Propointer switch destroyed

[MissIron.Maiden]

So my garrett propointer wouldn't stop signaling when turned on. I did what I'm sure a lot have done and opened it up. Only to have the switch blow apart. I think I'm missing a spring now. Sooo where do I go from here? Anyone else experienced this ? Where can one physically take this to get it repaired?



Thanks in advance!!

 

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[Garrett424]

So my garrett propointer wouldn't stop signaling when turned on. I did what I'm sure a lot have done and opened it up. Only to have the switch blow apart. I think I'm missing a spring now. Sooo where do I go from here? Anyone else experienced this ? Where can one physically take this to get it repaired?

View attachment 1074136

Thanks in advance!!

I would go to Radio Shack and see if you can find a replacement switch to fit it. They have a pretty good selection.

I'm not familiar with the mechanics of a pro pointer and I don't know what type of switch it uses. But, I would try radio shack. If you can get the right switch and solder it in you should be good to go.

 

[Garrett424]

Hey, I found a thread on another forum where someone else replaced their Propointer switch. There's also some good discussion about your other options.
Here's a link:

Is it worth getting older propointers tuned up?

Hope this helps. Once you're used to a pinpointer it's definitely a must have. Mine broke the night before a planned early AM hunt with my kids a while back. I had to hunt without it all day and yes, although I still did well that day, I still missed it.

 

[cooper1841]

I sent mine in to Garrett, looked just like yours........................in 10 days I had it back, no charge!!!

 

[Carolina Tom]

I sent one in about a month ago. I used it almost every day for 8 months. It looked worse than yours. You could not see the serial number. They sent me a brand new one, arrived in a little over a week at no charge. Call them for an RA number, and they will hook up right up. GL&HH.

 

[MissIron.Maiden]

I sent one in about a month ago. I used it almost every day for 8 months. It looked worse than yours. You could not see the serial number. They sent me a brand new one, arrived in a little over a week at no charge. Call them for an RA number, and they will hook up right up. GL&HH.

Did you have a receipt? I never sent in my warranty :/

 

[MissIron.Maiden]

I sent mine in to Garrett, looked just like yours........................in 10 days I had it back, no charge!!!

Did you have the warranty ? Or a receipt ?

 

[Carolina Tom]

Did you have a receipt? I never sent in my warranty :/

No receipt, I don't think that I sent the warranty card in either, no visible serial number and heavily worn. I think that there is a serial number and date code on the inside of the unit. Call them at 1-800-527-4011 and tell them what happened, they will give you an RA number, send the unit back and they will fix it, or replace it.

Garrett has legendary customer service and support.

Now chop chop, get that pinpointer fixed and get back out there and find some treasure!

 

[Pa_Dirtfisher]

I've changed the switch in mine before but it's a pain in the you know what if your not familiar with electronics. You were correct there is a spring that belongs in the switch and the Propointer does not come apart easily. I would recommend contacting Garrett Toll Free: 1-800-527-4011 (USA/Canada only) and ask what they suggest.

Garrett North America Service Request Form

 

[cooper1841]

No recipt, and I belive the warrenty was expired............they are great to work with

 

[Jeremy S]

This is the switch that you need.

MHPS2266 Apem | Mouser

http://www.mouser.com/ds/2/26/MHPS_TACTS-369892.pdf

Be wary of the cheap switches that you see on eBay and Amazon. I tried some of those and they were non-latching, despite what the description said.

When you order the switches, buy several extras. They are real easy to damage when soldering or reassembling the unit.

When replacing the switch, there are several things that you need to be aware of:
1. To de-solder the old switch, you will need a low wattage iron and some de-soldering wick, both available at Radio Shack. A solder sucker is helpful as well.
2. I found it easier to cut the old switch base apart with a small pair of side-cutters and de-solder the pins one at a time.
3. Make sure to mount the replacement switch on the correct side of the board. I'll admit, I got in a hurry once and soldered it onto the wrong side
4. Pretty much plan to re-solder the wires in the 3-conductor cable going to the sensor. Two of these wires are solid magnet wire (red coating) that don't like to flex many times before breaking.
5. When putting the pointer back together, I used a piece of electrical tape and tightly taped the switch so that it was fully pressed down. Once reassembled I used a hobby knife to slice the tape away from the switch with it installed in the housing. Take your time pushing the board back into the housing in case something is not lining up. As you found out it takes just the slightest amount of force to break the switch.

While you have the board out of the housing, inspect the solder joints from the battery connections with a magnifier. These can get small cracks in them that can cause intermittent operation. Also you can use a small tool to slightly bend the battery contacts out so that they make a better connection (if that was a problem before)

I would not attempt this job unless you have some hands-on experience with soldering surface mount electronic components. I figured I'd post the above info to help out any others who have this same issue.

 

[MissIron.Maiden]

Thanks everybody. I also snapped 2 wires trying to get the darn circuit back in, uuhhggg . I called Garrett and she looked up my serial number. I believe I may be getting it replaced free, once I send it in . She was just so hard to understand, that I can't say for positive .

 

[Frankn]

The pro pointer is not designed to be easily taken apart. Unless you have experience in this field you will probably destroy it. Here's the good point. You paid so much excess for that pinpointer Garrett can easily afford to replace several times for no additional charge. And I thought only HF had switch problems. Frank

 

[Garrett424]

Thanks everybody. I also snapped 2 wires trying to get the darn circuit back in, uuhhggg . I called Garrett and she looked up my serial number. I believe I may be getting it replaced free, once I send it in . She was just so hard to understand, that I can't say for positive .

Good luck with that. I hope it works out well and speedily for you.

In the meantime, hunting with no pinpointer isn't the worst thing in the world. Beats not hunting at all in my book.

 

[Garrett424]

And I thought only HF had switch problems. Frank View attachment 1074725

Don't get me started........

Seriously, anything can happen at any time to any thing. The way we sometimes abuse our equipment and the amount of dirt it gets exposed to, we're all lucky we don't have even more equipment failure when you really think about it.

Also, the HF isn't a bad option if you're short on cash and willing to accept the fact that you'll need to replace that switch pretty much immediately. It also makes a half decent back up in a pinch. Even a HF pinpointer can be better than no pinpointer.