Noise and Batteries

I've wondered for a while why I''ve not had the noise problems with my Procyon that so many others suffer. I gather similar issues arise with the Proteus too.

The other night I was listening to my Procyon (audioStrobe) when I noticed that it sounded horrible and the lights were rather dim. Strange, thought I. On checking I found that I'd knocked the 5V USB power adapter from its socket, and the Procyon was running on the alkaline batteries that had been in it for who knows how long.

Anyway, a little bit of investigation reveals that the voltage of the batteries doesn't have to drop a great deal to impact performance, and with the 5V supply it's even better than with brand new alkalines.

A little bit of research leads me to believe that alkalines probably aren't the best choice for high drain devices like the Procyon/Proteus, and that Oxyride or Lithium would deliver better value.

Here's a link to a battery comparison... http://michaelbluejay.com/batteries/

You'll see that NiMH also rate an Excellent for high drain devices, but the initial voltage of 1.2V isn't adequate.

The 1.7V initial voltage of Lithium, plus their slow voltage drop-off should make them an excellent choice - probably making up for their initial cost quite adequately.

Best of all - run off an AC adapter, then there's no problems at all.

Cheers,
Craig