Sennheiser XSW-D Batteries

[BTM_Pix]

When this system was announced, there was a discussion over the internal rechargeable battery not only in terms of run times but also over longevity and if it failed would that be game over for the units.

At the time, I speculated that based on the power spec quoted by Sennheiser and the shape of the units then it was likely that it was going to be a standard off the shelf battery (a 3.7V/850mAh  14500) so not only should it be possible to replace a dead battery, it shouldn't be that much of a challenge to make it swappable if you needed really long run times in the field.

So.....now that I actually have one, I thought I'd have a look.

And, yes indeed, it is a standard 3.7V/850mAh 14500 battery.

You can pick these up for less than £1 each and a charger will set you back about £5-7.

The connector to the board is also just a standard connector so if you really need the longer run times and swap out capability its pretty straightforward to fashion this yourself and have all day run times for both receiver and transmitter for under £20.

Now, where did I put that warranty form....

[Kisaha]

I can imagine Sennheiser charge 70$€£ for replacing battery!

How good is this system? Have you used it together with other wireless systems?

[BTM_Pix]

9 minutes ago, Kisaha said:

I can imagine Sennheiser charge 70$€£ for replacing battery!

How good is this system? Have you used it together with other wireless systems?

I will do it for €50!

I've only had a brief test of it and it is fine but I haven't tried it in any densely saturated areas although our apartment does have the equivalent of a small town's worth of 2.4GHz devices humming away at any given moment !

This is a fair and accurate appraisal of it that I would agree with based on my own short time with it.

 

[IronFilm]

On 4/6/2019 at 6:41 AM, BTM_Pix said:

And, yes indeed, it is a standard 3.7V/850mAh 14500 battery.

Not surprised! But good news for anybody who might find the battery life dying after a few years

[Ergin YILMAZ]

Hello, Thanks for sharing. 

1. the cover can be removed easily? 

2. can we install larger capacity battery to it? it has little bit more dimension in its case to install bigger battery?

[LouisMax]

Would you be able to do us a quick video showing how to open the shell up Andrew? Would really appreciate this 🙌

[keem85]

On 4/5/2019 at 7:41 PM, BTM_Pix said:

When this system was announced, there was a discussion over the internal rechargeable battery not only in terms of run times but also over longevity and if it failed would that be game over for the units.

At the time, I speculated that based on the power spec quoted by Sennheiser and the shape of the units then it was likely that it was going to be a standard off the shelf battery (a 3.7V/850mAh  14500) so not only should it be possible to replace a dead battery, it shouldn't be that much of a challenge to make it swappable if you needed really long run times in the field.

So.....now that I actually have one, I thought I'd have a look.

And, yes indeed, it is a standard 3.7V/850mAh 14500 battery.

You can pick these up for less than £1 each and a charger will set you back about £5-7.

The connector to the board is also just a standard connector so if you really need the longer run times and swap out capability its pretty straightforward to fashion this yourself and have all day run times for both receiver and transmitter for under £20.

Now, where did I put that warranty form....

 

Is there any chance you can show us how we swap the battery with a new 3.7V/850mAh 14500 battery ? Where do we solder and how?
I really need to know this before buying the set for both my mic and guitar. It's such expensive kits and I want to know I have long longevity on this..
My Relay G10 is such trash, and I Had to bin it after less than two years of use..

[Olivier085]

Hi ! I bought this kit a few weeks ago and it works fine but i would need more than 850mah ... Mine dies after 2 hours of playing and it's not enough for me.. 

Do you think i could replace the battery with a 2000 or 3000 mah (same size and 3,7v) 

Or does the system work while plugged in the instruments with an external battery ?

Thx 

[JWorley]

BTM_Pix, would love to hear your input on the difficulty in opening the module. Is it as easy as just prying off the top cover? Plan to replace the batteries in a few, but don't want to damage them accessing the batteries. 

Thanks in advance!!

[RevTodd]

Hi Folks,

I see a recurring question here on the opening of the module. In short, it isn't hard. You basically have to pry it apart along the seam. Some will use a guitar pick, but I happened to have a 1" square of metal (you might have it too... it came with a magnetic phone mount, the metal that sticks to the phone) that was thin and able to get in there to pry and pop it open.

I see some people have asked about a larger capacity battery, and while that is certainly possible, I wasn't able to find one. I just replaced it with another 800mah 14500 3.7v battery I found at the local electronics store. MAKE SURE IT HAS SOLDERABLE ENDS ON IT!!

Once you pop the top, you've got to pull the circuit board out and disconnect the two connectors. The battery is held in place with some double sided tape on the underside that you can't see, but you'll need a small screwdriver or something to pry it out.

Next step is to take the plastic wrapper off to expose the connections. (see my first picture)

Then on the top side of the battery, peel the black cover back (it's under the little circuit board) to expose the top battery connector. Cut that silver strip. (see picture 3)

You do the same thing on the bottom of the battery. Basically at this point you've got to pay attention to how long the solderable lead is that is on your replacement battery. Mine was about an inch long, so I didn't end up cutting the connector at the very bottom. You can see how I trimmed it in picture 5. Once those two connectors are cut, you move the unit you just cut off onto your new battery. In picture 6 I've soldered that connector that goes down the side of the battery. Do the same thing on the top.

Once you've soldered it up, wrap the battery back up with some electrical tape and you're good to go!

 

 

 

 

[DFT]

So, I'm a little confused. On my XSW Digital TX XLR, the transmitter that plugs into the mic, the battery inside is exactly as pictured in this thread, BUT the legend on the case states 5 v and 500 mA?

Could someone please clarify?

Also, between the 'IS,' 'IEC' codes and R-41110574 # (part #?), could someone explain please.

Thanks!

[BTM_Pix]

12 hours ago, DFT said:

BUT the legend on the case states 5 v and 500 mA?

That is the power specification for the USB-C charging input.

12 hours ago, DFT said:

Also, between the 'IS,' 'IEC' codes and R-41110574 # (part #?), could someone explain please.

The IS and IEC numbers indícate conformity of the battery for fire safety and battery charging standards.

The R code is the registration with the Bureau of Indian Standards who run conformity assessment schemes.

[Kevin N]

Following with some interest but I'm not an electrical tech type of guy.  I have two sets of these, one for my Mic (XSW-D TX and RX XLR) and one for guitar (XSW-D TX and RX63).  They were working like a charm when I first got them no interference, for those who were asking. The duration is supposed to be 5 hours and previously when I tested them that's about what they were lasting.  

When COVID came around and there was no gigs for all that time, I just let them all sit in the little carry case that I have for them and they ran completely out of charge and then just sat. I charged them up and went to the first gig but it wasn't long before I discovered that I was going to have to wire up for that gig.  They just weren't holding a charge anymore.

So I contacted Sennheiser and they just said to take them to where I bought them for repair. I procrastinated and was going to take them down today but thought I better test them one more time before taking them down ... so I started charging both sets yesterday and they were all charged today.  They seem to be working much better this time around. The mic set was pretty close to done after 3 hours, so I think I'll need to change the batteries on those but the guitar set is still going and pushing 5 hours.

After finding this thread I may see about trying to get the batteries and have a friend who is pretty good at this kind of thing do the work.

As I said I'm not a techy when it comes to this stuff, the 3.7v is obvious but the 850mah, I assume is the battery capacity and the 14500 is the size/shape.  So the size and voltage will need to be the same but it looks like you can get this in up to 1100mah.  If I'm interpreting correctly that should work and give me a little more battery life per charge like maybe over 6 hours?

[Kevin N]

Also, how do you put the case back together on the xsw-d?  it doesn't snap back into place.  did you just use some kind of glue

[Daniel18]

Thank you for this thread!! This is a growing problem for users. I have a used unit that gets 3-3.5 hrs. The battery reads 4.12 volts charged. Can you get a plug and play battery for these units? Either way, does anyone have links to a replacement of any kind? Thanks!

[Walter Myers]

I am surprised that there is not more information online about this. I have units getting low. Amazon has batteries with SM-2P connector. Does anyone know if there would be the same little board on top and if the connector is the same as the one Sennheiser uses. As of yet, have not been able to find a source for the batteries listed in this article.

[Almelio]

 

Anyone knows if the Sennheiser XSW-D is stereo? Please!

[Almelio]

So I asked Sennheiser, told me no, stereo only if with two sets.

[BobC]

FAIR WARNINGS:

1) yes, the unit is easy to pry open, but you WILL destroy the ‘catches’, that you need to close the unit afterwards.

2) do NOT attempt to remove the audio connector from the PCB; the connector is of the utmost flimsiest kind, and you WILL rip off the thin wires (ask. me how I know)

Now, I’ve ordered 1200mAh batteries and will install them instead of the 800mAh ones - will post back how that went.

In the meantime, it took me half an hour to pry out the audio connector, and reconnect the wires to them - under a digital microscope and working on a 24” monitor. Most people will not have this equipment, so think before you start. As for closing the unit afterwards, a few very small drops of superglue will probably do the trick. But I will see if I can open the second unit without tearing off anything; if I succeed I will post back also.

[BobC]

FAIR WARNINGS:

1) yes, the unit is easy to pry open, but you WILL destroy the ‘catches’, that you need to close the unit afterwards.

2) do NOT attempt to remove the audio connector from the PCB; the connector is of the utmost flimsiest kind, and you WILL rip off the thin wires (ask. me how I know)

Now, I’ve ordered 1200mAh batteries and will install them instead of the 800mAh ones - will post back how that went.

In the meantime, it took me half an hour to pry out the audio connector, and reconnect the wires to them - under a digital microscope and working on a 24” monitor. Most people will not have this equipment, so think before you start. As for closing the unit afterwards, a few very small drops of superglue will probably do the trick. But I will see if I can open the second unit without tearing off anything; if I succeed I will post back also.

 

UPDATE: I managed 1) to open the second unit without damaging the cathches and 2) install the 1200mAh batteries. I just used the units for more than 3 hours now, and the indicators are still green. Great success (the old ones lasted half an hour)!