~LARGO~

Steve, What charger are you using? I would assume it discharges your rechargeable batteries then automatically recharges them? This discharge thing of the rechargeables is a new thing to me. I guess it makes the batteries life longer. I didn't do it with the lithium ion batteries, although something tells me it was a good thing to run them pretty much down once in a while prior to recharging. I am a carpenter or was, and this electronics thing escapes me for the most part... Maybe I will try my inverter one of these days. Take care! Gary/Largo

Ken, I agree! Gary/Largo

Steve, what is the wattage of your inverter you use in your 4-Runner? I have an old Coleman 400 watt inverter I used, along with an auto battery I carried to the field in the bed of my truck. I used it to charge my old SD2100 batteries. I wonder if that would have enough beef to charge these "C" 5000 mHa batteries? I suspect it might, but how long it would take, I have no idea. As an aside, that old SD2100 I just mentioned was sold quite some time back to Lanny Rolls, (Lanny in Alberta) at Treasurenet.com, who writes such wonderful gold prospecting stories of southern Alberta, Canada. He mentions "that faithful old 2100" in his gold hunting stories occasionally. His stories remind be a bit of a young prospector I have read about in Alaska, for so many years... Steve something... Gary/Largo

Skip, that is a better deal! I will check it out more fully. Thanks very much! 8 batteries would be great! And, it does do the discharge function, which is necessary for these batteries... I wonder how many other new owners are wondering how to solve this odd situation we have been presented with? Gary

**Looks the same as the one I have and used last evening, Skip. I went to Onlybatteries.com Disclaimer: I know nothing about the above website nor their business practices. I found under: 4 bay smart chargers w/ car cord & batteries Don't do a search on that OnlyBatteries.com website, it will always come up with zero, as they want you to contact them. Find: V-2299 Item number 16134 Price is $61+ dollars, has what I need, plus choice of Powerizer or Tenergy 5000 mHa rechargeable batteries, your choice, same price. I will use the charger I received at purchase of my new SDC 2300 at home only. Or if I get an r.v again, I will use the inverter in that trailer. I hope this helps. I don't think anyone having anything to do w/Minelab will be of much help in this, which is understandable. I talked with a couple ML dealers, and they are non committal, like "you are on your own", until we hear from Minelab. So this is why I have been beating the brush trying to find what I could use until I could find an acceptable car charger, if there is one that is up to the job of pumping up these powerful 5000 mHa "c" batteries. I did buy some RAYOVAC ULTRA PRO "c" batteries, which are non-chargeable throw-aways. I bought 4 packs of 6 each, to do me for the upcoming weekend, cost me in the neighborhood of $16.00 for that many (24) batteries. A nice nugget would cover that... Oh, by the way, I bought them at BATTERIES Plus. I don't think you will find a better source of c batteries at a decent price than there. "C" cell batteries are a very rare item, even at a big box store. On the package of my batteries, it reads: LASTS AS LONG AS DURACELL... We shall see... I hope this helps. Us end users need to help each other right now, until we get this thing figured out... Again, thanks again to Steve Herschbach for this place to grouse a little... Have a dandy day! Gary / Largo

Hi Ken and all, In the past couple of days, I took the leap of faith, buying a Minelab SDC 2300, feeling that somehow this battery thing would be figured out eventually. What I received, and NOT included in the detector box, was a Vanson Model V-9688, Universal Ni-MH battery charger (with USB port) which I was initially reluctant to open, but wanting to use the machine at a prospecting club outing this weekend, I did use the charger last evening. What is different with the rechargeables, is that the batteries have to be discharged before they can be recharged. That could be standard, I don't have previous experience with such things, so I followed the directions. The discharge process takes some time, the instructions indicated the device would automatically begin charging of the batteries, after the discharge process was completed. This morning the charger readout screen showed all the batteries were charged. I hope so. All that being said, there still remains the issue of recharging in the field, which, as it is now, with the supplied charger, you need to have: 1. an rv with an inverter 2. A battery power source, as well as an inverter that, if you don't already have one with the correct specs, will have go out and buy one. All this for the lack of a simple 12 volt male plug, that can be plugged into a vehicle battery port. I know someone will come up with a solution to this, but, I have searched all battery suppliers and sporting goods in my area for such, by thus far have had zero (no) success... There could be more to this story that is unsaid, but thus far, no one is talking. IF I can find some additional batteries of the correct specs talked about in the owners manual, I may buy some. But that still limits my time in the field, however, to a couple of days, unless I buy some non-rechargeable batteries, which do not have a great run time, I understand and are expensive. Gary

Hello Skip, Re: 12v. adapter availability: That could very well be the case, and thank you for comments! I don't know right off what the model number of the charger might be. Maybe someone else can chime in with that model number for you. For the price of the detector, it should be sold with both charging plug options, right out of the box. It could be some of the new machines DID have both charging capabilities with their new machines. I am in no position to know, and as Steve indicated, it is too early on after the release of the machines for feedback, for various reasons. It was just an observation on my part. As I indicated previously, every Minelab that I have ever owned, since the early 90's, that utilized rechargeable batteries, came with both 110 and 12v capabilities for recharging. As I indicated previously, I believe that this situation was an inadvertent oversight. Best wishes, and thank you for your interest! Gary

Hello, I did some snooping around, found that the same company that makes the charger provided with the new Minelab SDC 2300, which is VANSON, does make "C" cell vehicle chargers for the those batteries supplied with that new detector. Unfortunately, the charger supplied with the detector, or at least the one I saw, is a 110 wall charger, which just won't work in a vehicles accessory charge port... I believe somehow, someone, with the best of intentions ordered the incorrect chargers. Vanson does make a combo 110 charger for the batteries, which also includes a charging plug for a vehicle charge port, just like every other Minelab I have owned for the last 20 years. And, as welll, this charger combo also comes with 4 Powerizer "c" batteries, or you can get that same charger with 4 Tenergy rechargeable "c" cell batteries, same price... Hope this helps! Gary

Very nice, Steve! That ATX is a gold getting machine! Thanks for sharing! Gary

Hi Steve and all, As you indicate, as the SDC 2300 is a new entry into the detector options, it will take a little time for folks to realize they will either have to pass on the machine, or have to spend more dollar$ after the sale, to make this machine more user friendly out in the field. People who spend extended time in the field will be more impacted with this issue, than the guy that has a big motorhome, and spends only a weekend or so, putting about with his new favorite metal detector, or using his many r.v. batteries or generator to charge his batteries if he chooses. I have a small generator, a Honda EU2000i, but I wouldn't want to run the thing for however many hours it takes, when I could plug a charger into my truck or atv outlet and hit the hay, as I have done for many years. I would also have a second set of rechargeables ready, just because I believe in having extra of those critical items. I really hope there is a solution in the works for this. I would think the wheels are turning already... Thanks! Hope you can match Chris's nice slug today! Gary

Hi all, I guess the option for the guy who is contemplating an extended stay in the back country, is to have a case of c cell batteries, or and inverter, along with multiple sets of rechargeables. Opens up a whole lot of possibilities. I used to carry a fresh 12 volt car battery along in the bed of my truck, with an inverter hooked up to it, to charge my old gel cell minelab batteries. I have no idea how many recharges one could get off of that set up, with the charger that comes with the new SDC 2300, however. Solar is expensive and ok for desert work, but in Alaska, probably not practicable everyday. Looks like some enterprising person such a Doc, needs to come up with a whiz bang solution to this situation. Now I realize why I was getting the silent treatment when I posed the question of turn around recharge time for the c batteries in the field around the forum circuit... Wishing you guys lots of luck! Gary

Hello all, I have been assigned to ask just how you guys out in the field recharge your batteries for your Minelab SDC 2300 gold detector? I am really curious, as I saw one of those new detectors in a box, and it had separately, not in the box, a off the shelf charger with standard 2 prong 120v. plug end. Aside from having a portable generator, or an inverter, how WOULD you charge your rechargeable c cell batteries? The rest of the Minelabs had a 12v plug that would work in any 12 volt plug in a vehicle, but this one has me stumped a little. I know there could be others that will be curious about this in due time... Thanks for setting me straight, as most times in the field, I don't have a current bush to plug into. Maybe I am missing something somewhere... Have great day! Gary

Hello, I was reading on another gold prospecting forum, a fellow was concerned about how robust the articulating coil connection might be on the new Minelab SDC 2300 metal detector, as well as some questions I have come up with, in regard to that detector. I will continue that first thought here, rather than possibly compromise a potential sale by a reader of a forum, whose owner might be a Minelab dealer. With regard to the coil's articulating joint: I have no technical knowledge that would tell me how robust/water resistance that moveable joint might be or have, nor the longevity of such a joint, with respect to its electrical conductivity life expectancy. I would think that the Minelab people had the same questions when the design was put forth for production, so I don't know why it should be a big secret for end users to know about, after all, it is a pretty penny to buy the machine, and you sure don't want it to go south on you right when the warranty expires, or even before for that matter... My experience with the early Minelab XT's, was that there could have been a better way that would constrain that battery pack and limit it's ability to bang around within the confines of the control box. Plus, now that I think of it the battery box door was subject to falling out, and being lost, as an aside... If my memory is correct, those tiny wires that connected the battery to the circuit board were a single strand, a hard wire, as opposed to a more flexible multiple stranded wire. In my case, the first time out with that machine, the battery module moved around so much within that control box, that the single wire broke. End of that day's use, until I could resolder the wire back at home, and hoping it would work a little longer next time I went out. The point of all of this is, we have come to expect a good product, that has been well thought out, and field tested to keep up spoiled Minelabbers happy, which I have been since the early 1990's. I have never sent any of my Minelabs back for repairs. None. Let's see: XT16000, 17000, 18000, SD2100, GP3000,GP4000,GPX5000. That is a lot of Minelabs. Plus many coils, many. THAT is a lot of dollars worth of faith in their product. Not a paid commercial... One other concern regards the use of "C" cells in the SDC2300. The why of it, opposed to the use of them, as opposed to a lighter AA rechargeables, or maybe 9 volt batteries. Could have to do with the "c" cells being more availability in Australia or??? I have become spoiled with the fast recharging lithium ion batteries. Fast, with a quick turn around. Expen$ive: oh yes! I am curious about the turn around time of the "C" cell rechargeables. I know that the old gel cell batteries did take some time to recharge, as do the AA rechargeables, so I guess the answer there, is to have spare sets of "c" batteries along to use, if you plan to have especially long detecting days. Perhaps down the road, we will see a lighter lithium-ion battery setup that will provide a really fast turn around time. Maybe that would help justify the inordinately high MSRP price of this little detector. I DO understand the reason for pricing the detector at the level it is presently... I am pretty excited, stoked even, about this little articulator. I am pretty sure there are a lot of people out there right now, drooling over their old maps, with the thought of resurrecting those old patches that were so good to us back in the day, plus other patches that remain to be discovered. Thanks, Steve for making this forum kind available. I hope you are having a great time, and enjoying your chili supply, even finding a few nuggies with that SDC 2300. Keep us in touch... Gary/Largo