Jump to content

Recommended Posts

I seen this issue on the oz forum...is anyone besides me having a problem with the 12v charger for the gpz?

I have two- one for my ctx and one for the 7000 and they both behave badly...when I plug one into the 12v outlet in my truck it starts flashing red while charging. The manual says this means there may not be enough battery to pull juice from the truck battery...my truck battery is brand new.

So, I carry a small invertor and plugged that into the 12v outlet, then the battery charger into the inverter...the charger worked fine but my truck battery was  drawn down and I had to jump it...

so, the second question is this; does the inverter draw a huge amount of amps to go from 12v to 110v to charge a the zed battery???

Also, is the sensitivey of the minelab chargers adjustable ????

thanks

fred

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Mine worked fine for my CTX since its release, I've never had any issues.

But I'm running 3x 120ah deep cycle battery's in my car + the cranking battery.

And the ZED charger hasn't given me any problems yet.

It must have something to do with an in-adequate power supply, every one who has this issue seems to have smaller battery's in their car.

Inverters do use extra power but its not over the top, if the inverter is draining your battery it is definitely inadequate.

I would consider getting a decent sized deep cycle battery and a charging regulator.

If you are charging off your cars starting battery it is not ideal for prolonged power draw, as its a cranking battery.

Its not the minelab charger, in all of the other cases I have seen I identified the cranking battery inadequacy as the culprit. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The charger is not adjustable.

As long as the charging LED is flashing green the battery is still charging, even if the power LED is flashing red. See the note on the last picture below from the owners manual"

"For input voltages between 11 and 12 V DC, the charger will still operate however the battery will take longer to charge if the power LED is flashing red."

It does not mean you battery per se but the circuit, and can be caused by nothing more than inefficient wiring. Frankly, the charger is too sensitive to small voltage issues but again, if the battery LED is flashing green just get on with charging.

Minelab includes a harness for the charger that allows you to directly hook to your battery. Do this, and if the problem goes away it is in the wiring and could be from other items on the circuit.

My charger works perfectly from my front 12V outlet but there is one in the rear of my truck that makes the LED flash red. Too long a stretch of small wire? No matter, it still charges the battery.

I accidently ran my battery dead because I stupidly was running the heater while charging but truck was off so no surprise there! But I now have a separate deep cycle battery with charging harness for field use.

post-1-0-36044700-1432739414_thumb.jpg

post-1-0-50428800-1432739420_thumb.jpg

post-1-0-91211800-1432739423_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Guys.

Dale, I noticed while visiting Oz that transport is set-up for being on one's own. Chargers, solar-power and freezers everything to provide for a long term stay in the beautiful vast spaces of OZ...you folks have it figured out for sure!

 

fred

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing you can try is to install another charge port with heavier gauge wiring as this will minimize the voltage drop from the battery to the charge port. 16ga wire or better would be preferable for distances longer than 10 feet.  Dual battery is the way to go out bush :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fred

 I had the same problem with the plug in part of the 12 V charger. The plug in power cord only worked once and then flashing red every time after that. I used the alligator clips directly on the batteries and worked every time. I had a 50 watt solar panel to maintain my batteries and the monitor on them was either full or charged, so I know it wasn't a lack of voltage from the batteries. I contacted AZO about my problem, he sent me a new power cord and it worked and the original wouldn't. I suspect that the wiring on the cord is insufficient to carry the voltage.

                                            Norm

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

While charging in my car yesterday i started to smell plastic. Worked out it was the charger. I felt it and the base was very hot, the battery was mildly warm. Anybody else had this?

cheers BB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No problem here. Note the 240v charger puts out 18v, have you tried it with the alligator clamps direct on battery rather than cig lighter. Cig lighter plugs are not the best conx, and I suspect that is where your problem is, a high resistance joint cutting voltage. I use the old 32v polarised plugs have been doing so for 40 years in vehicles, no drama. Should be available in US, they were used in low voltage households before the grid power and are still being made by Clipsal, who I suspect are worldwide.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...