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Anonymous
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I heard the Excaliber uses a NiCAD sealed battery pack, non removable. How long will it last before it needs to be sent in for a change?
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Anonymous
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is separate,comes w/factory nicad,,Still use my original after 3 yrs,, but have always run it down before recharging,An identical pod that holds aa alkalies is an accessory but is rated for wading (10 ft,I think),looking at an xcal side view,in original setup the pod is blow the shaft, held by stainless poppins,,There are aftermarket bats available,,check sunray link above,,Hope this is of some assistance,cs
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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You should get at least five or six years out of a new NiCad pack. Like Charlie said, run it until it's dead before recharging for longest life. I have two batteries so I can quickly change to a fresh battery when one goes dead in the field.
Someday, when your battery will no longer hold a charge, you can have a new pack made at Batteries Plus stores. The cost is about half of what a complete new pod/battery costs. I had them make my new packs with nickel metal hydride batteries so I can recharge without having to run them dead first. ~John
Someday, when your battery will no longer hold a charge, you can have a new pack made at Batteries Plus stores. The cost is about half of what a complete new pod/battery costs. I had them make my new packs with nickel metal hydride batteries so I can recharge without having to run them dead first. ~John
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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John, you mean they made a pack up to fit in your old excal pod? do you know what rating etc. the batteries they used are? Martin.
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Anonymous
Guest
I need new batteries and charger my X-Cal so I have just talked to Dick Shultz at Minelab and my local Batteries Plus store and this is what I have found out.
....................................NiMH..................NiCad
Life expectancy.......300 charges.........600 charges
Load life...................2x NiCad
Cost.........................25 - 30% higher
Charge Rate...........Can be faster
Charge "memory"...No........................Yes
Generalities
You are supposed to use a charger made specifically for NiMH batteries but most use their NiCad charger. It works OK but does not usually have the rate monitoring and auto shut off when fully charged.
Since you can (should?) charge the NiMH at a faster rate, it will take you up to twice as long using the NiCad charger.
The NiMH should also be completely discharged and recharged once in a while to maintain peak capacity.
The discharge curve is flatter with the NiMH. This contributes to the longer load life. They will maintain higher output voltage before it gets down to the detector's low level limit. About 10.5 volts according to Dick S.
What kind of load life (hours of use) can be expected with the standard NiCad batteries to compare with the 30 hours with the NiMH as given by Rich in Virginia Beach? The Minelab spec sheet says that their standard power pack is rated for 600 mA/Hr. What is the rating of the SunRay pack? I can only find one for the Sovereign, rated at 1650 mA/Hr.
SIG
Lee
....................................NiMH..................NiCad
Life expectancy.......300 charges.........600 charges
Load life...................2x NiCad
Cost.........................25 - 30% higher
Charge Rate...........Can be faster
Charge "memory"...No........................Yes
Generalities
You are supposed to use a charger made specifically for NiMH batteries but most use their NiCad charger. It works OK but does not usually have the rate monitoring and auto shut off when fully charged.
Since you can (should?) charge the NiMH at a faster rate, it will take you up to twice as long using the NiCad charger.
The NiMH should also be completely discharged and recharged once in a while to maintain peak capacity.
The discharge curve is flatter with the NiMH. This contributes to the longer load life. They will maintain higher output voltage before it gets down to the detector's low level limit. About 10.5 volts according to Dick S.
What kind of load life (hours of use) can be expected with the standard NiCad batteries to compare with the 30 hours with the NiMH as given by Rich in Virginia Beach? The Minelab spec sheet says that their standard power pack is rated for 600 mA/Hr. What is the rating of the SunRay pack? I can only find one for the Sovereign, rated at 1650 mA/Hr.
SIG
Lee
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Anonymous
Guest
I believe the Sunray Excal Pod is also 1650 mA.
I used to get about 12-14 hours from my ni-cad batt pod before I recharged it.I would use it for 2 trips then recharge it.It still had a charge but I didn't want it running out on my next beach trip. I used the Excal for about 7 hours detecting time on each trip then used my Sun-Ray SR12 supercharger.
I used to get about 12-14 hours from my ni-cad batt pod before I recharged it.I would use it for 2 trips then recharge it.It still had a charge but I didn't want it running out on my next beach trip. I used the Excal for about 7 hours detecting time on each trip then used my Sun-Ray SR12 supercharger.
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Anonymous
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Martin,
Yes, they made new packs for the old pods. One is made from size AA 1400 mAh cells and the other is made from size 2/3 AA 1000 mAh cells. The 2/3 AA is what Minelab uses for the original packs.
John
Yes, they made new packs for the old pods. One is made from size AA 1400 mAh cells and the other is made from size 2/3 AA 1000 mAh cells. The 2/3 AA is what Minelab uses for the original packs.
John
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Anonymous
Guest
You got it a little wrong there pardner, its NiCAD's not Nimh batteries that should be run down before charging, you will burn a memory on them if you do not. NiMH batteries can be charged any time. Both batteries need to be charged and used constantly or the life expectance will be greatly reduced.
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Anonymous
Guest
I said <STRONG>"The NiMH should also be completely discharged and recharged once in a while to maintain peak capacity."</STRONG>
You are correct in that the NiCads take a memory set and do it quite easily. According to the the battery person the NiMH do not easily take a set but should be discharged and recharged <STRONG>ONCE IN A WHILE.</STRONG>
That is why the chargers built specifically for NiMH batteries have a function to completely discharge the battery then fully charge it as an automatic function of the charger.
I do not remember what it is called and my charger is in the bedroom with my sleeping wife. To those that are married, I need not say any more. <img src="/metal/html/grin.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":grin">
If you really want to know what it is called on my charger let me know and I will check it out and post it later. Yeah, I know. I'm a big chicken but a very old one with plans to get even older.
SIG
Lee - Mi MI</STRONG>
You are correct in that the NiCads take a memory set and do it quite easily. According to the the battery person the NiMH do not easily take a set but should be discharged and recharged <STRONG>ONCE IN A WHILE.</STRONG>
That is why the chargers built specifically for NiMH batteries have a function to completely discharge the battery then fully charge it as an automatic function of the charger.
I do not remember what it is called and my charger is in the bedroom with my sleeping wife. To those that are married, I need not say any more. <img src="/metal/html/grin.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":grin">
If you really want to know what it is called on my charger let me know and I will check it out and post it later. Yeah, I know. I'm a big chicken but a very old one with plans to get even older.
SIG
Lee - Mi MI</STRONG>
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Anonymous
Guest
John,
the AA 1400 cells, are they regular size? How many did they fit in, 'cos wouldn't you be running only 10 volts on that set up? <img src="/metal/html/oh.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":O">
Martin.
the AA 1400 cells, are they regular size? How many did they fit in, 'cos wouldn't you be running only 10 volts on that set up? <img src="/metal/html/oh.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":O">
Martin.
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Anonymous
Guest
Martin,
They used ten cells for the pack. They are arranged in two circular groups of five. ~John
They used ten cells for the pack. They are arranged in two circular groups of five. ~John
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Anonymous
Guest
John, thanks for the photo. I didn't think 10 would fit! I haven't pulled my pod apart yet but its on its way out so it wont be long now before I do.
cheers, Mart.
cheers, Mart.