Back in the day (the 1990s, in this case), our tech team used to go through bricks of batteries, striving to feed an unending mob of power-hungry electronics—instruments, effects, extraneous gear—and especially those wireless mics, which had to be fed a new battery for each service (three per weekend, plus a midweek). At virtually every budget meeting, I would have to explain to various staff, elders and/or trustees why we were spending so much money buying brand new batteries when we could just buy rechargeables and be done with it. Each and every time, the reason was the same….
Rechargeable batteries just could not be trusted. We had given them their shot, and had been burned on multiple occasions. No one wanted to explain to the senior pastor why his mic died 15 minutes into his message—especially after checking the batteries right before the service. And no one wanted to put their trust in a critical piece of battery-powered equipment or instrumentation only to find that it was dead as a doornail, right at the most critical juncture of the worship set.
Even though the 1990s are long gone, the need for 9-volt batteries remains. Most acoustic guitars and many electric guitars and basses use 9-volts to power active electronics and internal preamps. Ditto for many effect boxes and wireless microphones, as well as numerous other gadgets. In modern, high-tech (and high-expectation) applications, including many contemporary churches, the weak power of old-school rechargeables simply won't cut it.
Thankfully, it turns out that old-school isn't always the best school when it comes to battery design. iPower's new lithium polymer upgrade offers significant improvement over previous lithium ion designs, and roughly three times the performance of traditional NiCad and NiMh rechargeable batteries. The manufacturer rates the standard output current of the batteries at 1~80mA, with a hi-rate continuous output of 500mA/hour, and maximum transient current of up to 2500mA/sec.
We tested the iPower units during the Christmas season, undoubtedly one of our busiest times of the year. With five Christmas Eve services and a host of other activities, we couldn't be worrying about running out of juice. iPower has claimed that its batteries are nearly as strong as standard alkaline 9-volts, and our experience has confirmed that it does indeed seem to be true. Even our trusty decibel meter benefitted from the iPower rechargeables, performing its duties admirably throughout the Christmas run.
The iPower batteries require a custom charger, but this is actually a blessing in disguise. The charger does its work considerably more quickly than other chargers that we've worked with, and the unit is “safe”—i.e., it prevents the batteries from overcharging. The charger also works with standard rechargeable batteries, so you should be able to keep your older rechargeables around for less critical applications. iPower lists the projected lifespan of the batteries at hundreds of charges, and we noticed no dropoff in quality while working with them.
Our tech director, Shaun Miller, was especially pleased with the fact that iPower slimmed down its design profile from earlier models, creating a unit that roughly mimics the size of a standard 9-volt. Many rechargeables have a larger profile, causing difficulty, in some cases, with installation and removal of the batteries (especially in musical instruments, which often have very tight spacing in their battery compartments).
The drawback? You will indeed pay a premium for these batteries. They are high tech, as batteries go, and they do their job well—their price reflects this, as might be expected. Even so, the iPower 9-volt, available in bulk with a street price of less that $20 per unit, will save you quite a bit of your tech budget cash over the long haul—now you just need to figure out how to spend it.
