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Battery Question

A

Anonymous

Guest
I have been using the NiMH battery pack and recharging it every night.
The pack I have is 1600 milliamphours @ 9.6volts. The Alkalines (:geek: have 12 volts. Am I getting a degraded performance with the NiMH's?.
If not it seems I could load some higher amperage NiMH's in the Alkaline Pack and get to stay out a little longer. Will the Alkalines give better performance?
Roy
 
From what the manual says and it would seem to be right, as I have the 1800 mil. one, and they last very good. You should be getting around 12 hours or more, how long do you stay out at a time???
 
The voltage supply is regulated and it is not a question of 9.6 or 12 volts. The alkaline batter pack will read 12 when fresh but quickly drop down to a lower voltage. A NiMH battery pack may read lower but will maintain that level much longer than alkaline batteries. A NiMH is not degrading performance as the voltage and current needed is just fine with both types.
So, the question is do you get to use the detector in the field as long as you want without the need to switch to another pack. The NiMH is made to be charged and unless you don't like to do that each night is how they work. The idea is to save money on batteries so is not one of performance unless the pack or battery is defective.
The Explorer lets you know when the pack gets to the point where you only have a few hours left to use the detector and need a fresh pack. I can hunt all day with no problem but alwasy keep a spare alkaline pack with me just in case.
HH, Cody
 
I have the 2300 MaH NiMH batteries in my alkaline pack and can go a day and a half before having to switch packs. Should really only charge when needed but every night doesn't hurt anything. Sooner or later they will lose some of their performance but it takes quite some time for that to happen. Just my thoughts!
HH Gilly in Illinois
 
I have only been staying out 2 to 3 hours at a time, and the little indicator drops 2 notches and sometimes goes about half way. This is not a problem hunting after work, but on weekends I play to get in a lot more time!
I'll just put the 2100's that I have in the alkaline pack and I'll have spares
Thanks again everyone.
Roy
 
I emailed Minelab a while back and asked them, about recharging, as my wife is handicapped and I can't leave her for long periods. So I told them I only used it for like 1 or 2 hours at a time, should I recharge it. They said no, I should wait till I had a least 5 or 6 hours or longer on the battery before I recharged it. They should know their batteries.
 
The more you discharge and recharge NiMH batteries, the longer they last.
 
An alkaline goes down slowly and a NIMH has full power and just dies..either way unit has a regulator to accept so much power.Got it from horses mouth to also use at least 6 hours before recharging for maximum efficiency..Last but not least if going to a hot new place or an old area that produces just feel more confident with a new set of alkalines or a fully charged NiMH battery as confidence helps...
 
There are several types of batteries and they almost all have different behavior. For example:
*NiCad cells like to be completely discharged before recharging. They will become useless if left on the charger for extended periods and without discharging. They also do not like to be repetitively partially discharged and then recharged. Some refer to this as the "memory" effect. The proper term is "voltage depression"
*Lead Acid cells do not like to be left for extended times without charging. Doing so gets them to the point where they will not take a charge because of the formation of large sulfate crystals. They have the opposite characteristics compared to NiCad cells.
MiMH batteries are a relataively new breed. They do not suffer the same problems a NiCad or Lead Acid. They do not have to be depleted before charging. One will note that the manual states:
* Pg 25 "The battery pack supplied with your detector comes in a discharged condition". "The batteries will reach their full capacity after several charge/discharge cycles."
* Pg 25 "Minelab batteries can be left on the battery charger indefinitely without harming the battery". I might add that all chargers are not equal. A cheap charger can ruin batteries if left on the charger too long after reaching a full charge. The reason is that the batteries will got hot. Excessive heat will damage the batteries. A good charger uses a "tapered" charge where the charging current is reduced to a very small level after the battery is charged (This prevents over-heating and preserves life).
Hope this helps,
Glenn
 
Dan,
What "the horses mouth" states seems reasonable. My thoughts are:
* Frequent charging from only a partial discharge will reduce the total mA hours that the battery will provide.
* I also think that fully discharging before recharging would provide the best overall life. If that is true, then a 50% discharge before recharging would be a happy compromise.
But, I have no substantial basis for this opinion.
HH,
Glenn
 
I take the note on page 25 to mean the following:
The battery will not achieve full capacity after the first charging. It takes multiple charging and discharging cycles before the battery reaches the maximum capacity. Thereafter, the battery capacity will reduce with each charging and discharging cycle.
From what you stated <span style="background-color:#ffff00;">"The more you discharge and recharge NiMH batteries, the longer they last." </span>, it would seem like the battery would continue to increase capacity indefinitely. Clearly this does not happen.
Perhaps I am interpreting this manual note or your comment incorrectly.
HH,
Glenn
 
This is one thing on the MiMH batteries wheither it is the factory pack or the single AA some of us use in the Alkiline pack. The first charge will be fast and discharge fast also as the cells need to be woke up as it is called. This is why Minelab states that full capacity will be after a few discharge and charge cycles. In other words the first charge may last very long and after it has been recharged it is alittle better and by the 3rd or 4th is when it will have the max charge in it.
I use my SunRay Super charger to charge and discharge any new AA batteries and then recharge again before I will use them. When I sell a new detector with NiMH I will also do the same to the battery before I send it out. Now the battery will be at full cap. or close when it goes out.
On my own Explorer or any one I use rechargeable NiMH in I will use them untill I have at least 60% used up before rechargeing and 2 or 3 times i year i will discharge and recharge on my Super Charger. I never recharge after only a couple of hours, but wait untill I have around 8.
Rick
 
I just had some question about Ronbo57's comment <span style="background-color:#ffff00;">"The more you discharge and recharge NiMH batteries, the longer they last.". </span> That suggests that if you keep discharging and recharging, then the will last forever and you never have to replace them. I do not think that is quite what he meant to say.
HH,
Glenn
 
I should have said increase in performance to a point, I guess. Clearly they won't last forever, but wouldn't that be nice.
 
I use the 1600 and carry a spare alkaline pack. I recharge after the meter shows 1/2 down or more. I plan on completely discharging after every 10 charges from 1/2. I've been using it in weather of 20 degrees at the beaches here in the northeast. Last Sunday the meter was down 3/4 after about 3.5 hours of use. After it warmed up in the house it was around 1/2. So the weather will have some effect on them too. I think just charge them @1/2 or more and then completely discharge them once in while. That's my approach <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":)"> No matter what I think it is cheaper than buying the alkaline batteries all the time.
ps.. my video camera is only NiCad and it retains (as captain would say <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":)">) "voltage depression" something terrible so the NiMh are much much better in my opinion no matter how you charge them.
 
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