Excalibur IIS - Ultimate project -> brainstorming

[frogmaster-riviera]

Hi all!

Many of us are/have been users of Minelab Excalibur detectors. Many mods have been created to enhance the way we can detect with those great machines but I haven't found a single place where I could found them...

- Shafts, carbon fiber, short, long, over under, scuba
- Remote PP, with or no light, toggle switch, push button
- Battery enhancement, use of LIPO 4S elements
- Headphone replacement and upgrade, use of Bone Phones
- Coil replacement and connectivity on Excalibur
- Body replacement
- Buttons, knob guard
- Hip mounts
- Power and sensibility enhancements, boosters

Please post pictures of your personal mods or mods you're Fan of!

I know OBN could make this thread live forever

 

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[metalhealth]

Can you please show us "from lowes" what look like this piece of Acrylic / lexan please, and most important the gauge of the used lexan part...

It's located where they have the glass cutting area. There are sheets of different sizes. The pieces I used were about 9 inches by 11 inches and costs 4 or 5 dollars I think. They have 2 thicknesses. After I made my first one I bought a thicker piece to make the second one and it was much harder to work with. The thicker piece costs about 2 or 3 dollars more also. If I make another one it will be from the thinner size. Next time I'm at lowes I'll take a picture of it and the label for you.

 

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[OBN]

It's located where they have the glass cutting area. There are sheets of different sizes. The pieces I used were about 9 inches by 11 inches and costs 4 or 5 dollars I think. They have 2 thicknesses. After I made my first one I bought a thicker piece to make the second one and it was much harder to work with. The thicker piece costs about 2 or 3 dollars more also. If I make another one it will be from the thinner size. Next time I'm at lowes I'll take a picture of it and the label for you.

Something that all should have, Thanks for sharing...

 

[Rolli]

This is my Excalibur, Anderson over and under carbon fiber shaft and OBN pin point mod. The headphones are Mal´s Surffones. Then i have a bicycle handel as a strain relief.
To OBN many thanks for the pin point kit
Mal´s Surffones are really great top quality headphones

 

[frogmaster-riviera]

Great version Rolli!

I think the Mal's SP are based on the CHief phones ??

Could you place us a good photo on your headphone & remote PP (I suppose) plugs ?

They look very well made and placed

 

[FC-Treasure]

After I made my first one I bought a thicker piece to make the second one and it was much harder to work with.

This is interesting to me too, how hot did you have to get it with your heat gun and how malleable did it get? I have a couple of projects that could use this technique, which is pretty low cost which is awesome! I spent about 1 hour a few months ago in the container store looking for acrylic shapes I could mod with a dremel, never thought about forming from a flat sheet! Very cool!

 

[frogmaster-riviera]

This is interesting to me too, how hot did you have to get it with your heat gun and how malleable did it get? I have a couple of projects that could use this technique, which is pretty low cost which is awesome! I spent about 1 hour a few months ago in the container store looking for acrylic shapes I could mod with a dremel, never thought about forming from a flat sheet! Very cool!

When I creat Bodies for my RC Cars, I use Lexan plates that I heat in a "Kitchen Oven" at 200°C.

View attachment 1113914View attachment 1113916

 

[FC-Treasure]

yea ive made some cool stuff with HDPE, number 2 recycling, basically milk jugs not pop or water bottles, cut them into little squares and preheat to 350 on a cookie sheet till they melt. you have a nice free sheet of super strong high density polyethylene. easily could make knob guards ive never done that app tho

So let me get this straight. You cut the milk jugs into squares, lay them on a cookie sheet and melt them until they form into a large sheet. You then let the sheet cool and then reform with a heat gun or

 

[metalhealth]

This is interesting to me too, how hot did you have to get it with your heat gun and how malleable did it get? I have a couple of projects that could use this technique, which is pretty low cost which is awesome! I spent about 1 hour a few months ago in the container store looking for acrylic shapes I could mod with a dremel, never thought about forming from a flat sheet! Very cool!

I'm not sure of the actual temp it took to get it to form, but I did heat it as little as possible until gravity caused the edges to turn down on their own. I'm sure you could heat it enough to melt it apart if you kept the heat to it. The thicker piece I tried got bubbles in it because it took so much more heat to get it to form.
I've also used pvc pieces to form parts for different things. You can heat it in boiling water to get it malleable.

 

[OBN]

Rolli...That is Beautiful!! And I like the idea of the 2nd handle grip on the back of the Anderson Shaft...

Thanks for Sharing!!

This is my Excalibur, Anderson over and under carbon fiber shaft and OBN pin point mod. The headphones are Mal´s Surffones. Then i have a bicycle handel as a strain relief.
To OBN many thanks for the pin point kit

Mal´s Surffones are really great top quality headphones

 

[penzfan]

This is my 1000 with Peltor's, Hand Strap, Low Profile Knobs and Sharkey's Straight Shaft Extension with built in strain relief:

 

[Hydro Man]

Here's my Excal with an OBN, Gray Ghost Amphibian & Remote Pinpoint kit. The GGA's are much more comfortable and having the remote pinpoint function makes the Excal twice the machine! I used that RPP switch so much wore the first one out. Now I have my RPP handle wired through an IP68 inline connector and carry a spare that I can change out in 5 min. One thing I know, I don't like being without my RPP switch! Thanks OBN for the kit and pioneering these mods!

 

[SurgTech57]

Who did your RPP through the IP68 it looks very well done?

 

[frogmaster-riviera]

Who did your RPP through the IP68 it looks very well done?

Proudly made in the USA by OBN, "the one and only"

OBN is a Member (participating to this thread) of this forum

 

[Hydro Man]

I did the work with some helpful guidance from OBN.

 

[frogmaster-riviera]

It really depends how you hunt.

For scuba hunting, the stock or optional shaft from Minelab is simply a joke. For hunting free air (not with feet on the ground) when swiming, I take the long straight shaft from ANderson or similar.


The joke:

The good with a proper handle and Elbow to hunt for long hours with a decent coil size

 

[ARC]

heh.. no thanks... I have my own collection goin.
I am all set
Been swinging these since they were released...
I have plentyyyy of parts. heh

 

[metalhealth]

Excalibur IIS - Ultimate project -> brainstorming

I want to add a little known knowledge here...
Did you know the stock Excal 2 shaft is actually better than any straight shaft made...
What makes it better... is the curve.
It requires less "lift" by your arm because hand and arm are UNDER coil level...
The key to long use "wear" on ones arm has nothing to do with the shaft at all...
They problem lies within the units weight itself.
I have used the excel in so many ways in the eons of using them...
The only solution is to have the unit not attached at all...
I can "outswing" anyone using a straight shaft with unit mount.
I also use and have a staright shaft... but would never mount unit to it...
For it "slows me down"... and wears my arm more than my custom made hip mount or my holsters I invented years ago.
I have tested this for many years....
And I always return to stock shaft with no unit.
Lightest most comfortable setup I have found for the Excals.

I have a different take on that ARRC. When I used the excal on the stock curved shaft it feels like all the weight is on my wrist. And you're right there is some weight there. I would agree that the best way to use the stock shaft would be to hip mount the control. However, I believe even better is with it mounted on a straight shaft with the control behind your elbow instead of under it. Also, it helps tremendously to have the arm cup/strap positioned as close to the bend of your elbow as possible. This makes it where almost all of the weight is hanging from your upper arm as opposed to being supported by your forearm. It's very nicely balanced and the only strain on your wrist and forearm is swinging back and forth. With the control behind your elbow it acts like a pendulum.

 

[frogmaster-riviera]

I agree 100%... that's why Anderson and Sons are making big money with their shafts.

 

[metalhealth]

Guys... heh...
Um... you are still "carrying" the weight.
Take it as you like...
You must remove the weight... which means no unit.

You're absolutely right. You are still carrying the weight. But you're carrying it much differently. Just as you're still carrying the weight when you have it hip mounted, you're just carrying it differently. Picture if you had your arm bent 90 degrees with a 10lb weight hanging from your wrist vs that weight hanging from the crook of your arm, it carries much differently. I can swing mine all day long no problem. The weight behind your elbow also aids in swinging it side to side and everything is compact mounted on the shaft. There's not a thing wrong with hip mounting if that's your preference. Some people prefer a bungee connected to it also. I'm just saying the straight shaft and control behind the elbow is about 100% improvement over the stock shaft. I'm relatively young and fit right now and I may change my mind as I get older but it would be somewhat aggravating to me to have another wire running from the machine to my body. The headphone wire is annoying enough on its own. Obviously, what is comfortable for me isn't for everyone.

 

[frogmaster-riviera]

Lever - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Very good article for you ARRC, read carefully and WHEN FINISHED and UNDERSTOOD, you can post again