E-Trac Issue

[srcdco]

On Saturday, I took my E-Trac out for a hunt in the nice warm weather. After about 45 minutes, it turned off with the same tone you hear when the battery is low. I tried to turn it back on and it did the same thing, but the screen said "Over Voltage" and it shut off. I went home, tried another battery pack (from my Explorer) and it did the same thing. Then I got the backup pack and put 8 brand new Duracell batteries in it and it did the same thing again.
I did a reset and it booted, but it shows that the battery is "dead" - no bars in the battery symbol, no matter which battery pack is put in it. I haven't tried to do a factory reset, but I doubt it will help.

Is there any fix for this? I've called the repair center and left a message, but don't expect to hear back from them for a long time due to the virus. What can I do?

Scott

 

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[srcdco]

Update: On Saturday, I called Minelab support and left a message. Yesterday afternoon, I got a call back from them and received a ticket to send the machine in for repair. Now I just have to find a box big enough to put everything other than the rods into.

Scott

 

[A2coins]

Ive had to send My at pro in before our machines will break down every once in a while at least you have a back up machine. Hope it doesnt take to long to fix it for you. Tommy

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

What kind of AA batteries are you using, AAs designed for cameras are too hot and will give you over voltage alarms, check your batteries first, might save you shopping it off, check each battery with volt meter and see if any are over 1.5 volts.

 

[srcdco]

I brought brand new Duracell's. I've used them before and never had any issues. Since it does the same thing with both the battery pack that came with it and the battery pack that I had from my Explorer, I doubt it's the Duracell batteries. Good thought, though. I hate to be without the detector for a couple of weeks. I still need to find a box to ship it in, too.

Scott

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I brought brand new Duracell's. I've used them before and never had any issues. Since it does the same thing with both the battery pack that came with it and the battery pack that I had from my Explorer, I doubt it's the Duracell batteries. Good thought, though. I hate to be without the detector for a couple of weeks. I still need to find a box to ship it in, too.

Scott

If it was me I would test batteries with a volt meter, one battery running hot can give you over voltage alarm. AAs used for cameras are hotter than the standard AA battery was an example, not guaranteeing that is the problem, only that was a know problem. Good luck...….

 

[srcdco]

Well, I sent the machine in for repair. It turns out it was a break in the coil / cable. It took them a few days to find it because it was intermittent. They also said the battery was weak (only ran for about 2 - 3 hours before running down). So, for $252, I got a new coil and battery and it is on it's way back. I should have it on Saturday, so I can use it for most of the holiday weekend!

Scott

 

[Willee]

Always good news that they found a problem and can repair it.
Its a detector worth fixing.

 

[McKinney_5900]

Good information about the coil/cable shorting. That problem can pop up for anyone's machine. I'll remember to try another coil if those symptoms happen.

 

[srcdco]

I got it back on Saturday afternoon. I used it on Sunday and Monday as long as I could take the heat. It works like new!

John did say it was hard to find the problem as it was intermittent. He ran it for a couple of days before it happened. He was very good at communicating with me about how it was going. I definitely recommend them. Very good and professional.

Scott