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Minelab battery recharger voltage ???:shrug:

D

DirtyDeedsDugDirtDeep

Member
I recently acquired a lightly used /like new Etrac with a battery charger,rechargeable battery pack, and a couple of regular battery holders.
The strange thing I've noticed is that the rechargeable battery pack is rated at 9.5 volts,the re-loadable battery packs are rated at 12 volts,and the re-charger's output is rated at 15VDC !!
Every part is marked "Minelab" and looks new,so I'm guessing it all came together;but it seems weird that the voltage ratings would be different.
Is this a typical scenario ??
Won't the 15VDC re-charger over charge the 9.5 VDC battery pack ???
Thanks for your time.
 
Is this a typical scenario ??
Click to expand...

thats what came with mine too, brand new. i just checked my charger.

but one thing, youre right, even the manual, on page 81, says the input voltage for the battery pack is 12 volts. interesting. must be close enough i guess. i dont think it can overcharge it though, any battery can only produce one kind of voltage based on its internal chemistry. im no electrical engineer though so i dont know for sure. i think its the amps that can really hurt a battery. 100 milliamps is pretty low (slow charging).
 
I'm no electrical engineer either ; and I agree the amperage is what can hurt.
But I know from experience with motorcycle batteries using a 1 amp charger,that you can push a 6 volt battery higher if you have the charger set on 12 .
Of course that is a wider contrast than the Minelab situation, but then we're talking about more delicate electronics too.
I'm sure the overage wouldn't last, but still,is it good for the battery ?
BTW, I put a digital voltmeter on my pack after a couple of hours and it was showing 10.8 volts ; so the 15V charger does push it somewhat higher.
More than likely the detector's internal wiring has some kind of resister or regulator to cap the incoming line voltage.
Makes me wonder though,why a 15V charger ???
And I've read somewhere that ML strongly recommends using any other charger..weird.
 
im following you....a couple thoughts......, one, i thought a fully charged battery should read more than the stated voltage. for ice fishing i use four SLA batteries for various purposes, they are all 12 volt batteries. but after theyre done charging i read about 13.4 volts...after they sit it drops down a little, .when there "dead" they read about 10.8 volts. so i would think 10.8 volts for a fully/freshly charged 9.6 battery should be normal.
the second thing is, yes the etrac regulates the output voltage of the battery. on page 84 of the manual its states what you say, it has a regulator.

the minelab recommendation is also in the manual (page 15) ......ill bet a lot of other chargers probably up the milli-amps and they figure thats what would hurt the battery the most (?)

i have nice chargers for my ice fishing batteries, they dont try to pump more into the batteries than the batteries are supposed to hold, i wish minelab would have done that as well....kinda seems like they took the cheapest route possible.
 
Yeah, I wish the charger would sense the power draw and stop when the batteries were charged. I am always worried I will forget and leave the charger on for a couple days.
 
I believe its stated somewhere that the battery(s) can be left on the charger for along period of time or indefinitely....Ive left my on for a week or two with no problems.
 
I read over the posts posted so far. The NmH batteries can produce 1.2 volts per cell, so 8 X 1.2 = 9.6 volts, which is the normal voltage. Right after charging the batteries usually produce a slightly higher voltage. To recharge a battery, which is a misstatement as you aren't really charging anything, you are just putting the battery chemically back to where it was before use. A battery is simply a chemical generator. When recharging, a higher voltage, usually 1.25 to 1.5 times the base voltage. The charger is connected backwards , + to + and - to - ,which restores the battery chemically.
You can actually use a much higher voltage, but heat builds up and damages the battery. Leaving a battery on the charger too long is not a good idea. I suggest checking the battery with a volt meter until it reads about 1.25% over the rated voltage and removing the charger.

The battery pack uses alkaline batteries which are 1.5 volts each, 1.5 X 8 = 12 volts. Either type works the same in the detector because of the voltage gate, which I think is set at 8 volts. The operation of the machine is the same through the voltage drop until it reaches the voltage gate at which time it turns off.

Hope this helps,
Ohio Bud
 
Thanks for the details Bu !
I guess these new generation batteries are more flexible than what we had just a few years ago.
It makes sense too,if the operating voltage is a little less at 8 volts.
That should get a little more operating time out of the batteries ??
 
Btw,...stated in the Minelab manual on page 15 of the manual it states "the battery will not be damaged if left on the charger for more than 18 hours".
 
Yes, the newer batteries are much better in several ways....Also quoted in the manual on page 85 as well.
 
I believe that when you charge up the rechargeable 1.2 volt cells they reach about 1.5 volts like regular batteries are that is why when both are fresh you get close to a 12v reading usually 11.9 or 11.8volts (takes 8, 1.5v reg type batteries in a pack).

I accidentally left one rechargeable pack plugged in for about a week. Slowly came back but at first the heat from being on so long hurt it so it didn't last too long hunting with it. Had to cycle it a few times by using it then recharging it till It's almost as good as the other pack now, I have 2 rechargeable packs and one regular battery type pack that I use.

I bought 2700mah rechargeable panasonic cells with a quick charger from Cabella's when in Maine on Vacation last fall to use. I use them in the regular battery pack and boy does it take several long hunting days to drain them down so mah's do make a difference. I think the rechargeable's that come with the Minelabs are only 1800mah rated.
 
Those longer lasting batteries sound like the deal to have.
I'll have to check around and see if I can find them.
Are the a lot of $$$ ???
 
No not too pricey as they came with a very quick charger only takes 15 min. to fully charge them in the house or car/truck with the included 12v adapter that came with it.
It had 4 batts in the package with the charger for under $50 so I grabbed 4 of them to have 16 batts for 2 complete minelab battery packs as they take 8 each.
I also saw them at my local grocery store when I got back home from the vacation in Maine where at Cabella's I got the thngs. Only really needed to grab 2 setups as they last a very long time due to the 2700 mah capacity of thebatts.

I also found a different wall charger that charges 4 at a time in your home outlet and takes about 4-6 hrs to do so I mainly use that but can use the very fast charger in my truck or if in a hurry to charge if need be. I think these chargers were $20 a piece so got 2 of them to do 8 batts found them at a drugstore in Maine also.
I just used them last night and left plugged in overnight no harm it says. Batts were fully charged ready to go when I got up this am.
 
Just bought some 2900 mAH batteries off the internet at $4.50 / pack of 4 ,and picked up 6 packs.
That gives me enough to do two machines worth.
Now couldn't a charger be rigged up to charge right into the standard ML battery holder ???
 
I don't know how you would be able to get into the closed end of the pack to run a wire from the clips down in there to the open end of the pack to be able to rig up a plug to charge the batts in the Minelab pack. Just easier to pull them out and charge them then put back in only takes less than a min. to do so.
 
Ray-Mo. said:
Or make your own like it.
Click to expand...
Exactly what I had envisioned !!
Do they still make these ???
 
I think they are discontinued but you might be able to pick one up if you post a wanted add on the classifieds.
 
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