Sovereign GT Mods

[meggie]

Hi ,i really likes your bottle holder stand idea. I bought a similar stand here in Australia,and fitted it to my Sov. I had to bend it out slightly to give it more height off the ground,and i fastened it to the rod with a couple of zip ties.It seems quite stable and works pretty well.Time will tell.
Thanks for the tip,your doing some crazy stuff there,i like it....

Brian ...

 

[Critterhunter]

Good idea. That's different than I planned to mount my bottle holder. I also had to bend mine apart a bit to get the box to clear the ground, and also flatten out the curved "lip" on mine that is touching the ground. A few seconds in a vise and all that was taken care of. Still, I'm not sure if I'm going to use that yet. I just picked up an aluminum landing gear ($7 from my local Hobby Town) that is very light and looks like it will work even better. It's wider where it meets the ground (where the two plane wheels would be) and I think would be even more stable. If I decide to use the bottle holder I can always use the landing gear for one of my RC plane builds. I've been eyeing that landing gear anyway for a while for a future plane build. Whichever route I go I'll be posting pictures and steps to.

Still haven't finished the instructions with more photos for the custom shaft, grip, and remote switch. It's near done but I keep finding other things to waste my time on the computer. This week I think. Maybe today if I decide to.

 

[Critterhunter]

I got my five half boots from Dixie after not being able to find them anywhere else including electronic supply stores online. He's a great guy to deal with and I'd highly recommend ordering them from him. I also hear from people he always keeps them in stock...

http://www.dixie-metal-detectors.com/dmd-cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=84_113&products_id=492

I would guess that the number one break down problem for any Sovereign would probably be moisture or dirt getting into the switches or POTs. Often you can clean them with non-residue contact cleaner but the sand or dirt is going to cause wear on the switch contacts or POT surface and eventual failure. Why not buy some insurance for your machine and avoid any future problems buy using these boots? It'll also give you added confidence in the field when it starts to rain a little bit. For people who hip mount it's a must have because sand or dirt loves to fall off your fingers and right down the throat of the switches. For people who water hunt this should help keep one more way for water to enter your machine.

These half boots will fit any Sovereign from what I hear and since the GT only needs 4 I've got an extra should something happen to one. Install is simple. Just remove the old nuts and then install these finger tight. I then gave them about an 8th of a turn more with a wrench to just make sure they were sealed properly. You'll want to gently force the boot over the toggle and not force it or you might rip one off the mounting nut. It's easiest to hold the switch straight up and down with needle nose pliers or something while doing this to both keep it straight and prevent enough pressure being put on the switch to force it back into the face plate, though with the solder connections they have they are pretty stiff. Also, when tightening down make sure you also hold the toggle straight up and down with some pliers to aid the boot in threading properly and the switch from turning at all inside the face plate, though again I don't think that would happen easily.

Before installing the boots I wiped down the toggles to make sure no dirt was on them that the boot might sweep off the toggle and fall down into the switch. I'd then use compressed air or at least blow into the switches while you flip them around to remove any debri that might be trapped in there that could end up gumming up the switch contacts over time. Flip the box upside down when doing this to help any dirt or sand to fall out of the switches. If you did blow into them using your mouth then let them sit for a while to avoid any moisture being trapped.

Unfortunately the extra boot I had left doesn't fit my homemade remote toggle switch. I'm willing to bet that Radio Shack can order that size boot when you pick up the switch (part # in mods forum) I used for that. Rather than go that route I plan to just use a tip I heard from somebody. Take some clear "fuel" tubing (hobby stores) (also the type used in medical IVs and such that is real flexible like rubber) and cut it just long enough to cover the threaded switch mounting shaft that sticks up from the nut (or even flex it around the nut if not enough threaded shaft is present). You want it just long enough to cover that and the base of the toggle much like one of these half boots.

Flex it over the switch and around the threaded shaft or nut. Now take a lighter and heat the other end of the tube (which is around the toggle near it's base) until it shrinks to seal it's self well to the toggle. Make sure you aren't heating up the toggle too much or you could form carbon on the switch contacts causing an open circuit.

This is also a handy way to do the GT switches should you not want to order the real thing from Dixie, but I'll say the Dixie half boots look and work well and would rather spring for those than muck up the looks of the faceplate with something homemade. I don't mind using the cheap and dirty way for my pinpoint since that's not something you can see easily anyway.

Is anybody doing anything to prevent the dials from allowing moisture in? I would figure they have a pretty tight tolerance anyway at the POT shaft to prevent that but think I've heard of people putting O-rings under the knobs to maybe do this or at least to stiffen up the dials so they don't turn as easily if bumped. I may also protect the speaker hole with something to prevent dirt or moisture getting in there, but I want to use something that isn't going to muck up the face plate down the road when I take it off. Any ideas?

 

[Critterhunter]

I thought it would be interesting to see how others are carrying their tools and/or Sovereign & meter in the field. I had been using a large leather utility belt and kept my control box inside it's largest pocket. My digger, probe, pin pointer, and ID chart were thrown into various pockets on it. Since I don't plan to hip mount anymore with the advent of my light weight Sovereign (unless I'm water hunting, but then I'd probably chest mount it or something), I figured I'd retire the bulky utility belt and buy something more streamlined that just has enough size and pockets to carry everything else. I found a nice holster for $6 at Home Depot. While I was at it I figured I'd get rid of the hooky looking leather belt I was using and buy a real utility belt for $3 there as well.

This holder has a nice big pocket for my digger, another screwdriver holder for my probe, and a smaller elastic pocket that snugly holders my Garrett Pro Pointer without the need to use the holster it came with. The picture doesn't look like it but the pin pointer's pocket is very snug, yet it still allows easy removal and re-insertion of the probe without needing two hands. Same deal with the other tools. I try to make things so I can use just my left hand to remove and use the various items. There's even a big pocket behind the digger pocket that I keep my Sovereign ID chart in should I need to reference it to refresh my memory on something. It doesn't show up well in the picture but you can see something white behind the digger's pocket. While I was at it I also threw an extra nylon bolt/wing nut into the extra pocket should I need that to fix a coil mount bolt or one of the arm cup bolts in the field. Come to think of it I should probably stick a few extra rubber washers in there as well in case I lose one swapping coils.

This holster is the type that doesn't need a belt. You can stick that part into your pocket if you don't like wearing those. I plan to cut off the dog chain connector and the unneeded cover that folds over the pin pointer's pocket down the road to save as much weight as possible, but I want to use this setup for a while first to make sure I'm happy with everything. I'm still using the old two pocket style apron from Home Depot for my finds to go in one pocket and my trash in the other. I prefer using those because it's easy to shake out the dirt, remove the junk, and wash it once in a while should need be.

Can't tell you how many years I carried my digger by sticking it in my apron's trash pocket. It would poke me in the belly when bending down, fall out on me without me realizing it, migrate dirt or mud to my shirt or deposit it into the apron, and even my trash would stick to it when I remove the digger sometimes when it was wet out.

The biggest thing for me was making sure none of the pockets would snag or cause me to have to use two hands for removing or replacing a tool. That leads to frustration in the field. I feel it makes no sense to tweak out your machine but not do the same with your tools so everything goes as smooth as possible in the field.

I'd love to see pictures of what others find to be a useful setup for them in the field, both for tools and for your Sovereign or meter.

 

[Critterhunter]

Here's the latest update on my light weight Sovereign build. I installed a detector stand on it this morning. I was planning to use a very light weight bottle holder for a bicycle but ran across something that I felt would work better at my local hobby store. I ended up picking up an aluminum landing gear for RC airplanes. It was $7 so still cheaper than commercial stands and probably much lighter. The spread was too wide to offer ground clearance of the box so I just bent the legs a little more straight in a vise. I then epoxied another piece of aluminum to the top of it bent into a "]" shape to offer both good ground clearance and also to mount securely to the shaft.

I could have just attached it to the shaft via a bolt but opted to use two zip ties to keep the weight as low as possible and also not put an unneeded hole in the detector shaft. I drilled two holes to the top of the piece of aluminum that just clear the width of the shaft and then attached to zip ties in a crossed pattern. Meaning, one zip tie goes into one hole and around the shaft at an angle and the other in the other hole the same way, producing an "X" pattern wrapped around the top of the shaft.

I have plenty of ground clearance to where I could bend the legs wider apart but as they are now they are as wide as the control box so I don't seen any problems with stability. It's very stable when I sit it on the ground. I also attached two rubber feet to the legs that you simply peal the sticky part off of and then stick them on. If I find that this doesn't keep them secure then I'll screw two small screws through the base of the legs and down into the rubber. The landing gear already has a hole drilled into both feet that will allow this quick fix to be done.

The landing gear weighed 1.4 ounces before adding the other piece of aluminum, painting it, and installing the rubber feet. With all that done it now weighs 2.1 ounces. Not bad at all, and probably much lighter than any of the commercial ones or what Minelab supplies with some GTs. I have plenty of spare weight to burn anyway with my custom upper/lower shaft that already makes the machine lighter than stock even using the 15x12 coil, and the machine will probably be a good 1 and 1/2 pounds lighter than stock once I'm done with my weight dropping mods on various other things.

I sanded the aluminum down with fine sand paper, wiped it clean with mineral spirits, primed it, sanded and then wiped it down again with water on a damp paper towel, and then gave it 3 coats of durable black paint. Pretty happy with the results.

I also got rid of the zip ties I was using to secure the coil and meter cables and picked up some nice velcro loops from Home Depot. As with the other Minelab parts, the stock velcro loops on a GT are way overkill being thick and big and adding yet more unneeded weight. I know the extra weight of those is minuscule but every little thing adds up. She's starting to look like a sports car now and I'm ready to take her for a spin today.

 

[Critterhunter]

Found out the epoxy wasn't going to hold the two pieces of aluminum together. I didn't want to bolt them together because that would add a little bit of weight. I ended up drilling a hole through the two pieces and then using a rivet gun to join them with an aluminum pop rivet. Much lighter than a bolt and I think it keeps the looks cleaner than some ugly nut and bolt being installed. I ended up putting two tiny brass screws down through the legs and into the rubber feet to make sure they wouldn't come off, using some CA on both feet and screws to make sure they never come loose as well.

Took it out for a spin this weekend and it works great. There is a little play where the two zip ties secure it to the shaft but not enough to even notice when the machine is on the ground. If in the future I feel it needs to be more secure I'll probably pop rivet it to the bottom of the shaft or at least drill and tap a bolt hole. I'm avoiding doing this because my remote pinpoint stereo cord runs through the shaft here and I'm afraid I might damage it. A hose clamp around the shaft would be another option without drilling, but it would also add more weight than I have to.

By the way, the foam I installed in the Sony studio headphones (Walmart) brought the volume down to the perfect level now. I love these things, they have much better audio than any others I've used and they are light and comfortable.

On another note, the tool belt above works great. It was a little top heavy with the probe and pin pointer not sticking down into their pockets as far as they should go so I cut a hole into both pockets. Now the thing rides on my hip without moving around or getting top heavy. This thing doesn't get in my way when bending down and really makes my tools easily used with one hand. Makes the field experience much more enjoyable. Since I was happy with it I cut off the dog chain connector, an unused loop, and the flap cover that goes over the pocket the pin pointer is in. Now it really looks like it was a custom design just for these tools.

 

[Critterhunter]

Take a look below. Looks like I may be the first Sovereign user on the planet running on a lipo. One of these will go into the stock holder and drop probably about 7 or more ounces off the stock rechargable pack which weighs over 10 ounces. It's going in the normal 8 AA holder and will still be able to be removed so it can hold 8 AAs like normal when and if I'll ever want to do that again.

The pack at the bottom is a 3 cell. The others are 2 cell packs and all four of those are the same brand/capacity at 500ma. I can turn three of those into 3 cell packs by taking one apart. I could then put two of those matched capacity packs in parallel and double the capacity to 1000ma, or all three in parallel and bring it up to 1500. Still, even a single 500ma pack or the 450ma one at the bottom will probably run just as long as the stock 1000ma pack as lipos tend to hold their voltage high to the very end of the discharge, avoiding the LVC (low voltage cutoff). Even if they won't I'm sure I'll still get 10 hours or more before low voltage alarm hits, more than enough time for most hunts. Only takes an hour to re-charge them in the normal healthy charge rate so I'll just throw a pack on before a hunt or carry the others as backups.

I probably would have bought something bigger in the 1000 to 2200ma range but a friend of mine had these sitting around and they are now too weak for the high amp draw of his small plane motors so he'll never use them for anything again. The super low amp draw of the Sovereign won't be a problem for these packs, though. Anyway, so long as I'm trying to save weight using a 450ma to 500ma pack will be to the extreme of weight savings, because even a 1000 to 2500ma or so lipo should way much less than the stock rechargable or even normal 8AAs in the regular holder. Details sooner or later with photos.

 

[kered]

Got my lipos today to do the Sov XS2aPro, sent you a PM before charging them

 

[Critterhunter]

Found a nice little How-To on making an easy stand out of PVC. I may make one of these and see how much it weighs. If it's not much then I may replace the one I already have on my light weight GT. I just think this one looks better though it probably weighs a good bit more than mine.

http://www.outdoor-talk.com/forum/index.php?topic=493.0

 

[element]

I have the XS-2A and have modded it with a straight shaft which I made myself.. Never understood why the UK version shipped with s shape shaft and everyone else got the straight shaft?! Anyhow...

I used a piece of alu tubing, a mountain bike straight bar end. original arm rest and one of the original brackets.

Quite pleased how it turned out and what a difference! next is a 15x12 SEF and a NIMH battery mod (currently using 700mh nicad battery) using a donor minelab advantage 1000mh NIMH battery pack..

 

[kered]

element, try this http://www.findmall.com/read.php?22,1230451 its cheaper

 

[w6pea]

Interesting read, Better get some coffee !

 

[tractorman]

I use " HEX SEALS" From WW Grainger for pot/rotary shafts. They replace pot nut with silicone boot which has teflon seal against rotary shaft and are about 3 bucks apiece.

 

[kered]

Hey Critter here'e the weights of the battery mods

I weighed the modded battery packs to see how much saved in oz/grams

GT
Stock rechargable battery 10.0oz/283g
alkaline pack with alkalines in 9.6oz/272g
Modded alkaline pod with lipo 6.3oz/178g

XS2apro
Stock rechargable 7.25oz/206g
1450ma lipo 3.45oz/98g

 

[Critterhunter]

Nice work. Saving some good weight using the lipo just like me.

 

[element]

Just got a detech penetrator (excellerator in the US).. fitted a rubber grip and armcup strap which has helped alot.. This detect coils makes the whole setup so much lighter aswell.. like its lost a good few ounces over the 10in BBS.. Cant wait to get out and test it!

 

[w6pea]

Nice mod. Good pictures, where did you get the straight shaft?

 

[element]

made it myself with a piece of tubing the same diameter as the standard S shaft.. used the original arm cup and a mountainbike bar end (aluminum alloy..45g..straight, no offset and only a slight angle. Took a while to find the exact barend I was looking for.

 

[Critterhunter]

Looks good. I'm running a 3 cell 750ma Rhino lipo in my custom light weight GT and it doesn't get any lighter in battery technology. It's giving me about 10 to 11 hours of hunt time before needing a re-charge. Since I carry a spare it's no big issue. 10 or 11 hours gives me about two good hunts before needing to swap packs.

So far my custom upper aluminum (lighter than stock) and Whites tall man lower rod is holding up fine, and I'm swinging a 15x12 on it. The stock Minelab arm cup weighs over half a pound, so I went with the Whites "heavy duty" one they sell for $10 on their site. It's MUCH lighter and just as strong IMO. With the weight savings I did my machine weighs I think about 4 pounds 10 ounces, and that's with the 15x12 on it. I think that's well over a pound less weight than the stock GT using the 10" coil.

Sooner or later I need to crunch those numbers and post them, as well as my build thread for this unit and an easier to understand guide to wiring up the remote PP. I love that feature and with the meter on top of the grip the machine is finally as user friendly as it gets. It feels even perhaps lighter than my Whites now.

 

[Critterhunter]

I've got a few pictures to show, mainly of the GT after the Whites arm cup has been put on. These first three pictures show my light weight land rig with 15x12 coil, with the other rig next to it being the original shaft and arm cup put back together but also with a custom hand grip using a bike end bar I cut down. On that rig I'm using the 10" Tornado stock coil for my water hunting. I find the 10" coil feels too small for my land hunting now having since gotten used to the 15x12 and now the 12x10 for land hunting. While my custom shaft is fine in the water, might as well use the original shaft and 10" coil put together as my water rig as the extra weight of the heavy original shaft doesn't matter in the water. It also makes going from land hunts to water as simple as unclipping the box, unscrewing the coil connector, and throwing the control box into the Minelab hip/chest mount bag. Since it's now in an easy to access position on my body to reach the stock PP switch, I of course don't need the remote PP that I use on my land rig and so just unplug it from the control box.

The last two pictures of are my land rig now using the 12x10 coil. That should be handy to compare size perspective to the 15x12 mounted on it in the first three pictures. As I just said previously, I think I'm going to get rid of my custom detector stand and use a couple of tall rubber feet on the bottom of the control box. Less hassles with snagging the headphone on the stand, and also should clean up the looks more and max out weight savings. You can find those rubber feet at places like Home Depot or Staples, and they just stick on so they can be removed down the road for re-sale of the detector if need be.

In fact, all my mods can be reversed to return the GT to original stock condition. Putting the two pieces of plastic back together that the box clips to and is secured in the original arm cup would be a simple matter of using two rivets to return original condition. The only thing I can't change back is the stereo jack on the control box for the remote PP switch. Also, it's minor, but I drilled a hole in the stock shaft right at the top of where the coil mount ends in the shaft to allow water to drain out. I prefer this at the back side of the shaft, as normal orientation of the detector naturaly drains the water out when walking. Be carefu if you don't have a drain hole here. Before doing that I had water run up the shaft and spill out over the control box.

Further info can be found in the Sovereign forum at this thread