My OP-Z is constantly shutting down while 60%-80% charged and the battery drains extremely quickly. I’ve tried all the battery reset/calibration/factory reset tricks multiple times. Wrote to TE support, no help. Basically can’t use my Z for more than 15 minutes anymore unless I plug the USB cable in somewhere.
TE doesn’t sell replacements and iFixit has had their supply out of stock for a long time (European store has them but won’t ship to the U.S.). I know companies tend to use widely available batteries but then add a stupid proprietary change to them like a notch in the edge or making the contact points slightly more spaced because they love creating waste.
Is this the case with the OP-Z battery? The size and design of other batteries look pretty close. Has anyone ever tested one of these options and had it work? Or work with modifications?
I think it proprietary by design, which sucks given how similar it is to already available batteries used in GPS, phones etc, most of which are 3.7v and very similar dimensions e.g this:
Close but will not fit.
Anyway the OP-Z battery is 65mm x 31mm x 5mm, might be easier to search using mm than inches.
i originally tried something with a nintendo DS battery i had
when the Z first came out
the fit was actually pretty close but the contacts didn’t line up
…and even if you find a battery that has matching dimensions, it must have same voltage and capacity.
i have ordered one 8 months ago as a back up. didn’t realize they ship only with in europe. strange they dont ship worldwide. could it be some kind of EU trade regulation for battery goods, (export license) ? … so many rules out there
ya there are alot of rules and every country & even shipping service is different for batteries.
some won’t ship them at all.
same voltage yes
same capacity no
capacity wouldn’t matter as long as everything else matches up.
u could technically add more battery life if u find a larger capacity battery that fit everything else
i’ve found a few batteries for the OP1 that are about the same size with more capacity.
(OP1 uses standard LIPO’s)
i even found the correct connector pieces but they aren’t assembled and they are so small
i couldn’t figure out how to put the little metal pieces into the connector holder
prolly some special tool u need
i know i could just cut the exisitng connector off my old battery
but mine is surprisingly still good so i haven’t disassembled my OP1 yet to really suss it out
Thanks for the feedback y’all, saved me a pointless order. Looks like I’ll have to wait for the ol’ American iFixit to have some Yankee wares come in, I’ve been on their stock notification list forever.
I was on ifixit wait list for like 5 months … but they did notify me. When I got mine there was only 2 left. Have to jump online as soon as they notify u. Good luck
Also batteries can not be shipped by air. Thats why they won’t ship to you here in the good ol’ USA. I feel your frustration went thru it with mine…but new battery and ran great. Now flow to fix it from looking like a banana
This is not good. My battery is dead as well. No response from Teenage Engineering (no email reply after several days of waiting) and batteries are all out of stock at iFixit.
Is this really how this story ends? I can’t use my $600 synth because the battery died and I can’t buy another one.
I adore TE design and the OP-Z and OP-1 are brilliant and unique instruments so I can’t say I wouldn’t get excited for an OP-2 or something but man…the hardware issues and lack of support in general combined with premium prices has been such a disappointment. Crazy to spend $600 on a portable synth that I can’t get error code explanations, public communication/problem acknowledgement, or even a simple new battery for.
Teenage Engineering replied to my support message.
tldr; I can pay at least $50 to send my device to Triple S Electronic & Repair. They will then send me an invoice for the repair price and credit my deposit to that. Obviously my warranty does not apply since I purchased my OP-Z in late 2018.
Unfortunately I don’t even have the opportunity to buy a new battery so now my options are to wait until new batteries come into stock at iFixit or spend however many $100s of dollars to send off to a repair shop for them to replace a battery for me.
Hey Dan,
Thank you for contacting us, we are sorry to hear about this situation.
We recommend that you contact our third party repair centre for the US:
Company:
Triple S Electronic & Repair Attn:
Karl Delpiano
URL: http://www.triplesservice.com
Telephone:
+19737484025
Download the repair form, fill out the repair form and enclose in the box with the unit.
If you are within warranty Triple S will require a copy of your bill of sale for warranty verification.
If you are not within warranty Triple S will contact you upon receiving the unit to collect a $50.00 deposit to cover the cost of evaluation (not the cost of repair). The deposit will be credited against the final repair cost. (Estimates are available upon request).
If you need further assistance or have any other questions please reply to this email, we would be happy to help!
We remain at your disposal and wish you an excellent day!
kindly,
teenage engineering support
https:// teenage.engineering
Posting some links for speciality retailers which carry similar batteries. Just want to share in case anyone wants to further investigate. Not sure yet what I’m going to do. First off, going to reply to TE and see if they can provide a battery to me directly.
