GroundScanner
Active member
Is there a place thats sells these alkaline battery packs for the sovereign xs-2a pro ? Maybe aftermarkets ? Thanks
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Aklaline Battery Packs
- Thread starter GroundScanner
- Start date
Critterhunter
New member
There might be some Findmall sponsors who still have stock roaming around. Also, I think I just ran across a UK site that had them somewhere if it was for that model.
Then again, which model is it that uses two 4AA battery holders? If it's that model you can get them at Radio Shack and go from there. I'm sure somebody will chime in with the correct info on that. Don't remember which model people say just uses two 4AA universal holders. If there is room to fit them all you'd need to do is wire up the proper plug if needed to plug them in. Both holders in series to each other.
Then again, which model is it that uses two 4AA battery holders? If it's that model you can get them at Radio Shack and go from there. I'm sure somebody will chime in with the correct info on that. Don't remember which model people say just uses two 4AA universal holders. If there is room to fit them all you'd need to do is wire up the proper plug if needed to plug them in. Both holders in series to each other.
GroundScanner
Active member
Well will i need a PCB NiCad adapter with the battery packs that they sell at radio shack because if so i wound need that too. (PCB NiCad Adapter )
Radio Shack don't have these pack either as I tried a few years ago and told me they didn't make them anymore. These pack are the same as some of the Garretts GTA used as some of the ones I had from Minelab I sold to those around here for their Garretts, so I wonder if Garretts dealer maybe able to get some. I check many Electronic stores around here and had no luck finding any after Minelab quite selling them, but I am sure someone may still make them. The other thing is that board that the 2 packs of 4 AA connect to maybe hard to find. The last XS2a I had I switched over to the plug in pack and had a battery pack made for it which is a option too.
deepdiger60
New member
GS iam pretty sure this is what your looking for Garrett makes the same holders for there GTI,s ,mention Finds Mall to them when you call . GL Jim
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Garrett-Alkaline-Battery-Holder-for-the-GTI-Series-of-Detectors-/400439973001?pt=US_Metal_Detector_Accessories&hash=item5d3c151489
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Garrett-Alkaline-Battery-Holder-for-the-GTI-Series-of-Detectors-/400439973001?pt=US_Metal_Detector_Accessories&hash=item5d3c151489
hydraglide
New member
Well there's some on ebay UK but at
Are any of these any good? 4AA Battery Box Long , I know theyre in the UK but there cheap enough to buy a load and sell on ebay at massive profit if you cant get them where you are 
GroundScanner
Active member
I have to get some like 4 , and now i just need to fine the part they clip in to . I did get a hold of minelab yesterday after calling them for three days , they finilly called me back at end of day and asked them about these and she told me that i would have to look up aftermarket parts on the internet. Well i just hope i can get the clip for it. These rechargable ones, (2 ) i have are 11 years old and not sure how lone they going to hold out . Thanks
Critterhunter
New member
Then I'd just convert it to a DC power plug and run a couple low profile AA holders in there or have a few plug in rechargeables made. Really these days it's throwing money down a hole to not use rechargeables with the advent of high capacity nimh cells. Two packs- 1 for a backup should the other bomb out before the day is done. Rotate the packs in use so they stay in top form.
Far better and cheaper option though is this- I can't remember the last time I ran AA non-rechargeables in my GT. I soldered a tiny JST plug in the alkaline holder for a small/light 3 cell lipo. Today I just hunted about 8 or so hours and even though this lipo pack is 750ma I never hit the low battery alarm. The voltage stays very high until near dead. I keep a second lipo at the ready when I think I might be near dead with the other pack, but mainly I just re-charge the pack before heading out as it only takes about an hour or less without pushing the cells to charge it. The low battery alarm on the Soverieign kicks in at around 10V so when it hits that I'm still well above the minimum 3V per cell (9V total) for a 3 cell series lipo pack. Charges to 12.6V which is perfect to replace 8AAs.
You can get these packs for about $5 to $7 at the right sources. Very tiny/compact so it should fit the battery bay with plenty of spare room. You can buy a simple plug-n-charge lipo charger for about $7.
I think Kered was running a 1450ma 3 cell lipo pack in the same model Sovereign you have. If you do a search for Kered in the modifications forum ANY DATE you should find a few How-To threads he did on that with pics. Very simple stuff. He used the same computerized charger I use, but if you want to keep it simple just get a lipo charger that does up to 3 cells (many do up to 4) that has a switch to set the charging amp rate for about $7 or so.
You'd want to stick with no higher than a 1C charge rate (IE: no more than 750ma for a 750ma pack, or say 1.4 amps for a 1450ma pack) or lower. Some lipos will do 2C charge rates these days but who can't wait an hour on a dead pack to charge. Easier to do the math sticking with 1C too with less risk for error.
Honestly by the time you had two nimh packs built and bought a charger you'd have much more in it then two lipos and a simple plug-n-charge lipo charger. Those 1450ma packs Kered used go for around $10 to $12 I think at some sources that cater to the RC plane crowd where we both bought our chargers/lipos. I wanted max weight savings so I used a smaller pack, but even the 1450ma pack is very light.
Another perk to lipos besides being lighter, faster charging, more compact....Is that they have just about zero self discharge sitting on the shelf. Charge it up and months later it's ready to roar. Used to be about 8 years ago lipos got a bad rap due to fire risks, mainly caused by the lack of a balance port on the pack and balance chargers. Charging with a balance port they have these days means no risk of 1 cell being over charged. Like any other battery though, they should never be shorted or punctured.
Far better and cheaper option though is this- I can't remember the last time I ran AA non-rechargeables in my GT. I soldered a tiny JST plug in the alkaline holder for a small/light 3 cell lipo. Today I just hunted about 8 or so hours and even though this lipo pack is 750ma I never hit the low battery alarm. The voltage stays very high until near dead. I keep a second lipo at the ready when I think I might be near dead with the other pack, but mainly I just re-charge the pack before heading out as it only takes about an hour or less without pushing the cells to charge it. The low battery alarm on the Soverieign kicks in at around 10V so when it hits that I'm still well above the minimum 3V per cell (9V total) for a 3 cell series lipo pack. Charges to 12.6V which is perfect to replace 8AAs.
You can get these packs for about $5 to $7 at the right sources. Very tiny/compact so it should fit the battery bay with plenty of spare room. You can buy a simple plug-n-charge lipo charger for about $7.
I think Kered was running a 1450ma 3 cell lipo pack in the same model Sovereign you have. If you do a search for Kered in the modifications forum ANY DATE you should find a few How-To threads he did on that with pics. Very simple stuff. He used the same computerized charger I use, but if you want to keep it simple just get a lipo charger that does up to 3 cells (many do up to 4) that has a switch to set the charging amp rate for about $7 or so.
You'd want to stick with no higher than a 1C charge rate (IE: no more than 750ma for a 750ma pack, or say 1.4 amps for a 1450ma pack) or lower. Some lipos will do 2C charge rates these days but who can't wait an hour on a dead pack to charge. Easier to do the math sticking with 1C too with less risk for error.
Honestly by the time you had two nimh packs built and bought a charger you'd have much more in it then two lipos and a simple plug-n-charge lipo charger. Those 1450ma packs Kered used go for around $10 to $12 I think at some sources that cater to the RC plane crowd where we both bought our chargers/lipos. I wanted max weight savings so I used a smaller pack, but even the 1450ma pack is very light.
Another perk to lipos besides being lighter, faster charging, more compact....Is that they have just about zero self discharge sitting on the shelf. Charge it up and months later it's ready to roar. Used to be about 8 years ago lipos got a bad rap due to fire risks, mainly caused by the lack of a balance port on the pack and balance chargers. Charging with a balance port they have these days means no risk of 1 cell being over charged. Like any other battery though, they should never be shorted or punctured.
Critterhunter
New member
Here, dug up Kereds threads on throwing a lipo into his XS2a. This is about a $12 pack if you know where to look in RC plane/car circles...
[attachment 261338 Kereds1450maXS2aLipoPack.jpg]
And here's my 750 pack in the GT alkaline holder. About a $5 or so pack...
[attachment 261339 GTAlkalineHolderWith750ma3CellLipo.jpg]
And here's Kered throwing his 1450ma pack the GT alkaline holder as well...
[attachment 261340 KeredsGT1450LipoPack.jpg]
In the case of the GT's alkaline holder, even with soldering in a simple plug to plug the lipo in, if I ever wanted to run AAs in the holder again for some insane reason I could just move the plug out of the way into that little chamber to the side. I have since cut/smoothed down the AA battery ribs in the holder to make the lipo fit better but AAs will still sit in there just fine, or at the most a little tape across the top of them will keep them straight as an arrow without the ribs.
You might have to scroll down this page a bit to see Kered post on it with pics...
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?22,1141218,1299445#msg-1299445
And here's another thread he did with pics on it with more info we kicked around on lipo feeding and care, etc...
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?22,1230451,page=1
Just throwing it out there for ya for consideration. Lipos have so many perks over even nimhs these days, but at least go with a few high capacity AA nimh packs of say 2500ma or higher and it'll about triple your run time at least over the stock pack for your XS.
[attachment 261338 Kereds1450maXS2aLipoPack.jpg]
And here's my 750 pack in the GT alkaline holder. About a $5 or so pack...
[attachment 261339 GTAlkalineHolderWith750ma3CellLipo.jpg]
And here's Kered throwing his 1450ma pack the GT alkaline holder as well...
[attachment 261340 KeredsGT1450LipoPack.jpg]
In the case of the GT's alkaline holder, even with soldering in a simple plug to plug the lipo in, if I ever wanted to run AAs in the holder again for some insane reason I could just move the plug out of the way into that little chamber to the side. I have since cut/smoothed down the AA battery ribs in the holder to make the lipo fit better but AAs will still sit in there just fine, or at the most a little tape across the top of them will keep them straight as an arrow without the ribs.
You might have to scroll down this page a bit to see Kered post on it with pics...
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?22,1141218,1299445#msg-1299445
And here's another thread he did with pics on it with more info we kicked around on lipo feeding and care, etc...
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?22,1230451,page=1
Just throwing it out there for ya for consideration. Lipos have so many perks over even nimhs these days, but at least go with a few high capacity AA nimh packs of say 2500ma or higher and it'll about triple your run time at least over the stock pack for your XS.
GroundScanner
Active member
I wanted the battery packs because i run 2300mah rechargebles, buying alkalines all of the time , yes is very costly.
GroundScanner
Active member
Thanks Critter , i wish i was that bright to mode it but lol i'm not.
Critterhunter
New member
Soldering in a plug for a 3 cell series lipo is real easy to do. For my GT holder I just lifted the two existing wires in the channel and soldered the plug right to them. I don't think I even cut them but rather just shaved off some of the insulation. They lift out if you use a small screwdriver or something. On your XS should be just as simple to solder a plug in without taking the XS apart by the looks of Kered's pic above.
If you can't solder or figure out the proper polarity just take it up to a local RC hobby shop. Often they have people on staff who will solder stuff dirt cheap. For about $20 (maybe $30 max with shipping) you could get yourself two lipos and a charger from the right dirt cheap source. Fast charge times of an hour or less, very light compared to 8AAs, almost zero self discharge sitting on the shelf, etc.
Thing is if you go with 8AA nimh rechargeables there is some debate about whether that will run a Sovereign for very long. The stock nimh or nicad packs have 10 cells to boost the voltage up, as the low battery alarm for a Sovereign, unlike other detectors, kicks in at around 10V. Minelab threw 10 cells in the rechargeable nimh or nicad packs to boost the voltage so if it sat on the shelf for a while after a charge it would still have some run time to it, and also because they used very low capacity cells for the prior nicad packs of older Sovereigns and even in the nimh packs used in the GT and Elite. More cells= voltage stays higher as a lower capacity pack drains faster.
The stock GT pack is only 1000ma which is a crime in today's technology in cell capacities of nimhs these days IMO. Detector battery/charger technology and high prices for those seem to lag about 20 years behind the RC crowd of whats new and cheap in batteries/chargers. Not to mention Minelab used heavy Sub-A nimh cells (fat little things) which are heavy and meant for high amp applications like old school RC electric car and planes, where as these days everybody has pretty much left those cells about 7 years ago and is now using lipos.
Kered though has run 8AA nimhs in his alkaline holder on his Sovereigns and reported long run times. He was using cells at least I think 2500ma or higher and I think also low self discharge nimhs (they are out there these days) he had if I remember right so it wouldn't sag in voltage between hunts. This was before he saw what I was doing with lipos in a GT and he decided to go that route due to the many extra perks of them. With a 3 cell lipo the voltage 12.6V fully charged which is right around what a fresh set of 8AA non-rechargeables would be voltage wise.
Or, if you want to stick with nimhs then you are going to need somebody to build you a 10 cell nimh pack for it. If you do shoot for at least 2500ma or higher and get low self discharge nimhs so the pack doesn't go flat between charges while waiting for the next hunt.
Some prior models used nicads but truth is nimhs and nicads will work fine to replace each other in a device so long as you use the proper charger for either type you are using. Wall wart transformers that just put out a trickle and don't shut off the charge doesn't really matter. It may say "nicad" or "nimh" on it but it's just putting out a constant current. So long as there is no charge circuit in it or in the battery pack then doesn't matter if you put a nimh or nicad on it.
Only when using chargers that terminate the charge when done do you need the proper type to match either nimh or nicad packs. A simple trickle "charger" wall transformer has no such circuit in it unless otherwise noted. The GT and elite though have a little charge circuit inside the rechargeable pack. That's what that little empty chamber on the side of the alkaline holder is for.
Those simple wall wart "chargers" for many detectors are just a cheap way to avoid costing companies the need to put a termination circuit into it or into a battery pack. With a low trickle current rate when the pack is fully charged not much risk of fire or overheating with it continuing to feed it current. Nicads this didn't cause issues with but I always heard it was bad for long term nimh health, and I don't like to trickle a nicad after it's peaked either so I always throw those stupid things out and use a good aftermarket charger.
Right now I'm about to rig up a plug connector to my charger to charge my cordless screwdriver I use for work. It came with a simple wall transformer and no way to determine when the pack is peaked, so I plan to use my Accucel 6 charger to charge it. Plus I can then see the capacity put back in on the display to monitor battery health when it's fully drained before charging it to see how much capacity it's holding.
Going to write up a little how to with pics in the modifications forum to show how to do this for cordless drills and other devices to ditch the wall transformers. Another perk is faster charge times. Needless to charge a nimh that slow at very low trickle currents. Far slower than is needed to insure long term health.
Might also take it apart to replace the nicad battery in it that's not meant to be removed with a higher capacity nimh or nicad pack. It's only got a 4 cell 600ma pack in it from what the specs say in the manual. Ridiculously low capacity even for a nicad. It's not meant to be replaced as you just charge right through the cordless screwdriver's charge port.
If you can't solder or figure out the proper polarity just take it up to a local RC hobby shop. Often they have people on staff who will solder stuff dirt cheap. For about $20 (maybe $30 max with shipping) you could get yourself two lipos and a charger from the right dirt cheap source. Fast charge times of an hour or less, very light compared to 8AAs, almost zero self discharge sitting on the shelf, etc.
Thing is if you go with 8AA nimh rechargeables there is some debate about whether that will run a Sovereign for very long. The stock nimh or nicad packs have 10 cells to boost the voltage up, as the low battery alarm for a Sovereign, unlike other detectors, kicks in at around 10V. Minelab threw 10 cells in the rechargeable nimh or nicad packs to boost the voltage so if it sat on the shelf for a while after a charge it would still have some run time to it, and also because they used very low capacity cells for the prior nicad packs of older Sovereigns and even in the nimh packs used in the GT and Elite. More cells= voltage stays higher as a lower capacity pack drains faster.
The stock GT pack is only 1000ma which is a crime in today's technology in cell capacities of nimhs these days IMO. Detector battery/charger technology and high prices for those seem to lag about 20 years behind the RC crowd of whats new and cheap in batteries/chargers. Not to mention Minelab used heavy Sub-A nimh cells (fat little things) which are heavy and meant for high amp applications like old school RC electric car and planes, where as these days everybody has pretty much left those cells about 7 years ago and is now using lipos.
Kered though has run 8AA nimhs in his alkaline holder on his Sovereigns and reported long run times. He was using cells at least I think 2500ma or higher and I think also low self discharge nimhs (they are out there these days) he had if I remember right so it wouldn't sag in voltage between hunts. This was before he saw what I was doing with lipos in a GT and he decided to go that route due to the many extra perks of them. With a 3 cell lipo the voltage 12.6V fully charged which is right around what a fresh set of 8AA non-rechargeables would be voltage wise.
Or, if you want to stick with nimhs then you are going to need somebody to build you a 10 cell nimh pack for it. If you do shoot for at least 2500ma or higher and get low self discharge nimhs so the pack doesn't go flat between charges while waiting for the next hunt.
Some prior models used nicads but truth is nimhs and nicads will work fine to replace each other in a device so long as you use the proper charger for either type you are using. Wall wart transformers that just put out a trickle and don't shut off the charge doesn't really matter. It may say "nicad" or "nimh" on it but it's just putting out a constant current. So long as there is no charge circuit in it or in the battery pack then doesn't matter if you put a nimh or nicad on it.
Only when using chargers that terminate the charge when done do you need the proper type to match either nimh or nicad packs. A simple trickle "charger" wall transformer has no such circuit in it unless otherwise noted. The GT and elite though have a little charge circuit inside the rechargeable pack. That's what that little empty chamber on the side of the alkaline holder is for.
Those simple wall wart "chargers" for many detectors are just a cheap way to avoid costing companies the need to put a termination circuit into it or into a battery pack. With a low trickle current rate when the pack is fully charged not much risk of fire or overheating with it continuing to feed it current. Nicads this didn't cause issues with but I always heard it was bad for long term nimh health, and I don't like to trickle a nicad after it's peaked either so I always throw those stupid things out and use a good aftermarket charger.
Right now I'm about to rig up a plug connector to my charger to charge my cordless screwdriver I use for work. It came with a simple wall transformer and no way to determine when the pack is peaked, so I plan to use my Accucel 6 charger to charge it. Plus I can then see the capacity put back in on the display to monitor battery health when it's fully drained before charging it to see how much capacity it's holding.
Going to write up a little how to with pics in the modifications forum to show how to do this for cordless drills and other devices to ditch the wall transformers. Another perk is faster charge times. Needless to charge a nimh that slow at very low trickle currents. Far slower than is needed to insure long term health.
Might also take it apart to replace the nicad battery in it that's not meant to be removed with a higher capacity nimh or nicad pack. It's only got a 4 cell 600ma pack in it from what the specs say in the manual. Ridiculously low capacity even for a nicad. It's not meant to be replaced as you just charge right through the cordless screwdriver's charge port.