Winterizing the Equinox

[smokeythecat]

Be ye all warned! I am retiring in a week. My machine is not.

Da cat is getting out of the cat box and into the dirt box!

And yes, Stabil fixes most everything.

But REALLY, do what the manual says to do.

 

[vferrari]

Retirement as catnip, congrats Smokey. Whelp, there goes alll the banners left buried in the mid-Atlantic folks. Better get out there and dig before Smokey grabs em all in 2019.

 

[ctdirtdigger]

I bought the NEW Minelab Block Heater for mine !!

 

[fuceye]

As with all lipos batteries it is best to put the battery in storage mode. charge/discharge to 3.85v per cell.Best way is to remove battery and check with voltmeter.

alternate way (if you do not want to remove your battery) is to totally discharge and only charge to 2500mha.this way is not exact but will get you in the ballpark.the equinox has a 5000mah battery

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you can use one of these...

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All lipo are made and charged to 3.85v per cell (apox.50% of total capacity) for shipping and storage to extend lipo life.

storage mode or a storage charge/discharge is usually recommended if you are not going to use the battery for more than 7 days.This can change with manuf.

I have lips as old as 8 years and they still remain vibrant.

 

[HighVDI]

Just threw a trickle charger on my 600.

 

[smokeythecat]

Since I have not read the manual since spring, removing the battery does NOT void the warranty, correct? I know opening the cover on my Iphone voided the warranty. Took it for a repair at a shop locally and they did me in. Had to buy a new one and it was only 11 months old.

 

[HighVDI]

All kidding aside. Keith at Fort Bedford explained to me that changing out the battery is not too difficult for anyone with a hint of mechanical ability. How true this is I don't know.....yet. after another few hundred charges I hope.

 

[Hillbilly Prince]

I will likely use my me throughout winter so no need to prepare. However, as per the Manuel, I did purchase a pet bed and infant blanket to keep it warm at night.

 

[bowser]

CHARGED UP

Since it is a 1.21 gigawatt battery, it should last 4 to 6 years and actually IS user replaceable or lacking a suitable replacement you can run it off a power bank if you happen to have an old Mr. Fusion miniature reactor lying around in the garage next to your DeLorean.

There is just no need to go to the trouble of taking the control head off the shaft to access and remove a lithium battery simply to lay up the detector over the winter.

So no need for histrionics from the AA battery crowd looking for yet another ridiculous reason to bash the Equinox.

Not saying that's where you were headed, with your post, your majesty, but just wanted to nip that in the bud because a post like yours seems to be like catnip for attracting certain Garrett, Tesoro, and Whites users who seem to be highly offended the Equinox even exists. It just gets a little old after awhile...

I wish i feel as strongly as you about rechargable batteries, but i must say you have gone overboard in insulting other brand users and and all of us who carry AA batteries with us just in case. If there are problems with these new batteries you can always turn the detector to a plug in the wall standing table lamp

 

[A2coins]

Be careful not to break the conning tower

 

[smokeythecat]

Man, we're bored, aren't we? And very clever too.

 

[vferrari]

I wish i feel as strongly as you about rechargable batteries, but i must say you have gone overboard in insulting other brand users and and all of us who carry AA batteries with us just in case. If there are problems with these new batteries you can always turn the detector to a plug in the wall standing table lamp

This is a serious thing and wish people would take it more seriously. The proliferation and use of disposable AA and AAA batteries is contributing to global vowling. You can help by switching to lithium tech or by using 9 volt batteries or C or D batteries in your detectors, please. Every little bit will help keep this global tragedy from happening.

 

[RayinAlaska]

Just threw a trickle charger on my 600.

I wonder if a trickle charger will work after the battery is fully charged? Can you take a look at the Equinox charging LED to see if it's still illuminated?

When the battery is fully charged the Equinox stops the charging current and the light turns off. That's why I am not certain that a trickle charger will work, but if it does it should be a good plan for me to implement. What I did with mine was to remove the coil and lower shaft. This way I can put it on the kitchen counter and plug it into an APC USB charging station on one of the electrical outlets.

A problem with the Minelab charging cords is that they are too short and stiff. The stiffness gets worst in areas where it gets cold outdoors. This problem would be minimized with the use of thinner and softer material (more silicone insulation), such as the Apple charging cords. One thing that I like about the Equinox is that if I am using this detector outdoors and the battery needs charging, I just tape a USB 2-Amp power pack to the detector's shaft or housing, plug it into the charging port, and continue detecting. But the stiff cord gets in the way.

 

[vferrari]

I wonder if a trickle charger will work after the battery is fully charged? Can you take a look at the Equinox charging LED to see if it's still illuminated?

When the battery is fully charged the Equinox stops the charging current and the light turns off. That's why I am not certain that a trickle charger will work, but if it does it should be a good plan for me to implement. What I did with mine was to remove the coil and lower shaft. This way I can put it on the kitchen counter and plug it into an APC USB charging station on one of the electrical outlets.

A problem with the Minelab charging cords is that they are too short and stiff. The stiffness gets worst in areas where it gets cold outdoors. This problem would be minimized with the use of thinner and softer material (more silicone insulation), such as the Apple charging cords. One thing that I like about the Equinox is that if I am using this detector outdoors and the battery needs charging, I just tape a USB 2-Amp power pack to the detector's shaft or housing, plug it into the charging port, and continue detecting. But the stiff cord gets in the way.

From the manual:

Operating Temperature Range -10°C to +50°C (+14°F to +122°F)
Storage Temperature Range -20°C to +50°C (-4°F to +122°F)
Charging Temperature Range 0°C to +40°C (+32°F to +104°F)

Note that charging temp range: do not charge the battery if it is less than 32F (though storage down to -4F is and use at 14F is ok)! You will damage a Lithium cell if you attempt to charge it when the cell temp has reached 32F or less due to its chemistry.

Although internal losses during charging and use should keep the battery warm even when ambient is low, don't chance charging it on the fly when you are using it in extremely cold conditions.

I do not recommend trickle chargers or anything like that because they're unnecessary with the practically non-existent self discharge rates of the battery. Don't store the detector with the battery fully discharged. While there may be some optimal partial discharge capacity to prolong battery life, I wouldn't sweat it so long as you store the battery between 50 to 100% charged. No requirement for fancy terminal voltage meters unless you are really into the OCD aspect of this thing to eek out those additional charge-discharge cycles out of the 1000 available on average for the 26650 cell installed which equates to 7 years if you are charging it 3 times a week on average.

By the time these batteries wear out, the tech will have probably progressed to the point you can replace the existing battery with one with twice the capacity and/or lifetime.

 

[Wild Colonial Boy]

At winter time Ill put it to bed with nice warm bowl of soup , and it will sleep like bear

 

[pulltabfelix]

IMHO:
As with all metal detectors they should be broken down (rods) and cleaned, coil covers removed and coil/cover should be cleaned and all batteries should be removed. Now in the case of the Equinox (can not remove battery), I would give a charge and leave it alone for the winter only occasionally checking if the battery has lost significant charge (bars on display). Never leave a rechargeable battery in a discharge state for a long time...nothing good comes of it. I would also keep it in a warm dry place. Again this is me and I take great care of my machines.

I agree 100% break down the shaft and clean the turnlocks to get out the grit. On my AT Pro I did not do that for 2 years and then could not get one turnlock open and off except on Garrett support advice to take a Dremel tool and carefully cut off the turnlock. They sent me a free replacement one. This is especially true if you beach hunt. The chemicals cause the grit to concrete. Probably should do the above after every beach hunt.

 

[boxxxer]

do not winterize! just move to a warmer climate for the winter and keep digging

 

[haxor]

So no need for histrionics from the AA battery crowd looking for yet another ridiculous reason to bash the Equinox.

18650's are the NextGen AA's Would have been nice to use a standard battery.

 

[Minelab Matt]

Just don't hibernate im winter...go detecting!

Matt.

 

[longsocks]

also check the burlap oil pan for leaks