GearCast - Accessories, Tools and Batteries to Power Your New Gear

Have you recently invested in new equipment for your business or personal hobby? Or, maybe you were lucky enough to get a great new guitar, pedal, keyboard, wireless mic or other electronic gear as a holiday gift. Do you have the additional tools that you need to use your new equipment as efficiently and easily as possible? Two essential (yet often overlooked) categories of gear are power products and adapters. Here’s a guide to getting the right ones for your needs.

Get the Raw Power You Need: Rechargeable Batteries

Some of the most commonly needed types of power products are AC adapters, power supplies, converters, power conditioners and batteries. People who work (and play) in the music and theater industries have a constant need for batteries, and many have switched to using rechargeable ones. Though many people might be put off by their initial cost, rechargeable batteries have many benefits:

• Overall Savings: An investment in high-quality rechargeable batteries can save you money in the long term, particularly if your go through a lot of them. If you need a lot of batteries on hand, the initial cost of getting started with rechargeable batteries may be high, but you will recoup your costs and start saving money very quickly.
• Convenience: Rechargeable batteries can also be more convenient if you are frequently on the road, or performing at remoteDefinition:
  A broadcast from the field, not from the studio. A Remote Control. locations or odd times – no more scrambling to find overpriced batteries late at night! With your own charger, you will always have the batteries you need ready to go.
• Performance: If you had a bad experience with rechargeable batteries in the past, it’s time to take another look. Today’s rechargeable batteries can actually last longer on a single charge than a disposable battery.

One way to make investing in rechargeable batteries more affordable is to take advantage of offers that include free batteries with the purchase of a charger. Here are three of our favorite current deals:

• The Ansmann USA 1001-0004-US-590-1 is a charging and maintenance device for 1-12 Micro AAA / Mignon AA, 1-6 Baby C / MonoDefinition:
  Short for Monophonic. An audio program, recording, or hardware device/software routine that produces or processes a signal with only one channel. D and 1-2 9V E-Block rechargeable batteries. It features an automatic refreshing function, two USBDefinition:
  (Universal Serial Bus) A standard, bi-directional serial connection between computers and peripheral devices. charging sockets and comes with 12 free Max E Pro AA Batteries.
• The Ansmann USA 1001-0006-US-590-1 Powerline 8 is an intelligent charger with discharge function and a USB charging socketDefinition:
  A female connector or receptacle.. One common problem with rechargeable batteries is self-discharge. This charger prevents self-discharge by automatically stopping the charging process and switching to trickle charging once the batteries are fully charged. Designed for worldwide use, this charger comes with eight free Max E Pro AA batteries.
• The Ansmann USA 5207442/US-590 Energy 8 Plus is a charging and maintenance device for 1-6 Micro AAA / Mignon AA, 1-4 Baby C / Mono D and 1-2 9V E-Block rechargeable batteries and has an automatic refreshing function. After inserting the batteries, the charger starts an automatic diagnosis and a quick capacity test for about five seconds. Depending on the condition of the battery, the device selects a gentle pre-charge refreshing function, or initiates the actual charging process. The refreshing function restores the performance of rechargeable batteries damaged by self-discharge, and helps to prolong their life cycle. This charger comes with four free max E Pro AA batteries.

Increase Your Capabilities and Flexibility with the Right Adapters and Splitters

If you have a legacy sound system in your church, theater or concert venue, adapters are an easy way to update your equipment without having to replace everything. They can also allow you greater creativity in the recording studio by making the combination of vintage instruments and new recording software seamless. The right adapters can provide huge cost savings (and new abilities) by allowing you to combine older equipment with the latest new technology, such as digitalDefinition:
A signal or data expressed as series of the digits 0 and 1, typically represented by values of a physical quantity such as voltage or magnetic polarization. and analogDefinition:
A signal that is continuous in nature, as opposed to being defined as a series of discrete numbers (or elements) as found in digital signals; electrically "analogous" to an acoustical signal in the air. audio sources and systems.

Don’t let your new equipment collect dust because of an issue that you can easily solve with the right tool or accessory. If you have a challenging power solution that you can’t seem to solve, or are unsure which adapter you need for a new project, our experts are always ready with the answers you need.