Problem with Equinox 800 - High Speed Chatter

[lightspirt]

What about a Faraday Cage? Of course that may to much and hard drive to get to that point.

What is a Faraday cage?

How does a Faraday cage work and what do we use them for?

www.livescience.com

 

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[saanich2018]

When you had the problem before did you send it in or report it so there was a record of the problem?

Sent it to them two or even maybe three times. They said they "worked on it". The first two times when I got it back it was still doing the exact same thing. The third time it seem to be better and I have been using it, until all this just started happening again.

 

[DizzyDigger]

What about a Faraday Cage?

A true faraday cage would require covering 100% of the control housing, so what I have suggested is installing a shield over everything but the front control panel. Any EMI leaking out the back or sides should be absorbed/reflected/redirected away from the coil by the aluminum foil.

If any of you entrepreneurs are reading this, there is a large market for a control housing cover that has full EMI/RFI shielding built into it, including a shielded, clear plastic cover over the control panel on front. I've done the research, and the product does not yet exist (as far as I know), and I'd be happy to consult on both the design and marketing.

Of course that may to much and hard drive to get to that point.

Absolutely!

 

[saanich2018]

I don't believe you have an EMI issue from any external source, however it is remotely possible that there is an intermittent EMI source radiating from the control housing and the coil is picking it up.

If that were the case, there would be a measurable signal emanating from the control housing. In order to test for this, a wide-band probe (it's a multi-frequency detector) and a spectrum analyzer or EMI receiver would be required.

Before going to that amount of effort and expense, I would disconnect the coil from the control housing and carefully check if any of the pins show corrosion. If there is none, then I would proceed with trying an alternative coil.

Also, while this next suggestion might sound a bit odd, it's worth a try.

Cut a piece of aluminum foil about twice the size of the control housing, including an extra inch or so on each side.

Fold it in half, and wrap/form the foil around the control housing top, sides, bottom and back. Use black electrical tape and wrap all metal parts of the coil connector on the back, and then form the foil around the cable/connector. Do not allow the foil to have direct contact with bare metal on the coil connector in back.

Charge it up and take it out in the field for a day and see how it performs. Let me know if there are any changes to the chattering, or if it shows up at all.

I will try this and let you know what happens.. The interesting/weird thing to me is when it starts doing the chatter noise, if I attach the charging cable and recharge the battery (even though the battery indicator shows it is still fully charged) it seems to make the chatter go away for about an hour or two.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Sent it to them two or even maybe three times. They said they "worked on it". The first two times when I got it back it was still doing the exact same thing. The third time it seem to be better and I have been using it, until all this just started happening again.

Remind them if you send it that you have sent it in for same reason in the past.

 

[saanich2018]

Remind them if you send it that you have sent it in for same reason in the past.

Will do. The biggest issue is they do not have any of the module heads and waiting for some to be delivered.. Thank you.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Will do. The biggest issue is they do not have any of the module heads and waiting for some to be delivered.. Thank you.

We had the same problem when I worked for them, part shipments can be a pain.

 

[qtrs-xcite-me]

I just read this thread about your difficulties and hope you resolve them soon. I have an AT Max that I have been using for over a year. Last week I took it to an area that I had detected before with no problems. I had noticed that a temporary sand box had been erected and then removed after a public event and I thought I should detect the area - exact same area I had detected before. The detector worked normally for several passes over the area, but then, when I set it on the ground while I used my pinpointer, I started hearing "chatter" and when I looked at the digital display, the numbers were bouncing up and down. I tried several things to resolve the issue - changing frequency, turning off and on, etc. I looked around and noticed power lines near where I was detecting., but of course they were there before. Since I was almost done with the area, I did not figure out what was causing the issue before I moved to a different part of the park where the detector returned to normal operation for several hours.

I am not an electronics expert. In my case, I do not think anything is wrong with my detector. I have a suspicion that under certain load conditions, electronic interference from power lines or other sources may increase and that the sand I was detecting over may have had enough "metal" content to interact with the electronic interference creating a weird reaction in the detector as it attempts to switch between perceived targets. I don't have a clue about how to test this theory.

The other strange thing that has occurred with my detector is that twice I have attempted to metal detect a specific school grounds and had my wireless headset turn off and on and generally behave erratically. On that lot their are significant power lines running all along one side and signs of a possible ham radio operator. I have accepted that site as an undesirable hunting ground.

Again, good luck.

 

[saanich2018]

I just read this thread about your difficulties and hope you resolve them soon. I have an AT Max that I have been using for over a year. Last week I took it to an area that I had detected before with no problems. I had noticed that a temporary sand box had been erected and then removed after a public event and I thought I should detect the area - exact same area I had detected before. The detector worked normally for several passes over the area, but then, when I set it on the ground while I used my pinpointer, I started hearing "chatter" and when I looked at the digital display, the numbers were bouncing up and down. I tried several things to resolve the issue - changing frequency, turning off and on, etc. I looked around and noticed power lines near where I was detecting., but of course they were there before. Since I was almost done with the area, I did not figure out what was causing the issue before I moved to a different part of the park where the detector returned to normal operation for several hours.

I am not an electronics expert. In my case, I do not think anything is wrong with my detector. I have a suspicion that under certain load conditions, electronic interference from power lines or other sources may increase and that the sand I was detecting over may have had enough "metal" content to interact with the electronic interference creating a weird reaction in the detector as it attempts to switch between perceived targets. I don't have a clue about how to test this theory.

The other strange thing that has occurred with my detector is that twice I have attempted to metal detect a specific school grounds and had my wireless headset turn off and on and generally behave erratically. On that lot their are significant power lines running all along one side and signs of a possible ham radio operator. I have accepted that site as an undesirable hunting ground.

Again, good luck.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions.

First, I tried it with and without my wireless headphones, and with my iPhone turned on and off, and it made no difference.

Second, the beach I am on there are no overhead power lines, or an commercial buildings. The closes cell tower is at least a mile away. So I am fairly sure there not any EMF interference. I am ion the same beaches I have been using for the past several years, and I do not think any major changes have happen since I was there last in May of this year.

I posted a thread on this site asking if anyone had a coil they could loan me, or I will let them use my head module, to see if we can determine a cause and if it my coil, but no one has responded.

I have spoken to Minelab several times and they are very nice, but also stumped. At this point today, it makes no sense to send it to Minelab as they do not have any replacement modules in stock.

 

[TORRERO]

The exact same beach. Sea Side Florida. I have a condo here and use my detector all the time here with no issues. No Coast Guard or harbor nearby. It is just so strange that after I use the detector for a while it starts happening.

Off hand, I do not know anyone with a Nox, but I am sure there has to be someone in Atlanta that has one who will be willing to help me. Hopefully

Did you happen to see any strange UFO activity in the area ?
Just so you know, years of experience would tell me that its a wire shorting out inside the coil causing something like this... but that's just my opinion, you can cross check that by trying to locate a dealer nearby (like Kellyco) who would allow you to plug a different coil into your control box... Good Luck ...

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Thanks for your comments and suggestions.

First, I tried it with and without my wireless headphones, and with my iPhone turned on and off, and it made no difference.

Second, the beach I am on there are no overhead power lines, or an commercial buildings. The closes cell tower is at least a mile away. So I am fairly sure there not any EMF interference. I am ion the same beaches I have been using for the past several years, and I do not think any major changes have happen since I was there last in May of this year.

I posted a thread on this site asking if anyone had a coil they could loan me, or I will let them use my head module, to see if we can determine a cause and if it my coil, but no one has responded.

I have spoken to Minelab several times and they are very nice, but also stumped. At this point today, it makes no sense to send it to Minelab as they do not have any replacement modules in stock.

Are there any high rise hotels close?

 

[qtrs-xcite-me]

Please understand I am not saying that you do not have a problem with your equipment. You may well have, and I certainly hope for an early resolution for you.

I am saying that it is very hard to determine that an area has the same conditions that it had the last time. Enemy submarine off the coast scanning with some type of detection equipment? A mobile ham radio operator in the area? Increased solar activity? Active LIDAR scan?

The only thing I would suggest is the next time it happens, immediately move several blocks inland without resetting anything and try detecting a park, playground or something else. If it continues to act up, that would add evidence that it is a hardware problem. If it returns to normal, that would seem to indicate the environment you are detecting in is polluted.

 

[saanich2018]

Please understand I am not saying that you do not have a problem with your equipment. You may well have, and I certainly hope for an early resolution for you.

I am saying that it is very hard to determine that an area has the same conditions that it had the last time. Enemy submarine off the coast scanning with some type of detection equipment? A mobile ham radio operator in the area? Increased solar activity? Active LIDAR scan?

The only thing I would suggest is the next time it happens, immediately move several blocks inland without resetting anything and try detecting a park, playground or something else. If it continues to act up, that would add evidence that it is a hardware problem. If it returns to normal, that would seem to indicate the environment you are detecting in is polluted.

Totally agree with you. However, The first time this happen, I had walked about a mile down the beach, with no issues. Then it started the fast chatter. So I turned around and walked the mile back to where I started and it did the fast chatter the entire time.
The next day, after I had charged the module, I went to another beach, about four miles away and the same thing happen. It worked fine for about an hour and then goes into the fast chatter mode. I tried the same thing on another beach about 12 miles away and again, the same thing. Therefore, I am fairly confident it is not outside interference and is an issue with my detector.
In addition, on the last beach in the same area, there was another person with a Nox 800 and they were not having any issues. I asked and we talked about the chatter issue.

 

[PetesPockets55]

Why couldn't the issue be a rechargeable battery needing to be replaced?
Recharging his unit seemed to work for a short while.

Maybe just not enough power to operate properly but enough to keep the unit "on".
Last weekend I had my Nokta Simplex scare the bejeebers out of me when it made a loud odd noise before shutting down because of a dead battery.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Why couldn't the issue be a rechargeable battery needing to be replaced?
Recharging his unit seemed to work for a short while.

Maybe just not enough power to operate properly but enough to keep the unit "on".
Last weekend I had my Nokta Simplex scare the bejeebers out of me when it made a loud odd noise before shutting down because of a dead battery.

Pete's right, one of the signs a detector is not getting enough power is it becomes unstable.

What does Nox show your battery charge to be when problem starts.

 

[saanich2018]

Pete's right, one of the signs a detector is not getting enough power is it becomes unstable.

What does Nox show your battery charge to be when problem starts.

Fully charged. All the bars are showing. I checked on this at the time

 

[robertk]

Fully charged. All the bars are showing. I checked on this at the time

It could still be a battery issue. Bad connection, bad cell, temperature issue after it heats up, etc.

 

[saanich2018]

It could still be a battery issue. Bad connection, bad cell, temperature issue after it heats up, etc.

Agree. Especially since it seems after I connect the charging cable, it stops the chatter

 

[Grizz12]

Did you get it resolved?

I was thinking of simple fixes such as sand under the skid plate or the cable unscrewing just enough to mess things up. Both have happened to me with the beach sands we have here in Alaska