Gray Ghost headphone/ Excalibur II modification

[scubapirate]

I have searched up and down in this forum to answer my questions and it is obvious I need this spelled out to me in "layman's" terms
I am installing the Gray Ghost u/w headsets to the new Excalibur II. It comes with the bulkhead fitting, so I am adding an end cap from an excalibur battery pod.
Question: After removing the original end cap that held the original minelab headphones, I am left with three wires (red / black and yellow). Where do these three wires hook up to??
The new cap (alkaline) has only two wires (red /black). I have hooked these up to the same colour red black wires coming from the excalibur, but this leaves the yellow wire loose??
Without hooking up the yellow I do get a signal but the sound is way off from the original headset (sounds more like a kazoo would sound like!) Yes I have changed the impedance as required by Gray Ghost.
I am hoping this is not the sound everyone has been praising gray ghost about! Help....

 

[OldBeechnut]

Check this link out of a old post..........plus check your old cap out to see if the ground goes to the black wire...just a guess but I would say it goes to the black on the GG....Also.from reading, some people like them and some don't, see more I'll post
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?22,1307406,1411689#msg-1411689

 

[megadivers]

Depending on when your machine was manufactured, the wires could be colored differently. If it is a newer II than one of them is used for shielding. With the modification you are performing, the shielding wire will not be used. Quite simply match the red/black of the battery pod end to the red/black of the white plug coming from the pcb. The sheilding wire will be soldered to the electrolytic cap on the end of the pcb. This is the wire that will not be used and I would remove it if you are handy with a soldering iron. If you have followed these steps, check the headphones-your problem will lie there.

 

[tomcatpl]

this the end cup of the headphones on my excal2 red and blach i cut the other was there seald (( but my excal headphones where servied before)

 

[megadivers]

If you used the two wires to the right in the picture everyhting should be fine. If you are still having issues it could be the headphones.

 

[tomcatpl]

i did and it works fine ...my excal 2 did not have the orange wire

 

[megadivers]

That is not unusual. After looking at the picture posted, that is an earlier version before they changed the cable on the headphones. Most all of the Excal IIs I have worked on have the extra red wire for shielding like your picture which was one of the differences between the Blue Decal version. Actually a little known fact is that the Excal II decal acts as a RF shield as well because the bottom portion is actually a layer of copper that surrounds the tube and pcb. Glad everything worked out

 

[scubapirate]

Great advise from every, I thank you. I think this has helped me to determine that my problem may narrow down to an internal problem with the unit as this mod appears to work for everyone else.
I just contacted Minelab and they were helpful in confirming your suggested mod should work fine. Wish I could say the same about the Gray Ghost Detectorpro. This was there unhelpful response. (cut and pasted)

"I am sorry but we can not help you. We do not get involved with the how to's .We just make the headphones. We used to know years ago but ML has made many changes. We know it can be done.Many of our customers have done it. ML use to also. I suggest you either ask on one of the forums or just play with the wires. You can not hurt the headphones. Good luck."

I asked Minelab to go through my Excal and fix everything that may be wrong but they still decline to hook up my new Gray Ghost headsets. A "guestimate" from them is $194 for a new set of Koss. I think the tech people at Minelab have been very helpful and I understand them only wanting to hook up there product. I most likely will have them revive my loved money-pit ha ha.
Ahhh decisions decisions.....

Happy Hunting

 

[OldBeechnut]

Had a drop off for HeadPhone replacement on a Excalibur II...got a few pic's..I was wrong on the Black wire ... the wiring goes from the yellow/ground to copper, this connects to the red wire in the endcap, then the clear copper wire runs to the Red and White on the transducer.