V3i battery consumption

[sbmsp]

I sent my Spectra in over the snowy season for a V3i update and once over before the warranty ran out. Returned in timely manner from Whites. I've been out a couple times with it and it seems now to leech down the orange rechargeable. After a couple hours the battery is about 1/3 - 1/2 down. Before the upgrade I could get a few hunts out if it before I noted a change. Does the V3i suck more power or is my 2 yr old battery pack starting to fade? Any thoughts?
HH'ing,
Steve in MA

 

[burlbark]

That 2 year old pack is starting to fade. There have been quite a few people to rebuild the packs with better cells and they are pretty simple. There are a couple of threads on it.

 

[Larry (IL)]

The warranty covers the battery too........... at least worth a call to White's. I have to agree that depending on how many charges have been done, it's life cycle may be close to being over.

 

[backeddy]

energizer recharables work great , not out of the pack but after the first charge

 

[LittleJohn]

I dont really even use my rechargeable pack that came with it. I use the AA battery pack that came with it, and then I use the Powergenix AA's which are made of NiZn/Nickel-Zinc. These batteries charge to about 14.5volts as a starting point. I hunt pretty much every day, sometimes twice a day and put a lot of hours in during the weekends as well. I can run one set of batteries for about a week and a half, with this kind of use, before they get down to about 9 volts.

They are specifically made for "high drain" applications and my experience has been that they work great in metal detectors! I have been using the same two sets for about a year now, and have never had an issue with them. They require their own special charger, but once you have made the investment in the batteries and charger, you will not have to worry about power problems again....or the standard rechargeable pack that starts out at about 11.2-11.5 volts when fully charged....and quickly diminishes.

Hope this helps!

LittleJohn

 

[sbmsp]

Thanks for the responses Folks. I was hoping the pack would last a bit longer but that's life I suppose. AA rechargeables may be the way to go......

 

[Neil in West Jersey]

I dont really even use my rechargeable pack that came with it. I use the AA battery pack that came with it, and then I use the Powergenix AA's which are made of NiZn/Nickel-Zinc. These batteries charge to about 14.5volts as a starting point. I hunt pretty much every day, sometimes twice a day and put a lot of hours in during the weekends as well. I can run one set of batteries for about a week and a half, with this kind of use, before they get down to about 9 volts.

They are specifically made for "high drain" applications and my experience has been that they work great in metal detectors! I have been using the same two sets for about a year now, and have never had an issue with them. They require their own special charger, but once you have made the investment in the batteries and charger, you will not have to worry about power problems again....or the standard rechargeable pack that starts out at about 11.2-11.5 volts when fully charged....and quickly diminishes.

Hope this helps!

LittleJohn

I just sent in my rechargeable battery pack to White's earlier this week for replacement after 18 months of heavy use.

Those powergenix look nice, but I wish they had an 8 battery charger available!

 

[LittleJohn]

I dont really even use my rechargeable pack that came with it. I use the AA battery pack that came with it, and then I use the Powergenix AA's which are made of NiZn/Nickel-Zinc. These batteries charge to about 14.5volts as a starting point. I hunt pretty much every day, sometimes twice a day and put a lot of hours in during the weekends as well. I can run one set of batteries for about a week and a half, with this kind of use, before they get down to about 9 volts.

They are specifically made for "high drain" applications and my experience has been that they work great in metal detectors! I have been using the same two sets for about a year now, and have never had an issue with them. They require their own special charger, but once you have made the investment in the batteries and charger, you will not have to worry about power problems again....or the standard rechargeable pack that starts out at about 11.2-11.5 volts when fully charged....and quickly diminishes.

Hope this helps!

LittleJohn

I just sent in my rechargeable battery pack to White's earlier this week for replacement after 18 months of heavy use.

Those powergenix look nice, but I wish they had an 8 battery charger available!

I agree Neil, if there is a drawback....that is it. I have two sets of 8 batteries. You can pick them up for $12 for 8 plus shipping...thats cheaper than radio shack NiMh batteries! The nice thing is that they last a long time, so you have plenty of time to charge them up before you need the other set.

It generally takes about 5 hours for mine to charge(4 batteries) Lots of people I talk to about them are gunshy and afraid that they will hurt their machines or whatever....on the contrary they work extremely well, and are cheaper than the NiMh rechargeables....thats a win/win in my book.

 

[nw1886]

Going to check out those batteriies this minute! I have a set of Powerex (Great batteries.) but no charging to that level.

 

[LittleJohn]

They really shine when you use them in the wireless headphones...start out at 3.3-3.4 volts...heck yeah!

 

[Rob (IL)]

The greatest selling feature of NiZn cell is its higher terminal voltage. However, when freshly charged, the NiZn terminal voltage is around 1.85V, which is dangerously high for most battery-operated appliances.

Upon closer examination, many of the alleged benefits of NiZn turn out to be just marketing hypes. For examples:

Despite what the confusing rating on the package ("2500 milli-WATT-hour") may suggest, the PowerGenix AA cell does NOT contain more energy than a SANYO eneloop AA cell. This is because its current capacity is much lower at just 1500 milli-Ampere-hour (based on data sheet of PowerGenix AA cell, and verified by my own testing).
- Energy in eneloop AA cell: 1.25V * 2000mAh = 2500mWh
- Energy in PowerGenix AA cell: 1.65V * 1500mAh = 2475mWh

I'll stick with my energizer 2500 pack that I made and charge in my Whites charger. 1.25v * 2500mah = 3125mWh.

 

[LittleJohn]

Just sharing how they have actually worked for me Rob. No marketing hype. Mine dont charge to 1.85 volts, even when they were new. I like them, they are all that I use. I have been through all of the NiMh batteries on the market, and none perform for me the way that these NiZn batteries do. I will say that your mention of the "high voltage" is the most common stated fear, I have never had and issue...ever. And that's all I have to say about that...

 

[Rob (IL)]

My point was they are rated in mWh not mAh hours like all the other batteries. The regular Whites pack if listed in mWh would be about 2000, yours would be about 2450 and the 2500's I use would be about 3100. I was just going for maximum hunting time, and can use my Whites charger. I made one pack that used 9 NIMH cells, charges to 12+v, uses the Whites charger and lasts longer than I can hunt.

Carl already posted that yours would work. I say use what works best for you.

 

[Coinstar]

My stock battery pack starts at about 11.2V after I hunt for about an hour it drops to 10.28V and stays there for about 3 hours. Then it starts to drop off fast.
I've had to change batteries out of my wireless headphones about 3 times in the month and a half I've had them. I detect almost everyday. I keep a wired set and some extra batteries as back up.

 

[Rob (IL)]

Back light setting and head phone power settings affect run time as well as age of pack.

 

[Giant056]

I made my own pack quite a while back and I used 2500ma cells, it holds a charge much longer.