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Topic: Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot? (Read 15220 times) previous topic - next topic
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Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Hello,

I am looking for a new player which has replaceable batteries preferably AA or AAA and an sd slot. I currently have the Treckstor Ibeat extension which can use 8gb sd cards. Problem is that some of the buttons are becoming hard to use and the player dont sound to good with my new head phones philips she9850 (some buzzing and noise on changing tracks)

Anyone know of any such players? I have not been able to find any but have been considering getting a cheap mobile phone with mp3 playback but have no idea what they would sound like.

Thanks
Tom

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #1
I don't think you'll find anything worth owning.  SD slots are fairly rare, and AA/AAA batteries are unheard of these days.

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #2
Hello,

I am looking for a new player which has replaceable batteries preferably AA or AAA and an sd slot. I currently have the Treckstor Ibeat extension which can use 8gb sd cards. Problem is that some of the buttons are becoming hard to use and the player dont sound to good with my new head phones philips she9850 (some buzzing and noise on changing tracks)


The only player I know that uses a full size SD slot is the Witness Plus from C. Crane.  It has a replaceable lithium battery. 

The major brand for players with memory slots is Sansa, and all are microSD.  The cards are cheap enough that I wouldn't worry a lot about losing the use of an 8 gb  SD card you already have.  You might find an older one on ebay that uses AAA cells, but I don't think any of those have card slots.

I think part of the reason manufacturers have gone to sealed batteries is that they don't WANT you to have a player that will last a long time.  Come back and buy a new one in a couple of years. 

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #3
Looks like t's either one or the other...

For a player with batteries, I think I have an old iRiver T60 lying around here somewhere. Runs on one AAA battery, and it was a really good player. Played ogg files, too. You might be able to find one on ebay.

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #4
You could also grab a soldering iron, buy some parts and make your own. I'm sure there are "kits" out there.

Then just make your own AA or AAA bat supply. With NiMH you do not have the issue of Lith's where you gotta have protection circuits and ventilation holes etc.
NiMHs are pretty darn safe. (they can overheat if charged wrong and "melt", but they won't go "boom" like Lith's can.)

Also, Alkaline AA or AAA's can be plopped in if the rechargeable's are drained and you can't wait.
Not to mention the fact that AA or AAA can be found almost in any shop/store.

Heck, maybe someone on HA would be willing to built it for you for a few bucks.
Using a Raspberry Pi or some other "Stick PC" would be hilarious and cool as you'd have one of the most powerful pocket players possible. (and potentially support any file format you'd like, and the bonus of being able to hook it up to a HiFi, or a TV to play video).

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #5
You could also grab a soldering iron, buy some parts and make your own. I'm sure there are "kits" out there.


That is tough though since you'll need a minimum of 3 and possibly 4 AA or AAA batteries to reach the minimum voltage needed to power on most players.  Well that or you'll have to build in a DC to DC power supply to upconvert to the right voltage.  It can be done, but you'll probably end up with something that stretches the definition of "portable".


Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #6
I don’t mind if the player has sd or micro sd slots as I can use an adaptor and the micro sd cards are so cheap. I like to use AA or AAA because they are easy to carry with you, the only other function I need is folder and track navigation. I don’t need a large screen as I imagine this drains the battery even more.

Has anyone had any experience of the sound quality of mobile phone mp3 players? I would I use the phone unconnected purely as a music player as these seem to have fairly cheap replaceable batteries.

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #7
I use a Sansa Fuze - it has a micro-sdhc slot and handles my 32GB card no problem. It also runs Rockbox and therefore plays Opus - nice quality at 96kbit/s - therefore loads of music in 32GB.

For charging, there's the problem - it has a built in battery and charges via USB (with a proprietary connector at the player end).

However, it can be charged using one of these or similar - a very portable charging device....
lossyWAV -q X -a 4 -s h -A --feedback 2 --limit 15848 --scale 0.5 | FLAC -5 -e -p -b 512 -P=4096 -S- (having set foobar to output 24-bit PCM; scaling by 0.5 gives the ANS headroom to work)

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #8
I really don't understand why any good portable players are not made to use AA/AAA batteries.  Quality NI-MH batteries have good capacity now and are cheap and easy to replace plus you can carry them with you.

I know Lithium batteries are better but they also have some potential hazards. Maybe the device manufactures want you to buy a new one every time the battery degrades/fails?

Anyway thanks for the suggestions I will continue to search.

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #9
I really don't understand why any good portable players are not made to use AA/AAA batteries.  Quality NI-MH batteries have good capacity now and are cheap and easy to replace plus you can carry them with you.
Unfortunately, I expect that players are not made for AA/AAA batteries because of their bulk. Such a player would be twice or three times as thick as a player with an embedded battery.
lossyWAV -q X -a 4 -s h -A --feedback 2 --limit 15848 --scale 0.5 | FLAC -5 -e -p -b 512 -P=4096 -S- (having set foobar to output 24-bit PCM; scaling by 0.5 gives the ANS headroom to work)

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #10
I think you would do well with an embedded battery....today's lithium ion batteries are light years beyond nimh or nicad. I bought  my zunehd used two years ago, use it daily, the battery still plays 24 hours between charges. The battery in todays devices will outlast your desire to keep said device...you'll be wanting a 'new toy' before it quits.

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #11
I think you would do well with an embedded battery....today's lithium ion batteries are light years beyond nimh or nicad. I bought  my zunehd used two years ago, use it daily, the battery still plays 24 hours between charges. The battery in todays devices will outlast your desire to keep said device...you'll be wanting a 'new toy' before it quits.
It's always the headphone socket that goes wrong here, long before I notice any battery problems. Though that may say more about me, or the lousy headphone sockets, than the quality of the batteries!

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #12
The battery in todays devices will outlast your desire to keep said device...you'll be wanting a 'new toy' before it quits.
It's always the headphone socket that goes wrong here, long before I notice any battery problems. Though that may say more about me, or the lousy headphone sockets, than the quality of the batteries!


My current player is over 6 years old. headphone jack still ok.  Adding Rockbox and a 32gb card keeps me happy with the capability.  IT's one of the last models Sansa made with a replaceable (lithium) battery, otherwise by now it would be usable only on external power. 

My kid has several players, but still prefers her oldest, because it uses AAA.  THey are easily swapped out when they run down, and can be fully recharged in 30 minutes. 

A little extra bulk CAN be a good thing.  My experience with very small players (clip) was that you can forget it's in your pocket and it went through the laundry long before the battery aged out 

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #13
I don't think you'll find anything worth owning.  SD slots are fairly rare, and AA/AAA batteries are unheard of these days.


Sansa Clips and Fuzes have microSD slots.

I have several of each and their lithium batteries seem to hang in there over the years.

They are so cheap that outright replacement is only about twice the price of a replacement battery, not including labor.

You can always power them via an external connector if push comes to shove.

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #14
They are so cheap that outright replacement is only about twice the price of a replacement battery, not including labor.


That's pretty good, considering that the replacement battery I bought for my E200 was only about $5, and almost twice the capacity of the original.

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #15
They are so cheap that outright replacement is only about twice the price of a replacement battery, not including labor.


That's pretty good, considering that the replacement battery I bought for my E200 was only about $5, and almost twice the capacity of the original.


Wow you got a good deal. The last time I replaced an internal battery, it cost me about $15 delivered, and for twice that you can just get a refurb Fuze.

I don't see replacing the battery in a Fuze or a Clip to be very practical.  But once you get a year or two out of a $30 player, so what?

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #16
They are so cheap that outright replacement is only about twice the price of a replacement battery, not including labor.


That's pretty good, considering that the replacement battery I bought for my E200 was only about $5, and almost twice the capacity of the original.


Wow you got a good deal. The last time I replaced an internal battery, it cost me about $15 delivered, and for twice that you can just get a refurb Fuze.

I don't see replacing the battery in a Fuze or a Clip to be very practical.  But once you get a year or two out of a $30 player, so what?


That would be more of a project since you have to figure out how to open the case (that's not meant to be) without breaking it, then (I'm guessing) solder the leads.

I checked this morning, a battery for mine is available through amazon for $6.12, free shipping, 1300 mah (I think the original was 500), screws to remove the back, Just pop the battery in.

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #17
They are so cheap that outright replacement is only about twice the price of a replacement battery, not including labor.


That's pretty good, considering that the replacement battery I bought for my E200 was only about $5, and almost twice the capacity of the original.


Wow you got a good deal. The last time I replaced an internal battery, it cost me about $15 delivered, and for twice that you can just get a refurb Fuze.

I don't see replacing the battery in a Fuze or a Clip to be very practical.  But once you get a year or two out of a $30 player, so what?


That would be more of a project since you have to figure out how to open the case (that's not meant to be) without breaking it, then (I'm guessing) solder the leads.

I checked this morning, a battery for mine is available through amazon for $6.12, free shipping, 1300 mah (I think the original was 500), screws to remove the back, Just pop the battery in.


The newer Sansas don't have screw on backs.

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #18
I know of one: the Zoom H1. It's a portable recorder and I'm not sure whether it will play anything but it's own files (I guess it will, but only MP3 and WAV), but it has the features you're asking for: 1AA battery and an SD-card slot.

Sorry, that one has a microSD as well. H2n is possible, but it's a little pricey. Anyway, they have a lot of drawbacks (like bad navigation and no support for tagging), but they do run of replacable batteries.
Music: sounds arranged such that they construct feelings.

 

Portable players with replacable batteries and SD card slot?

Reply #19
Samsung Galaxy S Wifi 4.2

its basically a samsung android phone without the phone parts

user replaceable battery (only have to remove the back cover)
uses microSD cards (up to 64Gb works so far)
runs on android, so theres a choice of audio players
2 front-facing speakers


it will also play videos, show images etc etc