Excal users...battery of preference

[jopher]

Time to get a new battery for the Excalibur.
So what is the smart choice??
Original battery was slow to charge and at best provided about three hours of play time. It did , however, live about three and a half years.
Second battery ...bought an NIMH off of Ebay for 40 bucks.
Quick to charge , up to eight hours of play time....just about dead after a year and a half.
Any info on the best bang for the buck would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.....Joe

 

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[Buried Crap NJ]

Joe My original battery from Mine lab last about 8 hrs before I notice any loss in depth. The 1600 mah off ebay last about 14 hrs before loosing power. The 1600 is 2 years old and the Minelab is 1 year old. Many people realize that the newer type batteries no longer develop a memory like old nicads. But the newer batteries still need to be lowered to there lowest conditions before recharging. If you use them for 4 hrs and recharge them then they too will become bad sooner than they should. I always run with the two batteries as one gets low. I run them till the stop working. Then just switch on the run and continue hunting. I think you should buy the ebay battery X 2 as they are by far the best buy around. As a side note you should also use a quick charger to charge the battery. A GWS MC-2002 for 29.99 from Amazon. The rate of drain (too fast) not a problem in our use or rate of charge (too fast) is what we need to keep an eye on. heat is what will do damage. if you quick charge this battery 1000ma at 1c it should take an 1 hr to charge! There will be little heat. if your need it faster 2c and its a 1/2 hr keep the battery in a cool ventilated area, not lying on a towel or other air flow blocker! Now for the 1600 1c equals 1600 not 1000. This little charger will save all the headaches associated with The Minelab wall wart! steve

 

[jopher]

Thanks for your input, Steve.
I will heed your advise....2x batteries as well as another pod...charge properly....drain properly. got it.

 

[stevemc]

Good advice!

 

[Rockin Chairs Gold]

I purchased a new Excalibur II this spring and the NiMh battery that came with it lasts up to 19 hours of continues use. I purchased a second battery from Mine lab as a backup.

I cannot find any literature about the batteries forming a memory problem. So far I have run the batteries till they quit on me before recharging them so I haven't had any problems.

The manual says to charge the battery 14 to to 17 hrs the first time they are charged, but doesn't say anything about how long after that, and there are no lights or anything else to indicate a full battery charge. That can be a problem. Rick

 

[Buried Crap NJ]

Minelab and just about every company making battery operated equipment use the cheapest way to charge there items. The wall wart is going cheap. Now there is now way that the little charger can tell when the battery fully charges! The battery contains a thermistor that cuts off power when heated too much! Battery fully charged. As you can guess if you do this continually the battery life will be shorten!
http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/mastascu/elessonshtml/Sensors/TempR.html
steve

 

[FloridaBill]

I would say try this still with the original battery still going strong

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,348567.msg2496871.html#msg2496871

 

[bigscoop]

If I'm going to be out for more then 8 hours I use new AA's and take the rechargeable for backup.

 

[FLauthor]

I gave up up rechargeable batteries and converted both battery pods to hold Alkaline 8AA. I go to Big Lots and buy Alkaline 8AA's for $2.00 either Ray0Vac or Panasonic and get 14 hours out of them. I find more than enough change if I need replacements. I keep a allen wrench set in my bag and a extra pack of batteries as a backup. Even when the tone goes off that the batteries need replacing, I can usually squeeze 30-45 minutes out of them.