Compass 77B S/N 716

[jmaler]

I have a Compass 77B S/N 716. It used to work great until my dad let batteries corrode and then removed the battery holders and hooked up 9v batteries. Well he said it smoked and smelled funny. I bought new battery holders and new AA batteries. I can get battery test readings on A and C holders but nothing on the B holder. Needless to say it doesn't beep.

Just wondering if its repairable, worth repairing and who might be qualified to repair it? Would I be better off buying an $80 new unit. I only need it for finding nut &bolts I loose out in the pasture when working on equipment.

Any opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[TC-NM]

Put it over the fireplace mantle near the shot gun.

TC-NM

 

[Tom_in_CA]

ah c'mon, they aren't THAT "vintage", haha. Seriously now, they're still useful in some circumstances.

yes, the battery pods/holders were a constant source of malfunction. I too have gone to radio shack to get entirely new battery pod holders, to fashion/customize to fit back in the machine. Had to solder, re-solder, etc.... And then it comes back to life no problem.

But as you say, you can find those as cheap as $50 to $100 on ebay from time-to-time. So you've got to wonder how much your time is worth repairing. Afterall, perhaps something shorted out in there, and not simply only a corroded battery problem.

Those machines were good ghost-town hunters, d/t they saw right through small iron (nails, etc...) to get conductive targets. But the benefits ended there. In every other way, they are a dinsasour. No ground balance, no other forum of disc, depth peaks out at 6" on a coin-sized target (in good ground), a bear to keep balanced, etc..

I still keep one around though, and have fun with it in certain select needs.