Need advice on rehabbing a blue Excalibur 1000

[El_Pato]

Hi, this might be a long post, so bear with me.

The backstory on this machine:
I purchased this excalibur 1000( blue box) , used , about 7 years ago. It had had the original coil replaced by minelab, with a excalibur 2 10" coil when i purchased it. Bought a new battery, as the old one was dead. It would turn on, run ok( I thought) and detect metal. Being unfamiliar with the operation of an excal, I failed to realize there was something wrong with the way it was operating, specifically, falsing, and the inability to maintain a threshold. Constantly wavering, between the 3 tones, even in 100% clean sand. It will still detect metal, but, it won't hold a threshold while in use. On a bench, it will stay steady.
I got frustrated, and stuck it in a closet, for 7 years and gave up on water hunting.

Fast forward to today:
I live very close to the beach, in Pensacola, Fl. Have an equinox 800 that is almost out of warranty, that I have been taking into the gulf, and hunting with. Love it, but don't want to kill it. So, I pulled out the blue Excalibur.
The replaced coil cable has rotted, headphones as well. After some spliced cables with waterproof connectors, ect, done by a former military electronics repair tech, it is again, alive.
It detects metal just fine. It just will NOT hold a threshold, while in use regardless of sensitivity settings, with a known good battery. I compared it to a friend's excal 2, and it's definitely not working properly. It does this on both dry land, and in the water.
I don't want to send it to minelab, because it will be prohibitively expensive to repair, they will look at the splices on the headphone and coil, and replace them both, which is ok, but, I think it might end up still having the initial issue of a " wandering " threshold. My buddy can wire in a new coil and phones, properly, so I'm not too concerned with that issue. I'm wondering what the original issue is.
Given the issues stated, is there a way I can determine what is wrong with it, aside from the previous stated wiring issues? If I am going to replace the coil and phones, I don't want to sink a bunch of $ into an old machine that still may not work properly. It might get sent to ebay for parts.
Any advice on how to diagnose the real issue, or advice in general, is most welcome.
Thanks!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[Treasure_Hunter]

My suggestion is to send it to Minelab, you could have a bad threshold pedometer, could be corrosion on the motherboard too.

While it was stored where was it stored, was it in a hot location?

 

[El_Pato]

My suggestion is to send it to Minelab, you could have a bad threshold pedometer, could be corrosion on the motherboard too.

While it was stored where was it stored, was it in a hot location?

Never stored hot while I have owned it always in an air conditioned home.

 

[cudamark]

If you're hunting in Discrimination, the threshold tone will change with every target. Sometimes the threshold tone will be low after running across a low conductor, and then change to a high threshold tone when you run across a high conductor. That's perfectly normal, and that's why I don't hunt in discrimination....that, and I get more depth in Pin Point. At the beach, I recommend you run it in Pin Point (all metal for all intents and purposes), and then switch to Disc to eliminate iron targets. In Pin Point, the threshold tone should be steady and the same for all targets. I run mine wide open....as hot as possible, and dig everything that isn't a dead iron null tone.

 

[cudamark]

As for repairs and mods......My friend Tony Eisenhower does all my mods and upgrades. I had him put large coils and better headphones on two of my Excals, along with the pin point switch in the handle for faster target I.D. Those changes make the Excal MUCH more user friendly. A carbon fiber straight shaft is another upgrade I recommend.

 

[El_Pato]

If you're hunting in Discrimination, the threshold tone will change with every target. Sometimes the threshold tone will be low after running across a low conductor, and then change to a high threshold tone when you run across a high conductor. That's perfectly normal, and that's why I don't hunt in discrimination....that, and I get more depth in Pin Point. At the beach, I recommend you run it in Pin Point (all metal for all intents and purposes), and then switch to Disc to eliminate iron targets. In Pin Point, the threshold tone should be steady and the same for all targets. I run mine wide open....as hot as possible, and dig everything that isn't a dead iron null tone.

 

[El_Pato]

Thank you for the informative reply. I have used a friend's excal 2, so I've become familiar with how they are supposed to operate, this is something different.. it just won't hold a threshold, on clean sand-clean ground. Randomly changing with no targets. When I first got it many years ago, I thought that it simply operated that way, being new to a 3 tone machine, and minelabs in general.
I've been detecting since 1982, have owned several different machines over the years, and made great finds. There is something wrong with this one internally I just don't know how to diagnose it.
Do you have contact info for your fried, assuming he does eork for other people?
Thanks!

 

[cudamark]

Tony does all sorts of independent repairs and mods for various machines and headphones, but, If it needs a new board, I'm not sure he has a source for those. You'd have to check with him. It could be a coil problem too. A bad one can have those symptoms. If you have another coil that can plug into it, see if you have the same problem with it. Where are you located?

 

[El_Pato]

Tony does all sorts of independent repairs and mods for various machines and headphones, but, If it needs a new board, I'm not sure he has a source for those. You'd have to check with him. It could be a coil problem too. A bad one can have those symptoms. If you have another coil that can plug into it, see if you have the same problem with it. Where are you located?

Pensacola, Fl.
No extra coil, but they aren't too bad at around $150 or so.
As I plan to water hunt exclusively with it, something in the 10-11" inch range is what I'm thinking. I've used a 15" on other machines, too much drag in the water to use for long periods of time.

 

[ROBOTCOP13]

Minelab will replace your inner and outer o rings which is very important if you plan on dunking it.

Once it floods you can't even ebay it.

 

[OBN]

If your plans are to use the excalibur in the water I would highly recommend sending it in. They will call and give you a estimate on cost. Nothing worse than being out in the water and having a machine acting up, or leaking. And figure, all it takes is a few nice gold bands to cover the cost. Or maybe just buy a D2? 5 year warranty.

I love my Excalibur's but seems they do need rebuilt every 3 years since I use them in salt and sun.

 

[ROBOTCOP13]

I've got Excals that are over 20 years old, fixed, modded and have probably passed thru the hands of Treasure Hunter and OBN at some point in their life. Keep the boards dry and fix everything else and they will last. What's the old saying " Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten"

 

[LawrencetheMDer]

Question: Can you actually splice an Excal coil cable? I remember reading somewhere that splicing a coil cable changes impedance or signal timing or ? and, bottom line, you can't just splice a coil cable.
I have an Excal II for about 12 - 13 yrs and have replaced the battery cable myself (not an easy chore) about 4 yrs ago but thought I'd have to get a new coil and cable if the coil cable rotted? Comments.

 

[OBN]

Question: Can you actually splice an Excal coil cable? I remember reading somewhere that splicing a coil cable changes impedance or signal timing or ? and, bottom line, you can't just splice a coil cable.
I have an Excal II for about 12 - 13 yrs and have replaced the battery cable myself (not an easy chore) about 4 yrs ago but thought I'd have to get a new coil and cable if the coil cable rotted? Comments.

Yes, one can replace the cable. (From coil thru the endcap to the board) I've done maybe 20 cable replacements over the years, never a issue. A few were mine and after about 9 years my first is still working fine. Amazing the cable only cost about 10 dollars, and that would be all it took for Minelabs to update the cable they use now. It's like they have no clue of the problem....
Video shows no lose in performance with a different cable

One of the cables I have used, the other one is listed in the first picture in McMaster Carr

 

[El_Pato]

You guys have convinced me to go ahead and send it in.
Thank you for all the responses.

 

[ROBOTCOP13]

When you get it back it will run better than a new one. They know how to clean and tweak every little thing.

 

[cudamark]

Question: Can you actually splice an Excal coil cable? I remember reading somewhere that splicing a coil cable changes impedance or signal timing or ? and, bottom line, you can't just splice a coil cable.
I have an Excal II for about 12 - 13 yrs and have replaced the battery cable myself (not an easy chore) about 4 yrs ago but thought I'd have to get a new coil and cable if the coil cable rotted? Comments.

You can replace the whole cable, or, splice them. I have one with a spliced cable where I can change coils if I so choose. It has an inline waterproof connector. I'm not sure I would dive with it, but, in the surf it has worked fine and doesn't seem to have any negative effect on depth or performance compared to my other Excals that are hardwired.