Tesoro 9v battery mod

[ralphiejc]

I converted my Vaquero single 9v battery to a 6 cell AA battery pack(9v) for longer battery life(Photo shows AA battery size and battery from inside 9v,one of six).-first I stripped a dead 9v battery (duracell has strips attached)for the terminal end with the thin connecting strips attached(photo) so i could solder wires to the terminals.I made,out of wood(photo),3 thin pieces glued together so i could grove one for the wirers to fit into) a block the size of the 9v battery and added the new wires and battery terminals so it would fit into the battery compartment as a 9v battery would.I had to notch the battery cover for the wire to exit the compartment(you can get a new one from Tesoro).I stripped an old low voltage transformer (wall plug type) that was large enough to hold the new 6/AA pack.Any plastic housing will do.I used a 3/4 inch plastic pipe clamp to fasten the housing to the upper arm ,just below the stand.I added 9v battery terminals to the end of the wire and battery pack for easy replacement of the batteries.(watch polarity.it reverses when two 9v terminals/wires are plugged together).A few velcros hold the wire to the shaft...Yes,this does add a little weight to the machine but the batteries will last a lot longer...6AA battery holder and 9v battery terminals and probably housing at Radio Shack,on line..3/4in pipe clamp and thin wood strip at home depot.Ralph

 

[bik-il]

Well done. Nice job.
Thanks for sharing!

 

[Mega]

It looks a nice battery mod but not sure how much extra battery life you get,would a Lithium 9v battery last about the same time but without the modification ???

 

[ralphiejc]

didn`t try that,but if you look at the physical size of the AA battery compared to the size of one of the 6 batteries inside a 9v battery(photo) I cant see that a 9v would last longer.So far I have 15 hrs on my AA mod and still get ALL the beeps on the turn on batt. test..Ill report back on how long the batteries last using the 12x10 coil,max sens and super tuned...Ralph

 

[ralphiejc]

so far I have about 50 hours (@ 4 hrs per day) on the same batteries using the mod I did and still getting all the `beeps`when I turn it on.It was well worth the effort.....

 

[jabbo]

I made the same setup for my Coinstrike. A wooden dummy 9 volt battery and 7 AA rechargeable batteries. The charger plugs into an 1/8 inch jack, no need to remove the batteries when recharging them. Mounted the battery pack on the outside of the arm cuff. Been using it for years, works great. Nine volt batteries are too expensive to keep buying.

 

[ralphiejc]

It took 74 hours of use before the batteries needed attention-I used 4 energizer ultimate lithium and 2 duracell alkiline(to keep the voltage down a little).and then I only had to replace the 2 alkilines..even though these machines dont eat batteries like others do ,Im sure I would have gone thru more than 2-9volters in 74 hours...good idea using the rechargables Jabbo .maybe thats next....

 

[machineman]

I think some of the rechargables are 1.2v instead of 1.5v. Nice mod.

 

[SilverFinger]

Holy crap - great minds think alike! I did the same thing to my Compadre and Cibola. Stunning battery life now and the additional weight is negligible. I'm not sure why other single 9v Tesoro users wouldn't be interested in the mod as it works fantastically.