Anyone know if Fisher CZ-20 can be converted to 12 V?

[Fordartur]

This is my first post, anyway I'm some sort of "catched" since 3 month in this forum.
Thanks to all your threads I got involved already in two Surf PI and now in the Surf PI Pro and wondering to get the whole information to attempt the IDX PRO too , just wondering about bigger LCD as the Vbox or so...but thats another project and another thing.
Ok, I own two CZ-20, in 8 inch and 10,5 inch and after to read a lot of posts, I was wondering if would be possible to convert them from the 4x9V batteries to 6x 18650 Li-ion... for two main reasons, the lasting operative time and the more power that seems to improve the performance as I read that a lot of MD use 8V-9V-12V or even more voltage and looks like that with good performance gains (some surf pi are used with 8v and anothers with 12v).
If not... what about to use a DC-DC adjustable power step-down module limited to 9V?
Anyway, anyone have any idea where to get some schematics of this fishers?

[Dave J.]

The standard CZ20/21 battery arrangement is 2 series, in parallel for nominal 18 volts. The LDO starts to drop out at about 11 1/2 - 12.0 volts. Should run fine on four 18650's wired in series, that's nominal 14.4 volts. Make sure you don't get 'em wired up bassackwards.

--Dave J.

[kt315]

may be you mean step up DC-DC converter? I have bought two 18650 with a charger and will try to use in Minelab Sov. look http://www.geotech1.com/forums/showt...ight=elite+mod

[Fordartur]

Kt315: guess yes,

http://www.ebay.es/itm/140715260022?...84.m1423.l2649

that would be a cheap and small solution to regulate in case the total voltage is too high, plus I'm wondering to add a buzzer I saw in case the batteries go under 3V, so that way you ensure to keep'em living

Dave: Super, then wondering to combine 5x18650 to get 20V and maybe attach the DC regulator I link here or anything close. Just worried (probably without sense) because I read that the Li-ion were not good to the CZ and can burn some components?

[kt315]

Fordartur, you will need a special board for Nx18560's, commutate them for a charge. I see you are out of electronics (((
li-ion sell is not same like nickelmetalhidrit you are thinking about. every sell needs to be charging separetely or connected parallely one to another.

[Fordartur]

Yes electronics never catched my attention till now, so in my few free time I'm trying to learn as much as I can.

The idea was to use two of this boards linked with 5 18650 to get nominal 20V and between them include that DC converter limited to 18´5V or so.
I got the idea with the very good surfPI article from adriangenese and as I already have several 18650 from some laptops, I already fully charged (my charger have 4 separate slots) and just waiting the ebay DC converter and this two boards, stick them together back with back, weld the right wires to get them in series and connect the converter and adapt it to the 9V terminal in the CZ-20, so I will have a 5 batteries pack instead of the 4 x 9V, keeping the possibility to connect the original stuff in case any day I need it.

[Dave J.]

Let's try this again:

The standard CZ20/21 battery arrangement is 2 series, in parallel for nominal 18 volts. The LDO starts to drop out at about 11 1/2 - 12.0 volts. Should run fine on four 18650's wired in series, that's nominal 14.4 volts. Make sure you don't get 'em wired up bassackwards.

--Dave J.

[Fordartur]

Let's try this again:

Thanks Dave, no more questions about 4 x 18650 in series.