Battery powered A4

Elektron Gear Analog Keys/Four
#1

So this is a little bit of a cross post of a similar thread in the Monomachine forum: Portable Battery to Power Elektron

But seeing as the idea is so awesome I figured it should also get some attention here.

The concept is fairly simple; using a ‘powerbank’ type of battery to supply the A4 with 12VDC at 2A so you can use the A4 outdoors/on-the-go without a power outlet nearby.

The Tekkeon battery originally discussed in the topic above is no longer on the market but then marcusmono made a great discovery in the XORO MPB2000 battery which has a 12v or 19v DC output (so not suited for OT, MnM, MD but should also work on the AR).

It sells for only 80 bucks and will give you about 4,5/5 hours of ‘unplugged’ A4 fun on a full charge.


It’s available in europe under the XORO MPB2000 brand (I’ve seen it in Germany, Netherlands, UK). It will supply 12v or 19v at 2A which is suited for A4/AR power requirements (not OT as it needs 9v).

There’s also an identical looking battery sold in the States branded as Anker (Anker 2nd Gen Astro Pro2). However the Anker battery supplies 9v or 12v at 1,5A which also works for A4/AR (and should even work on OT)

Some amazon links:
http://www.amazon.com/Anker-20000mAh-Aluminum-Multi-Voltage-Technology/dp/B005NGLTZQ/

And here’s a proof of concept sitting in the park this afternoon:

Portable power advice
Flying with the A4
#2

Thanks for posting this! great info as some of the other threads are kinda outdated and I was unsure of how safe they actually were to use.

#3

Awesome. I was thinking about getting the same exact model. Great to hear that it works!

#4

Ordered! will arrive tomorrow. Easy setup?

#5

Dead easy :wink:
Battery has one button to switch between 12v and 19v. You get multiple connector things but the basic one simply connects between the dc output of the battery and the A4 itself.

#6

Thanks for this, I have a 30,000 mah OXA battery that basically lasts as long as I want to use my A4, but they are now out of production and impossible to find online, and I need to take my Rytm to the park also!

So I’ll be picking up one of this Anker batterys soon.

#7

congrats, you made it into the (or at least my) history books… taking A4 into the park! … great !.. which park was it? berlin by chance? cheers dude! thanks for posting and sharing

#8

I use a portable battery for my Bass Station II which works very well. Since I bought my A4 I have wished it had the same capability but didn’t think it was within reach. Thanks for sharing the knowledge. This is great news.

#9

Anker, Xoro everything the same!

The Xoro MBP 2000 is sold in Germany right now. You can buy the Anker 2nd Gen in Germany also (and it costs ~ 2 € less :joy: )

Here´s the link for germans:

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00H8LTZXM/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=1FHMEPV20SG7FHT8DN9Y&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=585296347&pf_rd_i=desktop

Cheers

#10

Hey TrabanT, tnx for the kind words :slight_smile:
Actually it was marcusmono that discovered it and deserves the credits, I’m just trying to spread the joy further.
It has literally blown my world away. Having no balcony or garden at home I had no way to be outside in the summer while also playing around on my A4. This solves everything! Kinda want to get a few more battery’s just in case (and maybe one to power my portable speakers as well).
The park I filmed at is in Haarlem (close to Amsterdam) so not Berlin unfortunately. Wish it was Berlin though as I love that city so deeply!

#11

Germany: http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00H8LTZXM

US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005NGLTZQ

Nice, and not a bad price either. Some of the reviews mention it running at 1.5amps when in 12v mode. Should that be much of an issue? I know the Elektron PSU is rated at 2a, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the A4 or Rytm is drawing that much at any given time.

#12

Yeah I’m not good at knowing about amps and that but hopefully someone that knows electrical well can chime in that it is indeed not an issue or any concern.

#13

I have one of these and it does not provide enough power for my A4. :disappointed:

#14

I am in the USA. What I have been using to success is the RAVPower® Xtreme 23000mAh 3-Port Portable External Battery Charger with Multi-Voltage (9V/12V/16V/19V/20V - LCD Display). $99. on Amazon dot com

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HFMUBYG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

I pack it up in a large SKB case and am able to simultaneously power my A4, KMI Qunexus and the KMI MIDI Expander, and a Zoom H6. This gives a good 4 hours running all three anywhere I want to go without being “plugged-in”.

The Tekkeon Batteries of the much higher capacity are no longer being produced and dropped from their line.

What’s important is to have not only just USB Charging Ports but also a DC Voltage that’s variably assigned as well as various MA assignments, and most importantly, an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) with continuous voltage at assigned set-up. Your regular cell phone chargers will not work properly.

I love this battery pack. I was even able to power my Classic Waldorf Pulse Plus analog synth, which also has above and beyond the regular Classic Waldorf Pulse in that the Pulse Plus has several cv/gate ins/outs as well as a midi to cv and cv to midi converter built-in and is an excellent synth to have the A4 drive and al sure if I wanted to, could also power the Pulse Plus if I wanted to lug it out with me as well.

The Rav Power Extreme model above also comes with all the break out cables and all the connectors you could ever need plus it comes in a rather nice packaging that can be used to keep it all in one place.

#15

Very interesting namnibor, thank you for that. :slight_smile:

#16

I have one of these and it does not provide enough power for my A4. :disappointed: [/quote]
So it is working for some and not others? How is that? :astonished:

#17

Yeah I’m not good at knowing about amps and that but hopefully someone that knows electrical well can chime in that it is indeed not an issue or any concern. [/quote]
Hey Simon,

Seems strange that your Anker battery wouldn’t work but my Xoro one does when they are effectively the exact same model.

Are you sure it doesn’t work on your A4? When I connect my battery to the A4 I can’t just turn on the A4 and have it power up immediatly. You have to press the button on the side of the battery in order to ‘jumpstart’ the thing.

Here’s a video that shows how the A4 only turns on after I press the button on the battery:

#18

Seems great. So the Xoro would work for the A4, and also the AR ?

#19

Xoro is confirmed working on A4 by both myself and marcusmono.

Xoro battery on the AR hasn’t been tested yet but should work theoretically as it has the same power requirements.

For OT it’s probably best to get a RAVpower Xtreme as it supplies the necessary 9 volts DC

#20

Yeah I’m not good at knowing about amps and that but hopefully someone that knows electrical well can chime in that it is indeed not an issue or any concern. [/quote]
Hey Simon,

Seems strange that your Anker battery wouldn’t work but my Xoro one does when they are effectively the exact same model.

Are you sure it doesn’t work on your A4? When I connect my battery to the A4 I can’t just turn on the A4 and have it power up immediatly. You have to press the button on the side of the battery in order to ‘jumpstart’ the thing.

Here’s a video that shows how the A4 only turns on after I press the button on the battery:
https://instagram.com/p/4J5Un4ArH1[/quote]
If the descriptions are correct on Amazon, the Xoro outputs 2A on 12V, while the Anker only outputs 1.5A on 12V. 2bad4me… :frowning: