dirtwizard
Sr. Member
- Feb 19, 2013
- 305
- 154
- Detector(s) used
- Minelab Safari/Fisher F2/Minelab go-find 40/Garrett pro point
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
Illuminate any detector's LCD screen for hunting at night on the cheap!
Hey guys and gals I thought I would share a little cheap and easy modification I came up with so that I could see what my detector's display is reading in the dark. I like hunting at night and use a streamlight brand head light or miner's lamp strapped to my head. I like to run the miners lamp as little as possible to preserve battery life and avoid unwanted attention. If the moon is bright I only use it while digging or navigating the shadows. It also attracts bugs if you leave it on at all times and they will be swarming around your head... I found myself constantly reaching up to turn the light on so I could see my detector's display. That is when I came up with this idea.
The basic idea is to find a small pushbutton LED light and affix it to the detector in a way that doesn't alter the machine permanently or take away from it's functionality in any way. You can find these little lights sold as keychain flashlights or what not. I found a pretty slick one imbedded in a wallet sized magnifying reader that was 2 or 3 dollars so I bought two of them to play around with. This is the product I took my lights from.
Amazon.com: Credit Card-Size Pocket Magnifier with LED Light 1.5x & 4x - Tough Polycarbonate Lens: Health & Personal Care
I chose this as a donor because the batteries, LED and switch are all contained in a small enclosure with no key chain loops protuding or anything I didn't need. I carefully broke the wallet magnifier apart to get the light out. Then I cut a small square of industrial strength velcro out. Using the velcro squares I attached the light to the face of my detector near the display in a place I can easily hit the button with my thumb.
Doesn't look too awful huh? Finding the button for the light in the dark is easy because it sits up higher from the detector's face than the rest. can't miss it.
I found it pretty difficult to get a good picture of the light on in a dark room that shows what I see when using the detector. To the naked eye there is no major glare/flare up like the photo. The display is illuminated nicely and all the info is easily legible with the push of a button. The pic gives you the general idea though.
I suppose I could get a detector with a backlight at some point but this works great for now and causes no permanent modification to the machine. Machines with more buttons on the face may not be suitable for this sort of mod but it is right at home on my trusty fisher. Happy night hunting!
Hey guys and gals I thought I would share a little cheap and easy modification I came up with so that I could see what my detector's display is reading in the dark. I like hunting at night and use a streamlight brand head light or miner's lamp strapped to my head. I like to run the miners lamp as little as possible to preserve battery life and avoid unwanted attention. If the moon is bright I only use it while digging or navigating the shadows. It also attracts bugs if you leave it on at all times and they will be swarming around your head... I found myself constantly reaching up to turn the light on so I could see my detector's display. That is when I came up with this idea.
The basic idea is to find a small pushbutton LED light and affix it to the detector in a way that doesn't alter the machine permanently or take away from it's functionality in any way. You can find these little lights sold as keychain flashlights or what not. I found a pretty slick one imbedded in a wallet sized magnifying reader that was 2 or 3 dollars so I bought two of them to play around with. This is the product I took my lights from.
Amazon.com: Credit Card-Size Pocket Magnifier with LED Light 1.5x & 4x - Tough Polycarbonate Lens: Health & Personal Care
I chose this as a donor because the batteries, LED and switch are all contained in a small enclosure with no key chain loops protuding or anything I didn't need. I carefully broke the wallet magnifier apart to get the light out. Then I cut a small square of industrial strength velcro out. Using the velcro squares I attached the light to the face of my detector near the display in a place I can easily hit the button with my thumb.
Doesn't look too awful huh? Finding the button for the light in the dark is easy because it sits up higher from the detector's face than the rest. can't miss it.
I found it pretty difficult to get a good picture of the light on in a dark room that shows what I see when using the detector. To the naked eye there is no major glare/flare up like the photo. The display is illuminated nicely and all the info is easily legible with the push of a button. The pic gives you the general idea though.
I suppose I could get a detector with a backlight at some point but this works great for now and causes no permanent modification to the machine. Machines with more buttons on the face may not be suitable for this sort of mod but it is right at home on my trusty fisher. Happy night hunting!
