Battery pack for FM3

chrisjnyc

chrisjnyc

Power User
Anyone found a battery\power pack that can run the FM3? I have an outdoor gig coming up, and thinking about options...
 
chrisjnyc said:
Anyone found a battery\power pack that can run the FM3? I have an outdoor gig coming up, and thinking about options...
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Are you handing out headphones to the audience? How are they going to hear the output of the FM3? You need some sort of amplified speaker system in addition, which implies something more than battery power unless you're doing a short set.

I'd look into renting a small Honda or Yamaha generator. They have power conditioning so they output a clean sine-wave, and can easily run an FM3 and a small PA, and they're quiet.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
Are you handing out headphones to the audience? How are they going to hear the output of the FM3? You need some sort of amplified speaker system in addition, which implies something more than battery power unless you're doing a short set.

I'd look into renting a small Honda or Yamaha generator. They have power conditioning so they output a clean sine-wave, and can easily run an FM3 and a small PA, and they're quiet.
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Yes, into a generator powered PA that is being provided. Not sure how much power will be available for me to use... hence the question
 
I'd suggest looking at something like a UPS -- where you can still plug it in to the mains power and it only kicks in if the mains power fails. I think expecting to run for an extended period of time off battery exclusively is going to be risky.

But if you do the battery pack route, report back on how it worked?
 
chrisjnyc said:
Yes, into a generator powered PA that is being provided. Not sure how much power will be available for me to use... hence the question
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The FM3 requires less than 40 watts of power. That's a low-powered incandescent lightbulb.

I agree with @iaresee though, a UPS is a better idea, not only because of the battery backup, but because small generators, especially cheap ones, can supply dirty power which causes electronics to run hot. A UPS typically conditions the power.
 
chrisjnyc said:
Yes, into a generator powered PA that is being provided. Not sure how much power will be available for me to use... hence the question
Click to expand...
Well, I'd check to see if I could piggyback on their PA generator, and, if not, I'd rent a little Honda generator. Home Depot rents them for <$60/day, that output 2000 watts and they're almost silent.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
The FM3 requires less than 40 watts of power. That's a low-powered incandescent lightbulb.

I agree with @iaresee though, a UPS is a better idea, not only because of the battery backup, but because small generators, especially cheap ones, can supply dirty power which causes electronics to run hot. A UPS typically conditions the power.
Click to expand...

I have a 600VA UPS on my home studio rig, for about $60:

Amazon product ASIN B01FWAZEIU
If the power craps out, it will run my PC, screen, HS7 monitors, HS8S sub, interface, preamp, desk lighting, keyboard, and FM3 for about 13 minutes. Total load of about 170 watts. Seems like you'd be able to get 30-45 minutes safely with just the FM3 on it, probably more.

In my mind it's not a bad investment anyway, both to protect your equipment and guard against power going down in the middle of a recording session, but if you can also use it to play a wireless 45-minute/1-hour set, that's pretty neat. And yes the power coming out is very clean*.

*charging it from a generator may not work however...because of that clean thing, it'll intervene if the input power reaches a certain threshold of noise/interference. It's adjustable but not sure how that would play out.

Alternatively, I haven't tried these, but have heard good things:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/HART-20-Volt-Power-Source-Inverter-Battery-Not-Included/368904492

Uses rechargeable power tool batteries. Could be feasible to have a few batteries and a charger off to the side, and exchange as needed.
 
I assume the FM3 has an internal transformer that handles 120/240V AC and produces some voltage in DC for the unit to use? You would wreck your warranty, but theoretically you could mod the unit to bypass the transformer and run off externally supplied DC directly, in which case you'd just need a battery pack that provided the right current and voltage. 🤔

it's been done with the Behringer FCB1010 at least...
 
A UPS would also be my first thought. Should be enough for a gig.
iaresee said:
I'd suggest looking at something like a UPS -- where you can still plug it in to the mains power and it only kicks in if the mains power fails. I think expecting to run for an extended period of time off battery exclusively is going to be risky.

But if you do the battery pack route, report back on how it worked?
Click to expand...
 
I used the first version of the Omnicharger when it was released on Kickstarter some 4 or 5 years ago. Can supply up to 50 watts which would power my old AX8 for a few hours. Never used it live but always packed it in case. Still have it today but have yet to connect it to my FM3.
Very handy to have around.

https://www.omnicharge.co/
 
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