How to make Equinox fully submersible

[GKMan]

Aquatic --

First off, we've been somewhat overrun by trolls here, so some members are maybe making snap judgements when what looks like another "trolling" post shows up, from a user who has never posted before and thus we have no background/history to go off of. Maybe, occasionally, someone is jumped for being a troll who really was not trying to "troll," but whose post was instead genuine, and simply misunderstood.

I will presume you were not "trolling," as it seems at this point to me that you were not. It's hard to tell for sure, as I still can't totally understand your point, or what you are trying to say. But, as far as I can tell, you seem to have been truly trying to gather information. So based on that assumption, I'll try to give you the information I think you seek, as I understand it, and hopefully can clarify the whole "waterproof right out of the box" issue.

Your first post stated that the Equinox is not able to be submerged "right out of the box." That's not true. IF you were trying to say that the Equinox is "not submersible out of the box," from the perspective that it doesn't have waterproof headphones IN THE BOX, included with the purchase, then I guess one could say it is not "able to be HUNTED WITH, UNDERWATER, straight out of the box." If you want to hunt with the unit underwater, and use headphones, then yes, you need waterproof headphones that must be purchased separately. BUT -- on the other hand, you DO have everything necessary, IN THE BOX, to toss your Equinox in the lake, or hold it underwater, AND HAVE IT REMAIN FULLY WATERPROOF. As long as you don't have corded headphones attached to the Equinox control box itself (you can still attach corded headphones to the WM08 module supplied with the 800 and have the unit remain waterproof), then the machine remains FULLY WATERPROOF, right out of the box. In fact, it could be said for the 800 model, which DOES NOT COME WITH wired headphones at all (only wireless ones), that there is no way to make the Equinox 800 NOT FULLY WATERPROOF "right out of the box."

Again, you do NOT need anything that is not supplied in the box, to safely submerge the Equinox. The waterproof headphone connector is waterproof WITH NO HEADPHONES ATTACHED, as I understand it, and it also comes with a screw-on cap for the headphone connection so as to offer a second layer of waterproofing protection (and also to keep out dust, and -- in the case of salt water, keep out salt -- from the headphone port). SO -- if you are shallow-wading a lake, hunting with wireless headphones, and you fall and your detector goes completely underwater, NO PROBLEM. It's waterproof. If you are hunting the wet sand, and using corded headphones attached to the WM08 module in your pocket, and you lay the Equinox down to retrieve a target, and a huge wave comes crashing in and fully submerges the Equinox, NO PROBLEM. It's waterproof. The ONLY time the Equinox becomes UN-waterproof, is if you plug in a set of NON-waterproof headphones directly to the unit -- i.e. phones without the screw-on, waterproof connector.

Now, you might say, "well fine, maybe I can submerge it 'right out of the box,' but I can't HUNT with it underwater 'right out of the box,' since there are no waterproof headphones included and I can't use wireless phones because you can't transmit wireless signal underwater." And yes, that would be true; if you want to HUNT underwater, you need to buy separate, waterproof headphones. BUT -- that's a different argument from what you said, which is -- "the Equinox, out of the box, needs waterproof headphones to be fully submerged." NO, it does not. The headphone connector is waterproof WITHOUT ANY headphones attached, and even has the "extra" layer of protection with the screw-on cap. So, your statement was incorrect. Hopefully, this clears up the issue, and helps to explain why folks may have thought you were just "trolling."

Steve

EDITED TO ADD -- GKMan beat me to the punch a little bit, so this post is a tad redundant now, but hopefully makes everything clear.

Steve you were much more thorough though...

 

[GKMan]

Here is a Minelab available headphone adapter. One can use any pair of headphones with a correct size
audio plug for land use. Headphones with 1/4" plugs can be used with this adapter.
The 1/4" jack as far as I have found out is NOT waterproof and if the detector end does not have an ORing,
it also will not be waterproof.

To be waterproof the headphone cable must be terminated with the shown connector and an ORing.

Without hard wired headphones all wireless headphones will loose audio connection when the control box
is submerged by as little as 1/4" of water. Going by the above information I have I would not call the Equinox
as "waterproof out of the box"

Cable Part No. 3011-0369 .................................................... headphone Part No. 3011-0372

I wonder what they are going to cost. Probably $250-300. I would love to use my Grey Ghost CTX waterproof headphones.. I saw people talking about building adapters for them

 

[sgoss66]

Here is a Minelab available headphone adapter. One can use any pair of headphones with a correct size
audio plug for land use. Headphones with 1/4" plugs can be used with this adapter.
The 1/4" jack as far as I have found out is NOT waterproof and if the detector end does not have an ORing,
it also will not be waterproof.

To be waterproof the headphone cable must be terminated with the shown connector and an ORing.

Without hard wired headphones all wireless headphones will loose audio connection when the control box
is submerged by as little as 1/4" of water. Going by the above information I have I would not call the Equinox
as "waterproof out of the box"

Cable Part No. 3011-0369 .................................................... headphone Part No. 3011-0372

WaterWalker, with all due respect, if I take my Equinox out of the box, walk over to the pond, and shove it underwater, is it not waterproof? Is that not waterproof "right out of the box?"

BTW -- the "o-ring" you are saying is needed, to attach that accessory 1/8" to 1/4" adapter cable, is already integrated into the audio jack ON THE UNIT ITSELF, so it is not true to say that if the detector end of that adapter does not have an o-ring, it's not waterproof." The necessary o-ring is built into the jack itself.

FINALLY, unless I am mistaken, the wireless headphones included with the 800 model come with an "accessory" cable in the box -- WATERPROOF at the detector end, that attaches directly to the headphones, making them into essentially "wired" headphones. THUS, you can submerge the unit, AND hunt that way, using the "wireless headphones" -- but with them direct-connected to the machine using the supplied cable, and still have a "waterproof" machine. Can you dunk the wireless headphones? NO, but as long as you keep the phones themselves (I.e. your head) above water, you have -- as far as I am concerned -- a waterproof machine AND waterproof hunting capability "right out of the box."

Steve

 

[sgoss66]

Steve you were much more thorough though...

GKMan -- thanks for using a "kind" word (thorough) for describing my post. Some would have simply said "long-winded" (like my wife! )

Steve

 

[WaterWalker]

OK, be sure the headphone jack has a cover on it and the coil is connected. Then the unit is waterproof "right out of the box. But is it usable while submerged "right out of the box"?

I still worry about the charging connector - does it have a cover to protect the contacts from salt water? I have seen a brand new Excalibur battery pod's contacts completely destroyed in one day of being submerged in salt water. If electrolysis does erode the contacts, will they corrode?

I did not know that the O-Ring was in the detector's female connector, Interesting as I do not see any smooth contact point on the threaded section of the headphone connector. Possibly at the end of the threads between them and the contacts of the plug? Something like the Excalibur's battery pod?

Likewise I have not seen the waterproof cable you wrote of to connect the audio from the detector to the headphones. The cable that comes with the ML80 does not come with a water tight connector, at least as shown in the Minelab accessory photo. (see below) Maybe the cable that will be supplied with the detector will be a different one...hopefully. The Minelab headphone adapter cable (1/8" to 1/4") Part Number 3011-0369 does have the waterproof 1/8" connector, the 1/4" connector is NOT waterproof. This might be a source of the connector for other uses...

So much is unknown - my info was "as I knew". Too bad we are not given more information of the physical attributes of the Equinox as they are by Mnelab.
They have to be set in stone at this point unlike the firmware that still needs to be finalized and uploaded before they ship.

 

[sgoss66]

WaterWalker --

I am not totally sure that the supplied accessory cable for the wireless headphones is waterproof...but that was my understanding. I will get that clarified. Obviously the 1/8 to 1/4 accessory cable, that can be purchased separately, DOES have a screw-in connector at the 1/8" end, where it fits into the connector, but I'm not totally clear if the 1/8" to 1/8" cable supplied with the wireless headphones has that screw-in connector at the "detector end," or not. Your picture suggests it is NOT a screw-type connector, which would indeed not be waterproof. I may have been mistaken there, and I apologize if I was. I will try to find out.

Here's what it says at Minelab's webpage about the wireless phones, FWIW:

Headphones come with regular Bluetooth technology, but also have enhanced, super-fast apt-X Low Latency technology for minimal time delay. Can also be connected directly to the detector's 3.5mm (1/8-inch) headphone socket for wired use, via the included aux cable.

So not entirely clear there, either -- in terms of if it is a WATERPROOF socket, at one end of the cable, or not...

But as far as the the o-ring issue, yes -- there is an integrated o-ring within the female connector on the unit itself. It would seal against the bottom "circular rim" of the screw-in connector -- i.e. screwing the connector tighter and tighter will force the bottom "rim" of the connector down, against the o-ring, compressing the o-ring and thus giving a waterproof seal.

As for the charging connector, I HAVE to believe that Minelab was smart enough to use a corrosion-proof material on those magnetic charging connectors, since -- as you note -- the charging connectors will be fully exposed to the elements. We shall see...

I am near certain that Minelab will release more information regarding these machines as we get closer and closer to "release." Hopefully, we can all get our questions answered -- as there's no doubt it's been hard to figure out certain details thus far.

Steve

 

[Jason in Enid]

I still worry about the charging connector - does it have a cover to protect the contacts from salt water? I have seen a brand new Excalibur battery pod's contacts completely destroyed in one day of being submerged in salt water. If electrolysis does erode the contacts, will they corrode?

.

There are no electrical charging connectors. You are mis-identifying what you are looking at in the pics. ML has stated since the beginning that this is using an induction charger. Its the same technology as wireless phone charging and pacemaker chargers. What I think you are seeing in the images are magnets to hold the charger head in place.

 

[sgoss66]

OK all, I stand corrected on that accessory cable that comes IN the 800 box, WITH the wireless headphones. That cable will NOT have a waterproof connector; only the 1/8" to 1/4" accessory ADAPTER cable, sold separately, is waterproof at the "detector connector" end.

So, "out of the box," there is no ability to use wired headphones, and maintain the waterproof nature of the unit. It can be DUNKED out of the box, but not if one has plugged headphones into the control box -- either the wired pair (with the 600), or the wireless pair using the supplied cable (with the 800). Wireless headphones, or the unit's speaker, are the only audio options "out of the box" that allow the unit to remain waterproof with respect to dunking the control box.

Steve

 

[TomNH]

OK maybe this will help. Keep in mind I am a analog man & not highly trained in the digital arts.
I love NTSC !

The quick start guide shows an apparent screw on cap in the headphone jack. There is no sign of a
mounting nut. IMHO this answers the "out of box" question.

Keep in mind the following are a mock up made in clear plastic.
The internal photos show what may be a nut on the inside of the headphone jack. Also what may be an O ring or some other material.
The speaker is not held by screws or claws but by some liquid that hardens.
The search coil jack has a nut.
The battery cable comes through something that is probably waterproofed.
The recharge / data input also show no sign of how its mounted. It has 2 connections & a probable ground connection.
There are 2 blank posts on it.
No expert here but the 4 metal tabs on the outside probably NOT connections. I would guess metal for the magnet to grab.
Updating must use the same cable as the charger. Putting square waves through a transformer isnt kind to them, causes distortion.
Probably amplify them then clip them to "square thing up" for the micro.

Last interesting thing is there are no screw holes, claws etc to hold the front & back of the case together. It may be that they are glued
& if repaired you get a new case. If not component level may be a whole new head ! But again this is NOT a finished product at all !

HH
Tom N.H.
LFOD !

 

[dewcon4414]

Im confident its waterproof to 10' out of the box........ ill be dunking mine the first day in the SALT water to my neck, ill let you know lol. If it goes........ ive got a warranty, its on them. If it tend to be a problem...... i have confidence ML will do a fix.

 

[WaterWalker]

Thanks Steve!

Going to have the local dealer put the waterproof connector cable and a set of the waterproof headphones on order.
If I could only get the correct adapter that would work with the waterproof headphone I have, I could save a few bucks.
I think we both have learned a bit...again Thanks
WaterWalker

and

May the ring of gold be in your ears and its glitter in your scoop!

 

[sgoss66]

Indeed WaterWalker --

I have learned a few things as well.

I LIKE to think that that waterproof connector cable will be available immediately, and I LIKE to think that you will be able to find the connectors/adapters, to alter your current waterproof headphones to work with the Equinox.

I guess those things remain to be seen.

Thanks!

Golden wishes to you as well!

Steve

 

[Aquatic ( Fl )]

'' CONCLUSION '' THE MINELAB EQUINOX INTRODUCTION VIDEO '' Starring '' Brandon Neice ( Dr. Tones ) submerging the equinox, with out headphones. This is no more than a '' demo '' to demonstrate the water proof / submersible capabilities. In this video, can you see, if the jack - outlet is plugged ? '' THE PLUG '' keeps out debris and moisture. I would keep '' THE PLUG '' in this position and remove when wired '' this is logic '' Do you think, the equinox ( in this video demo ) has the ability ( fully submerged ) to transmit a signal to you ? I think not. I call this '' dead in the water '' I personally think this video '' demo '' is confusing and misleading. The '' out of the box '' water limitation of the equinox ''shallow wading only '' control box / electronics above water line, about 2 - 2 1/2 feet.

'' YOU GUYS ARE GREAT ''!!! Thank you,------- AMEN / GOD BLESS YOU ALL !!!

 

[Champ Ferguson]

PSA: Please don't feed or encourage the trolls.

 

[rl48off]

I think calling someone a troll when they aren't , is a cover up on how much you really know. I have been following this post from the start and I'm amazed how people can label someone so fast. What really turns me off is how fast the sheep follow in calling this guy a Troll. This site must be run by a bunch of boneheads.....how's that for labeling !! I think you owe him an apology. Really !!!

 

[Champ Ferguson]

I didn't call anyone a troll. Methinks someone protests too much.

 

[dewcon4414]

MLs priority IS NOT to give us the waterproof headphones or a means to submerge at the time of introduction. Instead..... they want the 6" coil available. Guys....... this thing can go under water sure, but theres no way to hear it....... snorkel maybe thru the main speaker. Just ticks me off they didnt use the CTX connector like on the CTX. We already have phones for that machine. Come on....... all ML had to do was add those adapters to their already crappy phones they have had for years........ then charge us MUCH more than they are worth. As a water hunter im not happy about this at all.

Dew

 

[Mr. Carolina]

Dew, so the yellow waterproof Koss phones shown with EQUINOX connector on the accessory page are not water tight at the connector. Is that what I'm hearing ?

 

[nagov]

MLs priority IS NOT to give us the waterproof headphones or a means to submerge at the time of introduction. Instead..... they want the 6" coil available. Guys....... this thing can go under water sure, but theres no way to hear it....... snorkel maybe thru the main speaker. Just ticks me off they didnt use the CTX connector like on the CTX. We already have phones for that machine. Come on....... all ML had to do was add those adapters to their already crappy phones they have had for years........ then charge us MUCH more than they are worth. As a water hunter im not happy about this at all.

Dew

No worries Dew, there is a cable that comes with the wireless headphones to use as wired phones.....we can/will adapt to the CTX cable whenever we get the machine(s)You will be nose deep soon after they get here. We can have a cable modification party at my place if needed.

Carolina, Dew didn't say in his post that "at this time" the yellow koss "waterproof" headphones won't be ready for sale when the detector is..... the phones AND the jack are waterproof......

Cliff

 

[dewcon4414]

Thanks for the cheese for my whine Cliff ........ i wont have to get up at 4AM and post this any more lol.

Dew