Voltage / Performance

[LJ]

Does higher voltage enhance the performance of a metal detector?

 

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[jeff of pa]

I saw a show on TV not too long ago
where they used what they called a "Super Tuned"
metal detector in Europe, & claimed something like
several feet on a Small coin. (was Archeologists)
they didn't go beyond that in Detail.
I don't know about Increasing Voltage too much,
without Increasing the Things that Voltage would
enter to prevent Frying it.

When I bought a CB I took it to the Shop & had it Supertuned.
I suppose a detector can have that done also.

 

[Rockfshr]

well I know the Garrett that I am using takes 6 nine volt batteries and the depth really isn't that great. You would think with that much power it would really get down there but nope, of course it is a rather old machine but with the large coil it does do better but weighs a ton.

 

[Farmercal]

A metal detector is designed to run on a pre-determined amount of power. For example, the explorer runs very well on 9.6 volts (rechargeables) or 12 volts (alkalines). But it you throw 24 volts at it I don't know if anything will happen or not. I do know when you plug a 110 Voltage vacuum into a 240 Voltage plug it will run like a scalded dog (for a few seconds) then smoke up the entire living room and you will never use that appliance again. If you have a spare detector lying around give it a try. Not 240 volts but more voltage than recommended.

 

[Youngladd]

No idea if that would help, normally a MD has +/- tolerances on voltage of what the machine can handle. you may be able to find that out from the manufacturer Then you could perform air tests on the low,nominal and the high end of the spec and record your findings on field shape, depth and ID. There may be some value there, even if there is no performance increase. For example You may find that there is a performance decrease on low or high voltage or you may find that when the battery level is at 50% there is performance loss. Then you may find a brand of alkaline or rechargeable batteries that are more stable or has a more consistant output on voltage which may make your detector operate optimally. Who knows, I am just thinking out loud. Someone should get to the bottom of this.

 

[NH Bob]

If you keep the Voltage up,,performance Will be greatly enhanced.

 

[OldBillinUT]

Morning Lejeuene,

I am not sure what you are asking. Did you mean to operate a detector on higher than the specified voltage or the differences between detectors made to operate at various voltage levels ?

When I was in school taking a circuit design course we were told that most components are designed to operate within a plus or minus from their stated operating value. The average variance allowed was something like 15 % max but depends on the component. One of the first components in the power supply circuit is the voltage regulator(s) and that component and others are going to smoke if you try to feed it more than it can handle.

If you were asking if units designed to operate at a higher voltage are more sensitive that may be true to a point but circuit and coil design are the most critical factors involved in sensitivity.

When I was a kid we had a portable tube radio that used something like a 90 volt dry cell. They were expensive and didn't last long but high voltage batts can be made. If voltage alone was the deciding factor then detector design engineers would have taken advantage of that.

 

[Born2Dtect]

Not really. Metal detectors operate off a range of voltage. Like 6.7 to 15 Volts DC. Not to get too complicated, They also have a voltage regulator, usually +5 Volts DC. As long as the voltage applied is in the operating range of the regulator it works fine, more or less anything goes. Personally I do find my detector gets a little eratic when the batteries get low, even though it keeps working.

Ed D.

 

[LJ]

I should have asked my question with more detail. Sorry OldBill. I just purchased a DFX and with the new batteries I think my voltage was like 13.?. Since I have used it a few times I am now down to 10.? It tells me this when I first turn it on. I was just curious if the performance decreases as the voltage gets lower. I am sure there is a window for the voltage that it will operate properly but where is that point that new batteries should be put in?

I also read a post about "Oxyride" batteries that produces a little higher (14.?)voltage and enhances the performance. I was also curious if this is true. Has anyone heard this before?

 

[OldBillinUT]

Hey no apology needed I just needed a bit more clarification and thanks. The DFX operates between 8 and 14 volts at least 8 is where the low batt warning comes on. Oxyrides produce aprox.1.7 v x 8 = 13.6v when new.


Where the peak performance window is would best be answered by one of the engineers at Whites they designed and tested for performance. I am sorry I don't have access to that info myself without contacting them. Do you have contact info for Whites ? You can see the discharge curve for oxyrides at: http://industrial.panasonic.com/www-data/pdf2/AAC4000/AAC4000CE218.pdf

OB

 

[U.K. Brian]

Nautilus with its four x 9volt batteries (36 volts) can put 44 volts through the coil. Treasure Baron with the Deep Hunter module is similar.
Most modern machines though they have 12 or 18 volts of battery supply only use 6 volts.
Deepstar P.I. has a battery(rechargable) the size of a house brick that gives only 5 hours detecting time. The Mk II and III versions have a switch so that the power consumption is halved to increase the short detecting time. Halving the power does not mean half the depth Depth loss is only about 10%.
We are back to the headlights in the fog situation. Dipped gives better vision. More can be less.
Stick more voltage through the average detector and there will be no depth gain as the voltage used is regulated. Put to much through and there is a risk of frying the machine.
So with your DFX your best to the recommended voltages. With older detectors it was even suggested that with brand new non rechargeables they should be put in a radio or similar for a short period of use to knock off a little power.

 

[jeff of pa]

Although I don't know the Voltage,

My Sovereign works best (Smoothest is that a word ? :P) on Recharbles. which seem to last the longest.

It also works great on Alkalines but seems to eat them.

when I tried the Newer Super Batteries, it gets Erratic until the
batteries loose some power. and don't last as long as Alkalines.

 

[kd8hf]

J,

In this case "More" is not necessarily better.

U.K. Brian is correct, the units have a regulated power supply internally and operate with a minimum/maximum voltage source.

As the batteries discharge the regulator keeps the voltage to the constant needed amount.

When unit says "Low Batt" then its time to either replace or recharge depending on the type of battery you have.

Here is another tip, the machine tells you what your battery condition is when you turn the thing on but you can also check the
battery condition by squeezing the trigger and holding down the "Arrow Down" button at the same time.

Take a look at the bottom of your DFX for other shortcuts to functions.

Hope this helps you some.

HH

Gary

 

[cosmic]

Surprised nobody uses li-poly's yet, small ,light and large capacity.. Same as used in many cell phone and laptops.. I fly rc electric planes... Each cell is 3.7 volts and a 3 cell 11.1 volts, 2100 mah's only weigh less than 4 oz.
Also batteries hooked in series (+ to- -to +) double the voltage.. Batteries in parallel (+ to+ - to - ) the voltage stay the same but the continuous Ah's( amp hours)( how many amps can be drawn at one time) and mah doubles.. So it depend on how the batteries are hooked into the circuts of the detector..
( power consumpsion of the detector in Ah's is like the milage you get in you car)
(Mah's = milli amp hours or the capacity of the battery think of it like how much gas you can put in your car gas tank..)
So it depend on how many amp hours the detector uses (Power consumpsion) to how long the batteries will last until the voltage drop off shows low level on the battery meter..
Most batteries lose 1 to 2 volt immediately in use and then stabilize at a working voltage..
Hope this info will help..

 

[Rob in KS]

Some of the folks building PI detectors use a higher voltage INTO THE COIL to increase the current which can increase the depth. Its a brute force approach to increased depth. Like many people have said the detector is built to run on a certain voltage range. That poor little computer inside won't like much higher voltages. It'll let the smoke out of the chips and they don't work too well after that. Every battery powered device fights the price / performance / battery life / weight tradeoffs.

If a detector uses the venerable 7805 regulator, it will do funny things if the voltage or current draw is too high. I wonder if that is why Jeff's runs better (smoother) after the batteries drop a little.

It's funny how a simple question can have such complex answers.

 

[U.K. Brian]

The old British deep seeker the Arado 120b always ran smoother as the batteries ran down. I'll have a look at the patent and see what regulator was used.

 

[pinpointer999]

Surprised nobody uses li-poly's yet, small ,light and large capacity.. Same as used in many cell phone and laptops.. I fly rc electric planes... Each cell is 3.7 volts and a 3 cell 11.1 volts, 2100 mah's only weigh less than 4 oz.
Also batteries hooked in series (+ to- -to +) double the voltage.. Batteries in parallel (+ to+ - to - ) the voltage stay the same but the continuous Ah's( amp hours)( how many amps can be drawn at one time) and mah doubles.. So it depend on how the batteries are hooked into the circuts of the detector..
( power consumpsion of the detector in Ah's is like the milage you get in you car)
(Mah's = milli amp hours or the capacity of the battery think of it like how much gas you can put in your car gas tank..)
So it depend on how many amp hours the detector uses (Power consumpsion) to how long the batteries will last until the voltage drop off shows low level on the battery meter..
Most batteries lose 1 to 2 volt immediately in use and then stabilize at a working voltage..
Hope this info will help..

Li Po batteries are more volatile and prone to failure and fire if handled roughly.
They produce a charge more suited for RC cars etc. and are not easy to get shipped
due to their volatility.

I recently bought a 3D printed battery case for my DFX on ebay that holds 3
Tenergy 18650 lithium ion batteries @ 3.7 volts each and 3500 maH (protected)
They produce 13 Volts after a charge and so far have depleted to 12.7 Volts
after 7 hours of hunting.

 

[Clay Slayer]

If y'all are interested I did a battery test awhile back with a few types of batteries. Probably more than you want to know, but it's what I do. Starts at bottom page 1.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/general-discussion/432704-need-input-true-9v-rechargeable-batteries.html