New Etrac Battery, RNB innovations?

[Brewha08]

Hey guys, Im in the market for a new Etrac battery as I only have 1 rechargeable and it only seems to last me for 3-4 hours before it gets to low to hunt with. I also have the AA battery pack but paying x amount of dollars to hunt seems like a lot to spend. I have been checking into the RNB innovations battery and have heard great things about it but at the price of 130$ it seems a bit steep and before I purchase it I would like to get some input on it if y'all have any! Thanks in advance

 

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[Digger Max]

The R N B is the only way to go. You can hunt for days on a single charge.
I am very pleased with mine which was purchased at Big Boys Hobbies here at TNet.
You will not be disappointed. HH

 

[Jason in Enid]

RNB is the absolute best battery you can buy for the E-Trac. You can hunt 40+ hours on each charge!

 

[RobRieman]

Same as above. It's pure magic.

 

[kcm]

To play Devil's Advocate here, you say that you have a AA battery pack, although it goes through batteries quickly. Have you considered rechargeable AA batteries? I use rechargeable AA's and AAA's in everything around here. Normally get about 3-4 years of use out of them, and they don't cost much. Can keep spares on hand for changing out in the field.

If you look to go this route, look at the mAh ratings on the batteries and try to go with the larger numbers.

 

[Jason in Enid]

To play Devil's Advocate here, you say that you have a AA battery pack, although it goes through batteries quickly. Have you considered rechargeable AA batteries? I use rechargeable AA's and AAA's in everything around here. Normally get about 3-4 years of use out of them, and they don't cost much. Can keep spares on hand for changing out in the field.

If you look to go this route, look at the mAh ratings on the batteries and try to go with the larger numbers.

I'll give a reason why not. It takes time to charge each seat of batteries and the majority of chargers only do 4 at a time. Thats twice as long just for one set of AA. Plus the RNB are fast to charge and will hold 90% charge over a year of non use (I have proven this myself). I have also not seen a set of AAs that will give you 40+ hours of run time without spending close to the cost of the RNB. Finally, RNB has a 12V car charger, so you never have to even take them out of your car, thus you can't forget them next time you go hunting.

 

[cudamark]

I use the RNB setup too. Working great so far.....a year later. I don't see any loss of detecting time.

 

[I can dig it]

One potential issue with the RNB pack is that if you happen to have a problem with your detector and Minelab thinks it was related to that pack, it won't be covered under warranty. That may never be an issue but it's something you might want to consider.

 

[Digger Max]

One potential issue with the RNB pack is that if you happen to have a problem with your detector and Minelab thinks it was related to that pack, it won't be covered under warranty. That may never be an issue but it's something you might want to consider.

So you are saying that if a set of AA batteries go bad
your warranty is still good. Good to know. HH

 

[Jason in Enid]

One potential issue with the RNB pack is that if you happen to have a problem with your detector and Minelab thinks it was related to that pack, it won't be covered under warranty. That may never be an issue but it's something you might want to consider.

How in the hell would Minelab know what batteries you are using?

 

[I can dig it]

From the Etrac manual,
"– Do not use rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries with your E-Trac. They may damage the detector and void your warranty. Rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries will give a combined voltage above 13V and therefore cannot be used with E-Trac. The detector has over-voltage protection and will not turn on if the battery voltage is too high."

The Minelab pack is 9.6 volts. The RNB pack is 12.5 volts. Those are nominal rates. The actual fully charged rate will be higher.

If they suspect over-voltage damage I would imagine they would ask what battery you were using.

 

[Jason in Enid]

From the Etrac manual,
"– Do not use rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries with your E-Trac. They may damage the detector and void your warranty. Rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries will give a combined voltage above 13V and therefore cannot be used with E-Trac. The detector has over-voltage protection and will not turn on if the battery voltage is too high."

The Minelab pack is 9.6 volts. The RNB pack is 12.5 volts. Those are nominal rates. The actual fully charged rate will be higher.

If they suspect over-voltage damage I would imagine they would ask what battery you were using.

The detector has over-voltage disabling circuitry, so that can't happen. You seem to be ignoring the fact that the RNB battery was made specifically to work with the detector, it's not some fly-by-night crap that was thrown together in china. Many, many very happy RNB battery users and I have NEVER HEARD OF A SINGLE person who's detector was harmed by one.

 

[ChampFerguson/TN]

I use rechargeable Eneloops for everything possible (and as backups to such things as my CTX factory battery). Using a 8-gang MAHA smart charger(works in vehicle/12vdc with adaptor), I am good to go on most any of my electronics. 9vdc MAHA batteries and charger for my pinpointers, etc. I just like having the versatility.

The RNB's big plus, as I see it, is the huge amperage storage that it offers giving it a very long time in the field between charges. The minus, of course, is the initial cost. Different answers for different folks/needs.

 

[Jason in Enid]

I use rechargeable Eneloops for everything possible (and as backups to such things as my CTX factory battery). Using a 8-gang MAHA smart charger(works in vehicle/12vdc with adaptor), I am good to go on most any of my electronics. 9vdc MAHA batteries and charger for my pinpointers, etc. I just like having the versatility.

The RNB's big plus, as I see it, is the huge amperage storage that it offers giving it a very long time in the field between charges. The minus, of course, is the initial cost. Different answers for different folks/needs.

Yeah, the price was steep at first, but being able to hunt so long without needing to recharge quickly made me stop worrying about the cost.

Your recharge setup sounds nice. How long do you get from a charge?

 

[I can dig it]

I'm just sharing a quote from the Minelab manual. They designed the Etrac and they are the ones warning about over-voltage issues. It seems they don't have as much faith in the over-voltage protection as you do.

 

[Jason in Enid]

I'm just sharing a quote from the Minelab manual. They designed the Etrac and they are the ones warning about over-voltage issues. It seems they don't have as much faith in the over-voltage protection as you do.

You seem to think all batteries are the same. There are a lot of different voltages for rechargeable batteries. Like I said before, the RNB battery was designed specifically to work with the E-Trac. I used one in my E-Trac since the RNBs were released until a few months ago when I sold the detector. If you don't want to use it, don't use it. That's your choice. Everyone else who has actually used one agrees they are the best thing you can buy for the machine.

Have you ever bought your E-Trac? I know you asked about one a couple months ago, but never saw that you pulled the trigger.

 

[I can dig it]

Yes, I got an Etrac in Feb. It's fantastic. I've already found 15 silver coins with it. I had been a little skeptical about it's reputation for finding so much deep silver, but not anymore. Oh, and I should add that all of those coins were found at pounded out, trashy parks.

And I think the RNB pack is very good. But some time back someone had posted an email from Minelab tech support saying they wouldn't cover any damage resulting from aftermarket battery packs and wanted to mention that.

 

[ChampFerguson/TN]

......How long do you get from a charge?

I don't really know. With my Safari, I got 13-14hrs from a charge iirc. So far, I've only run AAs once in the CTX just to make sure everything functioned properly when I first got the machine and I didn't time it then. Seemed like it was close to what folks were getting to factory battery spec, but again, I didn't run them all the way down. I rarely marathon hunt and just recharge all detector batteries at the end of the day.

 

[Digger Max]

I'm stickin with the RNB.
I DON't have to worry am I going
have enough battery for today
My time is worth something and it's
Not OH I have to go and charge my
battery. Just my opinion. HH

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

What you want to avoid using is the Lithium Photo Batteries for cameras.