1st dumb question

[surfchunker]

we have a warm spell coming and I only have 4 hours on mine and went to charge it again and wondering how do you tell when it's charged. does the light change to green or do you just have to guess ? mine was only down 1 bar this time and the light was a solid red on the charger when I plugged it in and the last time the same but I never saw a visual indication it was charged

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

The battery charger light just stays red all the time.

You can't over charge the Minelab battery packs - just leave it on for several hours to "top it off" and you should get four bars on your screen when you put it back in you machine.

 

[ironsight]

E-TRAC-OHIO said it all.
That sealed stock cheezy low capacity Minelab battery pack....and its even cheezier charging system is nothing but a cheap wall wart trickle charger.
Difficult to overcharge but easier to under charge.

Do yourself a favor, spend a few bucks, pick up some high capacity nimH batteries, a smart nimH battery charger and use that stock auxiliary battery housing that came with your detector. I use 3600 maH nimH batteries and they're completely charged in about an hour with no guessing involved. Those hi cap batteries easily perform for a day's detecting session.
Most smart chargers also have adapters to charge batteries from the vehicle's cigar lighter also. Not to mention a USB adapter to charge the cell phone too.

One thing to keep in mind as far as power usage. I typically use an open screen, sometimes with a little iron discrim. That means the earphones are squawking continuously. The earphones are an electro-mechanical device meaning it draws an appreciable amount of power from the battery pack.
That stock sealed battery pack just did not cut it for my style of detecting.

Can't remember the last time i used that stock sealed battery pack. Early on, It quit a few times and just when i was on the goodies.
Its now relegated as backup status.

 

[~ACE~]

The only dumb question is a question not asked . I wondered the same myself when I first got my Etrac.

 

[surfchunker]

I have 8 Sanyo Eneloops XX and will give them a shot. where did you find 3600 maH batteries

 

[bskerj]

I would save my money and pick up a RNB battery pack with charger. I still have the Minelab battery and use it for a backup, but with the RNB you generally do not have to worry. Plus it only takes a couple of hours to put a full charge on and it will last up to 40 hours. I purchased mine used on one of the forums at a good savings....or see the sponsor banner at the top of the page..you will not regret getting one.

 

[JiminBama]

Thanks for asking this question (it is not dumb) I just got my E-trac and I learned something about the battery.

Thanks again Jim.

 

[hershey1]

If I hunt 4 hrs. I charge 4 hrs. Seems to work on all my machines. A dumb question is one that is not asked. You are at the right place to ask any question. We were all new to the E-Trac and there is someone here that can answer our questions. HH

 

[moonshine]

the only way to tell is with a volt meter. i actually have one but never checked it after fully charging it for a day or so (i should). after a days hunting, i usually just slap the charger on it then take it off the next day. never had a problem.