LOOKING FOR CTX-3030 DISPLAY HEAD PARTS

jerryp49

Jr. Member
Oct 17, 2015
55
51
Royal Palm Beach, FL
Detector(s) used
MineLab CTX3030
Garrett Infinium LS,
Garrett AT Pro,
Gray Ghost Amphibian Headphones,
Garrett Pin-Pointer AT,
RTGBB6tip Scoop
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
Hey Guys,
Well it finally happened to me:unhappysmiley: I use my CTX-3030 exclusively for Beach and shallow surf detecting here in SE & East Florida. A couple of weeks ago seawater found its way into my Display Head through the USB port. I've been running it in the water using the O-Ring upgrades mentioned on this forum for nearly 4-years. This is the first time water has gotten into to actual display head, although I have had two other incidences of water getting into the USB port only. This was after I had already added the O-Ring to the cap threads and also sealed the threads and flat spot on the stub with silicon adhesive/sealant per the water upgrade suggestions.

For now I have purchased another 3030 off eBay so I won't have any down time to my detecting. Got a nice one from a fellow detectorist in New Mexico and it's in like new condition. But that's another story.

So now, after disassembling the display head then washing cleaning, inspecting and then reassembling . . . the board has had it. What I'm looking for is a used, working display head you might want to part with. Or just the Board, Display & USB port. My case, switch, cable, speaker and other items for the head are in good shape. All other components of the detector are good too. I would like to get this detector working again as a spare (but don't want to send it in to the factory).

If you have the parts I'm looking for or know someone that might have them, let me know.
Looking forward to another exciting fall/winter detecting season here in the Sunshine state8-)

Best regards,
Jerry
 

USTreasureClub

Jr. Member
Oct 16, 2010
26
6
So I'm confused... The salt water got into your 3030 / USB Port and essentially cooked it due to a MINELAB design flaw and you are actually continuing to pay out money from your own pocket to fix the issue instead of sending the detector to MINELAB to force them to replace it??? The entire story doesn't make any sense unless you just have money to throw away. Sorry but I'm baffled.
 

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jerryp49

Jr. Member
Oct 17, 2015
55
51
Royal Palm Beach, FL
Detector(s) used
MineLab CTX3030
Garrett Infinium LS,
Garrett AT Pro,
Gray Ghost Amphibian Headphones,
Garrett Pin-Pointer AT,
RTGBB6tip Scoop
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
Well, first off I purchased my 1st 3030 used 3-years ago. At that time it had one year warranty remaining. After about 6-months it had water intrusion (even after applying the O-Ring upgrades) under the USB cap that melted the copper contacts in the port. So I sent it in to Kellyco for a warranty repair. It took some time to have repaired and returned but they did make the repair under warranty at no cost to me.

Now the detector is 5-years old, out of warrant and the same thing occurred except this time the water made it past the USB wiring into the case of the display head. After carefully disassembling the display head I discovered the failure and how saltwater got into the case. I really think that the 2.65mm x 20mm O-Ring used at the base of the USB cap was slightly too large in the material dimension. So I ordered a set of 2.5mm x 20mm O-Rings to use in this position on my new 3030.

It seems that with the larger O-Ring, when the cap was tighten down over the silicon sealant covered USB post, the ring had a tendency to squeeze out of position. This always kept me from tightening the cap down fully so the rubber gasket inside the cap made good contact to the face of the USB post. Hopefully with the thinner O-Ring, this will solve the problem.

Now to your question . . . since this 1st detector is now 2-years out of warranty, I know that it is going to be a huge financial cost for MineLab in PA to replace the ICB, Display and USB Port assembly and who knows how long before I'd get it back. So I went to eBay and 3-days later I had in my hands a New (to me) 3030 with a shaft upgrade and many other extras (at a Very reasonable cost) and I had no interruptions to my detecting schedule. This detector has very little usage and had never seen water as well as a full display clear coat applied. Even clear coated over the touch pad face. Plus a slide on display head cover with another clear cover for the display was included (which I'll sell off as I'll never use it). Needless to say but this detector is in three times better physical condition than my original is8-)

So now all that's left to do is one of two things: 1) Try to find the parts I need to bring the damaged detector back to life, then sell off the extra items I don't need from the 2nd 3030 or; 2) Just sell off all the good parts from my 1st detector (or keep some as spares) as well as sell off the extra items from the 2nd 3030. Hopefully I'll ether have a) a spare 3030 in my arsenal or b) I'll sell off enough of the left over parts from both detectors to offset the cost of buying the 2nd 3030. This way my out of pocket cost won't be too much more than a repair by MineLab would have been and I haven't lost any detecting time.

Hope this solves your mystery. GL&HH,
Jerry
 

USTreasureClub

Jr. Member
Oct 16, 2010
26
6
Hi and thank you for your response. I get it. The problem is this... The CTX 3030 has a design flaw that allows water to enter the main compartment / box. This should be covered under warranty even if the detector is not in warranty. People need to go after these companies and demand they fix issues that are known but never fixed properly. Call MINELAB and tell them they better fix your detector or you will be forced to file a complaint / lawsuit.
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,304
54,460
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
USTreasure, out of warranty is out of warranty. Law suit want go anywhere.

Jerry, what i did was put a bead of silicone around the usb port before putting cap on so there is a bead of caulking once i tighten the cap. I do not use the usb port except for updates as I have no use myself for find points way points or gps.
 

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jerryp49

Jr. Member
Oct 17, 2015
55
51
Royal Palm Beach, FL
Detector(s) used
MineLab CTX3030
Garrett Infinium LS,
Garrett AT Pro,
Gray Ghost Amphibian Headphones,
Garrett Pin-Pointer AT,
RTGBB6tip Scoop
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
USTeasureClub,
Well what you are saying about the design flaw, especially the proper sealing of the USB port is absolutely correct. I've never had any issue whatsoever with the battery connection using the 2.5mm x 79mm O-Ring upgrade. In fact after I sealed up the USB port with the O-Ring and sealant, I Very seldom ever unseal it to use the computer download feature with the "Xchange" program. I just don't want to upset that seal.

I just delete all the previous Findpoints, Waypoints & Geohunts manually before going on the next hunt. Only when I need to upload a new Profile or download a special hunt will I break that seal. But life is too short to waste any of my time fighting this problem with MineLab. They know these two weaknesses are the "Achilles Heal" of the 3030. Which otherwise is an excellent detector that I thoroughly enjoy using.

One other thing I do dislike about MineLab is their "cut in stone" policy of NEVER selling ANY kind of part directly to the consumer. As an example, the latch assembly that locks down the lower shaft into position will wear the little rubber "brakes" out, especially when used in beach conditions. This would be a very simply repair, even for the least mechanically minded among us.

If they would be willing to send us the little cam-lock with the rubber made on it, it's an easy fix! But instead, if you want this fixed, you MUST send the whole upper shaft assembly to their repair facility to make this repair. Even the most expensive car dealers make it their business to sell parts directly to their customers, even if that customer may not have a skill base to install the parts he buys from them. It just makes no since to me. But hey . . . it's their business to run as they see fit, whether it makes their customers unhappy or not.

Jerry
 

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USTreasureClub

Jr. Member
Oct 16, 2010
26
6
I'm glad you know the law. When did non-disclosure laws change? When a company has a known defect and they refuse to admit the defect or cure the defect its called fraud! Go to law school, you'll learn a lot. This defect with the CTX 3030 has been a known issue with MINELAB so don't tell me it's out of warranty. That excuse WILL NOT stand up in court!
 

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jerryp49

Jr. Member
Oct 17, 2015
55
51
Royal Palm Beach, FL
Detector(s) used
MineLab CTX3030
Garrett Infinium LS,
Garrett AT Pro,
Gray Ghost Amphibian Headphones,
Garrett Pin-Pointer AT,
RTGBB6tip Scoop
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
Treasure Hunter,
Yep, been doing that same procedure (along with the extra O-ring) since day one.

Jerry
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,304
54,460
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I'm glad you know the law. When did non-disclosure laws change? When a company has a known defect and they refuse to admit the defect or cure the defect its called fraud! Go to law school, you'll learn a lot. This defect with the CTX 3030 has been a known issue with MINELAB so don't tell me it's out of warranty. That excuse WILL NOT stand up in court!

How is it a known defect, thousands have never leaked. I own 2 3030s, never leaked, I have 3 hunting partners with 3030s never leaked. What is the percentages of those that have leaked compared to those that never leaked.
 

USTreasureClub

Jr. Member
Oct 16, 2010
26
6
I own 4 CTX 3030 metal detectors, 2 leak. Don't talk to me about fraudulent misrepresentations because I already have a lawsuit against Minelab in which they tried to get thrown out / dismissed and the judge refused to throw out my lawsuit because of creditable evidence I have against Minelab regarding their knowledge of the 3030 leaking defect!
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,304
54,460
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I own 4 CTX 3030 metal detectors, 2 leak. Don't talk to me about fraudulent misrepresentations because I already have a lawsuit against Minelab in which they tried to get thrown out / dismissed and the judge refused to throw out my lawsuit because of creditable evidence I have against Minelab regarding their knowledge of the 3030 leaking defect!

Good luck with your suit.
 

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jerryp49

Jr. Member
Oct 17, 2015
55
51
Royal Palm Beach, FL
Detector(s) used
MineLab CTX3030
Garrett Infinium LS,
Garrett AT Pro,
Gray Ghost Amphibian Headphones,
Garrett Pin-Pointer AT,
RTGBB6tip Scoop
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
Bump for position and reminder I'm Looking for parts.

Jerry
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,304
54,460
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Jerry, keep in mind only charter members can reply with offer to sell.
 

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OP
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jerryp49

Jr. Member
Oct 17, 2015
55
51
Royal Palm Beach, FL
Detector(s) used
MineLab CTX3030
Garrett Infinium LS,
Garrett AT Pro,
Gray Ghost Amphibian Headphones,
Garrett Pin-Pointer AT,
RTGBB6tip Scoop
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
Thanks TH, didn't know that.
Then maybe those that have an idea can just PM me with their suggestion or offering?

Jerry
 

bklein

Full Member
Feb 15, 2012
165
83
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Is the board really not repairable? Just the USB port being bad will prevent normal operation.
I screwed up and left my port cap completely off and it just hosed the connector, not the boards. I didn't scuba dive with it though...
 

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