We use an ION Tailgater to provide a wire-free sound solution for things like conferences (where microphones / music are required) and for presentations where this is necessary.
Recently, we started noticing that the battery was not lasting anything like as long as it used to do. When first purchased, we’d get about 10 hours of play out of the device before needing to recharge, but this significantly reduced.
The ION Tailgater is not a cheap speaker, so we wondered if we could change the battery… yes! And they are available online for around £17 from Amazon:
Note this battery is generic, and can be used for other purposes – it is not branded ION!
The battery you want is a 12v 5Ah SLA battery.
Note this battery recommends recharging immediately after discharge to prolong battery life. Anecdotally, the battery should never be fully discharged or you’ll lose the ability to fully recharge. Therefore, recommended battery care is to:
- only use the ION Tailgater on battery power (not plugged in)
- After use, immediately recharge, by plugging the device in
- When fully recharged, remove recharge cable, and store for your next use.
How to Replace the Battery
This is moderately difficult, and requires you to open the back of your device. This will very likely invalidate your warranty, so only do it if your device is out of warranty (like ours!). The below video will take you through the necessary steps.
Links from this post: