[eteina]

Anybody has the full Fiio E12 comparison charts that were found on Fiio's website?

 

[Rebkos]

I bought my E12 in summer 2013. Was working quite nice, until about summer of 2016 when Ii noticed degrading battery life (about half of what it used to be). I have not been using it since september 2016 I guess. Just kept it in a drawer.
 
Yesterday I wanted to used it, but it was completely dead. So I plugged it in, red LED starts "breathing", but after few seconds it starts blinking rapidly. I have tried many different cables and adapters as well as connecting to computer USB. Also reset button multiple times. It just keeps flashing rapidly. Only if i turn the unit on, while connected, the red LED starts "breathing" again and E12 can be used. When I unplug cable, it switches off immediately, when I turn unit off, it starts flashing rapidly again. I tried to leave it charging for very long time with same results.
 
Warranty is expired. Any ideas what can be done? Anyone encountered same issue?

 

[StanD]

  I bought my E12 in summer 2013. Was working quite nice, until about summer of 2016 when Ii noticed degrading battery life (about half of what it used to be). I have not been using it since september 2016 I guess. Just kept it in a drawer.
 
Yesterday I wanted to used it, but it was completely dead. So I plugged it in, red LED starts "breathing", but after few seconds it starts blinking rapidly. I have tried many different cables and adapters as well as connecting to computer USB. Also reset button multiple times. It just keeps flashing rapidly. Only if i turn the unit on, while connected, the red LED starts "breathing" again and E12 can be used. When I unplug cable, it switches off immediately, when I turn unit off, it starts flashing rapidly again. I tried to leave it charging for very long time with same results.
 
Warranty is expired. Any ideas what can be done? Anyone encountered same issue?

Sounds like a dead battery. if you let a Li-Ion battery run down and don't recharge it for a long time it's like putting a knife through its heart.
First you have to find and get a suitable replacement battery, if you can't solder, etc. find someone that can. Otherwise contact FiiO for serice or buy the newer version.

 

[6Channel]

OK - this is a check to see who's still tethered to this thread:

I tried 6 unsuitable replacement amps for my failed-battery E12, and am now getting by with an A3, which is the best I've heard so far - but not as good as my E12 was. I've taken it apart, and planned to just put a grommet in the case to connect a trio of Li-ion cells, since I understood the battery power for the E12 is 11.1V. I assumed the E12 battery was a sandwich of 3x3.7V Li-ion packages in series feeding power to the board. Now that I have removed the battery, I'm confused: there are 2 black & 2 red wires running separately from the battery pack. Do these power in series to 7.4V somehow on the board, or are they parallel 3.7's that somehow "step up" to 11V on the board? Interestingly, I note that voltage shown for "replacement" E12 batteries online is just 3.7V. Any tips will be greatly appreciated - especially if you know what voltages are running through the 2 black + 2 red wires to the board. I'm now suspecting the advertised 11.1V is in error, and it's probably just paralleled 3.7s. I can find no labeling whatsoever on the blue battery pack.

 

[Evshrug]

Huh.
Well, I haven’t used my E12 (preproduction with the subbass boost instead of the midbass boost) for years, but about twice a year I give it an hour or so recharge. I don’t really feel comfortable cracking it open though, because I keep meaning to put it up for sale.

 

[stakarVN]

I was (am) in the same position a year ago and didn't follow up (didn't buy new batteries).

I think the statement about 11V (was in every review at the time of release) is true but don't know how it is done.

But... look at my photos Wires explained right ?

 

[stakarVN]

Let us know what your next move is.

 

[stakarVN]

Aaand I think the middle battery is on the one side connected to the upper batteryterminal an on the other side to the lower batteryterminal. So that's how they get 11V (I think). Maybe 2x(3.7 + (3.7/2)) ? It's just a guess.

Such a nice amp.

 

[6Channel]

I was (am) in the same position a year ago and didn't follow up (didn't buy new batteries).

I think the statement about 11V (was in every review at the time of release) is true but don't know how it is done.

But... look at my photos Wires explained right ?

OK, stakarVN - I broke the code Wednesday: all the images online of the battery wires show a single hard-soldered red and black wires - mine, like yours, has two thin black + two thin red terminated in a connector, which was introduced in later production. I dragged out my "needle" probes and determined that the two black are actually parallel - acting as s single conductor; same for red. In 3 exchanges with FiiO in the past week, I'm pretty certain that the battery (mine is now ZERO volts) is, indeed, probably an 11.1V. I'm convinced that dimensions & packaging won't permit 3 3.7 pancake cells stuffed in the E12 chamber, which ostensibly could be connected in series. So, since my E12 worked just fine until the battery failed, I'm gonna string 3 18650's in series and feed it into the case through a grommet. This won't work well for portability, but mine just sits next to my easy chair. In hindsight, I'm surprised they even fooled around with the "serviceable" connector, as difficult as it is to find a replacement battery & just access the battery itself.

Completely incidentally, my crawls through message boards on chips (wish I had the DIY E12!) indicates that the working voltages for chips run across a fairly broad range, so the ol' E12 circuit might still crank out sufficient sound levels for some with a lonely 3.7 pancake: I'll be checking that out in the next coupla weeks, too. Unfortunately, my 600Ω cans really need the 11.1V juice.

 

[stakarVN]

It would be interesting to see your 18650 in series.

But why wouldn't you go pancake style ? I looked on AliExpress. You could go with three of

503035 3.7v 500mah Lithium​

303450 3.7V 1000mAh Lithium​

302530 3.7v 500mah Lithium​

I would prefer the bottom ones because they give you a lot of extra space. You could then easely combine the different leads as I described with the middle battery before you connect them to the charging board (which is now connected to dead batteries - the one with printed dimensions 47*10*0.8 in my photos).

So either way is doable I think. Only thing is I don't know how you would go about charging your 18650's ?

edit : to clarify, I would never put 3 cells in series in combination with that charging board. The outer 2 would be connected each with the terminals on one (length) side of the board. One terminal of the middle battery would then be connect with a lead of one of the outer ones, and the other terminal of middle battery would be connected with a lead of the other outer one. You can look at the paper tape (on the middle battery I loosened it to the middle and folded it up) to know how the three batteries are oriented relative to one another and how to connect the leads.

edit2: I keep forgetting you have this dead battery pack also

 

[6Channel]

It would be interesting to see your 18650 in series.

But why wouldn't you go pancake style ? I looked on AliExpress. You could go with three of

503035 3.7v 500mah Lithium​

303450 3.7V 1000mAh Lithium​

302530 3.7v 500mah Lithium​

I would prefer the bottom ones because they give you a lot of extra space. You could then easely combine the different leads as I described with the middle battery before you connect them to the charging board (which is now connected to dead batteries - the one with printed dimensions 47*10*0.8 in my photos).

So either way is doable I think. Only thing is I don't know how you would go about charging your 18650's ?

edit : to clarify, I would never put 3 cells in series in combination with that charging board. The outer 2 would be connected each with the terminals on one (length) side of the board. One terminal of the middle battery would then be connect with a lead of one of the outer ones, and the other terminal of middle battery would be connected with a lead of the other outer one. You can look at the paper tape (on the middle battery I loosened it to the middel and folded it up) to know how the three batteries are oriented relative to one another and how to connect the leads.

edit2: I keep forgetting you have this dead battery pack also

Now you got me a-thinkin'. I'm "assuming" I'd use the existing charging circuit in the E12 - it should still be addressing 11.1V charging [3 x 3.3V in series, as FiiO certainly packaged the original battery] whether 3 pancake cells in series or 3 tubular devices [18650's] - the 18650's traditionally take forever to charge in my experience, but overnight should give me plenty of juice to play with. I was pretty certain, until your latest post, that 3 pancake cells would surely be too thick; however, if I can flatten them enough, the dimensions would "just fit", thickness-wise. The other dimensions look OK, too, for the 1st & 3rd one you list. Shipping costs more than the batteries themselves, but I'm about to order up a few anyway. Thanks for re-suggesting these pancakes! [I'm thinking thickness of three might be OK if I get rid of the anti-rattle strips on one side & the incredibly sticky double-back film on the other]

 

[stakarVN]

A few things... (and I'm not an expert)

The pancake cells aren't in series when you connect them to the charging board... So when you say

3 x 3.3V in series, as FiiO certainly packaged the original battery

I don't get what you mean. Do you have another charging board ? You would need to solder 4 contacts, not 2. So you only get "series" on the output of the board where the black and red wires depart. I think the biggest concern is the internal impedance of what you're charging and I think that's why they do 2x(3.7 + (3.7/2)). Sorry to keep saying this but I wouldn't like your board to burn out.

The internal case dimension is 12mm. So 3 times 3.0 mm (middle battery) = 9 mm, or 3 times 3.5 mm (battery 1 and 3) = 10.5 mm. You wouldn't need to flatten them, they'll fit, right ? My original battery (cells with board) measure 54x45x9.0 So the middle should fit also.

edit : ah I see, anti-rattle makes it thicker and that's why they wouldn't fit.

edit2 : Bigger ah : you make a difference between charging board (on the battery) and charging circuit. The latter being what is on the E12 mainboard, where the battery connects. In that case you can disregard me hammering the usage of the circuit-board when you use 18650. I wouldn't know one way or another what happens when you connect 3 18650 in series. Your experience will be our gain

 

[6Channel]

Grateful for your dogged continued interest, stakarVN, anyway! I'm only guessing, since Li-ion chemistry only results in ~3.7/4.2V (except in really esoteric applications) that the battery source FiiO spec'd was obliged to somehow string a series of familiar 3.7 energy sources, resulting in the "11.1V" package. I'm, again, guessing that the E12 charging circuit accounts for the series'd package; therefore, I would simply solder the 3.7 pancakes you turned me onto nose-to-tail, and the E12 board wouldn't know any better. I also just figured that the 18650 solution would fool the stock board into charging the 3 cells in the same manner, only taking gazillions more time. Added benefit with 1850's would be that the amp wouldn't run shy of amps when the whole orchestra kicks in. Hah!

I think I'm headed for the triple pancake solution first . . . . . 18650's might, maybe, shove too many amps during those crescendos . . . . .

 

[stakarVN]

Interesting link. I'm really curious of your progress

 

[6Channel]

Hey - good link. It pretty much edifies my understanding of the triple-series array, winding up with 11.1V, with a charging circuit that is designed to that charge level. A small mystery remains with me whether either the charge circuit or discharge circuit is sensitive to the batteries' mah capacities: I'll feel safe with any of the pancakes you found.