What are the advantages and disadvantages of using lithium batteries?...

The added shelf life is a real plus if you leave batteries in your detector for extended periods of time. Who hasn't left the batteries in a detector and not used it for awhile. Then, later, thought about the possibility of corrosion from a battery going bad.I would think that the lithiums would be much safer with the extended shelf life. Anyone ever have one leak or go bad on them? Of course the price is high for the AA and 9 volt lithiums. How much longer will a set last in a detector if any, percentage wise. Of course you can not carry lithium batteries on an airline so that is a negative to consider. Also, does anyone make a rechargeable double 9 volt battery pack that would work in a machine like the CZ 6a or CZ 3d that has excellent battery power and long lasting on a charge? I know it is so nice to have a detector with the rechargeable batteries like the Excall, but not all machines have these. It does add to the cost but I would pay extra for the rechargeable battery packs on most all my machines....Stuart

Lithium ion batteries are the most common rechargable lithium type batteries. As far as air travel, the web site below has the rules.

[phmsa.dot.gov]

The rule for uninstalled batteries limits them to 100 watt hours capacity. For example, The Whites TDI pretty large LI battery pack is 60 watt hours (per the TDI manual).

I was surprised recently when I went to Denmark with 2 detectors, three coils, a pinpointer, spare batteries etc. In my carry on bag. I e pected to have to open it at every inspection and had the manualsfor all the devices along, just in case. I was surprised that they just sailed through the xray with no problem. I guess they are pretty used to our gear!

Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold

I think the deus uses them and they are replaceable and get I think 400-600 hours that is really good for me it will take me years to run them down and I mean years

LowBoy

TAKE A LITTLE TIME KICKBACK AND WATCH SOME OF MY DETECTING VIDEO'S BELOW ON YouTube

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I'm sure "search and recovery" is talking about NON-rechargeable Li batteries, versus alkaline, ZnCl etc.
Re: the 9V batteries, PP3 NiMH's are now available with capacities of more than 250mAh, I have seen some claiming over 300mAh, though I'm a little suspicious, and would recommend limiting your choice to better brands, even if the capacity is 200-220-240mAh. For comparison, alkaline PP3's typically have capacities from 450 - 600mAh.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2014 08:16PM by Pimento.

search and recovery Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Also, does anyone make a
> rechargeable double 9 volt battery pack that would
> work in a machine like the CZ 6a or CZ 3d that has
> excellent battery power and long lasting on a
> charge? I know it is so nice to have a detector
> with the rechargeable batteries like the Excall,
> but not all machines have these. It does add to
> the cost but I would pay extra for the
> rechargeable battery packs on most all my
> machines....Stuart

Stuart,
I've been using 9v rechargeable Li-on I get from Amazon. They're about 600 mAH, and last at least as long as alkaline for me.
An added bonus is the lighter weight. I can tell which detector I use has them just by picking it up.

Search Amazon for "EBL® 600mAh 9V Lithium-ion Low Self-discharge Rechargeable Battery"
Note the Low Self-discharge rating. That means the battery won't quickly go flat just from sitting.

The batteries are ever so slighty longer than standard 9v, and I had to change the weatherstrip tape in my CZ battery cover to a thinner material.

Hope this helps,
mike

There's also this brand Li rechargeable PP3:
[anrieff.net]
Finding a suitable charger is also one potential problem with these batteries.

Pimento Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There's also this brand Li rechargeable PP3:
> [anrieff.net]
> iIon-9V-en.html
> Finding a suitable charger is also one potential
> problem with these batteries.


For about $16.00 you can get a pair of the EBL along with a dedicated constant current smart charger that will also work with AA, AAA, and 18650s.
I have about 12 of them...so far so good, although I swear one of them is starting to develop a bulge. (still seems to work OK)

mike



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2014 05:37AM by Mike in CO.

Thanks for the information guys, especially Pimento and Mike.

There are a few sellers listing the EBL bundles on UK eBay (with US 2-pin plugs, but they are universal 110/240 voltage). There's a 2-battery and a 4-battery charger listed. They are trickle-chargers, I notice, ie. 10+ hours charge time. I think this is probably due to the battery only allowing access to the end 2 terminals, and not the intermediate terminal where the 2 cells are joined.
[To correctly fast-charge a pack of 2 Li cells, you need to monitor and regulate the charge to each cell (as they are never identical), so every terminal needs bringing out. It's common for radio-control model battery packs to have two seperate cables - a thick 2-core for discharge, and a multi-wire connector for charging.]

For some reason 9 volt rechargeable are for the most part not as efficient as other size rechargeable batteries. Especially on CZ's...Tried several brands over the years and wasn't happy with their performance...
Shop around for top of the line alkalines on sale and usually buy mine in bulk from Sam's Club or on sale...

Several years ago I tried 9v rechargeable Li on my CZ-70, and at a max I would get about 4-6 hours of usage. As the battery discharged, it didn't reflect the discharge on the battery meter and the CZ would just shut off when the batter was exhausted.

Now keep in mind that when I tried them, there were only a couple of 9V Li batteries on the market, so it sounds like there are much better quality ones available now.

Lawrenzo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think the deus uses them and they are
> replaceable and get I think 400-600 hours that is
> really good for me it will take me years to run
> them down and I mean years


its a piece of cake changing the Deus batterys after buying some on the bay or from sparkfun ,just a few screws on the phones or remote box. coil battery needs potting in.
you could squeeze in a slightly bigger battery if you wish