Tom Brown
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2007
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A couple of months ago, I stumbled on a video by Michael Bruce in which he upgraded his ES100 battery to something substantially larger.
It seemed like a good idea so I gave it a shot.
Before installing the new battery, I tested the factory battery (picked up my ES100 in 2019). It is badged as a 350mAh cell, tested at 380mAh.
The new battery is badged as an 800mAh cell. It is of 652540 format (40x25x6.5mm). It tested at 680mAh on it's first cycle. I expect it to end up around 700mAh after a few cycles.
Cells were tested by draining from 4.2v to 3.0v using a DC electronic load at 100mA drain.
The mod took about 10 minutes and only required the removal of one plastic partition inside the unit. The case was opened easily and without damage using a guitar pick. The upgraded amp is indistinguishable from it's previous state. The guitar pick didn't even mark the case on opening.
The original battery was stuck to the back of the amp using 2 faced tape so it wasn't going anywhere. The tape remained in the lid so the new batt is secured with the same tape.
Instead of splicing the wires, as Michael did, I soldered the leads directly to the motherboard of the amp. The new leads were the perfect length.
The new battery cost $12.90 CAD including shipping.
The original battery had all the run time I need. I've never wished for more. I have no idea how long the new one will last in operation. It has had light use in the three weeks since modding and I haven't charged it. The app shows 72% but I doubt it is accurate, since it is uncalibrated for the new capacity.
It was a fun little project. Thank you, Michael.
Happy listening.
It seemed like a good idea so I gave it a shot.
Before installing the new battery, I tested the factory battery (picked up my ES100 in 2019). It is badged as a 350mAh cell, tested at 380mAh.
The new battery is badged as an 800mAh cell. It is of 652540 format (40x25x6.5mm). It tested at 680mAh on it's first cycle. I expect it to end up around 700mAh after a few cycles.
Cells were tested by draining from 4.2v to 3.0v using a DC electronic load at 100mA drain.
The mod took about 10 minutes and only required the removal of one plastic partition inside the unit. The case was opened easily and without damage using a guitar pick. The upgraded amp is indistinguishable from it's previous state. The guitar pick didn't even mark the case on opening.
The original battery was stuck to the back of the amp using 2 faced tape so it wasn't going anywhere. The tape remained in the lid so the new batt is secured with the same tape.
Instead of splicing the wires, as Michael did, I soldered the leads directly to the motherboard of the amp. The new leads were the perfect length.
The new battery cost $12.90 CAD including shipping.
The original battery had all the run time I need. I've never wished for more. I have no idea how long the new one will last in operation. It has had light use in the three weeks since modding and I haven't charged it. The app shows 72% but I doubt it is accurate, since it is uncalibrated for the new capacity.
It was a fun little project. Thank you, Michael.
Happy listening.
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