batteries

[Anonymous]

HAS ANYONE HAD BATTERY PROBLEMS WITH THE EXPLORER.
I INSTALLED NEW BATTERIES TODAY AND ONLY USED THEM FOR ABOUT 3 HOURS AND THEY WERE DEAD. IS THIS NORMAL?

 

[Anonymous]

They don't seem to last long in anything.

 

[Anonymous]

Install a good set of alkalines..perhaps you used a cheaper variety and therefore didn't last long. Heck installed a brand new set of Alkalines and they were dead. So either you got a bad set of batteries or used cheapies...Should get 10 hrs plus dependng on the Alkaline battery used and if you use nightlight..

 

[Anonymous]

We buy our batteries at Sam's Club in large packs, they used to carry Members Mark which were cheap and good but now buy Energizer Max AA and they last a long time at a reasonable cost...
Good Luck
Chuck SWF

 

[Anonymous]

Make sure that the backlight is turned off. This really runs the batteries down quickly
Are you using headphones? If you are using the speaker that will run the batteries down quickly.
Are you using the NiMH batteries?
The manual indicates that you should get about 14 hours on a set of batteries. I have been using the Explorer II for about 16 months and that is what I am experiencing.
Costco is a great place to buy batteries.
HH,
Glenn

 

[Anonymous]

TODAY I INSTALLED DURA-CELL BATTERIES AND USED THE HEADPHONES AND HAD NO PROBLEM. THE BACKLIGHT WAS NOT ON HOWEVER THE EXTERNAL SPEAKER WAS ON THE FIRST DAY
AND THAT WAS THE PROBLEM I THINK. THANKS FOR ALL THE REPLIES. NOW I JUST NEED TO LEARN HOW TO DRIVE THIS CADDY.

 

[Anonymous]

First:
The day I bought my Exp II, the dealer installed the batteries, and we got to talking about other things. A few moments later I picked up the battery pack to install it, and it was HOT! Turns out that today's Duracells (and other alkalines) are constructed a bit differently placing the positive (case) very near the negative terminal with only the thin plastic sheathing insulating the case. When he installed the batteries, the spring for the negative terminal punched through the plastic and shorted that cell out completely. I don't know if it was getting ready to pop, but it sure was HOT. I replaced that cell making sure the spring was centered on the negative button on the battery, no more problems.
Item 2:
A fellow detectorist gave the thumbs up on the Energizer NiMH 2500maH batteries on another forum. Below is my response, I thought you fine folks might be interested:
My reply post follows...
I bought the 15 minute quick charger that comes with (4) 2200maH batteries (really 2050maH, wonder why?). Then I bought an ( pack of the 2500maH.
The 2050's are for my Ace 250, and of course the 2500 are for the Exp II. What is VERY cool is the charger uses a wall-wart (AC adaptor) and plugs into the charger with a standard barrel connector. The side of the charger is labeled DC INPUT 11-16V (inside positive) so it was a quick job to make a car cigarette lighter adaptor for it.
Now I can charge the Exp II batteries in less than 1/2 hour while away from home, and I carry some normal alkalines in case I want to detect while the batteries are being topped off. It is WAY cool to zap the cells in 15 minutes per (4), and the charger even has a fan in it to keep the cells within temp limits while being quick charged.
I even thought about getting another 15 minute charger so I could charge all 8 at once, but that's a lot of extra expense just to save 15 minutes. I need to develop an honorable trait called patience!
MiMH batteries are really pushing the envelope, the only real improvement to be made now is to reduce the self-discharge rate so you can leave them sit for a month without them being near dead.
Anybody like this idea and want tips on setting up the car adaptor, just give a holler.
DAS