how to double battery life

[skyboy09]

I use a tesoro Vaquero which requires a 9v battery. A fresh battery usally lasts me about 9 hours with headphones attached. Is there a way to link 2 9v batteries (series or parallel maybe) so they can deliver the same voltage but provide twice the battery life?
I know nothing about electronics but I remember seeing a post about this topic a while back but I can't remember where I've come across it. Would this be a tough modification to undergo?

 

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[GibH]

I use a tesoro Vaquero which requires a 9v battery. A fresh battery usally lasts me about 9 hours with headphones attached. Is there a way to link 2 9v batteries (series or parallel maybe) so they can deliver the same voltage but provide twice the battery life?
I know nothing about electronics but I remember seeing a post about this topic a while back but I can't remember where I've come across it. Would this be a tough modification to undergo?

Wouldn't it just be easier to carry a spare? You can't wire them in series, it would have to be parallel.

 

[CZFisher-man]

Wouldn't it just be easier to carry a spare? You can't wire them in series, it would have to be parallel.

This thread and this post made me laugh , "wouldn't it be easier to carry a spare", good point actually, hehehehe!

 

[U.K. Brian]

In the U.K. they use to sell a box to fit under the armrest that took AA batteries and this provided a power sourch that could cope with load better which most thought both helped stability, provided greater detecting time and helped balance out the weight of the coil. Can't say I've seen them advertised of late but then battery technology has come on so much that its probably not needed.

 

[liftloop]

just goes to show how bright a tesoro users are

liftloop

 

[TreasurePirate69]

GibH has given good advice. Carrying a spare is much easier than trying to wire something up.

You would have to wire in parallel as he said. However, given that different batteries can technically run at slightly different voltages, one of those two batteries could actually be sinking current which could be a dangerous situation. For example, if you put an almost dead battery running at close to 8V in parallel with a fresh battery running at over 9V then there is a one volt difference between the two batteries and the 8V battery would start sinking current and potentially explode. The likelihood of this happening is very small. But at the very least it should be obvious that you are not getting two full batteries worth of energy since one of your batteries is expending energy that is being wasted as heat. This completely ignores the problem of having to create a connector and holder for the second battery.

A couple of better solutions if you really want to do some electronics hacking (but still not better than just carrying spare batteries):

1. Use 6 AA alkaline batteries in series (or 8 rechargeables) and wire their output to a 9V battery clip. This gives you the required 9V but significantly higher energy capabilities (at the expense of significantly higher weight as well).

2. Use a larger 12V and add a voltage regulator to step the voltage down to the required 9V.

Personally, I go out to Harbor Freight and buy the 9.6V rechargeable NiMH batteries for around $6 each. These are not the standard 8.4V crappy rechargeable "9V" batteries. These have an extra cell in them that puts them over 9V. I contacted Tesoro and they said these are fine to use because the detector has a voltage regulator inside it anyway that steps the voltage down. I carry two of these with me and swap out whenever needed. Just be sure to keep them freshly charged since NiMH batteries slowly lose charge as they sit around.

Here is the link:
High Capacity NiMH Rechargeable 9 Volt Battery

 

[swantek]

Just put some marine batteries in a backpack and go. Get home on a 3 to 7 day MD venture you can just recharge them overnight and your ready for another week of MD. LMAO!!

 

[mel9861]

get a 9 v lithium

 

[luvsdux]

After reading all these suggestions, I come back to what type of battery are you using? My Vaquero is apparently much easier on batteries than yours. Do you use headphones? They will increase your battery life by 30% or better. Good quality alkalines should do better than what you describe. I get multiple trips on several different Tesoros using good alkaline 9 Volts.
luvsdux

 

[ModernDayWarrior]

I think he's using whatever 9v battery he has left in his vcr remote. Just keep a fresh battery in your pocket.

 

[Oldbuttplate]

just goes to show how bright a tesoro users are liftloop

Such and intelligent and helpful reply. Amazing.

 

[Oldbuttplate]

You may went to check all the connections on your Machine, that's not very good battery life for the tesoro's I have been around. Or you could have some bad batteries.

 

[auhound]

If you put a spare battery in your pocket put a cap or some tape on terminals or you might find a very "hot" battery in your pocket when it comes into contact with a coin or something metal in your pocket.
Also if you go with a Lithium check your battery compartment I tried putting lithiums in my detector and found that they are slightly larger in size than a regular battery.
Good Luck

 

[Ronzie]

Panasonic industrial alkaline 6LR61-9volt is the longest lasting 9 volt I've ever used.

 

[cz_kid]

I've used the Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable AA batteries myself. I did a lot of research before buying them last year for my GPS. I think they have over 400+ high reviews on amazon. On a full charge they would run my gps (large color touch screen) for pretty much a 24 hour period without turning it off. I'm not sure how long on a MD yet since I just started using them.