How long should I charge my Excalibur II?

LawrencetheMDer

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Feb 22, 2014
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Minelab Manticore, Minelab CTX3030 w 11" and 17" DD coils,
Minelab Excalibur II w 10" coil, Equinox 800 (4) w 11" and 15" coils,
Troy Shadow x2 w 7" coil, Pointers; Garrett Carrot, Pro Find 35,
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
Since the Excal doesn’t have a full-charge indicator, it is often a guessing game to fully charge the battery but not overcharge it and decrease battery life. For a while, I was charging my Excal 1hr per 1hr use (i.e., 1:1). After getting stuck with a low battery on a lonely stretch of beach, I started to charge my Excal 2hr per 1hr use (i.e., 2:1) which worked well (or at least as far as I could tell). In Pauln’s video on the sounds of the Excal(http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/b...calibur-2-metal-detector-sounds-settings.html) , he notes that voltage of the Excal battery's working range is from 14v, at full charge, to 11.2v.

To better estimate the required charge time for the Excal, w/o constantly measuring battery voltage with a voltmeter, I compared discharge of the battery with general beach use to voltage over time during charging. In a nutshell, the (3 yr old) Excal battery discharged at a rate of 0.3v/hr, suggesting a run time of about 10hrs; given a voltage range of about 3v. The Excal battery charged at a rate of about 0.2v/hr. Assuming that the Excal is fully charged at 14v; you should recharge the battery for 1 1/2hrs per 1 hour of use (i.e., 1.5:1) to maintain a full charge.

On a related topic, while looking at Excal voltage in other situations, I found that Excal battery voltage ranged up to 14.66v. This may reflect an overcharged battery, but also may lead to 2hrs of additional detecting. For my current 3 yr old Excal my best estimate of working battery life, on a single charge, is 12hrs.

One other tidbit of information is noteworthy; while gathering data on my Excal, I found that one hunt had a particularly long estimated battery life of 20hrs! The only thing that separated this hunt from that other 12 was that I set threshold volume to just below detection. I usually set threshold slightly above detection, where you hear the constant hum of the Excal. Could setting threshold below detection reduce battery drain and prolong battery life? (What about volume level?) Since this observation was seen only once and not investigated, I don’t know. It is possible, however, that individual Excal settings may affect battery life. Then again, the 20 hr estimate of battery life could just be an outlier – just like the Platinum ring I recently found in a sea of pull-tabs.
 

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ARC

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Aug 19, 2014
37,157
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Tarpon Springs
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JW 8X-ML X2-VP 585
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All Treasure Hunting
[FYI, Two yrs ago I was swimming down the coast along Melbourne Beach, and when I got out a fisherman asked if I knew a shark was following me? I had no idea. The guy said an 8-foot, black-tipped shark followed 12 feet behind me for about 50 yrs. The shark disappeared when I turned toward shore. Have not swam in the area since.]

I don't want to freak people out... But...
Sharks are coming in closer and closer every year...
Sharks that were never spotted on our coast... or rarely... are now common.
They are getting more "inquisitive" so to speak.

Direct result from over fishing IMO.
They eat too... and are increasing in numbers... as the food sources dwindle.

I think this coming summer will be another record year for bites.
 

Treasure_Hunter

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Jul 27, 2006
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54,467
Florida
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Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Sharks have been seen in less that 2 foot of water on Florida beaches..... Personally I am far, far more concerned about the road trip to and from the beach than I am ever worried about sharks...
 

ARC

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Aug 19, 2014
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I am talking about the types of sharks and size of sharks that are normally NOT in shallow waters EVER. heh
Or... In these waters at all.

The size and frequencies have grown more than 10 fold.
I am talking Bulls and Whites even.
And not just 6 footers.

They are coming in grazing shallows.
 

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ARC

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Aug 19, 2014
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Personally... I think in the days of old they were here and like they are starting to be again now.
With laws concerning fishing them... They are "rebounding"...
And its stating to go back to the way "it use to be".

One theory anyway.
 

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ARC

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Aug 19, 2014
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All Treasure Hunting
TH...
Im not really "scared" of em...
But I highly... I repeat ... Highly... Respect them.

heh

Have I been scared by them ?
Friggin so many times... I have a chill now typing this.
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,305
54,467
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
TH...
Im not really "scared" of em...
But I highly... I repeat ... Highly... Respect them.

heh

Have I been scared by them ?
Friggin so many times... I have a chill now typing this.

I am same way, I do not fear them but I do respect them. I don't go in the water during feeding time (dawn and dusk) and never go in water deep at all at night, at most maybe knee deep if at all...
 

ARC

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Aug 19, 2014
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130,947
Tarpon Springs
Detector(s) used
JW 8X-ML X2-VP 585
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Ever be standing in water up to your waist... and all of a sudden... I cannot describe this other than... "a feeling" comes over ya...
Just this eerie "sixth sense" starts one simple thought... and that thought starts to kinda grow... like a chill...

You know the thought... you are suddenly not alone.

The "creep factor" is... You cannot SEE it. heh...
OR you just see the "shadow" moving by... that gets the ole "thoughts" goin real quick.

Exit stage left.
Briskly.
 

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