Infinium broken or user error...?

[Ken~Digs]

Hi ~ I'm Fairly new to this forum but was going to add a possibility that coil / cable connection (salt ?) maybe leaking into coil or something. Prospecting on dry ground I've only had EMI / power lines as reason to freq. adjust. One other thing ~ I didn't realize that disposable AA batts. are 1.5v. and the Garrett supllied racks have 1.2v., I cant help but think that charging 9.6v. (series of 8 x 1.2) with a 12v. charger isn't mathematically correct. Garrett told me they hadn't thought of that. My Baby (Inf.) wont get past 2 beeps on start up with re-chargeables at all. I dont think there is a solution on the factory racks until they use 1.5v. ones. It's said the LS runs actually at 7ish v. but using Alkaline, zincs, etc. I get good full power for a long day (maybe into next day some) with threshold bout 4 and I dont even use the factory rack . Wonder how many Infiniums are returned from this lack of User & Makers knowledge of this. They were going to look into it after I phoned them, haven't recd. the return call yet . My Infinium Is My deep seeking Baby - It's not going anywhere but put to use.
Infin. & Lobo work for me like GP & GB2 do for others
oh yea - Adrian knows what he's talking about - I learned more from His advice & field use than than my handbook or videos

 

[controlfreq]

I believe, that among others, one of the issues addressed by Garrett was cracks in one of my coils.

I'm a little intrigued by the statement from Garrett that they "had not though of that." Actually I would have expected these things to have a voltage regulator built in to smooth out the power drain on the batteries. I keep meaning to email customer service but been side tracked lately due to "other stuff."

Ironically, I have a set of high amp-hour rechargeable cells I bought that run at 1.6 volts. I have been afraid to use them because of that even though that does, barely, fall within %10 (is the %10 rule valid on electronics?) Well, that and the fact that I don't have a charger that will accommodate them; I didn't realize they were high voltage when I got them...

The more I learn about power cells (batteries) the more confused I am. I have a lithium cell for my camera that is about the size of a C" cell and out performs six AA cells.

John

 

[Fishers Ghost]

HI Ken~Digs.

Just a few comments re the alkalines and NiMh and the charging rates.

Pumping the 1.23 NiMh or NiCads up to 1.5 volts does not harm them and the extra voltage is realy just a bit of surface charge that bleeds of quickly after the charger is removed or the batteries used for a couple o minutes.

It is possible to overload the Garrett charger if you try to charge batteries that have a significantly higher mah rating than the stock garrett batteries.
When you charge high capacity batteries they draw conciderably more current from the charger than the stock batts. and both charger and batteries can become quite hot and have been known to set the charger on fire when being charged from the car charger. I don't think that the charger has a current limiter fitted, maybe latter models do although I am not certain of this.
I find that 2100- 2300 mah batteries perform well and donot overload the charger.
Another alternative is to use an regulated charger from one of you local electronics stores. There are plenty of these around that can recharge several different types of batteries eithe singularly or all at the same time.

In regards to you rechargables not producing more than a couple of beeps after recharge from the Infinium battery check; I suspect that either your charger or your batteries are not operating properly. Only use good quality rechargeables of between 1800 and 2300 mah. Get youself a small inexspensive multimeter and test each battery after the detector has been running for several minutes. It only takes one dud battery in the pack to screw upe the max charge obtainable.

You are correct in that alkalines give the best overall performance from the infinium, but once again stay away from the Chinese cheapies, they will cost you more in the long run.

 

[Ken~Digs]

Hi Fishers Ghost ~ nice to meet you here & all. I Agree with you on the range of 1800 - 2300 approx. range on the re-chargeables, Totally. The Charger is fine the factory rack is the problem. I have 2 good Meters being a sparky of 33 yrs. I just havent gone any further yet on that rack , there is at least 1 bogus battery in there i'm sure. i just keep the 2 extras i have loaded up fresh with the above said for now. I'll prolly get some decent recharg. in the near future to make sure i'm not crazy (relatively anyway) . Hey ~ If i could afford to prospect everyday of the year , it'd still only cost me $365.oo with 99 store ones & hopefully i'd find more than enuf gold to pay for them (specially if i could get back to that virgin gulch in AZ. one cool thing is i found (just for backup) is a 8" mono for $35.oo that a Dog chewed the cable so i'll just find some correct 4 cond. & solder and shrink tube for a nice patch job (dry land prospecting). Nice to be here with some Finium bretheren , Ken

 

[Fishers Ghost]

HI Ken.
I was tempted by that same coil.
If you can get it running it is a good coil and a bargain at 35.

 

[Ken~Digs]

Hi Adr. . . . . . i mean Fishers Ghost , I'm pretty sure it will run ok with cable job. just not sure when i'll use it other than benching while patching. but i'll keep it with me always when using the LS. For me (not wanting to put as much money as my 4X truck is worth) I found a 4' deep target that i had to abandon that GPX users have even been over & my Lobo and pistol probe verified after getting deep enuf. (6' in a 40deg. slope & 4' down. The tones are distinct on 3 units & iron checked with finium. I can just hope it's not been hit since (Tiny chance of Min. pocket) i think big nugget. 1 & 2ozers come out of area. Also those guys dont pay my bills so i dont care what anyone thinks , some dont even know what i'm talking about (until they see it afield) when i say i use the Infinium. I'll be glad to take Any gold off their hands if they feel sorry for us - thinking we cant locate gold with our Rigs

 

[Fishers Ghost]

Are you saying that your are getting a target that is beyond the 4 foot mark???
What tone are you getting ? How wide is the hole? What coil are you using.
What is the signal like with the coil at the original surface level?
Is the signal a screemer at 4 foot with the coil at the bottom of the hole?
What happens to the tone when you go to Rev disc??

 

[Ken~Digs]

I use a long handled pick i made which the head is next to my user name here (design i made-works great for raking out quick) , I measured it back at camp with a tape & it was about 46" or 47" thereabouts. Found the target with Finny 14" mono ~ faint signal but solid as i diagonally rechecked with coil. This was the 2nd. day i ever used it in Jan.-12. Lobo didn't Concur at all to begin with. Dug thru Red 2' approx. then another foot of white Cementy caliche (super hard) when i got under to Red again ( softer but bedrocks compacted together, the lobo started picking it up as Classic good target signal. being the 2nd time out with the LS i only thought of Discing with the Lobo which it Did as Good target. the Surface signal was a Hi-lo until down bout 2ft. then became solid low-hi. again, I knew the Lobo way better then because i'd used it for my total detecting career of 6 months in Jan. - thereabouts. I was so close my PI pistol probe was getting it too. Me & My gal ran out of Daylight & was super cold when the sun dropped in the mojave Desert. a 2ouncer came out of there month or 2 prior , still happens because a friend pulled a 1 ouncer out 3 weeks after that , diff. location.

 

[Ken~Digs]

Fishers Ghost ~ I htink I got one of the super-good Infiniums like they all say U have ~ because my 1st air test (before that trip i'm describing) gave me 40some inches with a small thin gold ring of my Gal's at home & i ran in & told her how stoked i was cause my Lobo hasn't let me down with my limited experience and i couldn't believe how much further the API was signaling. Actually Your one of the main reasons (and $) that i went with it . I did quite a bit of reasearch & even called Garrett back then to ask questions and they told me when the devised it with the Down-under Guys (which i didn't know) that the ML 3000 or 3500 was the Detector they were trying to try & out-do So that leaned me even more , plenty of depth and Gb & Hot rock ignoring. It just felt like the way to go for me & I love it so far, Dont even care to mess with other PI's and the Tones aren't annoying to me

 

[Ken~Digs]

Oh ~ almost forgot , been meaning to Thank you guys here

 

[Fishers Ghost]

I cannot tell how good your Infinium is from the other side of the world but I will say that.....I think Yo haz bin sniffin 2 much cacein glue if ya rekon that the Inf will pick up a light weight gold ring at 40 inches........Iz yo yankin my chain?.....Ar yez jerkin the gerkin?.......Ar you drainin my tank?.....Ar yez sailin a 4 master full sheeted into a perfect storm?
Just how light weight is that ring?? 5 oz...10 oz???

All the above is in jest and no insults intended.

My Inf is good but it aint that good dude.

The Inf was tweaked to be the equivalent to or better than the SD2200.....(.I consider mine to be better in extreme hot ground)

I am curious to know what you find at the bottom of that hole and hope that it is a gigantic gold nugg.