With reference to repair service;
Design for maintainability:
Every design goes out the door with the intent of being serviceable to one extent or the other. Designers working in a competitive environment may include serviceability to aid in warranty repair for service entities to fix their metal detectors with minimal time and effort. On the other hand, certain components are expendables and are expected to need replacement from wear and tear or expiration due to normal use like batteries.
Batteries are the first thing for buyers to look at because they are the ever present source of issues. Are they replaceable, off the shelf or replacement, product specific molded battery packs? Smart buyers are looking at battery technologies too for longevity and chargeability.
Coils are out front and exposed to the most wear and tear. Depending on the complexity, coils may incorporate electronics in the form of amplifiers and or a processor. Repair of the plastic housing is usually a simple patch repair that doesn't take more than JB Weld or silicon rubber cement. The coil windings are in most cases not serviceable if damaged because they are factory "tuned" during the manufacturing process. Simple exposure and abrasion of the windings may be repaired with careful cleaning, coating with lacquer, yes nail polish works too, keeping the exposed (bare) wires from shorting/touching together. Then filling the cavity if any with auto body putty/bondo, silicon cement or JB Weld, smoothing the surface and touch-up painting.
Connectors may be replaced if broken. If exact replacements aren't available, a matching pair of connectors can be used. Many options can be found on Amazon. It is obvious, an understanding of cutting, tinning and soldering is required. and the future replacements will need to be the same connector types. I look at it as having the option to upgrade the connectors to make them more reliable and water proof.
An advantage of buying a new replacement coil is having spare parts to use for future repairs.
- Geowizard
