MX5 Battery question?

[amberjack]

Hi

anyone know if the MX5 is voltage regulated ? if so what voltage , in not max voltage ?

lot of questions I know but if anyone can help I would be most grateful

cheers
AJ

 

[slingshot]

Has to be to have such long battery life. Either that or has an Energizer Bunny chip installed.

 

[amberjack]

was that the technical answer

I need one of those chips in me

AJ

 

[Woodstock]

I own one and that's a good question ... why are you asking ? Is this a question for tweaking ? You know more voltage = more depth ? Or another way to say it is I've seen portable amp kit that say working voltage is 9 volts but can be used up to 12 ? It be nice if it made the machine better with damaging the guts inside the MX5 . I'm curious to know your reasoning ... Woodstock

 

[amberjack]

yeah making a battery mod to run at 12 volts which should be fine as 8 x primary AA battery's is 12 volts+ so yeah was just wondering if its regulated and if so what voltage? but I don't think it is so keeping it running at 12 volts all the time would give great performance , and I would guess 13 volts would be fine too so yeah working on a lithium battery pack similar too this http://www.findmall.com/read.php?28,2301088

I just used that pack in my M6 today on its very 1st hunt worked great !!

AJ

 

[Des D]

I'd say Yes, it has a VR

I'd say it could charge to 13 Volts and STOP when it drops to 10.00 or below?

 

[amberjack]

sure it has some sort of regulator but I don't think it would be like regulated at say 10 volts all the time that costs power to regulate I am sure, there is probably a low cut out and a fry top , not sure if there is a top cut out.

but 13 is safe a set of AA lithium's you know the expensive ones probably hit 1.7 volts when fresh.

they don't give to much away on power and not sure why anyway I know I put a fresh set of NiZn rechargables in a etrac and it just wouldn't start so etrac has a high cut out so as not to fry the machine and they would be around that 1.7 volts fresh.

anyway its pretty clear from my testing that 13 volts is fine and probably getting near peak performance there !

but as with all this stuff I am happy to be wrong that's why I come here to learn.

thanks for joining in the discussion !

AJ

 

[Woodstock]

So what your saying is I can boost my MX5 to around or 13 volts without frying out my machine ? It out preforms now and getting more would be awesome ! Woodstock

 

[amberjack]

not sure about the results but watch this space I am working on li ion battery mods for the MX5. but no I do not think 13 volts will harm the detector.

but please any mods you or anyone else does you know they void any warranty and are your responsibility.


AJ

 

[Woodstock]

I sure will AJ and what you find sucessful I will try out ... you first of course ! Woodstock

 

[Hombre]

I get about 50 hours on my MX5 with Ray O Vacs.........just a couple of ¢ents per hour, who needs rechargeables anyway!!

 

[amberjack]

I sure will AJ and what you find sucessful I will try out ... you first of course ! Woodstock

yeah I will go 1st no problems

AJ

 

[amberjack]

I get about 50 hours on my MX5 with Ray O Vacs.........just a couple of ¢ents per hour, who needs rechargeables anyway!!

I like having fresh battery's every time I hunt, and even more so I like to fiddle with stuff you know change it to how I want it, but I totally understand buy battery's go detecting too

AJ

 

[Hombre]

I get about 50 hours on my MX5 with Ray O Vacs.........just a couple of ¢ents per hour, who needs rechargeables anyway!!

I like having fresh battery's every time I hunt, and even more so I like to fiddle with stuff you know change it to how I want it, but I totally understand buy battery's go detecting too

AJ

Looking at your list of machines, now I understand how you could be battery poor...lol

 

[amberjack]

I get about 50 hours on my MX5 with Ray O Vacs.........just a couple of ¢ents per hour, who needs rechargeables anyway!!

I like having fresh battery's every time I hunt, and even more so I like to fiddle with stuff you know change it to how I want it, but I totally understand buy battery's go detecting too

AJ

Looking at your list of machines, now I understand how you could be battery poor...lol

yes helps to be able to re charge my battery's

working on going all Li Ion as they are super battery's hold their charge a long time , hold a lot of juice are safe, cheap, no memory, 1000 of charges , really detectors are way behind on this tech granted not many come standard with a battery pack but the CTX after I put some quality Li Ion battery's in it just keeps running.

so lots of pluses for these battery's and yes they are getting better by the day also.

I use them in my torches also

so that's about the story, so now detector company's need to make detectors to fit and work with these battery's and standard alkaline's


AJ

 

[amberjack]

check out these bad boys 3400 Mah of Panasonic made in Japan Li Ion cells $17 for the 4 delivered what's not to like run time as long as I can detect in a day at high rev's then a easy recharge and full power for tomorrow

AJ

 

[Hombre]

AJ....ever try the RNB battery system? Expensive, but what I hear from friends, is all good

Edit: forgot to mention that if you would please...... PM me info about the panasonics

 

[amberjack]

PM sent.


just got home 3 hr hunt battery's are still on 4.1 volts.


dug a pile of crap and no gold has to come out eventually right

AJ

 

[amberjack]

battery update on the MX5 which is one of the best I have used if it didn't have some design flaws but I like it so much I am working around them, 1st one right hand side headphone jack, 2 fixes for that, a patch lead and deteknixs wireless.

so anyway I charge up my AA 2900 mah battery's they work fine for about 1.hrs. and would be a total 10 volts max when fully charged for the 8 battery's, and 8 x alkaline's about 12 volts and a steady drop off, so when the rechargeables hit about 9 volts the detector starts doing some strange stuff sound and stability wise, so conclusion AA rechargeables are not an option and well I can not afford the price of AA alkaline's which drop to that 9 volts before they die so not going to get the full fuel tank use out of them.

so I go to work on my working prototype battery pack to get me up past 12 volts and stay there for well several hrs. plus, why well this detector is a real sleeper in my ground and one of the best I have used for the price its a steal.

so this mod makes no changes to the detector at all and can be restored to factory at any point in 10 mins.

so 1st job is to remove the battery pack, then flip the detector over you will see 6 star head screws holding the back plate of the battery compartment on remove those screws and put them somewhere safe.

then some 2 core electrical wire that would be used around 12 volt wiring I then soldered 2 open ended connectors on each end of both wires so they wont fall off they are to be attached to the plus and negative contacts you will see when taking the bottom plate off, I then cut the 2 core wire too long but better than 2 short and this I am making up as I go along remember

so then I soldered one end of a XT60 plug on that end used in RC connections I think.

I have a 3 x 18650 Li Ion battery holder terminal and solder the other end of the XT60 connector on the battery holder end on and remember plus and negative need to line up or it maybe not so nice.

then I had to work how and where the battery park will go the battery's are too big to fit inside just of right now but I am going to work on that and I just used what I had laying around to get me out hunting tomorrow working prototype

so I split one of the 4 battery holders that the 18650's come in and the battery pack fits in how to hold it together so I can get the battery's out easy for charging 2 elastic bands of cause , how to attach this new power supply to the detector had a bit of 3M duel lock stuck a bit on the power box and a bit on the underside of the detector.

and I think the pictures tell the story those battery's have been laying around a couple weeks so might get up close to 13 volts when fully charged and that will be fine fingers crossed no really it will be.

of cause I want to improve this design ( battery holder mainly) but for the most part it looks like it kicks butt and lifts the back of the detector up which is a plus too

so well yeah that's it check the photos.

AJ

 

[slingshot]

AJ, forgive me-but I look at all your equipment and drool- and you say you can't afford AA batteries!