Battery SCAM on FreePlay

[WK154]

Back in 2015 Mackie introduced Freeplay Personal a very useful small venue sound system. I purchased one and after four years it needed a new battery. A simple solution was to order a new replacement Li-Ion  battery. Not so. Originally it had options for AC power, D cell batteries or a custom Mackie Li-Ion battery. I opted for the Li-Ion power source. Although the claim was 10 hrs it only lasted about 7 hrs. After about 4 yrs it needed a replacement since it only lasted 1.5 hrs. Simple solution was to replace this, not so. The search provided replacements for 6800mAh and the original 5200mAh from an distributor called  Cameron Sino. ShenZen HENZENS Technology Co. Limited is listed as the manufacturer. The results was clear and repeated several times. The new 6800mAh lasted 1.5 hrs and the 5200mAh lasted all of 1 hrs. I'm going to open up both units to find the truth but the results are clear. The Cameron Sino product is a SCAM. The original Mackie product is claimed to be available at Sweetwater but if the label shows CS send it back. I have since replaced this with a much better solution that has given me 18 hrs of usage and is rechargeable. EBL "D" batteries made from LD-NIMH (Low Discharge) rated at 10,000mAh. Caution previous "D" cells were AA cells in a "D" cell enclosure and a capacity of about 2200-2800mAh you don't want these. The cost is also lower at around $45 at Amazon vs $70 Li-Ion at Sweetwater. A  no-brainer and future proof with the industry standard "D" cell.
Cheers

[Weogo]

Hi WK,

    Good to hear you found a solution, and good to know about the higher-powered D-cells.

    Another option may be one of the Li battery rebuilders online.
Several are replacing older tech with newer, with more capacity, longer life, etc.
Just watch out for cheap, un-regulated fire starters!    : -O

Thanks and good health,  Weogo