so the laddy at minelab tells me

[fredmason 8]

Sorry, Dick, but providing information and sharing experiences is what forums do. Having extra parts has been a continual issue with Minelab. The 7000 had similar issues and still may for all I know. I love my 7000 best...I also loved my 5000, 3500 gp extreme and 2200...but facts are facts.

 

In my never humble opinion; Minelab makes the very finest gold detector but they have room for improvement, as we all do...

 

fred

[DOC 14]

I am a Minelab Dealer so I have to be a bit careful with my comments. I too, still have my SD2200, the old green machine. The thing acts as if it is bullet proof. However, that machine is over 20 years old. Minelab has a bunch of boards made up in a run, and after the years go by, they run out of extra boards. This isn't something that is cost effective to go into production to produce 50 more SD2200 boards. The tooling and set up costs alone would be astronomical. So I understand when some machines become obsolete, and at some point a company just has to say... Sorry, we don't support that machine anymore.

 

Now I do know of several cases where Minelab has given customers with old machines, that were not repairable, a LOYAL CUSTOMER COUPON that entitled them to buy a new detector at a certain percentage discount. I don't know whether they are still doing that or not, so don't run around screaming, "BUT DOC SAID YOU WOULD GIVE ME A DISCOUNT." However, it never hurts to ask Minelab for that kind of consideration.

 

The thing I don't understand is not stocking some of the smaller inexpensive items. The one thing that comes to mind is the alkaline battery holder for the old XT18000. The XT18000 is the forerunner of the Eureka Gold. Has three frequencies, works exactly the same. It had a proprietary chargeable battery, and it also had a little clip package that held 8 alkaline batteries that you could use in place of the re-chargeable battery. Now I can certainly understand why the rechargeable battery would reach a point where it was senseless to carry. I mean those batteries don't last forever. However, last I knew, Minelab also does not have the little plastic alkaline battery adapter set either. I mean that had to be a one dollar item. On the other hand, you can only stock so many old parts. So I have had customers who have contacted me and said they have a perfectly good XT18000 that they can no longer use because they have no way to power it up. I generally recommend that they go to a Battery Plus store. They usually can custom build a rechargeable battery pack.

 

To Minelab's credit, they have gotten away from proprietary battery systems on some of their newer machines like the Xterra Gold, and the new Go Find series. That means that customers will always be able to get batteries for their machines inexpensively, and not have to worry about a proprietary battery package becoming obsolete.

 

A little hint for those of you that have older machines that use the old lead gel acid cell battery with the dome top. You have a couple of options. You can invest in my Gold Screamer Lithium Ion System which Chris carries, or you can still buy aftermarket dome top lead acid batteries from Chris. And, for those of you who are handy, DO NOT THROW, your old battery away, carefully pry the dome top off and cut the wires off at the battery terminals. Buy yourself a new battery, the 6 volt 12 amp hour battery fits the dome top fine. Resolder the connections and re-glue the dome top, and you are back in business.

 

BCOT!

 

Doc

[dick ward 55]

Thanks for your patience Doc, Fred, Chris, Mike, Adam and all the other rational people that post here. Sharing information both positive and negative is a good thing and I have learned a lot from the forum.

 

I deleted a kyles name from my rant just to try and be polite but it backfired. What the heck...........sorry kyle here is what I wanted to post.

 

WOW GUYS - Dont you think it's about time (for kyle) to quit whining about this and move on?

 

Thanks again for your patience guys, Dick.

[madtuna 0]

Hi Doc,

another option possibly worth investigating, is one of these:

 

 

This gadget was a prototype made by Frank Horvath in Perth Australia.

As you know, Frank made the Lucky Lark battery system.

It's a 4 pin to 5 pin voltage converter, allowing the use of GPX style batteries on earlier machines that used dome top batteries.

 

Cheers,

Steve

[nugget108 27]

Hey Doc, they sent me a coupon for 10 percent off a couple months ago.

[DOC 14]

Hi Doc,

another option possibly worth investigating, is one of these:

 

I've been selling gender changers since the first 5 pin detector was released.

 

Doc

 

 

 

This gadget was a prototype made by Frank Horvath in Perth Australia.

As you know, Frank made the Lucky Lark battery system.

It's a 4 pin to 5 pin voltage converter, allowing the use of GPX style batteries on earlier machines that used dome top batteries.

 

Cheers,

Steve

[madtuna 0]

Yeah, but not just a gender changer, it changes the voltage aswell

[DOC 14]

Yeah, but not just a gender changer, it changes the voltage aswell

 

WO? Changes voltage as well? Now you have my attention. That's pretty amazing.

 

We were just using the gender changers so people could keep using their old Gold Screamer Amplifiers from the 4 pin machines and use them on the 5 pin machines.

 

Doc

[madtuna 0]

Yep, pretty clever is old Frank!

I've been using a proto type "Bat Pak" the next generation of his Lucky Lark battery for just under 2 years now on my 5000 and love it.

 

I think with the LL you ordered it in either 4 or 5 pin but the BP has both and a voltage select switch.

[FlakMagnet 0]

I am impressed. That is very cool.

[idahoflyer79 0]

Hi guys , I have read the fourm for many years and have never posted any thing. I have learned many things and look forward to reading the new posts as they show up and just keep a pulse on what is happening . I have owned many minelabs ( 2100, Gp Extreme, 3000, 3500, 4000, 4500) and own the new Zed and still have my 4500 with all the coils and crap I have colleced over the years. I don't know if any of you guys remember how minelabs service dept. use to be in the old days. but I thought it was great they would go out of ther way to take care of there customers and make every thing right. You would call them and talk to there techs and tell what it was doing and they would tell you to send it in. they would receive it and call you to verify what it was doing and talk gold and hunting and have a nice time talking to them. in a few days they would call and tell you what they found and did and send it back at NO CHARGE!. we even invited them to go detecting and took them out and let them find there first nugget. I feel that ever sense Codan bought them out every thing has gone down hill mostly there service dept. Headquarters use to be in Las Vegas You know in the gold fields or close by not in the ghettos of Chicago, its not very user freindly. I have many friends that have minelabs and feel the same. I think minelab has forgot who pays the bills!. As for the new zed who would sell a new detector for $10,000 dollars and does not have batterys or coil covers available for them and don't think there pissing any body off.. kind of BS. Sorry facts are facts.. I feel minelabs are the best technolgy and the best machines out there just wish they would play a better game. I don't know if any body has ever been inside the controll box on a minelab but coating all the parts and circuit board with white epoxy has to make working on a real pain in the --s to work on and probably why they dont. Thanks for the ear thats my 2 cents.

[wes 3]

I have dealt with minelabs service department and have had excellent customer service regarding all my warranties in the last 2 years. I recieved a new pc board for a 5000, new headphones, 7k coil cover and a lower shaft that broke. No charge no questions asked!

[DOC 14]

Hi guys , I have read the fourm for many years and have never posted any thing. I have learned many things and look forward to reading the new posts as they show up and just keep a pulse on what is happening . I have owned many minelabs ( 2100, Gp Extreme, 3000, 3500, 4000, 4500) and own the new Zed and still have my 4500 with all the coils and crap I have colleced over the years. I don't know if any of you guys remember how minelabs service dept. use to be in the old days. but I thought it was great they would go out of ther way to take care of there customers and make every thing right. You would call them and talk to there techs and tell what it was doing and they would tell you to send it in. they would receive it and call you to verify what it was doing and talk gold and hunting and have a nice time talking to them. in a few days they would call and tell you what they found and did and send it back at NO CHARGE!. we even invited them to go detecting and took them out and let them find there first nugget. I feel that ever sense Codan bought them out every thing has gone down hill mostly there service dept. Headquarters use to be in Las Vegas You know in the gold fields or close by not in the ghettos of Chicago, its not very user freindly. I have many friends that have minelabs and feel the same. I think minelab has forgot who pays the bills!. As for the new zed who would sell a new detector for $10,000 dollars and does not have batterys or coil covers available for them and don't think there pissing any body off.. kind of BS. Sorry facts are facts.. I feel minelabs are the best technolgy and the best machines out there just wish they would play a better game. I don't know if any body has ever been inside the controll box on a minelab but coating all the parts and circuit board with white epoxy has to make working on a real pain in the --s to work on and probably why they dont. Thanks for the ear thats my 2 cents.

 

Well I have the covers. And Minelab does have the batteries, but they are 10 amp hour versions not the 13.3 amp hour version. The only time you will get the 13.3 amp hour battery is with a machine. It has something to do with the restrictions on Lithium Ion batteries. Apparently when they are packaged with the machine they can contain more lithium. However, when they are shipped by themselves there is a weight limitation on how much Lithium they can contain without there being a major issue with transportation.

 

This is the word I got from Minelab this week regarding the batteries. "There is a spare battery for the GPZ 7000, it is just a different battery. (It is 10 amp hour) This battery is great keeps us within the Li ION requirements globally for a spare (not shipped with the machine)"

 

Doc