celticrogues thanks for your reply.

How do you use Wave agent to make polywave files? Can’t figure out how to load more than 2 track files on the Mix pre from the computer.,,,

Using the same tool you use to split them: there's a button called "Split/Combine." Use split when you want to split a polywav file into separate files, and combine when you want to combine multiple files into a polywav.

A general question on using a D-tap to Hirose cable when using an external Li-ion battery such as IDX, Smallrig etc.

Presumably this cable is carrying substantial current to power a MixPre 10 recorder, yet the gauge of internal wire within the cable necessary to solder to the tiny pins of the Hirose connector must be very thin indeed ?

Often a curly ‘CB radio hand-mic’ style is used…when I’d have guessed something of more substantial gauge would have been necessary to carry the power required by the MixPre 10 series recorders ?

Perhaps using a different DC power connector than a Hirose would have made this cable thickness choice easier ?

Hi Ray,

Of course the power draw will only be what the device needs, not what the external battery can supply, as I'm sure you know. By your own reporting on a parallel thread, the MixPre-10 only consumes 9w max, so with the batteries you suggest (let's call them 15v) that means 0.6A, which is well within the 2A rating of the Hirose, and easy enough to match with a suitable gauge wire without getting significant voltage drop. And if you are concerned about a MixPre-10, just think of all the much more power-hungry 788Ts that have been happily running on power via Hirose for 16 years or so!

Cheers,

Roland

Good points Roland….and coincidentally I’ve just been able to obtain a genuine Sound Devices D-tap to Hirose 4 pin battery cable (at a sensible 3rd party price !)….item no: XL-AB

The amusing part…. is the mfr. details on the cable jacket, which gives the following details of its source:

https://www.redco.com/Gepco-XB401.html

“Applications:
Microphone or Line Level Balanced Analog Audio Studio Interconnect, Rack or Patchbay Wiring

Specifications:
# of Pairs: 1
Nominal OD: .145"
Conductors: 24 AWG (40x40) Stranded Oxygen-free BC
Insulation (type, wall thick)/ Color Code: Foam Polypropylene, .012"/ One White, One Black
Shield: 95% TC Braid
Drain Wire: 24 AWG (41x40) Stranded TC
Jacket: Ultra-flexible G-Flex PVC”

…..so if Sound Devices are happy enough to use ‘any old signal wire’ to transmit DC power, who am I to worry about minutiae !

An additional question… in terms of setting up the ‘Power’ variables in the MixPre 10 II menu (with particular reference to an external lithium-ion V-mounted 50 or 99Wh cinema type battery pack/brick, connected to the Hirose socket… eg IDX or SmallRig)

The display screen’s options give the ‘Tap Ext Power’ options illustrated below….but which ones pertain to this specific context above ?

I’m guessing that either of the 12V external DC, 14V Li-ion or the Full Range (10-17V) could all equivalently apply….but that each setting is going to (?) engage a different sort of weighting calibration, and thus differing % of remaining power, to the metering….as there’s a predictive factor of varying discharge rates at play here ?

I'm lost here, Ray, not having a MixPre-10ii: are you really saying that it tells you the precise % left in an external battery connected via Hirose? Hard to imagine that could be accurate (esp. if there is a voltage regulator involved), but why not go by the % readout on the battery (assuming it has one)?

Cheers,

Roland

Yes, the battery has a readout and is probably the more accurate metric of power consumption in the system….although the MixPre will be monitoring while taking account of total current draw, including phantom power, screen brightness, Bluetooth on/off etc ?

But my main query is really which of those 3 possible menu-screen External Power settings is most applicable to the Hirose connected external 14.5V Li-ion power brick ?

Well if your battery has a read-out rely on that. The simple power monitoring display on the MixPre-10ii (and I assume from the manual and what you say it doesn't pretend to give a precise %) will not be as accurate. I'd start with the 14V L-ion option if that is what you are using(!), but if you find the meter doesn't match the battery display then try full-range.

Cheers,

Roland

Agreed….it’s a simple matter of congruity between the 2 sets of metering, with the MixPre’s being a lot less precise… as it’s a simple (and extremely small) AA cell green graphic, with no % markings.
The battery has readouts of remaining % for each of its many taps: 1x usb A, 2 x usb C, 1x D-tap (14-15V)DC and 1x 12V DC….so there’s much more precise monitoring happening there.

As Sound Devices tech support has advised….’You'll want to select 14v Li-Ion as your battery outputs that voltage.
The power setting is for the correct power threshold of the (MixPre’s) battery’s indicator, and when it will warn you that the battery is truly low’

My task now is to hook up 8 phantom powered condensers, attach the fully charged battery and report back here with the runtime I can achieve !

As I suspected: identical to my MixPre-3's battery meter and a crude tool, but useful in that case as I invariably run it off rechargeable AAs (gives me 2.5 hrs with P48 on all 3 XLR inputs) for which, obviously, I have no other indication of charge.

Exactly!

Cheers,

Roland

For those MixPre users of the supplied (at least with the 10 II model) mains transformer, via Hirose, pictured below… your Ext Power menu selection will be the ‘Ext 12V DC’ option, rather than the ‘Full Range (10-17V)’ one ?

Yes, use ext 12v DC with XL-WPH3 if you want the icon to show fully green. Other positions show different levels and I assume give warnings at different voltages.