GP3000 & Extreme - Updating the Battery System

Hi everyone,
I'm looking at updating my battery system for an early 3000 extreme.

I currently have a coiltek pocket rocket battery system which is ok, but it hasn't blown my hair back with excitement.
I also been looking at getting a booster such as a B&Z or the like, and run dual external speakers.

In the process Reeds Lucky Lark LiIon Battery with the inbuilt booster has caught my attention. This product seems to be all in one.
Or is it better to run the little beaut and an enhancer / booster like B&Z.

How does the RPS product stack up against other combos available.

What are the combinations people are using out there and why, I would very interested on peoples views in this matter

TIA

I would recommend that you also have a look at the NiMh batteries. they are super light and charge in about an hour.
Their not spoken of much but I can honestly say that they are good. Only down side is that they don't hold their charge as long as other batteries.
Some speakers come with an inbuilt booster/amplifier.
Brett.

The Reeds batteries are excellent and last for ages however the inbuilt booster is designed for headphone use only and as such is not good enough for external speaker use. The B&Z booster is really good because it can be used with just about any detector and also easily runs a dual speaker set up (you can use it on your GP 3000 and then later on if you upgrade to a GPX machine it will work with them too). For more info about the dual speaker system contact QLD Sandy on this forum for more info on how to set them up.

JP

Thanks for the replies Brett and JP,

I was hoping I could minimise the clutter so to speak (hoping the inbuilt booster could run the external speakers).
But I can see the advantages of accessories being cross model compatible.

Do you run the dual speaker system JP? I have seen a post where QLD Sandy explained how he set up his second speaker.

Thanks

G'day Rusty, I run a single speaker system to keep things simple, but have seen QLD Sandy's set up and it is very good. I think he has also included a switch in his speakers so he can bypass the audio but maintain some sound (you can do this with the B&Z too). From memory he had a thread a while back showing his setup.

JP

Hi Rusty,
Got a Lucky Lark off Santa last xmas and for the short time I've had it I'm really impressed. I have a 3500 and used to run a dual speaker system through an external Lucky Lark amplifier from Reids using the normal 6V lead sealed battery. When I first start using the Lucky Lark battery I ran it through the external amplifier with the boost switch on the battery in the off position. This ran OK with a good strong audio with the threshold at about 1 oclock and the booster set at about 3/4's on the dial. Later on in the piece I decided to give the battery booster a go on its own. Disconnected the external booster and found by running the internal booster dial on full, I got a good audio with the threshold at about 1-2 oclock. Out of the two, the external booster has more audio volume in reserve, but I prefer running the detector straight through the battery's internal booster as there's less connections and I still get a good threshhold. My system consists of Lucky Lark battery, Digitor P6639 audio adaptor (6.5mm stereo plug to dual 3.5 mono sockets) and twin GME SPK07 speakers. Very light and compact.

Now that my friend is a concise and interesting post. Regulated voltage with an enhancer/ amplifier probably this is new info to a lot of people. I have always believed to get gold you have to be in headphones land. But as I get older a little more comfort is to be embraced.[external speakers] your settings for the3500 are also of great interest. I still have the 3500 as a back up and when I have doubt or no luck with the 4000 I scurry back to the 3500… my comfort zone. Regards Adrian

Thanks for the information and photos TutC it helps when you get to see how others have their setup. I have been leaning towards something like yours as I too like to have minimal leads and wire hanging off me.

How long does your battery take to charge from 12 volt after a descent days detecting TutC?

But I can see where JPs coming from too, with a setup being cross model compatible and a bit better amplifier suited to speaker setup.

decisions...
The little beaut has both 4 and 5 pin but no amplifier and about 8 hours battery life.

The bigger Lucky Lark has an amplifier but either 4 pin or 5 pin and up to 14 hours battery life, amplifier not as strong as external amplifier.

They don't make it easy

I am still a l little confused on what to get after reading the above posts? I have a GP 3000 with 2 old lead acid batteries yet with a Super Sound Detacc Booster. I want something lighter but still do not know what to get?

1) Reed's Lucky Lark?
http://www.reedsprospecting.com.au/news2.htm

2) CoilTek Pocket Rocket?
http://www.coiltek.com.au/accessories.htm
(Better) http://www.kamakazi.com/lithiumionbp.html

3) OR this battery below that attaches on the side of the detector??
http://www.minersden.com.au/default.asp?pageid=Products&template=PRODUCTCAT&catid=822&prodid=1810&site=15

http://www.minersden.com.au/default.asp?pageid=Products&template=PRODUCTCAT&catid=822&prodid=1811&site=15

4) OR something I do not know about?

How about a wireless-cordless external speaker put on the collar bone-shoulder area is a great idea?

Also another idea:
"I went and purchased a cordless headphone set from radio shack(Tandy) and a stereo adapter to plug into my x-30..It is nice. No cords and you dont even have to put the headphones on your ears..they wrap around your neck from behind. I just wrap them around my neck and go..you can hear them fine without them being on your ears..its really nice..I tried to find the link but could not.. the part number on the set is 33-1253 cordless headphones. No interference with the x30 at all volume control..really nice to have gents"

P.S. The sooner the better that Minelab comes out with a "built in and on the shaft" battery-booster-external speaker on a new GPX 5000 what I am waiting for.

Hi Rusty
Went out today and did about 6 hrs. detecting (too hot and muggy to do a full day) and when I got home had to charge the Lucky Lark for 2.5 hrs to get it back to full charge. Tried a new area but no luck.

Beer Beeper wrote:P.S. The sooner the better that Minelab comes out with a "built in and on the shaft" battery-booster-external speaker on a new GPX 5000 what I am waiting for.

speaker on the shaft would make it a tad hard to hear those real faint signals in my humble opinion...plus the added weight factor

Get the LiIon battery pack, the coilteck one, with a spare battery, get the Maryborough Coiltek external speaker, black one, that has an inbuilt booster, get a swing arm, put them all on your detector setup, and you won't have 1000 wires between you and your setup. I did that and it was very comfortable and convenient to use.

Try this site http://detectormods.com/ this battery solution works for me at only $150.00

richardm wrote:Try this site http://detectormods.com/ this battery solution works for me at only $150.00

Made my one for $40, brought the battery myself from e-bay (china)and made it up. Its last me 4-6 hours so I made 2 one for backup.

Shane There a diode on the active side to reduce the volt 1n4001

can you give some more details ,please,
I see that it is a battery for a video camera, but what of the battery holder? how is the diode performing, is it overheating, (.6volt drop across diode??)how is the detector performing, and how long does that battery last?? and any other info would be great