Minelab Battery Pack Care

[Syndyne]

Hi all,

I was wondering how you've all gone with several months/long term storage or semi permanent/several weeks storage of the SD or GPX Li battery packs over the years? I haven't really seen any battery care topics on the Minelab website (that I could find easily anyhow). They should get one up but maybe we can beat them to it.

It's something I've been thinking about since owning the new 5000. I'm only able to get out on a trip about twice or three times a year at most so it'll be just sitting stagnant in the case for a few months at a time between uses.

A couple of basic questions I had were along the lines of:

1.Is it something you like to keep on top of or not really too worried at all?

2.Have you found any good tips or tricks over the years for care?

3.Do you like to discharge then recharge it or keep it at medium-full charge?

Any tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated by most ML operators here I would assume.

Thanks kindly guys.
Shauno.

 

[AU Fever]

Hey Shauno, if properly maintained Lithium Ion batteries can last a long time. Here's a few tips:

1. Always recharge your battery immediately after you use it. Never leave your battery in a partially discharged state.
2. Batteries like to be cycled (worked). If you can't get out often (less than every 3 months) simply turn your detector on and let it sit there for a day. Then recharge the battery.
3. Only use the charger that came with the detector. Never use a different charger.
4. All batteries have a level of self discharge, which varies in different temperatures. If you don't want to run out of juice on the field, top up your battery the night before you go out. Especially if you haven't been out for a while.
5. Once the battery is charged, disconnect the charger. Lithium Ion batteries do not need to be kept on a "trickle" charge. It's just wasting energy.
6. After charging you'll probably notice the battery is a little bit warm. It's a good idea to let it rest for about an hour and return to the ambient temperature before using.

Hope this helps...

AU

 

[Syndyne]

Cheers AU!

Some great tips there. Being a fairly expensive replacement, it's good to look after the batteries enough to give many years of use.

A little common sense would be to avoid any and all nasty knocks that might damage the circuitry inside.

What alerted me to this was watching a video of guy detecting recently (in the US) just unhooking his harness and then dropping the entire pack onto the ground! I then watched in horror as he did the same with the 5000 from full standing height.

I've looked after the Li batteries in my cameras pretty well over the last eight years and haven't seen any major issues. I guess those on here who also do videos for YouTube etc. can also apply this to their Li camera batteries as well. They can be a fairly resilient battery if looked after correctly. Great technology.

Kindest regards,
Shauno.

 

[AU Fever]

Yep, great technology now that the battery manufacturers make them so they don't catch on fire

A better emerging technology is LiFePo (Lithium Iron Polymer). Supposed to last longer, don't have the over-charging problems of Lithium Ion, can pack more power into a smaller package, can deliver more "surge" power and take less time to charge as they can take more current.

Anyway to stay on topic, if you look after your batteries they can outlast your detector. Remember to keep working them, that's the most important part. Most laptop Lithium Ion batteries die prematurely because they never get discharged.

AU

 

[jamie]

Hi everyone, hope all is doing well
my question is in regards to the battery on the new (if it makes a difference) 4500, i dont get out detecting heaps, maybe once every couple of months and am starting to worry it may affect battery life, i know you can buy new batteries etc buy would rather not replace it at $300 a pop if i can help it.

what is the best way to maintain a battery between long periods of use? i have read a few different opinions like just charge it every now and again or just leave it on charge but is there a hard rule to go by that will maintain it without any real ill effects to it

cheers guys
Jamie

 

[old hand]

Hi Jamie I would not like to leave it on the charge, i think just charge once ever 4 weeks and top it up the day before you intend to go detecting ,another option just give Minelab a ring in SA and speak to a techo regards john

 

[jamie]

Cheers John, i agree the leaving it on charge was a idea i wasnt going to entertain, at present i charge it about every 3 to 4 weeks and do the top up the day before i go, just thought i would throw the question out there as it seems like hard info to find.
i will give them a call at minelab and ask that is a great idea mate
cheers

 

[M3talmiliti4]

After you speak to a minelab tech let us know what they say, im in the same boat as you jamie, dont get out much and i just spent $400 on a battery and want to look after it.

 

[jamie]

ok guys the word is from minelab is to charge it every month or so, the batteries DO NOT like to be left flat so even leaving it half charged is better than flat, i said i charge mine once a month or so and top it up the day before i go and he said that is perfect

 

[M3talmiliti4]

Great advice straight from the horses mouth, thanks mate

 

[jamie]

no worries mate glad i could help a little