Menu
What's new
Find's Treasure Forums

Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!

You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.

Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.

Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.

Click here to register!

Need Support Help?

Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you

Garrett ATX and batteries

J

joemac

New member
I have used the ATX now for approx 12 hours and had to change the non rechargeable batteries. Holding 8 dead batteries in my hand made me realise that rechargeable is definitely the way to go. I just hope that I don't see heaps of used AA batteries discarded in the fields.
After much research and Ebay-ing I decided to go with the Eneloop rechargeables. They are a bit more expensive but after reading many forum and customer feed backs these are the way to go.
Here's why
The battery can be charge unto 2000 times cheaper ones will die after 400 or 500 recharges.
A Duracell battery costs approx $1.00 on special so over the same life span of the Eneloop you would be spending $2000.00 for each battery. x8 for the ATX
The battery has a slow discharge after 5 year it will still have 70% of it's charge.
The battery is already charged and ready to use from the packaging.

There are many more benefits from this battery such as low temperature performance too.
I got a set from Dick Smith. A bit of a story here. David Jones has them on special from $40.00 down to $20.00 for 8 batteries. I went to Dick Smith's and they match the price but had to speak with the manager.

Whilst researching the battery I also had a look at the chargers too. The cheaper ones tend to fry batteries and after some research settled on the Maha Powerex C9000 Charger plus 4x 2700 AA 4x IMEDION AA Bag. I got this from ebay for $109.95 and it came with a set of 8 batteries and a bag. If you don't want the batteries then you can get it for $89.95 and free postage. This is an Aussie seller. Thought that if I was going to invest in good batteries I couldn't destroy them by using a cheap charger. The charger can also recondition and even resurrect dead batteries. Miracles do happen.
If anyone would like links to any of the products or info please let me know.
Hope it will help to save you some dosh in the future.
Cheers
Joe
PS I am not a seller of any of these products but think it is good to keep people informed of what is out there and of course save some money.
 
I've been using the Eneloops in my AT Pro and AT Gold for a couple of years and love 'em!
 
Hi Joe,

Thanks for posting the Eneloop battery info. Joe, you have forgotten to mention one very important parameter. What is their mAH capacity?

I have been buying the cheaper ones from eBay and I only buy 3000mAH capacity. Obviously they are dearer as they last 30% longer than 2000mAH batts. They don't display any particular brand name as they are made in China. I paid AUD 10.63 for a pack of 8 x AA 3000mAh plus 8 x AAA 18000mAH and free post. If you split the price in half (even so the AAA are cheaper) that is AUD 5.30 per 8 batts. That is dirt cheap. These batteries fall into about 300-400 recharge cycle category, but from my point of view as a qualified electronics technician, I would estimate GOOD 200 cycles with up to 70% holding capacity in the end.

I have bought 6 of those packs over 2 years as I use a lot of rechargeable's apart from my detectors, like GPS, Aeroplane Radio Controls, Receivers etc. I use them exclusively in my Garrett GTI 2500 and Whites GMT. When using in my detectors I always freshly charge 2 sets of 8 batts before a trip. One set installed and one spare. I could be out there all day and never had to use the spare set. I have never tried to run them into empty in my detectors, so I can't supply any info there, but I did try to discharge them into a heavy resistor load via Amp meter monitoring the voltage drop and they live close to their 3000mAh specified rating. To this date all of them are going strong. If you give them ONLY 200 cycles before you chuck them, then it makes it $5.35 / 200 = 2.7 cents per day's outing. Who could argue with that?

I'd like to qualify this. There are many sellers of these batts on eBay. I cannot be sure that each one of those have the batteries of the similar quality to mine. I have only bought them from one particular seller but when I just checked now, he/she's no longer there. I was gonna post the link.

Joe, I was intrigued by your Eneloop's 2000 x recharging capabilities which IMHO I find hard to believe. I had a quick search on any info or specs on these batteries and I found that different advertisers have different ratings. Their ratings range from 700 x up to 18000 x. I couldn't find anything that could be considered as really valid. I gave up on wasting more time searching. I do not question their quality, I'm sure they might be great but the recharge info is rather unreliable.

The charger I carefully selected is available from Jaycar and it is the best charger for NiMH batts I have ever come accross. It is 12VDC & 240VAC Smart Battery Charger for NiMH and NiCD. It will charge up to 12 AA or AAA batts in any combination and any state of charge. You can put in a total mix bag! It will also charge 2 x 9 Volt batteries. Great for 9 V batts for my Garrett Pro-Pointer. This charger is microprocessor controlled and monitors EACH BATTERY INDIVIDUALLY. Each has got its own Red/Gren LED and battery gets turned off when 100% charge is reached, whilst the other ones are still charging. All that for AUD 49.95. Excellent and in my opinion the best on the market. For Aussies, Jaycar cat.num. is MB-3551 PowerTechPlus. I don't know if it can be found outside Australia?

Well, that's my two bob worth on the subject of batteries

Cheers Joe

Jerry
 
I just ordered 8 x AA Enloop batteries from Dell Computer website last week. They were $20.00 shipping included. Just Google Dell + Enloop Batteries.
 
Some really good info coming through this post. Great to hear from people that use these batteries and from others that use different brands. Any info is great to keep us informed.

Thanks Jerry for your 2 bobs worth :thumbup: Some great info that you have provided. The charger from Jaycar looks pretty good. I wish I had a look at that one before making a decision but I think I will be happy with the Powerex. It has heaps of great reviews.

Garrettdigger Ref. The charger that comes with the ATX.
It comes in a clear plastic bag.
Their is a blue button on the charger for discharging the batteries but nothing to tell you how far through the cycle it has done.
It doesn't tell you how far in the cycle the battery is when charging either, red for charging and green for charged.
It will take approx 4 hours to charge a set of batteries.
It does have a 12v to 240v input socket.
I find the batteries get very hot when charging. Fast charging batteries is not a good way to keep them in good condition and will reduce the battery life. Basically your frying the chemicals. It is better to slow charge.
Have a look at this video Battery chargers

The Eneloop batteries are rated at 1900mAH and will give them a good work out this weekend. It will be interesting to see how long they last before needing to be recharged.
This is one place I looked to find some info Batteries
There was lots of info from utube and Mr Google.

HH
Joe
 
Hi Jerrym1
Milliamps Hour (mAh) is the easiest way to distinguish the strength or capacity of a battery. The higher the mAh, the longer the battery will last. If your battery is rechargeable then the mAh rating is how long the battery will last per charge

I'm sure Jerry will be able to give you some Tech stuff. I'm not that technical.
Cheers
Joe
 
Thanks Joe,

You are absolutely right about slow charging. The best ideal charge is by a current which is close to 10% of the capacity. So if your battery is for ex. 1900mAh then slow charge would be 190mA for 10 hours. Lots of chargers opt for much faster rate or have dual rates. Some charges charge them very fast but have a thermal cut-off to stop them from "cooking" in time. Nothing much will happen if you charge them fast now and then but doing it all the time will considerably shorten their life. To charge them so they become HOT is a no no! You'll kill them in no time!

Thanks for the Batteries link. Yes, no doubt a good battery but it does cost a lot more than the ones I use. So far they're doing their job 100%, but should I become unhappy with them I might buy Eneloop. One thing I wouldn't be happy with is the limited 1900mAh capacity. Don't they make them in 2500 or 3000mAh? If they do, they'd be a lot more expensive, I bet!

Cheers

Jerry
 
Hi Jerry
They do the Eneloop Pro that I is 2500mAh. The price is about double but you can find some deals on Ebay. Not sure if they are genuine. They only recharge upto 500 times.
Good info on the charge rates too.
Cheers
Joe
 
Hi Joe Jerry....

I have several sets of eneloop batteries I bought 3 years ago...and they still hold a great charge...seems like a least 80% of new.
One set lasts me all day...and I just recharge after detecting. Every 10th time or so....I will use them most of the way ... Just to give them a little exercise...

I use the the same smart charger that I use for the lipos for my radio controlled Helis and multi rotor toys...
It can charge any type of battery at any rate....and keeps a history of your charge cycles stats including mah put back into the battery to bring
It back up to a full charge....it's a Hyperion....the guys who developed the Hyperion line of chargers and other things like electric motors etc.
I believe were from Australia and working for a Hong Kong outfit...

Cheers J & J. and All,

Tye
 
Here's what's coming to me....specs from their site:

Highlights
SANYO eneloop 1,900 mAh Ni-MH minimum, improved low self-discharge rechargeable AA batteries
Maintain 75 percent of their charge after 3 years of storage
Can be recharged up to 1,500 times
Pre-charged and ready to use right out of the package
Work in extreme temperatures down to
 
75% remaining charge is pretty near to flat as far as the Infinium the ATX is concerned.
8 x 0.9 = 7.2vdc Off Load terminal voltage. On Load the voltage will fall even lower.and 7.2vdc On Load is very near the minimum regulated supply value for the ATX. Below that value the ATX does not perform well.
 
HI Fisher Ghost

75% of the charge means 75% of the batteries nominated capacity. Not the Voltage!
For ex. if the battery is rated 1900 mAh itt will become only 1425 mAh.
This in other words means that you can draw the full (or very close to) Voltage of 1.2 Volts @ 1.425 Amps for 1 hour. Or for 2 hours at half of that current of 0.71 A, or 4 hours at quarter of the current 0.35 A and so on. Then the voltage will rapidly drop and the batt is flat.
The number of batteries connected in series (as in our detectors) only increases the voltage to their multiple, but the current and mAh capacity remains the same.
Connecting batteries in parallel would multiply the current but the voltage would remain the same. We don't have this setup, this is just for your information.

Cheers

Jerry
 
Hi Joe & Tye

1) Joe, thank you for the additional info. It looks like going for higher mAh in Eneloop Pro would make it far too expensive and not really viable, considering the dropped number of charge cycles to only 500.
In the ATX situation, as long as you get a full day's run out of your 1900mAh, that's all you really need. Did you buy a spare set? In my case I might camp for 2 or 3 days when going to Ophir, so spare sets are a must!
I do have plenty of them (cheap 3000mAh ones), but if I did go for Eneloop I would have to consider charging them in my car on the fly. Too expensive to buy several sets.
Please let us know how they performed once you have given them a good workout. Don't forget that the first 3 cycles may not hold the full rated charge. That is quite normal and often pointed out by the manufacturer.

2) Tye, thanks for your positive feedback on your Eneloop batts.
I have just discovered that you and I have something else in common. I too build Multirotors, Helis as well as Motor Planes and Gliders. FPV is my latest love.
I have about 5 kilograms of all sizes of LiPo's ranging fro 2s to 5s and up to 5000mAh. Some of these cost $60 for 1 battery.
I have a few specialized chargers but a good all around one is genuine IMEX B6. It has got a MPU and all sorts of programming and measuring. I like it.

BTW, I never got to find out from you how did you fare in that terrible freeze in US? I was trying to ask you where in the states you live, but it must have been in those posts that disappeared!
Maybe you can answer me now. How was it, where you live? I'm curious like cat, am I? I hope you don't mind.

All the best to both of you guys!

Jerry
 
Hi Jerry.
I have purchased a second set. The charger also comes with a set of Powerex batteries so I am well covered with 4 sets including the Duracells that the ATX came with. I can now use the non rechargeable on other appliances.
This is a bit of a coincidence but I to am into multi rotors. I have 2 but one I have not been able to get to fly. Looking at getting a new one soon.
All the best
Joe
 
Hi Joe,

So now you are well stocked. Can't run out of power. Good on ya! Could you please let me know or post a link where you are buying them from, please?
You've got me so interested in the NiMH research that I set up my test bench with an Ammeter, Voltmeter and various high wattage load resistors to time and monitor the discharge and now I'm running a comprehensive test to get the exact picture of those cheap 3000mAh performance.
I've set up a spreadsheet in MS Excel, so I have it "professionally organised". So, we'll see...

Joe, that is a real coincidence - it is now all 3 of us, ATX buddies, who are into Multirotors and "flying stuff". That's great. I have built many. Quite a few of them for my friends some of who who are lets say "non-technical" mates.
I buy carbon fibre Quadcopter frames 700mm span and the rest I design all myself with different motors, speed controllers, GPS, autopilot, FPV cameras and video transmitters. Lot of work but great fun, I love it.

All the best with yours!

Cheers, Joe

Jerry
 
Hi Jerry
Fantastic you are doing the bench tests. I will be one of your 'non tech mates" :)
I got my Eneloops on special from Dick Smith's. I actually found them on the David Jones web site on special and then went to DS and asked them to match the price and they did. So I bought 2 sets (16 batteries) for $40.00.
Looking forward to seeing the bench tests.
I might have to get some advice off you ref the multi rotor. Not really the place to do this. I got into it to expand my photography business. Not had much success at the moment, just a newbie.
All the best
Joe
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top