Evolv-ing Thread

[SlickWilly]

Any digger's here? I got my first metal detector and could use some advice. My house was built over 100 years ago by the first banker in this village. And there is the old horse drawn wagon path at the back of my property. I've been wanting for years to search around here, I know there got to be some neat stuff under my feet. I've been trying my hand but so far I start digging a small plug only to end up with a foot wide hole two feet deep only to find old hand cut nails...... No gold coins... yet.

 

[awsum140]

Tip for the metal detector, patience!

Willie, I was thinking about your description of the standoffs/ribbon and have to ask something, but keep in mind I'm not familiar with that mod. You said the standoffs were longer hence more clearance for the ribbon cable which makes sense. What I am wondering about is how they handled the USB port. The USB port more or less sets the board distance from the front plate. I had though about doing the same thing, had enough space internally, but discarded that idea because of the complications of recessing the USB port to do that.

 

[SlickWilly]

Tip for the metal detector, patience!

Willie, I was thinking about your description of the standoffs/ribbon and have to ask something, but keep in mind I'm not familiar with that mod. You said the standoffs were longer hence more clearance for the ribbon cable which makes sense. What I am wondering about is how they handled the USB port. The USB port more or less sets the board distance from the front plate. I had though about doing the same thing, had enough space internally, but discarded that idea because of the complications of recessing the USB port to do that.

I'll have to pop it apart and take some pics, hard to describe things so others can see it in their minds eye. The inside of the mod where the board sits look much like a ERM+, a beta mod or the modcrate, there are pads the board sets on. But where we use screws to hold the board on those, the dx uses standoff's, the male end of the standoff hold the board to the mod, the top female part of the standoff is where the cover is attached.

When I said there board has good distance from the face of the mod, the pads on the inside are higher then the ERM+ and the rest. So there is more room between the board and mod, you can see how far back the usb is in the face of a dx compared to the others. That extra room allows for a bigger loop in the screen cable where like with the ERM+ and the rest we had to make a fold.

Not a big deal to pop one apart, I'll get some pics and post them up, should have done that when I worked on it but I was trying to get it done.

 

[awsum140]

No need to take it apart, Willie, I think I understand, basically. Thanks for the additional explanation.

 

[SlickWilly]

No need to take it apart, Willie, I think I understand, basically. Thanks for the additional explanation.

Too late, the mod and the one battery that was acting up are setting in pieces on my bench. Got a lot of pics, need to get them off the camera and figure out if I'm going to try and post them directly or link them from photo bucket. First I got to feed the hounds and let em outside for a bit or I'll get no peace, it's past their feeding time and they aren't happy.

 

[tiburonfirst]

lord have mercy - what a game by the skin of their teeth!

 

[SlickWilly]

OK, this is going to take more then one post..... click on the thumbs to view full size.
First the back of the mod, sticker removed showing the 5.5mm torx screws

Two standoff's came with the cover this time

See how the screw bottom out, going to shorten the screws to stop this

With the cover lifted you'll see a foam strip covering the + & - wires, comes right out with tweezers

Remove all standoff's, lift the board straight out. You can unscrew the 510 nut before or after you lift the board

Now we can see the pads where the board sets & note the height of the pads. I scraped the paint off for a better ground connection. Also can see the 510 insert.

 

[SlickWilly]

Here's the big loop in the screen cable and more hidden magnets behind the cover, matching magnets are behind the battery cover.

Here's the buttons, note the sticker on the fire button, I assume it for pushing the screen cable out of the way just in case it catches it, but I don't think it hits the cable.

And here is the 510 parts I upgraded with the parts for a VT version 1 510. Because they dx parts closely match VT 510 parts I didn't need to change the 510 insert in the mod body, just the guts. The parts solder to the board are the VT I already installed, note the size difference in the spring, that's the key. I also stretch the spring to give more pressure and I sand the bottom on the insulator so the nut screws on farther putting even more pressure on the spring. I showed the VT spring and insulator before and after I mod them.
(The two 510 parts removed are both from dx's, funny one has smaller wire then the other....)

 

[SlickWilly]

And a trick I did to make it easier to change the battery packs, I trimmed the hooks off the jst connectors on both the male and female connector. With the multiple magnets up and down the mod half's along with the tension from the + & - battery terminals there is plenty of holding strength to keep the two half's together but boy it makes it easier to separate them.


TAKE NOTE! UNLESS YOUR VERY CAREFUL YOU CAN SHORT THE BATTERY, BURN YOURSELF AND START A FIRE! THESE PHOTOS ARE ONLY TO SHOW THE INSIDE OF THESE PACKS, NOT INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO TAKE APART! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED! (cya )

 

[VapingBad]

Any digger's here? I got my first metal detector and could use some advice. My house was built over 100 years ago by the first banker in this village. And there is the old horse drawn wagon path at the back of my property. I've been wanting for years to search around here, I know there got to be some neat stuff under my feet. I've been trying my hand but so far I start digging a small plug only to end up with a foot wide hole two feet deep only to find old hand cut nails...... No gold coins... yet.

We often get ppl like that on the farm land around here as it has been populated for several millennia, some of those f-wits leave nice 8" deep foot sized holes in the foot paths, the barstewards how hard is it to repair the hole. I know you would do it properly Willy and done properly it is a respectable pursuit.

 

[SlickWilly]

Now I've got to put these back together!

lord have mercy - what a game by the skin of their teeth!

Yikes! I'm hoping my interpretation of that last line is wrong.

 

[tiburonfirst]

Now I've got to put these back together!


Yikes! I'm hoping my interpretation of that last line is wrong.

it has to be - breaking the ''curse of italy'', that's a very good thing!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...c2ihannGWPABrP_Ag&sig2=hCOArdqWW82RrwBrHDTuhQ

 

[SlickWilly]

We often get ppl like that on the farm land around here as it has been populated for several millennia, some of those f-wits leave nice 8" deep foot sized holes in the foot paths, the barstewards how hard is it to repair the hole. I know you would do it properly Willy and done properly it is a respectable pursuit.

Yeah I have seen that kind of crap too. I will only search where I'm given permission and only after I have learned how to do it respectfully and correctly. I've got a ton to learn, I'm starting on my own land first and won't dig elsewhere until I know how to do it right. What I need next is a good pinpointer, I bought a very cheap one from harbor freight to get me started but you stick it in the hole and it says over to the right, dig there and nothing... Put the pointer back in the hole and it then says to the left.... That's how I have to big holes in my back yard now.... A very good one will cost me $100-125 but it's very very accurate and the tone get faster as you get closer to the object. I don't think you should have to dig a plug much bigger then a soup bowl, with the right equipment and knowledge.

ETA: I watched a few vids, the guy said when dug right and the plug put back no one should be able to tell.

 

[VapingBad]

Yeah I have seen that kind of crap too. I will only search where I'm given permission and only after I have learned how to do it respectfully and correctly. I've got a ton to learn, I'm starting on my own land first and won't dig elsewhere until I know how to do it right. What I need next is a good pinpointer, I bought a very cheap one from harbor freight to get me started but you stick it in the hole and it says over to the right, dig there and nothing... Put the pointer back in the hole and it then says to the left.... That's how I have to big holes in my back yard now.... A very good one will cost me $100-125 but it's very very accurate and the tone get faster as you get closer to the object. I don't think you should have to dig a plug much bigger then a soup bowl, with the right equipment and knowledge.

ETA: I watched a few vids, the guy said when dug right and the plug put back no one should be able to tell.

I will post Mrs Bad over to you as she wants to get into metal detecting for ancient artefacts, she doesn't eat much, very tidy, excellent cook, very artistically talented/skilled and an asset to any home. I wouldn't trust my most valuable possession (I know wrong word) to just anyone.

 

[Squonk_me]

Thank You @SlickWilly I was hoping for a little in-sight into the DX, in case I should need to do repairs on mine and got a Grand Tour instead! With the pictures there is no doubt that repairs can be made easily.
The added tips are an added plus to boot.

 

[Tpat591]

And a trick I did to make it easier to change the battery packs, I trimmed the hooks off the jst connectors on both the male and female connector. With the multiple magnets up and down the mod half's along with the tension from the + & - battery terminals there is plenty of holding strength to keep the two half's together but boy it makes it easier to separate them.
View attachment 573923 View attachment 573925

TAKE NOTE! UNLESS YOUR VERY CAREFUL YOU CAN SHORT THE BATTERY, BURN YOURSELF AND START A FIRE! THESE PHOTOS ARE ONLY TO SHOW THE INSIDE OF THESE PACKS, NOT INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO TAKE APART! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED! (cya )

View attachment 573927 View attachment 573931 View attachment 573929 View attachment 573933 View attachment 573941 View attachment 573939 View attachment 573951 View attachment 573935

So did you fix the problem with the battery?

 

[Steamer861]

lord have mercy - what a game by the skin of their teeth!

You's really Bent their Spaghetti today, Well done Germany

 

[SlickWilly]

So did you fix the problem with the battery?

Didn't dig into it yet, my dvm is out in the shop and I'm too lazy to walk out there and get it LoL. Soldering joints on the pos and neg terms look ok but I suspect it's with the jst circuits or a bad cell, Ill check it out tomorrow.

 

[SlickWilly]

Thank You @SlickWilly I was hoping for a little in-sight into the DX, in case I should need to do repairs on mine and got a Grand Tour instead! With the pictures there is no doubt that repairs can be made easily.
The added tips are an added plus to boot.

Happy to share, as they say, pictures are worth a thousand words. Besides, I love to see how things are built and how they work. When I was a little kid nothing was safe from me taking it apart, drove my parents nuts until I was older and actually started fixing things.

 

[BillW50]

OK, this is going to take more then one post..... click on the thumbs to view full size.

DAMN WILLY! I wasn't serious when I asked you to take it apart and take hi-res photos!!!