Have You Thought About Your Detector's Battery?

[GB_Amateur]

24 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

Just power cycle it every once in a while to check that the battery is OK and has greater than 50 percent charge in storage....

First question:  can you elaborate on the importance of the "50% charge (in) storage"?

Second question:  what if your device doesn't show the battery charge?

I ask these because I had a device with Li battery which went bad (as in will no longer hold a charge) and its age was more like 5 years.  I had only used it one or two dozen times, then onto the shelf.  When I finally needed it, the performance failed.  It's certainly possible I didn't store it with enough charge.  There was no problem with temps, humidity, sunlight, etc. as far a storage is concerned.

[Chase Goldman]

58 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

First question:  can you elaborate on the importance of the "50% charge (in) storage"?

Second question:  what if your device doesn't show the battery charge?

I ask these because I had a device with Li battery which went bad (as in will no longer hold a charge) and its age was more like 5 years.  I had only used it one or two dozen times, then onto the shelf.  When I finally needed it, the performance failed.  It's certainly possible I didn't store it with enough charge.  There was no problem with temps, humidity, sunlight, etc. as far a storage is concerned.

It is recommended that you not store a Li Ion battery fully discharged for long periods of time.  For optimal lifetime, it is recommended that the Li Ion battery be stored with between 50 to 70% charge between maintenance charges that should be applied every 3 to 4 months.  And yes, fully charged is also not typically recommended by Li Battery manufacturers but that is not what is typically stated in detector manuals.  That is why I am not recommending that people recharge the battery every 3 to 4 months (the actual recommendation in the Equinox 700/900 manual on page 54), because ideally that would require a discharge and recharge to 70% if you want to fully optimize the lifetime and keep it at the 70% ideal storage charge.  I have basically ignored the "don't store it with a full charge" battery manufacturer recommendation and haven't seen a problem.  I pay more attention to storing it with at least >50% (and up to full) charge for a few reasons: first  - because it is recommended to store with charge to prolong battery lifetime; second: it mitigates the possibility of the battery draining to full discharge if there actually is self-discharge or trickle draw on the battery, and third: it enables me to grab and go with the detector and still get some detecting in, even if I forget to charge it the night before.  As a backup I can charge it in the car on the way to the site with a portable charge bank and if I am really in dire straits, use the portable charge bank as power/charge source while actually using the detector. 

If you want optimal battery lifetime - then discharge and charge every 3 to 4 months.  For me, it is sufficient that if the battery is holding a charge and the detector cycles on and works fine playing with it for a few minutes every few months, then I just leave it alone after my periodic check until another few months in storage.  If I am regularly using the detector, then I just pay attention to the storage and charge temperature recommendations (see below) and recharge the detector after use to make sure it is not sitting around in a discharged state and is ready to go for the next outing.

Pay attention to your detector manual storage, charge, and operational temperature limits - note that these are all different ranges.  This protects the detector electronics and display, but most importantly, the battery.  The battery can be damaged and swell if it gets too hot and, similarly, the battery can be damaged if stored below the recommended storage temperature or charged below the recommended charge temperature limits.  For Equinox, these limits are published as follows:

Do not expose the detector to extreme temperature conditions: The storage temperature range is from −20°C to +70°C (−4°F to +158°F) Avoid leaving it in a hot vehicle

Do not charge the detector or accessories in extreme temperature conditions — Only charge the detector in ambient temperatures between 0°C and +40°C (+32°F and +104°F) (Note how these are different than the storage limits because charging the battery at less than 32F causes permanent damage to the chemicals in the battery, reducing it's capacity/run time.  Note that this would also apply if you are using an external charge bank while using the detector in cold conditions, so make sure you are not using it and charging it in below freezing conditions)

Operating Temperature Range–10°C to +40°C (+14°F to +104°F) - The thing to note here is that it is ok to operate your detector below 32F/0C, it is just not OK to charge your battery below 32F/0C

Also note that Li Ion batteries themselves are not really designed to be resistant to mechanical shock.  If you drop a Li Ion cell, you may break it, so handle it with care.  This doesn't mean you need to treat your detector like it's an egg as the structure of the detector itself provides some shock cushioning to the battery cell, just be careful when handling the battery cell itself.

Even if you do everything right, sometimes these batteries just prematurely fail hard for no apparent reason due to internal defects.  This typically happens near the beginning of battery life (called infant mortality) or closer to but before the end of expected life.

 

 

[GB_Amateur]

Thanks for that long, detailed treatise, Hugh.  It's exactly what I was hoping for, and why I asked you for it!

[F350Platinum]

I bought a multi port "semi-smart" charger that shuts down the port when a device is fully charged, but I do not know when it considers the device needs the port turned back on, it just does. It would be like watching grass grow.

Since I use my detector(s) at least once a week, I have not seen any issues. It's been a couple of years now. 🤔

[phrunt]

It's super easy to replace the Nox 700/900 and Manticore Batteries, as it was with the Nox 600/800 too.

A 3 minute video from the Minelab Service Agent in OZ shows how simple it is on the 900/Manticore.