# Electrical Problem **URL:** \ **Category:** Proton Packs\ **Created:** [May 6, 2015, 3:43am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054 "2015-05-06T03:43:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/thelegendofvix/32/6565_2.png) [@thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/thelegendofvix)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 3:43am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/1 "2015-05-06T03:43:06Z")
So I have some sort of problem either with a battery, wiring, or something else. Last night everything was working fine and today when I get home nothing works. At first I thought maybe the battery had died so I charged it for a couple hours…but to no avail. Here is what I have isolated down. Here is a pic of me testing a battery for a point of reference. ![image](https://discdn.gbfans.com/original/3X/6/a/6af0ca049d063a77e0365b8b358bdacd26e2eea3.jpeg) Next, here is me testing the end of the blue brick battery that plugs into the gbfans soundboard. ![image](https://discdn.gbfans.com/original/3X/0/c/0cd43b5f37195837238dc5c3fe9584a30289624e.jpeg) Next here is a pic of me testing the soundboard with the blue brick battery plugged into the soundboard. Note the massive drop on the multimeter. ![image](https://discdn.gbfans.com/original/3X/7/a/7a22499eb02d94f073701d267325674f228196d0.jpeg) Lastly, I plugged the 9V battery plugged into the soundboard. No drop on the multimeter. ![image](https://discdn.gbfans.com/original/3X/a/e/aea6713623073022ba5f967af6b49340727b95ba.jpeg) I can’t figure out why there is a drop when the blue brick is plugged in. Is the battery defective now? I don’t think it’s an issue with the GB fans soundboard (or speaker, lights, etc.) but I don’t know what I should do. Suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![pyhasanon](https://forum.gbfans.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@pyhasanon](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/pyhasanon)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 3:59am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/2 "2015-05-06T03:59:05Z")
Did you try plugging the 9V (or another battery) into the soundboard and seeing if it will work? It will tell you immediately whether it is a problem with the battery or the soundboard… ---
**Author:** ![cpu64](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/cpu64/32/104792_2.png) [@cpu64](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/cpu64)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 4:14am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/3 "2015-05-06T04:14:48Z")
I think he knows the board is good, and is trying to find the problem with the battery… I bought one of those ebay batteries. Mine came in a black plastic case. It’s basically worthless junk. It charges to about 10v instead of the supposedly 12v. Those Chinese ebay batteries are so bad, the seller gave me a refund to keep the battery. It’s very possible one of the cells inside is bad. Try a different one to see if it still happens. I’m currently using one of the batteries that came with my cordless drill. Best battery I’ve used in my pack so far. ---
**Author:** ![pyhasanon](https://forum.gbfans.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@pyhasanon](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/pyhasanon)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 4:33am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/4 "2015-05-06T04:33:18Z")
Oh, ok, just noticed in the photos that he already plugged in the 9V to the soundboard, and it’s good… Yeah, agree with Chris, sounds like you have a battery issue… This is the battery myself, Julz and mburkit use… Expensive, but sooooooo worth it… > **[12v 9800mAh / 5v 13800mAh Portable Battery Pack (with charger)](https://usledsupply.com/12v-battery-pack-12v-9800mah-5v-13000mah.html)** > > 12v 9800mAh / 5v 13800mAh Portable Battery Pack (with charger) ---
**Author:** ![bishopdonmiguel](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/bishopdonmiguel/32/187401_2.png) [@bishopdonmiguel](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/bishopdonmiguel)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 10:44am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/5 "2015-05-06T10:44:10Z")
The voltage drop is most likely due to a discharged battery. With no load, the battery may read okay but once the board tries to draw current, there’s not enough to operate. You sure the battery was fully charged? Check all your connections on the charger side. ---
**Author:** ![thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/thelegendofvix/32/6565_2.png) [@thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/thelegendofvix)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 11:55am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/6 "2015-05-06T11:55:49Z")
Thanks for the timely replies! So I set it to the multimeter to 20V and it’s the same story. Battery fluctuates around 9 1/2 volts before I plug it in to the soundboard and then drops down to 0.8 after I plug it into the soundboard. I tried having the blue brick battery power some other electronic devices and it won’t do that as well. _Before plugging into soundboard…_ ![image](https://discdn.gbfans.com/original/3X/6/0/601604d376d9ebf14eb9bebaf7c8fda6eedd08e9.jpeg) _After plugging into soundboard…_ ![image](https://discdn.gbfans.com/original/3X/f/1/f1c6f955465e0eaa7877656aadb82dde7a51660d.jpeg) I tested the small 9 V battery again and it still reading about 7 1/2 V (it may not be a new battery). This battery does power up the electronic devices that the blue brick won’t. I ordered another blue brick last night before I posted on the thread and saw Phil’s recommendation. However, when I enevitably built a second pack I will go with that one. Thanks for the tip. ---
**Author:** ![thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/thelegendofvix/32/6565_2.png) [@thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/thelegendofvix)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 11:59am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/7 "2015-05-06T11:59:39Z")
> [@bishopdonmiguel](#): > > The voltage drop is most likely due to a discharged battery. With no load, the battery may read okay but once the board tries to draw current, there’s not enough to operate. You sure the battery was fully charged? Check all your connections on the charger side. I left it on the charger for about an hour or two. I think it was fully charged beforehand but I could be wrong (I may have taken it off the charger when I went on vacation). I’ll leave it on the charger all day while I’m at work and see what happens. I checked all of the connections and they appear to be fine but I’ll look again more thoroughly when I get home. ---
**Author:** ![LandoSystem](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/landosystem/32/6436_2.png) [@LandoSystem](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/LandoSystem)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/8 "2015-05-06T13:01:29Z")
Be sure to leave the battery on while charging. There’s also a chance you have a bad charger. I’ve worked with several of these blue brick batteries recently and the chargers seem to be hit and miss. ---
**Author:** ![pyhasanon](https://forum.gbfans.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@pyhasanon](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/pyhasanon)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/9 "2015-05-06T15:15:33Z")
> [@thelegendofvix](#): > > I left it on the charger for about an hour or two. I think it was fully charged beforehand but I could be wrong (I may have taken it off the charger when I went on vacation). I’ll leave it on the charger all day while I’m at work and see what happens. I checked all of the connections and they appear to be fine but I’ll look again more thoroughly when I get home. I don’t have any experience with the Blue Brick, but is an hour or two enough to get a decent charge? ---
**Author:** ![aj-quick](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/aj-quick/32/187072_2.png) [@aj-quick](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/aj-quick)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 5:26pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/10 "2015-05-06T17:26:31Z")
I believe the charger takes at least 8 hours for a full charge. ---
**Author:** ![thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/thelegendofvix/32/6565_2.png) [@thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/thelegendofvix)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 5:47pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/11 "2015-05-06T17:47:18Z")
> [@AJ Quick](#): > > I believe the charger takes at least 8 hours for a full charge. Ah. Maybe that’s it. Can you wait to ship my battery until I get homr in 4 hours? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![aj-quick](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/aj-quick/32/187072_2.png) [@aj-quick](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/aj-quick)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/12 "2015-05-06T17:55:35Z")
Right now we’re backed up by a week or more, so that won’t be a problem! ---
**Author:** ![thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/thelegendofvix/32/6565_2.png) [@thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/thelegendofvix)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 12:25am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/13 "2015-05-07T00:25:01Z")
> [@AJ Quick](#): > > Right now we’re backed up by a week or more, so that won’t be a problem! Ignore my email from a few moments ago. If you could go ahead and cancel the order that would be good too. Here’s why. I decided to just cut the wires and plug the blue brick directly into the soundboard. ![image](https://discdn.gbfans.com/original/3X/7/1/713d5f4d9ca3ac5dd5405296fb385d1fe01feccf.jpeg) Success! So it seems that the battery is not the problem but something to do with my wiring and switches. Perhaps I need to redo my switches/wiring as maybe I messed up a connection or accidentally cut a wire? I will investigate more. ---
**Author:** ![thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/thelegendofvix/32/6565_2.png) [@thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/thelegendofvix)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 1:48pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/14 "2015-05-08T13:48:45Z")
Last night I bought a new DPDT switch, redid all of the wiring and placement of switches/ports/etc, reduced the amount of excess wire I was using and everything worked great…everything that is except for the new potentiometer. When the potentiometer is not connected i can only hear a very faint set of sounds coming from the speaker. When it is connected the volume is on full blast and there is no way to turn it down. I tried nearly all possible combinations of connectsion (1-1 2-2 3-3, 1-2 2-3 3-1, etc) but I cannot get the new potentiometer to adjust the volume. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![csullivan1980](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/csullivan1980/32/19486_2.png) [@csullivan1980](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/csullivan1980)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 2:05pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/15 "2015-05-08T14:05:36Z")
What kind of wires are you using to connect the sound board to the speaker. I have the exact same set up and right now can’t get any sound from my speaker and I’m using speaker wire. ---
**Author:** ![thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/thelegendofvix/32/6565_2.png) [@thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/thelegendofvix)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/16 "2015-05-08T17:12:24Z")
> [@csullivan1980](#): > > What kind of wires are you using to connect the sound board to the speaker. I have the exact same set up and right now can’t get any sound from my speaker and I’m using speaker wire. I am using the same wire as I am for everything else. 18 gauge electrical wire. I also have this wire connecting my speaker to the soundboard. Should I be using something else to do this? ---
**Author:** ![bishopdonmiguel](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/bishopdonmiguel/32/187401_2.png) [@bishopdonmiguel](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/bishopdonmiguel)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 6:52pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/17 "2015-05-08T18:52:54Z")
18ga is find, although I’d use 16ga “just because.” Please confirm you removed the on-board potentiometer. Also, please confirm the specs of the new pot you acquired. Should be 10k linear taper. ---
**Author:** ![thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/thelegendofvix/32/6565_2.png) [@thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/thelegendofvix)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/18 "2015-05-08T22:42:42Z")
> [@bishopdonmiguel](#): > > 18ga is find, although I’d use 16ga “just because.” > > Please confirm you removed the on-board potentiometer. Also, please confirm the specs of the new pot you acquired. Should be 10k linear taper. Yes I removed the onboard one. I had one that worked but I broke it. So I got a new one which is giving me the problems. To be honest, I’m not sure if I even bought the right thing. ![image]([http://www.gbfans.com/images/pb/thelegendofvix/Mobile](http://www.gbfans.com/images/pb/thelegendofvix/Mobile) Uploads\_24A6B441-8C24-4E33-934B-67D795410DE9\_zpsql8ef2hw.jpg) On the back is says 25ohm ![image]([http://www.gbfans.com/images/pb/thelegendofvix/Mobile](http://www.gbfans.com/images/pb/thelegendofvix/Mobile) Uploads\_DC966ED6-3740-449F-AEAC-4C11C6D9B68C\_zpsbpab2eul.jpg) ![image]([http://www.gbfans.com/images/pb/thelegendofvix/Mobile](http://www.gbfans.com/images/pb/thelegendofvix/Mobile) Uploads\_7E1CB81B-937D-4D81-9E88-EB4390F86AC2\_zpsfxgeocvb.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/thelegendofvix/32/6565_2.png) [@thelegendofvix](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/thelegendofvix)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 10:43pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/19 "2015-05-08T22:43:44Z")
I feel like the guy at RadioShak may have sold me the wrong thing? ---
**Author:** ![pyhasanon](https://forum.gbfans.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@pyhasanon](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/pyhasanon)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054/20 "2015-05-08T22:57:26Z")
Read the soundboard documentation ([http://www.gbfans.com/images/shop/packsoundboardinstructions.pdf](http://www.gbfans.com/images/shop/packsoundboardinstructions.pdf)), you need a 10kOhm linear potentiometer… You are 9975 Ohms way off… [Next page](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/electrical-problem/36054.md?page=2)