and IIRC some were quite high voltage. The idea of having a battery which could be inadvertently switched to a high voltage to fry the equipment scares me, so if I go this way at all I'll look for a battery which can't deliver more than the max voltage for any of the connected kit. I think that battery was this one - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00FHVE1CU/ref=ox_ya_os_product_refresh_T1 by Poweradd.


Hi Dave,

This is the battery that I have:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/20000mAh-Multi-Voltage-Portable-External-Technology-Black/dp/B00GSLRKJO/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1426256816&sr=8-24&keywords=anker

It's true it is £49.99 from Amazon, but note also that the list price they show is £119.99 so quite a reduction. Loads of people are using this battery and is is proven to work.

[mkrzych]

For your information, very interesting article about the noise from regulators and battery power to see what kind of levels we should expect. Quite old, but I think still adequate: http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/regulators_noise4_e.html

[Covenant]

I use an LED bulb to stop the problem of my Anker battery cutting off power to the Bushmaster 2 but the grain of wheat bulbs burn out quickly. I was thinking of fitting a resistor instead. I presume a 12v one, say 0.3w would be ok?
Stan-any modifications for the BM2 or did it just get superceded by the Caiman 2?

[StanleyB]

I use an LED bulb to stop the problem of my Anker battery cutting off power to the Bushmaster 2 but the grain of wheat bulbs burn out quickly. I was thinking of fitting a resistor instead. I presume a 12v one, say 0.3w would be ok?
Stan-any modifications for the BM2 or did it just get superceded by the Caiman 2?
Two bulbs in series should last a lot longer. I haven't got one of those batteries so I can't paly about with one and determine component values such as the value of a suitable resistor. But I'll play about and see.

As for upgrades to the BMI and II: I am trying to wrap up another project that I have had to put aside a few years ago when my eye sight started to fail. But now that I had two operations to restore things to "normal" I want to get some of these old projects completed before the end of summer. But I am working on a few BM related mods. I even had to buy a BMI back from someone so that I had one to play with!

[Covenant]

That's great Stan thanks.The BM11 sounds superb in my system but it's good to know that there may be a bit more to extract from it.

[coolblue]

I use romoss eUsb edge 52 with my caimanII without any problem.

[wee tee cee]

I still have my BM2 and regard it as a keeper-it just marries up with HD650s perfectly. It has the battery optimised firmware but a further upgrade would be welcomed.

[bostod]

I have just bought the Anker® 2nd Gen Astro Pro 15000mAh off amazon to power my Caiman 2. it cuts out after about 10-30 seconds because the power pack switches off. I have read this issue with the Bushmaster but didn't realise it affected the Caiman. is there a cable i could buy to address this issue or will anyone make one up for me at cost. my skills are very limited.

[Theadmans]

You need a Y Cable like this :-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PLUGZ2GO-2-1mm-DC-Splitter-2-Way-Twin-Output-2-Amp-20cm-Female-to-2-Male-/221500794867?hash=item339279e7f3

...and then a 12v grain of wheat bulb (I prefer the Clear colour) :-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Grain-of-Wheat-Miniature-3x7mm-Lamp-Bulbs-various-colours-Volts-10-Pack-/161073342028?var=460193777451&hash=item2580b8264c

...and a connector like this :-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-of-12v-2-1mm-CCTV-Power-Connector-Adapter-for-RG59-2-Cable-Jack-Socket/170741936666?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%2 6asc%3D32957%26meid%3D99a2b536588044e3b59b4625002d 8d7b%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D10%26sd%3D181 312916297

This will give you all you need to connect the bulb to one end of the Y cable and your Caiman to the other end of the cable (the special little green connector takes the wires from the bulb and you can insert the other end into the Y Cable).

Use the existing cable with your Anker battery to connect the battery to the female input of the Y Cable.

No soldering needed - fairly easy - even I managed it ! ;)

[DIMO]

FWIW, I recently bought two Anker Pro 20,000mAh batteries from Amazon (£40 each) to power my BM1 and neither has any cutout issues.

[richard51]

hello to all of you first, and second i came after longtime because i want to said that the Stan update for the battery of the bushmaster mkII is so great change ( airier and 3 -d soundstage) that if you dont feel it immediately after installing it that say much about some feeble link in your gear... The most important modification about your gear will be installing sorbothane in all pieces of your gear... read about that, and trust me you will hear the Stan update so clearly and for sure the abyssal difference between the psu and the battery mod. ... thanks to all :)

[Duffy]

Morning

the battery of choice from this thread

https://www.amazon.co.uk/20000mAh-Multi-Voltage-Portable-External-Technology/dp/B00GSLRKJO

is no longer available.

Anybody have any recommendations for something that works well that's current? (No pun intended!)

Thanks!

[Theadmans]

Morning

the battery of choice from thsi thread

https://www.amazon.co.uk/20000mAh-Multi-Voltage-Portable-External-Technology/dp/B00GSLRKJO

is no longer available.

Anybody have any recommendations for something that works well that's current? (No pun intended!)

Thanks!

I am now using this power supply to power both my SEG 15V and Squeezebox / Raspberry Pi 5V :-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111328891082?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Duffy]

I am now using this power supply to power both my SEG 15V and Squeezebox / Raspberry Pi 5V :-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111328891082?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Thanks for the link, is this better than a battery for SQ?

[StanleyB]

It will take a lot more money than that to beat the SQ of a fully charged battery. But those Chinese linear power supplies are not that bad. I have been using one.
But if you do not mind the complicated looks, then a laboratory power supply is worth considering. Such as http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220V-DC-Digital-30V-5A-LED-Display-Lab-Grade-Regulate-Variable-Test-Power-Supply-/191846637206?hash=item2caaf35e96:g:V94AAOSwvzRXx~j t
I use one of those most of the time, set at 15V. They tend to have noise figures of 3mV or less, which surpasses any of the regular Chinese PSU discussed in this thread and others, but are about the same price!! Only the LDO (lurcher) and Mark Grant linear power supplies beat that 3mV noise level. For the cautious user who knows how to set the voltage level on the front panel, it is an option thinking about. I use my modified Capella at exactly 16V with my laboratory PSU.

[Duffy]

It will take a lot more money than that to beat the SQ of a fully charged battery. But those Chinese linear power supplies are not that bad. I have been using one.
But if you do not mind the complicated looks, then a laboratory power supply is worth considering. Such as http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220V-DC-Digital-30V-5A-LED-Display-Lab-Grade-Regulate-Variable-Test-Power-Supply-/191846637206?hash=item2caaf35e96:g:V94AAOSwvzRXx~j t
I use one of those most of the time, set at 15V. They tend to have noise figures of 3mV or less, which surpasses any of the regular Chinese PSU discussed in this thread and others, but are about the same price!! Only the LDO (lurcher) and Mark Grant linear power supplies beat that 3mV noise level. For the cautious user who knows how to set the voltage level on the front panel, it is an option thinking about. I use my modified Capella at exactly 16V with my laboratory PSU.

Thanks for the info and yes that's a challenging look!

If I can get a pointer towards a decent battery that's available and will do the job I think I'd be sorted, the idea of that appeals to me as just being right.

:)

[Sovereign]

Thanks for the info and yes that's a challenging look!

If I can get a pointer towards a decent battery that's available and will do the job I think I'd be sorted, the idea of that appeals to me as just being right.

:)
Yes I would second this

[Sovereign]

Just bought the Lab top PSU Stan linked to, Ill report my findings

[Alp]

I bought one of the 15V Chinese Linear PSU's Stan recommended. It arrived after several weeks and works very well with my SEG and sounds as good as when using an Anker battery.

About the same time, one of the Lithium Polymer batteries I was using to power my Temple Audio monoblocks swelled and died. After some research I bought a 16AH 12V Tracer Lithium Ferrophosphate (LiFePO4) battery pack (which actually puts out 12.8V). As an experiment I connected the SEG to this as well. I have to say the combination is exceptional - more dynamic sound, much wider and deeper sound stage. At over £200 the battery is not cheap but if you need one to power other components anyway its worth a try (Tracer sell smaller batteries down to 3.5 AH for £120, this is about the same AH capacity at 12V as a 10000 mAH Li Polymer battery).

[Sovereign]

Really interesting findings Alastair.
I also bought the LAB style linear PSU and the results compared to the standard PSU with the unit were much better than expected. I did cause some damage to my DAC though as I didn't set it up correctly.
Are you saying that the new battery that you bought is better than the Linear PSU?
Thanks mate, enjoy the experimenting.

[Alp]

Yes powering the SEG with the LiFePO4 battery is better than the linear PSU, which is certainly no slouch. I was also considering a Lab Style PSU to drive my monoblocks but for the current I would need, the PSU's kick out a lot of heat and had fans etc.

[jrling]

I bought one of the 15V Chinese Linear PSU's Stan recommended. It arrived after several weeks and works very well with my SEG and sounds as good as when using an Anker battery.

About the same time, one of the Lithium Polymer batteries I was using to power my Temple Audio monoblocks swelled and died. After some research I bought a 16AH 12V Tracer Lithium Ferrophosphate (LiFePO4) battery pack (which actually puts out 12.8V). As an experiment I connected the SEG to this as well. I have to say the combination is exceptional - more dynamic sound, much wider and deeper sound stage. At over £200 the battery is not cheap but if you need one to power other components anyway its worth a try (Tracer sell smaller batteries down to 3.5 AH for £120, this is about the same AH capacity at 12V as a 10000 mAH Li Polymer battery).

Excuse my post if it is already discussed, but 58 pages is quite a lot to trawl through.

I wanted to second Alp's experience, but I do not have Beresford or Temple gear [yet] to give first hand comment.

I have tried both LiPo and LiFePO4 battery power on my music PC (12V), USB to SPDIF converter and a DIY chip amp. There is no question that LiFePO4 wins. Apart from inferior technology to LiPo, I think the Anker type LiPo packs are worse because of their built-in Battery Management System inside the pack. BMS is running all the time and adding 'noise'.

Unlike Alp, I am too mean to pay £200 or £120 on a ready-built LiFePO4 pack, which I am sure is very good. I made my own pack with the best LiFePO4 out there from A123 their 26650 cells. Nominal voltage is 3.3V, so four make a 12V(ish) pack.

If you look at the LiFePO4 specs - http://www.a123systems.com/Collateral/Documents/English-US/A123%20Systems%20ANR26650%20Data%20Sheet.pdf, they have really low internal ESR which enables them to put out prodigious power very quickly adjusting to demands from the attached gear. Also their Nano technology is inherently 'cleaner' low-noise. For digital equipment especially this is really beneficial.

Now for the [more] interesting bit. I 'float charge' them from a linear PSU (Maplin XM21X). Setting the voltage of the PSU to whatever you want (within the limits of the battery range of course), they are kept at optimum level and charge permanently. They will last more or less indefinitely if kept float charged too.

I was sceptical about float charging myself before trying it. After all, you are adding a charger in parallel to the batteries. So surely the mains noise is going to be getting through to the equipment attached? Well No - as far as I could hear. And it is easy to test by just switching off the charger whilst playing music. I have yet to detect any difference in SQ.

It's not all good news. You do have to build the pack. The cells are not easily soldered together and so cradles have to sourced and not many fit. Vaping companies actually are a good source. The A123 26650 cells are also difficult to source in UK. I was lucky and got some on Ebay. You're on your own with Chinese copies, whose specs are often not what they claim.

Just my tuppenceworth.

[Alp]

Jonathan, great to hear you have had good results with the LiFePO4. I am very impressed you have done a DIY job. My battery typically lasts about a week of use before recharging. The instructions with the Tracer warn against trickle charging (which I guess would be serial) but perhaps float charging being in parallel is OK. The Tracer battery is a sealed unit so I doubt I have that option. I recently splashed-out and bout a second battery, mainly give me two weeks between charges but it also gives noticeably more punch to the sound.