Excal NiCad charging options

[Kiwijohn]

The mains charger supplied with the Excal has stopped charging. No output.
Apart from a new charger, what are my options?
I have a 12v cigar lighter socket with a plug the same as the Excal charger plug.
(The one on the charger, not the 2 prong adaptor that goes into the battery)
I think this is off a phone but there is no info as to output on it. Would this work, or harm
the battery if I used it straight into the battery?

 

[Gulf Hunter]

I started using these accessories to charge my Excals. It takes less than an hour to get a perfect charge. When the green light comes on, yer done! http://www.onlybatterypacks.com/items.asp?db=48
Buy the following #s...11535 & 11534

 

[kered]

Without checking the output voltage and polarity its imposible to tell, most phones are only 5 volt output but if the polarity is inverted you could fry either and its not a cheap do. The chargers mentioned above work great, cheaper and more efective than the stock one.

Hows the new system holding up GH? have you timed the batteries yet?

 

[GraveDiggerMax-VaBch-Va]

charger is like17 bucks

i did not buy the other items, i just used the alligator clips for GT battery and i used old excal plug i had laying around for excal

takes less than 2 hours or less, depending on how low they are

i have been using this charger sinc 2005

 

[Gulf Hunter]

Kered, so far no issues. I don't have a volt meter or anything. I just stick the pods on the Peak Voltage charger, till the green light comes on and take them off. So far, no issues with ANY discharging at all, or excessively hot pods. Supposedly, it goes into trickle mode, like the stock charger once peak voltage is obtained. I do not leave the pods unattended with anything but the stock chargers though. In the event I'm thinking of making a hunt, I set the pods on the stock charger, then hit them with the Peak a few minutes before I head out till I get the green light.

 

[JOHNMARKHAM]

just another idea for a charger is goto a local hobby shop and buy a battery cycler for nicads and such types these will allow you to charge and recycle your packs and keep them up to par,you can fast charge too for a quick charge at the digging site too or at the beach, only takes about 15 mins on my excal 2 pack..there only about 40 dollars or less...they work on 12volts..

 

[kered]

Mines doing fine too, still haven't got round to actually timing the 1400mah batts for duration as they out do me by a long shot

 

[grumpyolman]

Some smart people above who are getting a 'good' charger for their machines. Cycling is good if you have a charger that will do it. Delta V is good as it analyzes what's going on inside the pack then helps determine how to charge. A $20 charger that virtually eliminates all worries about charging rates, overcharging, NiMh or NiCad, etc. is a good investment. T-hunters are a strange bunch. They won't bat an eye on getting many of the accessories costing as much as a good charger but continue to use the piece of junk every manufacturer includes with their machines. Think about it. It's the minimal, cheapest, low tech way to charge batteries. They have to include something so you can use the machine when you buy it. Putting a decent charger in the detector package would increase an already steep price. But...you can get the one you want from lots of distributors totally reasonable.

 

[kered]

Too true Jim, i just bought a Turnigy Accucell-6, the first thing i tried it on was the defective old excalibur battery that i replaced a few months ago, it took little charge and only lasted about 4 hours, following directions given me by Critterhunter and reading the RC forums i have recuperated the battery, i have also rejuvenated one of the 2 old xs2apro nicads that i have too, i'm now on the other one. We'll see how long they last.

At the end of the day the $1000+ detector coupled to a $200-250 coil with $120 Headphones and quite often a long drive isn't worth nothing other than a bad day if your batteries aren't up to par. those 3 for a $1 minelab chargers suck.
I even got a nicad charger with the excalibur ll which is nimh, this is a dumb thing to do as it will eventually kill it, although maybe done on purpose to get you to buy a new battery as they don't have the same garantee)

I got this additional charger as i intend to put 3S 11.1v 1450mah lipo's in the Sov, at less than $8 each its cheaper than any other pack i know and a lot safer nowadays if you follow the rules.

 

[SandPhantom]

Opted to go with the setup GH uses.

 

[GraveDiggerMax-VaBch-Va]

i only paid 15 bucks for mine in 2005

 

[Kiwijohn]

kered.. Thanks for the warning on polarity and voltage.
Gulf Hunter.. Thanks for the advice and link. I have ordered both plus a new battery
Thanks everyone for the replies. I knew this was the right place to ask!

 

[Critterhunter]

From my RC experience I can tell you that the cheapest computerized charger on the market, yet having more features than those costing well over $100, is the Turnigy Accucel 6. It can be bought at Hobby City (overseas but you'll get it in less than a week even with the cheapest shipping) for about $35. Note that they sell a higher wattage one too for more money but the $35 unit will easily handle anything you can throw at it. This charger will do nicads, nimhs, A123, lipos, and several other battery types. It'll cycle the pack for you, has numerous safety features like timer or capacity limit shutoffs, and even comes with a fan to keep it cool. The displayed capacity number will help you to keep tabs on the health of a pack as well. The only drawback is this unit needs a 12VDC power source. You can use you're car battery, a computer power supply, or one of the units they sell at Hobby City. Trust me, you aren't going to find a better charger for anything near that price. Last year when I bought one I spent weeks checking out what was out there. There may be something better/cheaper these days but I doubt it. The manual is on Hobby City's website.

 

[biglry]

I started using these accessories to charge my Excals. It takes less than an hour to get a perfect charge. When the green light comes on, yer done! http://www.onlybatterypacks.com/items.asp?db=48
Buy the following #s...11535 & 11534

Yep that is the same set up I use on both my Excals and have had no problems. I do two 8hr hunts then charge batterys, they never let me down.

 

[John(Tx)]

Do you need to buy an adaptor that will fit the charging port or just snip the old adaptor off the old charger and wire it to the new charger? Thanks, HH

 

[mgtmadness]

This is the charger I use. I use a power supply made from a PC power supply.

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/cPath/1_221_116/products_id/8882/n/Great-Planes-Triton-2-DC-Computer-Charger

 

[John(Tx)]

n/t

 

[Critterhunter]

Here

 

[Dom of NJ]

Gulf Hunter, the charger you recommend from onlybatterypacks is a 7.2 to 12 volt charger. The Minelab charger that came with my Excal ll outputs 14.3 volts. I've checked the voltage of my battery after charging with the factory unit, and it is indeed over 14 volts. Have you identified the correct charger? Or does charging to 12 volts give you acceptable detecting time.
Thanks
Dom

 

[Critterhunter]

Buy the Turnigy. It automaticly adjusts to cell number.