funkyoldude
New member
Hi All:
A while back my Minelab charger for my NiMH battery packs overheated and crapped out. Instead of ordering a replacement, I bought a Universal "switching" power supply from a bin at the local Thrift store in Santa Cruz, CA for $2.50. The connector was not the same as the Minelab, so I cut off the old cable/connector from the defective charger, and spliced it onto the new cable.
Now I have a charger that will work anywhere in the world, (120 -240VAC, 50 - 60Hz).
The only difference is that the switcher is capable of putting out 1 Amp, whereas the old Minelab supply was only 100ma. This won't affect the NiMH cartridge, as it will only draw what it needs from the supply.
I keep one cartridge on the charger at all times, trickle charging it so that it's always ready to go. I swap it out when the one in the Elite starts to "pip". I 've been doing this for about 6 months, and so far everything works just fine.
I put a close-up insert in the photo for those of you that are interested in such things. If you want to make one, make sure the size and polarity of the connector matches the Minelab charger.
Good Luck and Good Hunting.
fod
A while back my Minelab charger for my NiMH battery packs overheated and crapped out. Instead of ordering a replacement, I bought a Universal "switching" power supply from a bin at the local Thrift store in Santa Cruz, CA for $2.50. The connector was not the same as the Minelab, so I cut off the old cable/connector from the defective charger, and spliced it onto the new cable.
Now I have a charger that will work anywhere in the world, (120 -240VAC, 50 - 60Hz).
The only difference is that the switcher is capable of putting out 1 Amp, whereas the old Minelab supply was only 100ma. This won't affect the NiMH cartridge, as it will only draw what it needs from the supply.
I keep one cartridge on the charger at all times, trickle charging it so that it's always ready to go. I swap it out when the one in the Elite starts to "pip". I 've been doing this for about 6 months, and so far everything works just fine.
I put a close-up insert in the photo for those of you that are interested in such things. If you want to make one, make sure the size and polarity of the connector matches the Minelab charger.
Good Luck and Good Hunting.
fod