# Plimsoul, can't close the battery compartment



## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Does anyone know if this is a design flaw or am I being too lazy to find the proper way to insert the battery?


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## vokey design (Oct 24, 2006)

Seems broken, I will take it off your hands for you. lol

Sorry the only thing I know about them is that they sound great.... to my ears anyway.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

To clarify, it can be closed normally without the battery.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Why not put the battery in the opposite way? Put the screw side in 1st.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

I had no issues fitting the battery in my old Plimsoul.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

@JBFairthorne the door is attached to the chasis by two screws that work like a hinge. 

@davetcan the battery here collides with the back of he potentiometers


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Even though they are supposed to be standard, 9v batteries can vary in their size. Generally speaking the greater the volume inside the battery, the longer it lasts. Apart from being alkaline type, instead of carbon-zinc, Duracells are also a bit larger than the classic red Eveready type.n Some pedals I've made, I installed the stompswitch a distance away from the front end of the chassis, based on a smaller battery. Then when I went to use a larger one, I found I couldn't close the back plate on the box. IT happens.

Several weeks ago, we had to go and buy one of those exotic anti-tampering screwdrivers to take apart my son's Steam game controller. Why? Because the Ikea alkaline batteries he had installed couldn't be pried loose from their slot. They were too damn big, so we had to take the game controller apart to get them out.

Larger, more powerful, batteries are a wonderful thing, providing the installation space accommodates them.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

I suspected something like that would be possible but in the opposite way because I'm using a carbon zinc battery.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

No law against making carbon-zinc a little bigger than usual.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Still it doesn't fit by a lot. I suspect Mike didn't inspect this one personally...


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Today I decided to press harder on the battery and close it. Needless to say that now I'm worried about the pressure on the back of the pots.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

Have you considered giving a shout out to Fulltone? I've heard a lot of horror stories about Mike over the years but anytime I've chatted with him he's been great. Even shipped me a switch for one of my OCD's for free after I got zero satisfaction from his online service rep.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

I posted on their fb page but it didn't show up, I guess they have it configured so comments don't show up without approval.


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

It's a sign. Stop using batteries. Get a rechargeable power pack.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

I've never used batteries before, I have a great homemade PS on my board but it's easier to use batteries when I'm using single pedals on the studio.


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## Guest (Aug 25, 2016)

Call Mike and give him a piece of your mind.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

Player99 said:


> Call Mike and give him a piece of your mind.


And then be sure to let us know how that works out for you


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Eh, use your power supply in studio too.


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

I have a rechargeable power pack I made for my pedals. It's been running for months now on a single charge. Forget batteries in the pedal, put batteries out.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Some people say carbon zinc sound better than alkaline or even rechargeable 

Ps. I know I'm probably starting a war here


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## Woof (Jan 13, 2010)

Vintage Evereadys if you want that classic tone


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

amagras said:


> Some people say carbon zinc sound better than alkaline or even rechargeable
> 
> Ps. I know I'm probably starting a war here


That depends greatly on the specific pedal used. Some pedal have no gain while battery die, and some don't have a high enough current draw to make a difference. 

But all that can be simulated with a properly made circuit anyway.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Guess what? Now the battery doesn't come out!


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

*¡Qué demonios!*


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

Something tells me you've got a slightly oversize 9V battery there, as I believe Mark suggested earlier. It doesn't look like your basic duracell or eveready in those pics.

See the nicely rounded corners.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

It doesn't look bigger to me, I could almost say it's smaller. Same problem with the Duracell.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

LOL, well there goes that theory. I see you did get it out then?



amagras said:


> It doesn't look bigger to me, I could almost say it's smaller. Same problem with the Duracell.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

You weren't paying attention Dave? 

We'll I guess I can add that I almost make a perforation on the battery trying to get it out.


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

I have a multimeter that behaves the same way. 

Theres always some string or ribbon that gets in there before the battery, as to use it to remove the battery. 

Once I placed a 9v extension and had the battery outside. 

Another time I had a 6xAA pack with the extension, too. 


Just barquin'


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

I don't want to revive a five year old thread, but I am having the exact same problem with a Plimsoul right now.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

colchar said:


> I don't want to revive a five year old thread, but I am having the exact same problem with a Plimsoul right now.


Do you have a battery in there that prevents closure, or is it a battery that won't come out?


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

I can't put a battery in.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

Some gear are not designed with excess space in the battery cavity, resulting in a cavity design that will not accept 9VDC batteries of all manufacturers. Many of the cheaper, no name brand 9VDC batteries, for example, are too wide for electronic devices. Cheaper batteries are almost always too wide because it allows manufacturers to get away with using less expensive materials.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Paul Running said:


> Some gear are not designed with excess space in the battery cavity, resulting in a cavity design that will not accept 9VDC batteries of all manufacturers. Many of the cheaper, no name brand 9VDC batteries, for example, are too wide for electronic devices. *Cheaper batteries are almost always too wide because it allows manufacturers to get away with using less expensive materials.*


Yes and no. As mentioned near the start of the thread, current capacity is dependent on internal volume of the cell. That's why D-cells have more current and lifespan than Cs, Cs last longer than AAs, and AAs last longer than AAAs. It probably IS true that some manufacturers use materials and packaging that makes a 9V a little larger, in order to save on production costs, and perhaps some will use packaging to misrepresent life-expectancy of the battery (although I would expect few people to perceive the connection).

If Colchar prefers how the pedal behaves, using a battery, compared to external power (and there can be solid reasons for that), it might be worthwhile to purchase a sample of different battery brands from the dollar store, find out which fit comfortably, and stick with those. I won't say that is necessarily optimal, but if it works, it works. Perhaps one day, Fulltone could consider machining the enclosure a little differently to accommodate more batteries, but given how many players power their pedals externally, these days, I won't hold out much faith in that happening.

One possibility is to file the hole where the stompswitch is mounted, to move it a smidgen. I've had to do that with stompswitch or jack/pot holes when they were poorly located (often a result of a drill bit wandering). But from the few internal pics I can see, it doesn't appear there is much room to do that. The hole itself can be enlarged, or whatever, but the stompswitch and circuit board are butted up against each other.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I had a tough time too. Must be a design flaw.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

More a marketing flaw. Just TRY and find those slender red Everready Classics these days! Hardly anyone sells them.


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