• Syndication
• Jan 28,2010
• In: Featured, Guitars

Keith McMillen Instruments Batt-O-Meter Hands-On Review

It’s easy to test batteries, right? You probe a battery with a voltmeter (like the kind you find at electronics stores), and check the voltage. Done. But there’s a problem: A battery’s voltage changes depending on whether it’s under load or not; effects load down a battery to varying degrees, but meters don’t. So a battery can read fin with a meter, but under a real load the voltage might be marginal at best.

The Batt-O-Meter tests batteries under real-world conditions, and it’s become a highly useful accessory from my gig bag. In fact, after telling someone at Musician’s Friend how much I liked the Batt-O-Meter, he said “Well why don’t your experiences for our catalog?” So I did.

Batt-O-Meter basics
The Batt-O-Meter comes in a small (about 3-3/8” x 2.25” x 1-1/8”), lightweight, high-impact plastic case. A stereo dummy plug attaches to the box ith a 6” cable. The only controls are a push-to-test button, and a slide switch to select the battery type (alkaline, carbon zinc, or rechargeable). You need to set this switch properly, or the battery life readings will likely be inaccurate.

Checking stompbox effects and active pickups
Most battery-powered effects switch the battery by plugging a guitar cord into the input; the Batt-O-Meter can measure the battery without removing it from the effect–plug the Batt-O-Meter’s plug into the effect input, then hold the push-to-test switch. This also works with guitars and basses with active pickups if they turn on the same way.

The Batt-O-Meter’s 7-segment LED meter shows the battery voltage under load, then an estimate of how many hours of operation are left based on the current drain and battery type. So, the same battery in an effect that doesn’t draw much current will show a longer potential life than the same battery in a power-hungry effect. The estimated life feature means you won’t waste money by throwing out a battery because you’re unsure how much charge is left; with the Batt-O-Meter you’ll know, rather than have to guess, when a battery has reached the end of its useful life.

Checking standard batteries
You can also check standard 1.5V to 9V batteries, although there’s no estimate of how many hours are left. Additionally, the Batt-O-Meter can do a self-test of its own internal battery.

Internal testing
The Batt-O-Meter itself is powered by a 9V battery, so you might wonder what tests the tester. However, if you don’t connect the Batt-O-Meter to anything and hold down the push-to-test button, it performs a self-test of its internal battery and displays the percentage of battery life left.

Long live the batteries!
The Batt-O-Meter is the only battery tester that checks batteries in stompboxes under real-world conditions–and provides a surprisingly accurate estimate of how many more hours of battery life you can expect. I like products that can pay for themselves; given the current cost of batteries, the Batt-O-Meter fits that description. The price of the Batt-O-Meter is $29.99.

Musician’s Friend
By Craig Anderton