Alkaline or Rechargables

[Grayghost54]

Just purchased an ACE 250 Pro setup and know that some MD's work better with alkalines vs rechargables. Any thought on this topic ? Any help appreciated. Gunna give BH 3000 to wife. LOL and use the ACE and New GTI 2500.Yes I'm hooked.

 

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[ferrouser]

Its not that alkalines work better, but they have a longer life
than a charged rechargable. But the rechargables can be used 1000X
and the newest versions do not have a memory problem.

 

[cryptodave]

Personally I use akalines in all my detectors now. I prefer the Enegizer MAX, they seem to last the longest.

 

[jeff of pa]

I like rechargables.

Alkalines Last a Decent time, But when Fresh seem too strong
and seem to cause my Detectors to be Erratic till they loose some power.

I prefer Duracell When I do use them

 

[paratrooper]

I heard a technical response to this question . I will share it and someone with a volt/amp meter and a recharge system might be up to an experiment . The AA's that you buy (Alk's) will register 1.5 volts . If you use 8 of them you have 12 volts . The recharged batt's will only hold 1.2 volts . So if you use 8 of them you will only have 9.6 volts . Bottom line : less power . I never tried it AND I always use Alk's . I will await the published results of anyone with time and energy to check this out .

 

[Born2Dtect]

Ah! Batteries. The key to batteries is value. How long they last, rechargeable or or alkaline, is governed by the MAH rating. "miliamphour". Alkalines are about 1800 MAH, Ni cads 1600MAH but the newer NiMH are 1800-1900MAH There are even NiMH,s out now with a 2300 MAH rating. Cost for 8 "AA" and the charger is about $25.00. If using rechagable batts use NiMH they do not need to be discharge before charging and do not develop a memory like Ni cad. Also if you use Alkalines, do not use heavy duty they are not good for detectors, a study showed Rayovac as the best for brand. I use both and like the NiHM,s and use the Rayovac as a back up. The voltage need by most detectors is well below the battery voltage. Normally the detectors have voltage regulators that are in the 5 VDC range and run off between 7.5 to 15 volts DC.

Ed Donovan

 

[Grayghost54]

Oh my brain is aching... thanks for all the info and suggestions. Guess it will be like this. $25.00 for charger with 8 AA batteries. OR go to Costco-Sams and get a case of Duracell AA with 24 in there for $12.00 That's 48 batteries for the initial cost for Ni-Cads. That breaks down into approx 30 hrs per set (4) on an ACE 250, so about 12 changes. By then I will have found WELL over the $25.00 eitherway. Why does this have to be complicated ? NOT-----Just put E'm in and swing the darn thing Yah

 

[Monty]

I don't know much about the amps, volts, etc, but I know I like the standard alkaline batteries better. I have the rechargeable as an option but they don't deliver the service life in the detector. About 4 to 6 hours and they go oomph! When they go it's suddenly while the alkalines will go down slowly and if need be you can get by sometimes with low batteries in a pinch. My Energizer rechargeable batteries won't hold a charge on the shelf. I charge them and within a few days they are discharged just from not being used! My 2 cents! Monty

 

[seas1to2]

well the latest NiMh go beyond 2600mAh, I just a set of 2500, but haven't had the chance to try them yet. got them for the surfmaster Pi Pro. I was told I should get over 10hours on these. also they are 1.25 not 1.2 . was told by whites they will not affect the machine by the lower volts

 

[Sandman]

My head aches too from all this talk. Alkaline batteries last a little longer than rechargeables, but the main disavantage to the rechargeables is that they test good, and just stop. Alkalines run out gradulaually and warn you.

Most detectors can't use the Lithiumn batteries and manufactures don't recommend them. Don't beleive me, stick the Lithiumn's in your detector and turn it on. It won't run right. You won't hurt the detector.

 

[Born2Dtect]

Bottom line. NiMH rechargeables are state of the art. They are available up to 3000 mAh. (mAh) milli amp hours, are a measure of a batteries power. The larger the number the longer the battery will last. NiMHs' are more economical than alkalines, better for the environment, and will last longer than alaklines. Don,t take my word for it, buy some along with a charger and you will never turn back. I will always keep a set of alkalines as a back up. By the way some chargers can recharge in a couple of hours and can be used in vehicles. Do yourself a favor and check out a set of new NiMH rechargeables soon. You won,t regret it.

Ed D.

 

[Monty]

Ed, the ones I have are brand new Energizers, 2500 mAh and I just can't seem to get them to hold a charge for more than about 4 to 6 hrs in the detector and they will even discharge on the shelf! I bought 16 batteries from two different lots just to be sure it wasn't bad batteries and same old same old. I wish I could get good service from them as it would save a lot of money. Monty

 

[Born2Dtect]

The newest technology for batteries is NiMh (I believe that stands for nickle metal hydrate or Hydride) They are not supposed to have the problems you describe. Is it possible your batteries are not NiMH? They could be bad batteries? Just a thought Monty. Don,t give up yet. I still hear good things about the NiMH batteries.

Ed D.

 

[stoney56]

The newest technology for batteries is NiMh (I believe that stands for nickle metal hydrate or Hydride) They are not supposed to have the problems you describe. Is it possible your batteries are not NiMH? They could be bad batteries? Just a thought Monty. Don,t give up yet. I still hear good things about the NiMH batteries.

Ed D.

I've got the same batteries as Monty. Energizer 2500 mAh NIMH and I use them for the dig. camera and 3-4 days after charging them they seem to have self-discharged. This is just setting in the drawer next to the camera. I have to remember to charge them shortly before using them and then they work great. I have 8 of them laying around and put 2 in the camera and carry 2 spares. I also found that leaving them in the charger after the light goes out causes them to discharge as well. I just find it odd that all 8 are doing the same thing.

 

[U.K. Brian]

Sounds like most are using rubbish chargers. NiMi's do discharge at a faster rate than NiCads but then they are sold as constant use batteries. They should still hold a reasonable charge for a few weeks though.
Normal problem is that new high power batteries are being charged in an old charger and they never put the full charge in.

 

[gollum]

My head aches too from all this talk. Alkaline batteries last a little longer than rechargeables, but the main disavantage to the rechargeables is that they test good, and just stop. Alkalines run out gradulaually and warn you.

Most detectors can't use the Lithiumn batteries and manufactures don't recommend them. Don't beleive me, stick the Lithiumn's in your detector and turn it on. It won't run right. You won't hurt the detector.

Sandman,

What you see as a disadvantage is exactly why you want rechargeables! When the batteries slowly lose charge, your detector gets weaker (read less effective), and you don't know it! When the rechargeables just die, you know it's time to replace them! That's what you want your batteries to do. If they just gradually fade out, your detector won't read things it should (and once again, you will never know it). That means you will miss things without knowing you are missing them!

The most important things to know about rechargeables, is their milliamphour (mAh) ratings (the higher the number the better, and more expensive they will be). This is only one aspect of how long your detector will run with any given battery. You also need to know the exact current draw of your detector (21 amp, 26 amp, etc.).

For instance, I built a Remote Control Rock Crawler that uses 7.4V batteries. I needed it to run for 2 or 3 hours at a time, so I spent a small fortune on a bunch of Lithium Polymer batteries. They are rated at 7.4 volts and 2100mAh each.

My Minelab SD2000 takes a 6.9V Lead Acid Battery that weighs about 6 pounds! Horrible to carry more than one or two. Those Lithium Polymers weigh 95 grams each. I wire three in parallel. That means I still have 7.4volts. but am getting 6300 mAh (about 63 hours of detecting time, in theory). One note here: I would NOT exceed your detector's maximum allowed battery voltage without knowing FOR SURE they can handle it! The SD2000 can take up to 8.5Volts all day long!

Best,

Mike

 

[Monty]

My charger is brand new, it came with one set of the batteries and then I bought a second set of just batteries. I'm like stoney in that if i want to use them I have to put them into the charger just before I install them. If not, they go dead in a matter of minutes. Monty

 

[stoney56]

Sounds like most are using rubbish chargers. NiMi's do discharge at a faster rate than NiCads but then they are sold as constant use batteries. They should still hold a reasonable charge for a few weeks though.
Normal problem is that new high power batteries are being charged in an old charger and they never put the full charge in.

My charger is one that came with the batteries like Monty's. It's supposed to completely charge the batteries in one hour or so. But if I want to use NIMH 9 volt batteries, I have to pay $6-8 each for those and then buy a new charger that will accept them.

 

[Sandman]

Mike, I believe you are mistaken about the disadvantage. When alkaline batteries get weaker the detector is still operating at the proper voltage till the batteries drop below that voltage and the detector does become unstable. The rechargables disadvantage is that they read good charge till you are away from the extra batteries in the car and they just stop without warning. That is the disadvantage, no warning. Some of the newer model detectors read the proper charge left in the rechargables. This does not apply to NIMH batteries, or paks. This is what I meant. LOL

Sandman

 

[gollum]

Mike, I believe you are mistaken about the disadvantage. When alkaline batteries get weaker the detector is still operating at the proper voltage till the batteries drop below that voltage and the detector does become unstable. The rechargables disadvantage is that they read good charge till you are away from the extra batteries in the car and they just stop without warning. That is the disadvantage, no warning. Some of the newer model detectors read the proper charge left in the rechargables. This does not apply to NIMH batteries, or paks. This is what I meant. LOL

Sandman

I know what you are talking about! I think any batteries have sensors that detect the presence of other batteries of the same voltage. If they see that any extras are present, they hold their charge. If there aren't any extras nearby, they die out quick!

Mike