Minelab SDC2300 information and questions

[vstrom]

Thats the stuff I got on my sdc.top notch .

 

[HarryHoudini]

That can be done mate if you don't mind sacrificing the supplied headphones.
I got the PhaseTech lead as from memory it was about the same price as a new set of SDC headphones anyway. I like to have the original equipment intact for resale time also so left the headphones alone.

Found the SDC headphones too short so I purchased a Phasetech lead and some Sony headphone. Much better and really good quality

 

[Moneybox]

It's only the Minelab warranty that's stopping me opening up the SDC and changing the earphone socket to a standard 1/4" one like the 4500 has. How many actually submerse their detector into water anyway. I've been told they often leak so it's not worth the risk.

The earphones might be lousy but that's not the main problem. The plug and socket make poor contact and constant arcing has made ours pretty unusable. The Phastech cable broke the first time and we blamed that for the recent intermittent connection. We eventually went back to the Koss headphones and realised that the problem lies in the socket. Using the Koss earphones without volume control is potentially hazardous to your hearing so should be avoided and when they are intermittent it's even worse.

 

[user 7268]

MB I think I'd be taking the SDC back for Minelab to have a look at the socket myself ? Mine is that tight / good a connection it's almost a pain to connect and disconnect either the standard headphones or adaptor lead. Takes a very positive action to do either ?
I must add I did ditch the Koss originals the first week as I simply got sick of them falling of my head every time I bent over and have been running the Phasetech adaptor with both Gold Pro headphones and also the Deteknix cordless set up ever since but have never had a problem and it's copped some rigorous use in that time. The only thing I have always made sure of is that the adaptor lead I have attached with velcro to the SDC cover so no load is imposed on the actual plug ................ this could be the key ? Perhaps even when using the standard phones to anchor the lead so no load is on plug even ?
PS Happy belated Birthday to Mrs MB also

 

[vstrom]

Hi are you certain it not the plug on headphones . I don't use mine so are still in the box . My mate has had 3 sets replaced by minelab the slightest pull and there stuffed grab the back of plug and grab metal on front pull in and out if there is any movement at all there stuffed .

 

[Hunting the yellow]

hi all im just wondering I have rechargeable battery's in my sdc 2300 they are fully charged have checked them with a multi meter and it says they are fully charged I have also put the packing in between the battery case and batteries so they can't move around in the battery holders also triple checked to make sure they wore around the right way I turn on the detector and strait away I get the battery alarm going off continually also it then sometimes just turns its self off after 4 or so minutes its really puzzling if I can't get a quick fix I will be returning it to minelab im not impressed either paying 3k for just an alarm stick.

 

[Northeast]

Maybe try a different set of batteries and see if same issue. I returned a torch I was using with a rechargeable battery because kept randomly (I thought) going off. The young lady in the shop put in a new battery and it worked fine. I hadn't even considered it as the battery was fairly new and fully charged.
Might only be 1 battery in your lot that has a problem. Might only be a problem once under load and therefore not showing up on your tester - although I'm no technical genius - maybe battery testers put them under load?? :8

Hope it works out

 

[neddy]

I had a crook charger with mine. How can you say the batteries are fully charged using a multimeter. Just because the meter says 1.2v it does not mean it is fully charged. Its like saying its got the right petrol but the tank might not be full. How long did you charge the batteries? My charger even though its been for repair is still not much good even though its indicating batteries fully charged I am lucky to get 4hrs running time. I have now adapted lithium batteries and have no hassles run all day no worries.

 

[Tathradj]

Possible that the batteries are over voltage. ?
What voltage is each cell producing. ?
True about the test. Put a small load on each cell then measure the voltage.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Possible that the batteries are over voltage. ?
What voltage is each cell producing. ?
True about the test. Put a small load on each cell then measure the voltage.

Yes that is the same problems I was having last week,, I measured all the batteries and one was reading 1.67 volts and another was reading 1.58v which at the time I thought was impressive, but I put in two that were reading 1.43 and 1.44v and it fired up no problem,

It seems that Nicd's either won't charge but show they are charged and Nimh show too much charge.

HTY, hope you get it sorted soon, but batteries are the weakest link in the chain

Good luck,

 

[Heatho]

Yep try a different set of batteries HTY, hopefully it's not the detector.

 

[neddy]

I don't think its over voltage the machine has a regulator people using lithium batteries are putting 7 to 8 volts through the machine.

 

[Hunting the yellow]

ok have found something interesting out i have went and brought brand new 1.5 volt not rechargeable and it works fine as normal starts up and runs without sounding like an alarm clock so far so good with these

but as soon as I put the 1.2 volt ones in it seams the lower voltage just sets off the alarm again and yes I have made sure these rechargeables are fully recharged every single 4 of them I have 2 sets both two sets so 8 recargeables in total different brands both 5000mah capacity and ni cad never let me down when I was using them both in the last 2 weeks as for charger that works fine as well have check it and it charges the battery's I leave them on the charger for 5 to 7 hours or until the green lights go off since over charging them will wreck the battery's

so I have worked out its not the battery's it is the actual detector possibly not getting enough power somewhere or lose connection and then turning its battery alarm on all by its self with the lover voltage in the rechargeable battery's

im going to send it to minelab for repairs its under warranty still because if I myself try to check inside it or even modify the battery holder as much as I want to the warranty will be invalid then all ill have is an alarm stick to swing around.

 

[B5MECH]

If you run normal c cells how long do they last? if they don't last as long as you would expect to get I would say it has a bad connection, high resistance in a connection but if they last a long time I would think the rechargeable are suspect, it only takes 1 of the four batteries to be s@#t for it to fail
Had a 1 duracell ultra out of four die and that stopped the machine from operating

 

[user 4485]

I doubt it's overvoltage too. I doubt it's the machine if Alkalines are working. It will be an issue with the batteries or the charger or now maybe both.
Are you using Ni-Cad or NiMH? You should have NiMH batteries?
If they are Ni-Cad they must be fully discharged before recharging to get optimum performance.
The stock chargers are crap & I've heard that some need to cycle twice to fully charge the supplied batteries i.e. once the light goes green turn off & then restart charge cycle.
Best bet is put them on a decent charger if you can get hold of one & retry them or try another set.

 

[user 4485]

Found it. Further to above from the supplied SDC2300 charger (enecharger NC1500U) specs/instructions:
"Built in safety timer - For the 4 main slots (not 9V) if charging is still taking place after 3 hours the safety timer will cut out the fast charge and the charging current will drop to trickle charge rate. For high capacity batteries (higher than 4.4Ah) the charger will need to be reset (turned off then back on again after 3 hours) for fast charging to resume"
This is likely why some people are having issues with short battery life etc. from this charger.
To get a full recharge you would need to reset the charger as per above as the batteries supplied are 5000mAh (5Ah).
I knew I'd seen it somewhere but as I used a different 8 bank smart charger I never had this issue myself. I'll sleep better tonight now

 

[Hunting the yellow]

Found it. Further to above from the supplied SDC2300 charger (enecharger NC1500U) specs/instructions:
"Built in safety timer - For the 4 main slots (not 9V) if charging is still taking place after 3 hours the safety timer will cut out the fast charge and the charging current will drop to trickle charge rate. For high capacity batteries (higher than 4.4Ah) the charger will need to be reset (turned off then back on again after 3 hours) for fast charging to resume"
This is likely why some people are having issues with short battery life etc. from this charger.
To get a full recharge you would need to reset the charger as per above as the batteries supplied are 5000mAh (5Ah).
I knew I'd seen it somewhere but as I used a different 8 bank smart charger I never had this issue myself. I'll sleep better tonight now

that's exactly what I've got found out today cheers its the charger not the batteries or detector

 

[choiceshot2]

can anyone out there let us know if you have tried the SDC 2300 Battery Upgrade Kit

a chap called Peter Tarca from Nth Queensland states he has developed it which he claims the following

Reported Benefits Of The SDC2300 Battery Mod Upgrade Include:

Less Weight (200g lighter)
Runs Quieter
Smoother Operation
Improved Sensitivity
Improved Depth
Longer running Time (12-14hrs)

web site lacks a lot of information like contact numbers and questions cannot be sent , I am interested but would hope someone out there may be able to let us know how the modification runs on there machine , or if they had any problems with dealing

his web site is
https://www.sdc2300upgrades.com

Len the panner :/

 

[10fp]

Len i used them , and the std battery`s for 4 weeks in WA last year , there is No performance gain
put your money into a B n Z booster, for the times when you can only run 2 or 3 sensitivity the audio could do with more Volume
Use head phones ALL the time

Dave

 

[HarryHoudini]

Booster is the way to go and headphones. The difference is amazing