Minelab SDC2300 information and questions

You can also look around for after market batteries that have a larger pos contact ................ usually sorts it. Have found the Dick Smith brand when they were on special for $7 a set where even better. :Y: Also have found it's more prone to happen when batteries are getting low in charge

When you see most SDC owners with tape around their batteries... The struggle was real!

Electrical tape worked a treat. Just a few turns on each battery. Minelab should just chuck in a free roll of tape. lol
It is not a major issue, as good rechargeable batteries don't have the same problem.

Can't say I've ever had the battery issue, even when swapping out from the supplied 5000Mah to the Jaycar 4500Mah batteries just recently.

My trick for battery install is to slide them in gently while holding the SDC horizontal (armrest and handle upright) and sit it pretty level across my lap, then close the compartment lid carefully making sure it seats flat (so the springs don't deviate).

Best to simply avoid applying heat to a battery for heatshrink altogether. I would imagine most battery types are fairly volatile and you need all the fingers, hands and arms you can get for detecting!

Hope that helps with the issue.
Regards,
Shauno.

I think all the SDC's are duds Minelab should be well ashamed producing such a crappy product ........................ I'll give you $500 a piece for whoever wants to get rid of their rubbish

While were on batteries does anyone know about the Lithium-Ion Battery kits that come with a charger for the SDC ?
the batteries are 3500mAh LG MJ1 Li-ion Batteries

Like how long the batteries last? ... how long to charge ? etc
have you used them ?

JJJ Gold said:

While were on batteries does anyone know about the Lithium-Ion Battery kits that come with a charger for the SDC ?
the batteries are 3500mAh LG MJ1 Li-ion Batteries

Like how long the batteries last? ... how long to charge ? etc
have you used them ?

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/11316/1511250284_capture.jpg

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How long do they last, how long is a piece of string? If you mean how long are they operational for, that I'm afraid I don't know, but at 3500mAh you are going to be out there a long time.

The standard charge rate is .5C with a maximum rate of 1C and if you never let them drop below 3V then you should be good for about 400 charge cycles before having to replace them.

If they are genuine LG 18650's then the 3500mAh rating is correct and they are just a magic battery. Do NOT be tempted to buy anything higher than 3500MAh as it will end in tears, if you look on ebay there are sellers offering 18650's up to 12000mAh. There is NO such thing, about 3500Mah is it.

If you can make the spacers up yourself you can put together some 18650 (or 26650) batteries & a charger a lot cheaper than these packages.
This thread contains some info & the spacer dimensions: http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/4563-battery-alternative-for-sdc-2300/
I agree with Nenad though - the SDC being internally regulated then any performance improvement noted by users is likely a placebo effect but there are other benefits of using li ion batteries like lighter weight (negligible in the scheme of things though) & mostly a much longer run time in between charges.

Just back from Hill End where Balmain Bob showed us some more interesting sites. Always love going fossicking with Bob, as he has such a wealth of experience of not just the area, but fossicking in general.

This photo shows one 'dig' that proved to be just junk (as usual). No problem - all part of the experience! The interesting point is that John dug down to Knee deep to extract this piece of junk. Not bad for the device? SDC 2300

In my humble experience, I've found the SDC does punch that deep on certain targets, especially ferrous targets laying flat; so having a larger surface area. Makes you think that if you walked over a large nugget that deep it would see it.
In loose river stones, I've had it scream at an aluminum can at 2 foot +

Thanks Karynjohn for the nice compliments :8
There is gold to be found at that location but unfortunately not on the day that we went there
I do enjoy taking people new to this fantastic hobby / lifestyle out to show them the diverse areas that Hill End has to offer.
Whether you find bullets, buttons ,nails or the elusive bit of GOLD , its the fun of the chase at the end of the day that matters

The more fossickers and prospectors that I can encourage to come and visit this great town the better. :lol:


I will be returning to that area in the next week or so to detect a bit more of the area and hopefully will be able to report a find or two

THE sdc can go deep the hard bit is reckonising the target/signal deep targets offensief sound like ground noise you need to envestigate any iffy sound sometimes they turn into targets sometimes not ive dug kots of deep targets with niet sdc cheers Muk.

I think this was about 15 inches

I dug some nice deep holes in a dry creek with the sdc , both cans and both bloody hard work ! Awesome machine tho found gold every time ive had it out !

I found a chinese coin down about 1 foot at Wattle Flat in a mullock heap, was quite surprised at the depth it was at to be found with the SDC.

Earlier this month I dug a very faint warble near Dunolly, went down to 8 inches and it was screaming at me, thought I found a monster of a nugget as I was into really good wash and clay, another couple of inches and it was out.....it ended up being a piece of short copper pipe about an 25mm long and 5mm in diameter, I have no idea how something being so light got down so far, but the machine picked it up. I have a video but it's too long as I thought it was the worlds biggest nugget and full of swearing at the end

Old saying....If you don't dig it I will........different shapes and the angle they lay at give different sounds, you have to keep hovering.....

About 2 weeks ago I was detecting in Wedderburn with my father we both have a GPZ each and he has a SDC, later that day I decided to have a go with the SDC as I find it is a lot of fun especially after using the GPZ all day, we were detecting on some old diggings.

I had found a few very small bits then under a old dead tree I thought I could hear the threshold change ever so slightly, I interrogated the target for a bit then asked the oldman to wave the Z over when he got a chance and moved on. About 20 mins later he called out to me and I went back over to the old tree where he had dug down about half a foot, he had a very strong target signal. I told him he could have whatever it was as I would have left it anyway. Another half a foot down and we had the target out of the ground, I was sure it was going to be a 2-3 gram piece going off the signal it was giving off and also the depth that the SDC had picked it up. Turned out to be a .6 gram nugget.

I must say I was very impressed with the SDC that day.

Settings on the SDC were flat out.

Settings on the GPZ were:

Gen/dif
sens 6
all smoothings off
threshold 27

both machines were using headphones.

My .6 Nugglett made my SDC bark at 6".
Not a slight or warble at all.
A very distinctive loud signal.
My take was the nugglett was sitting flat giving a
larger target area.
I would say the machine would ping it at 8 to 10 "
in the same scenario very easily.

Tathradj said:

I would say the machine would ping it at 8 to 10 "
in the same scenario very easily.

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Agreed! This was clear and close to that 8'' depth