Batteries: I have seen the future and the initials are NiZN!!

[brimster]

Recently the rechargeable NiMH factory battery pack for my Minelab Sovereign GT died and I went searching for better options. I avoided the battery pack/alkaline option both because it is very expensive over time and is environmentally unfriendly. I considered the battery pack/NiMH option but was concerned about the lower nominal voltage (1.2V) vs. alkaline (1.5V). Finally, I landed on the battery pack/NiZN battery option. These NiZN batteries are amazing with initial voltage of 1.8V (1.6V nominal) and an mAh rating of 2500 (vs. 1000 for the Minelab rechargeable NiMH battery pack). They even weigh slightly less and are significantly less expensive than the Minelab pack!

At this point, I’m wondering why anyone would use the factory battery packs.

My batteries were from PowerGenix (www.powergenix.com) and I found them on Amazon.

I’d be very interested to hear feedback from others.

 

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[doubloon hunter]

Will that high voltage present a problem??

 

[Carl-NC]

...and an mAh rating of 2500...

2500 mAh or 2500 mWh? There is a difference.

 

[brimster]

Will that high voltage present a problem??

Nope. Cleared it with Minelab before going the NiZN route. They did say that they didn't recommend 1.2A NiMH AA batteries though (which I found surprising given the number of folks using those very batteries!).

 

[cosmic]

Easy, mAh = mHh/nominal volts.. 2500/1.6=1562 mAh I have been using them for a couple years about half left out of 24..

 

[brimster]

Just a quick postscript... While NiZN works great for the Sovereign, they will not work for E-Trac. E-Trac has a voltage limit of 13V. The fully charged NiZN pack is nearly 15V. Just an FYI...

 

[suprdave]

wonder if i can uae them in my whites xlt spectrum any one know

 

[Daedalus]

NO , not for sure but most brands say you can , call Whites and they will let you know if you can , they are very good and helping you with answers to questions about there detectors .

And yep they are great batteries and work very well . I use them in a lot of my equipment .

 

[Atrus]

Hello everyone,

I know this thread is a little old, but I bought these batteries a little over a year ago, and mine read 1.8v and sometimes as high as 2.3v after recharging too. They do settle down after taking them out of the charger, but that initial voltage is quite high.

​

The digital cameras & GPS receivers love them, but I decided to check with Minelab before I tried them. Minelab would not recomend using them. Fully charged, my battery pack read 18.6v!

So, I made two "dummy" cells. I used large nails, cut them to size on the lathe, then turned wooden sleeves on the lathe to just a tad shorter than a AA cell, and glued in the nails.

​

Now, with freshly charged batteries, I only put SIX cells in the AA battery pack, and use the two dummy cells. That gives me 10.8v (at 1.6v per cell, or 11.8v at 1.9v per cell), which is higher than the 9.6v Minelab rechargable battery pack, and still within the 12v max recommended by Minelab. I can use the E-Trac for several hours before the battery even begins to show any signs of weakening. When it does, I just pop out one of the dummies, and put in one of the two NiZn cells that are still fully charged. I'm back to full charge again, and I still have another fully charged cell to go. It works great, and I never come close to getting near the danger point of over voltage.

​

Sometimes a "dummy" or two is the smartest way to go! [SUB][/SUB]

Just thought I'd let you guys know what I did...

Jim

 

[inspectorgadget]

Hello everyone,

I know this thread is a little old, but I bought these batteries a little over a year ago, and mine read 1.8v and sometimes as high as 2.3v after recharging too. They do settle down after taking them out of the charger, but that initial voltage is quite high.

View attachment 671639​

The digital cameras & GPS receivers love them, but I decided to check with Minelab before I tried them. Minelab would not recomend using them. Fully charged, my battery pack read 18.6v!

So, I made two "dummy" cells. I used large nails, cut them to size on the lathe, then turned wooden sleeves on the lathe to just a tad shorter than a AA cell, and glued in the nails.



Now, with freshly charged batteries, I only put SIX cells in the AA battery pack, and use the two dummy cells. That gives me 10.8v (at 1.6v per cell, or 11.8v at 1.9v per cell), which is higher than the 9.6v Minelab rechargable battery pack, and still within the 12v max recommended by Minelab. I can use the E-Trac for several hours before the battery even begins to show any signs of weakening. When it does, I just pop out one of the dummies, and put in one of the two NiZn cells that are still fully charged. I'm back to full charge again, and I still have another fully charged cell to go. It works great, and I never come close to getting near the danger point of over voltage.


Sometimes a "dummy" or two is the smartest way to go! [SUB][/SUB]

Just thought I'd let you guys know what I did...

Jim

That's just brilliant! I love when people put that much thought into subjects like this! Now I'm looking into doing something like you did with my MXT battery pack! Thanks for the info!

 

[Terry Soloman]

I have been using these in my Tesoro Sand Shark for over a year and they RULE! I have been preaching NiZn since I got them. GREAT Batteries!

 

[Frankn]

Atrus, Good show! Where did you get the NiZn batteries? Good idea, but I would have used copper rod instead of steel nails. The steel nails are presenting some resistance in the circuit and using some of your power. Frank