Minelab Equinox 600/800 Replacement Battery - 5000mAh

This is the official Minelab replacement battery for the Equinox 600 and Equinox 800, part number 3011-0405: a 3.7 V, 5000 mAh lithium-ion pack that sits inside the handle of the control pod. It fits those two detectors only. It is for an Equinox 600 or 800 owner whose full charge no longer lasts a session; Minelab's manual rates a healthy battery at approximately 12 hours of runtime and says the pack may need replacing every few years of normal use.

Which detectors it fits

The 3011-0405 battery fits the Minelab Equinox 600 and Equinox 800. It does not fit the Equinox 700 or Equinox 900, which use their own internal battery, Minelab part 3011-0456, with a separate Minelab replacement procedure. Both the 600 and 800 are discontinued and we keep stocking this part for them.

Installing it

Minelab publishes the replacement procedure, rates it Easy, and estimates about 10 minutes. You need a 3 mm hex driver for the four control pod screws, a 2 mm hex driver for the battery bung screw, and needle nose pliers to draw the bung out. The two mistakes Minelab warns about are pulling the wiring connector out past the mouth of the battery compartment, which damages the pod, and refitting the sealing bung crooked, which lets water in. Our post on replacing the Equinox 600 and 800 battery has Minelab's step diagrams and torque limits.

The warranty angle: Minelab's wording is that an Authorized Service Center can do the job if you prefer to have it done without the possibility of voiding your control panel warranty. If your 600 or 800 is still inside Minelab's 3 year detector warranty, have it done there. If it is past that, which is the case for any unit bought new more than three years ago, the job is yours to do, and the post above covers the two places it can go wrong.

What to check before you buy

A short runtime is sometimes the charger, not the battery. Minelab specifies a full charge in about 4 hours from a charger supplying more than 1.7 A at 5 V; a weak USB port charges much more slowly. Charge it on a proper charger first, and if a full charge still falls well short of 12 hours, the battery is the problem. The low battery code bF on the display, or the indicator dropping from four bars to one much faster than it used to, points the same way. Our Equinox charging guide covers the charge LED and charger requirements.

Specifications and warranty

3.7 V, 5000 mAh, under 100 Wh as Minelab lists it. Minelab's warranty page gives batteries 6 months from the date of purchase. We stock it as an authorized Minelab dealer. Charge the new pack fully before the first use.