FAQ: What type of USB port should I use to charge my metal detector?

August 24, 2021

Several metal detector brands now offer internal, rechargeable batteries. There are pros and cons to this. Pro - you are not spending a ton of money on batteries each year. Con - if this battery goes kaput, you have to send it into the manufacturer to get it replaced...and it will eventually go bad.

One of the most frequent calls we get goes something like this: "There was not a wall charger with my metal detector." This is especially true with the higher volume selling metal detectors like the Minelab Equinox series or Nokta Makro Series metal detectors. The reason they did not get one is because most metal detector manufacturers sell in multiple different countries. In the past, with Minelab for example, the would send the part of the charger that plugs into the wall (we will call it the charging block) with several different adapters for each type of wall outlet for each country they sold in. Obviously this was an added expense. So, many of the metal detector manufacturers went to simply providing the metal detector charger with the specific detector's charging cable on one end and a simple USB (universal serial bus) plug in on the other end. Since USB ports are, as is stated in their name, "universal" they are can be found all across the globe. Their output, and safety standards are what varies.

A 5 Port Charger Like The One Below Can Charge All Your Devices at The Same Time

You can use just about any USB charger and the amperage is not such a big issue. However, we don't recommend using a charger over 5 amp output. You can use lower amperage output. The lower the amperage may provide a slower charge. Just make sure you are using a certified, reputable, charging device (e.g. C-Tick, CE, EAC, UL/ETL).

According to Minelab:

For example, using a reputable and certified USB charger (e.g. apple or Samsung), rated at 1A @ +5V, the USB charger will typically engage its thermal protection safety function and automatically shut down - The detector may not fully charge.

A not-certified and sub standard USB charger, rated at 1A @ +5V may NOT have a safety function and could overheat and potentially fail completely.

The charge time from completely flat to 100% is approximately 4 hours when a high capacity (>1.7A @ 5V) charger is used. Car and wall charging accessories are available for separate purchase. Any standard USB port compatible with USB battery charging 1.2 (BC1.2) can be used to charge your battery, however charge times may be longer if using lower-power options. If the detector is turned on during charging, the charge time will be longer.

The above recommendations hold true for all rechargeable metal detectors.

Many of the USB wall chargers charge at 5 amp output and will work just fine for your metal detector just make sure it is a good one. Look for the following symbols on the USB charger intended for your metal detector: