Using the exterra 70 in water.

[pinpointa]

Hi Guys,
I have been working on turning the 70 into a water detector and just about their apart from one little problem. I have got the control box mounted on the chest and that is fixed into a groove so if you want it to the left or right to get it out of your way so you can retrieve the target. Every thing is pvc.including scoop the stems are pvc with thick broom handles in side them and are identical to the exterra stems. I will be using the 6 inch dd coil and have worked out a way to get some weight on the coil so you dont have to keep weight on it to keep it on the bottom. One problem i have as the exterra coils leads are all the same length but are about 18 inches to short i will have to make up a new lead with joiners and heat shrink them to gether with some silicone the only thing i do not no yet is by extending the length of the lead if it will still talk to the chip in the coil i have done this on the sovereign and that has a chip in it and that worked fine. When i have it complete i will post some photos on the forum.

Regards Pinpointa Down Under In Oz.

 

[khouse]

I don't see that 2 foot would make any difference at the speed of light. I use 3m brand dual wall shrink tube for a waterproof seal. When you heat the tube it melts a mastic inside that seals tight to your cable.

 

[nugget71]

Cool mod btw. How does the Ace go underwater? What lvl do you have your sensitivity on, I know I turn my down a bit on the beach near the water.
Cheers!

 

[khouse]

It's fresh water only. I have the sens usually maxed out. Iron notched out only. No moisture in the box due to desiccant packs I put in the box.

 

[nugget71]

n/t

 

[fantomv]

how do u go with the dd underwater, i thought that they wernt water proof? i been using the concentric underwater it works great in fresh water.

 

[nugget71]

the 6" DD coil for the X-terra comes waterproof, thats why it doesnt come with a cover. Ideal for small gold in shallow running creeks.
Cheers!

 

[fantomv]

hoes the depth on the 6" i know when i went to the beach i had to turn the sensitivity lower with the concentric but with the 10x5 i got a few more notches with it, does it run better in the wet sand? and pretty deep? thanks

 

[willy]

The connectors are easy to find except that the female is only available (here) as a bulkhead connector. The cat-5 cable is commonly available. Make sure that you have 2 of the leads doubled (2 wires on 1 pin).. I forget which pins, but will dig out my info sheet to find out. You can waterproof the connection by using stepped latex rubber tubing (the kind they use on slingshots and for medical stuff). This allows you to take the works apart for land hunting. ..Willy.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Where do you find the connectors and what is the manufactures name ? Also do you have the wire lay-out? Minelab uses a 4 pair wire on there coils for the X-terra.

 

[willy]

Okay folks, here it is. The coil wire on the XTerras is basically Cat5e cable (Beldin). The connectors are stock ML connectors (6 pin audio) and can be found at a decent electronic parts supply shop. The female end is only available (AFAIK) as a bulkhead fitting, but that's not really a problem. The pinouts are numbered on the connector face (check out yours and you'll see) and the wires are connected to: pin 1..green/white stripe, 2..orange/wht strp, 3..orange, 4..brown/wht strp AND blue/wht strp, 5..brown AND blue, 6..green. Pins 4 & 5 have 2 wires soldered to them.
In regards to waterproofing the connection, buy some latex tubing in decreasing sizes. The first should fit snugly on the cable and can be stretched to fit over the connector and then slipped down over the cable. What you want to do is to be able to 'easilt slip a longer length of tubing over the joined connectors where it will also slip over the smaller sections of tubing that are on the cable. Use vegetable oil or whatever non-water/mineral based lubricant you'd like in order to make this process easier. The lubricant should also act as a defense against seeps, being hydrophobic. ..Willy.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Thanks Willy for the info.