AudioMoths stopped recording early - firmware issue?
Hello AudioMoth support community,
I have been having troubles with my AudioMoths recording half as long as expected for my Master’s research project. I deployed AMs at each of my urban sites in Stockton, CA, in February and March 2025, expecting to get 8-10 weeks of recordings, but instead the batteries have somewhat consistently died at around 30 days.
Here are my configuration details (file also attached below):
My recording schedule is: 1.5 minutes of recording every 15 minutes from 10:30-6:30 UTC (2 hours total of recording per day)
Sampling rate: 48 kHz
Gain: medium-high
Firmware: 1.11.0
SD card: SanDisk Extreme 64 GB
According to the AudioMoth Config app:
This produces 80 files per day, each 8640 kB, totalling 691 MB
Daily energy consumption is ~28 mAh
Batteries:
I began my project using Tenergy Premium Pro NiMH rechargeable batteries with 2800 mAh capacity and 1.2V. But, after realizing that my AudioMoths stopped recording after ~30 days, I switched to Energizer Max AA4 alkaline batteries with 1.5V. However, using the Energizer alkaline batteries did not extend the recording duration of my AudioMoths past ~30 days.
Interestingly, my lab did a trial run in 2024 using the same exact configuration and Tenergy Premium Pro NiMH rechargeable batteries, but used 32 GB SanDisk Extreme SD cards and firmware version 1.9.0, and consistently got at least 8 weeks of recordings.
I would greatly appreciate any insight into this problem, or ideas on how to extend the lifespan of my AudioMoths. Could this be an issue with firmware 1.11.0? Thanks!
Kia ora - Chiming in here because I'm having the same problem. I have a number of older SanDisk Extreme cards which are recording 3.5-4x longer than brand new ones. All of my cards (old and new) are 128GB cards, recording 11.5 hours/day. The older cards typically ran for 16-18 days before battery death (on Powerex 2700mAh rechargeables), while the newer cards typically ran for 4-4.5 days. All of my cards, old and new, are red and gold and say "Made in China" on the back.
Info on the front of the cards is identical for the old and new ones: 128GB / V30 / U3 / A2.
I have a number of Samsung Pro Plus cards that are also lasting for 4-4.5 days (purchased because at the time I could not source any of the SanDisk Extreme cards in New Zealand) - I've since seen the card comparison info so this isn't surprising. But not being able to rely on new SanDisk Extreme cards is a real problem, so if anyone has found a solution I'd love to hear about it! 😊
Cheers, Laura