Battery power and DAB radio

[RJH]

I've just posted this on uk.rec.audio, but it's occurred to me some here may have a view:

I've got an unused DAB radio (an Alba PD2) that I'd like to use in the bathroom.

It's mains only - the mains input jack says '6V DC 1500ma'.

Might it be feasible to lash up a rechargeable battery pack of some sort

- lead or NiMH, for example? There's a fair bit of room in the large case - I'd say at least 5cm x 5cm x 4cm.

I would just try a few NiMH but some radio manufacturers describe them as unsuitable, and I'm not sure why.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If it really does use 1.5 amp at 6 volts, AA rechargeables will be lucky to last much more than an hour. Better for sanity to get a cheap FM radio

- they use far less power. DAB is very power hungry.

[charles]

but you don't the full choice of programmes and - round here reception of DAB is so much better than FM,

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Oh, indeed. Just depends on how much you like changing batteries.

[Bod]

Around here it's the opposite, plus FM sounds so much better, IMO.

[Brian Gaff]

Well I see no reason for not doing it, though many DAB radios do indeed eat current, so how long they would last on a charge is anyones guess. Get the best AH you can, but watch out for the older stock which do self discharge if not used. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

Why not use five AAs and see what happens?

After all you can always use them for other things later. Unfortunately you seem to have to buy 6, but well, you have a spare!

Brian

[meow2222]

If it does eat 1.5A, every 1.5Ah of battery capacity will last 1 hour play time. So I'd go for a 6v lead acid.

Or easier, run 6v from a wallwart into the bathroom.

I'm not convinced it will eat 1.5A, presumably it will at max volume.

NT

[Dave Liquorice]

Er no it lives on 6 V DC derived from a wall wart that lives on mains.

But presumably not easy access to swap batteries out? I guess you could utilise te DC in socket as a charge in, but I suspecct you'd have to make yoru own charge regulator. Also repeatedly series charging cells will eventually kill one or more of them.

As others have said DAB radios are a bit greedy. That quoted DC input rating is 9 W, say it really only uses 1/3 that its still 500 mA. yer average AA NiMH battery has a capacity below 3000 mAHr so will last less than 6hrs.

Think I would look at extending the feed from the wall wart.

[alan]

My Mother's DAB radio can run for around 10 hours on a set of rechargeable batteries - 6 off D size !!

[John Williamson]

I had a boom box that did about that playing tapes in the '70s. Loud, it was...

[charles]

most of my DAB radios run on mains; however I have a modern one which gives quite a few hours on rechargeable internal battery.

[tony sayer]

Sounds better anyway and DAB is getting worse, ever lowering of the bitrates;(..

[Bod]

Yup.

[Martin Brown]

Or making an external battery box. DAB is pretty much a disaster in the UK with the wrong technology adopted too early and with no advantages over FM unless you are partial to the inter programme gaps being silent.

7Ah lead acid would be my suggestion if it has to be battery powered but beware of the fire risk it needs a fuse inline since it will pack enough punch to make the wire red hot if ever there is a short circuit.

If ever there was a national emergency anyone with a DAB radio powered by AA cells would be unable to use it after the first few hours unless they had stockpiled batteries in great numbers beforehand. The latest chipsets are getting there and now only consume 10x the power required for an FM tuner instead of 1000x like the first generation did.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You've obviously not tried driving round inner London using FM. ;-)

[ARW]

I have driven around inner London listening to AM.

[ARW]

Twas Danny Baker hosting the show.

[charles]

how painful on the ears.

[newshound]

Yes, that's when we would really miss Radio 4 on long wave!