12Volt charging lead for GPZ7000 & CTX3030.

Hi Folks,
Those of us with the above detectors and use the 12 volt charging lead regularly.
Check the figure eight cable where it exits the cable restrainer on the cigarette lighter plug, today I noticed mine has a crack in the insulation and further use will cause the bare copper conductors to 'shot out" this is the second cable that has suffered the same issue and is potentially a fire hazard if not attended to.
MineLab replaced the original cable with the current one and it too has suffered from the same failure as the first one, no change in design/ components, given the high cost of these detectors one would expect quality components that would handle general usage.
Cheers, SinHof.

Chinese cable most probably mate.

Evening Heatho,
Too lighter cable, a few months of use and the bloody insulation splits at the exit of the cable restrainer, a slight twist and the cable short circuits, a potential fire hazard looking for somewhere to happen if it's not being monitor, something most folk would not do or see the need for. Cheap Chines manufacture for sure, rather poor form from MineLab, one would expect better quality components from this company, I will be on to them tomorrow for some answers.
SinHof.

You have my attention.
Curious to hear what they say .

Remember the house cabling problem with the chinese cable insulation degrading and cracking a couple of years after installation (infinity cable)? Typical of things these days.

Totally agree on the quality of the Minelab 12 volt charger leads, absolute crap. Bought a replacement from Reeds, $24 but not Minelab and much more robust.

Yes Coota, the DC cigi chargers are pretty second rate and they certainly don't last the distance, over the next week I will build myself a replacement version that will work and last a dam site better than the supplied ML inferior product.
SinHof.

I had two 12v charge cords included with my GPZ, one is a heavier duty cord with aligator clips for charging from the car battery. I modified mine by fitting Britax automotive plugs which are also fitted to my Engel fridge and in the rear of my cars. I've never used the flimsy other 12v cable supplied by Minelab.

Evening Claws,
The heavy battery cable that comes standard with the GPZ 7000, I was able to obtain a spare one, cut off the aligator clips and replaced them with a quality cigi plug. I have a 105 AH gel aux battery in the back of the landcruiser charged via two solar pannels and charge my 7000 and 3030 from there.The batteries for both detectors are interchangable so have a spare on charge through the day, works great and never get caught out with a flat battery.
Cheers, SinHof.

Evening SinHof,

I have dual batteries in both my Cruisers. I have set up my old 80 series for prospecting, rear drawers for detecting equipment and recovery gear, buckets up top have panning and dive gear in them. Have 12v USB, cig socket and plug for detector charger on left side and pump for rooftop shower in right side. Have an Alloy roof rack that I just need to mount the solar panel on when I get a chance.... too hot atm.

Looking forward to getting out to Ophir and Hill End when the weather cools for a swing and to try out the new shower and my new 3030 (should be arriving next week) around the old buildings and sites.

G'Day Claws,
Your Cruiser set-up looks the goods, I have something similar in mine including a single bed down the RHS,55 litre water tank and storage under. A full length draw down LHS with 68 litre fridge/freezer on top. Two solar pannels on and under the roof racks , one walk around to follow the sun, keeps the aux battery fully charged and a Thule 600 Pacific luggage cell for the other bush related stuff that won't fit in the cabin. Also, a Thind hot water heat exchanger and pump under the bonnet for hot showers during winter prospecting trips.
I have run heavy cable to various locations in the cabin to service the 12V requirements of the different devices that one needs to run/charge while out bush.
The aux battery is isolated from the vehicle electrics and services all of the load requirements on a daily basis not associated with the vehicle.
Charging the GPZ7000 and CTX3030 batteries requires the vehicle battery/s to be fully charged or close to it to prevent the detector charger from displaying the flashing red light; long runs of light cable from batteries to any reasonable load will cause varying amounts of voltage drop and can also cause the above flashing charger light issue.
Enjoy your new CTX3030, a bit of a learning curve first up but no great drama there, poking around old sites on the gold fields can be a ton of fun also, that's if you can drag yourself away from the gold side of detecting.
Cheers, Sinhof.