Plans set for electronic receiver

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Not all is bad. I think I made a bit of a quantum leap today. Not sure and maybe I'd be better not to jinx myself, but I'm trying to incorporate some features from a different locator system into my contraption. Yeah, I'm realllllllly slow. Tried to do this last November and failed, gave up. Then today the light just came on in my brain so just need to hook it up and keep the fire extinguisher handy. LOL Just kidding...I hope. LOL Right now I have a high confidence level, but all that can change in a heartbeat once I hit the power switch. But I'll bet this one works. Seems I've said that before...This could be the break I've been praying for, a real game changer. Might even be a home run. Well, enough patting myself on the back, it ain't even happened yet.

 

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Well, all bets are off. Recall that Jerry Jeff Walker song, "...Bettin' on a losing friend. Making those same mistakes we swore we'd never make again..." More pain. I must have manic depression or bipolar disorder. Up one day, down the next. Haven't totally given up on this one just yet, but it's not looking good and worse, I don't understand what's wrong. They say depression is rage turned in to yourself. Yeah, I feel it right now. I'm still going to try some more tomorrow. Part of it is working but the other half is just static. Worst case scenario I could just use the good part and forget about the static. Right now I see no other choice. Well, I'll know more tomorrow. Didn't have much time to work on it today. Just had it on the meter only, didn't try it out on a target. Looks for everything I have a long road ahead to ever get this where i want it. I guess I'll be ahead if I can get the one part to work right. Proved again today: "Nothing is ever as easy as it first appears."

 

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For anyone who isn't mentally challenged, it ought to be blatantly obvious that I don't know WTH I am doing, and I'm in this way over my head. As I say, if this was bomb making I'd be dead a long time ago. LOL Since I'm not dead, I'm still working on this. So I am trying to figure out what I did wrong. I have some ideas to try out. Sorry for spilling my emotions all over the page. I over react all the time. So I still have hope I can figure this out. It might take a miracle.

 

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I got a signal but it's weak and I don't want to burn it up so I am conceding that I've hit a dead end. No blood spilled and no money lost. No fires. Got some disappointment but gotta expect that. Life goes on.

 

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Still flip-flopping with this project. I was hoping to someday market this but lately my hopes have faded. Right now I have decided to put everything on hold and not put the cart before the horse until I make a find. Still have frozen ground and it will be a while before that changes. I've been working with the Eliminator E-120 for weight cancelling. That seems to work pretty good. So I just have to get it out in the field and as I put it, "see it's ugly side". LOL There's bound to be some issues with ground mineralization, etc. But I really think the E-120 is going to be of considerable help. Certainly works better and much more controllable than the frequency shift way of cancelling. I see why thye don't put any numbers on the weight cancelling dial--lower conducting targets cancel out earlier. A one pound lead ingot cancels out sooner than five ounces of silver coins, not a whole lot more than a half dollar.

 

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Pretty sure it depends on what type equipment you are using. For my contraption, the E-120 does not actually cancel the signal line--it moves it off to the side. So in effect the line to the target is not there. So what that means is you have to have the line to the target first, then see how much you can turn the dial before it moves. At close range, 20 feet, it might only move a foot or so but that's enough to know you have affected it. Of course the more you move the dial the easier it is to see it has moved. Now if you are using L-rods you will have to be accurate in you detection. Some days when magnetic storm conditions, the line does not stay on the target so you can't make any accurate measurements.

 

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Woke up in the middle of the night with some good ideas for the receiver so I got up and wrote it all down. I call these my Wile E.Coyote ideas on how to catch the Road Runner--the elusive gold from a distance. So now I gotta build it and see if it explodes in my face. I always loved the look on Wile E. Coyote's face right when he realizes it's going to explode and there's nothing he can do about it.

Also been reading the "Inside The Metal Detector" book. There's some good meat in there to chew on. I'm just getting started--about fifty years too late. Better late than never. I really feel like I missed my true calling.

 

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Yeah, I just feel like I have breathed a little life and enthusiasm back into this project. I have a plan. LOL Basically this past year I've just been swirling around like about to go down the drain. Just aimless. Well, I hope this is what will get the fire started again. You've probably noticed I have sounded like a broken record constantly agonizing over needed compromises I don't want to make. Lately I've been able to compensate for most of these. So now I just have to get with it and not look back. Wasn't that a Tom Petty quote? "Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead." Actually it was David Farragut. I get confused. Petty had an album of that name with the song "Even the losers get lucky some times."

 

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As always, have some issues. I'm not real please with the battery arrangement, but that can be changed easy enough down the road. DOn't know if I'd call it "full steam ahead", but the project is back in motion. Plan is to start the electronics assembly today. Think I said that yesterday. LOL Anyway, I did get some parts so it's time to get moving even if it is only at a snail's pace. Half the battle is just getting started. That will happen today. Not making any predictions on completion of this stage. Doubt it will be today, probably not even tomorrow, but very soon.

 

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Surprise, surprise, got "stuff" to do tomorrow. But I'm still trying to get started on the electronics today. SO maybe have something late Saturday---if it works. LOL It better or they might have to call suicide hotline. Reminds me of the Gregg Allman song "Why quit when you're losing". I don't know what's wrong with me. I hate gambling and this is one big gamble. Like I told the lady at the Kwik Stop when I was buying a lotto ticket "I'm due for a winner." Of course she got a good laugh out of it.

 

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Well, I actually made some progress. Slow going and got a sore back out of the deal. Only made two mistakes...that I know about. LOL This is just a rat's nest version, just slapped together to see if I like the configuration...if it works. Ooops! Make that three mistakes. (I just went and changed it.) I hooked up the speaker wire to ground. Nothing too serious. I have a real good shot to get this thing fired up sometime late Saturday if i can stick with it. Guess I better start praying this thing works.

 

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Got a mountain of work to do in my yard. As bad I i want to get this circuit board done, I feel too guilty not to spend a bunch of time yard work. This circuit board has been a design-as-I-go thing. But I feel like my plans are still intact. It's been 18 months, a short delay is not going to hurt too much. After I get some work done I plan to continue with the soldering and should be close by tonight. Should be, could be, maybe, if, but... LOL I feel it.

 

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Got a good amount of work done in the yard (still lots to do) but no soldering. I'm getting antsy to get this done so I can try it to see if this configuration works. I'm not too skilled with electronics so don't really know what to expect. I read somewhere it takes about twenty tries to design a good circuit board. Looks like I have a ways to go or else they are wrong. If you know how many times I edit each and every post you will have a clue how this board will turn out. LOL But i got my blinders on, or is it tunnel vision? I haven't started hoping for a miracle yet, so that will probably happen after I connect the power for the first time.

 

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Got a little soldering done today. Still have about a dozen components to add and some other wiring. "Please don't say 'Manana' if you don't mean it."

 

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Oh, mercy me! I got my ear drums blasted with feedback and i don't know what else. Something definitely not right, but with it turned down nearly all the way I did get a tone through the headphones. Disappointment, yes, but at least it wasn't dead. So with my poor electronics skills and knowledge I have to go back in and see if I can find out WTH I did wrong. Man, why did I ever start this project? I don't feel very good right now. It's been a few days I've gone without saying I wanted to quit, but it's back and strong as ever. I'm just shaking my head right now.

 

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I had a couple wires hooked up backwards. Now I'm getting a nice tone but still got part of the circuit not working. I gotta quit making those mods. LOL Well, I don't feel as bad now but my ear hurts. Maybe there's a ray of hope yet.

 

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Went through the whole circuit and didn't find anything. Then I was doing some head scratching trying to figure out if I could rebuild using different circuit when I looked back at the schematic and saw one wire I had forgotten. Please be such a simple fix. I'll know in a few minutes.

 

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I think all my luck has been used up already for today. Maybe I fried a chip so I'll stick in a new one. Oh man, these project birthing pains give me claustrophobia. Feels like I can't breathe, like some boa constrictor is squeezing the life out of me. If i ever get this thing done, I ain't never ever considering doing anything like this ever again. I'm changing my motto from "Gotta love it" to "Gotta be crazy".

 

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Well, I got no choice but to keep at this. I had removed part of the circuit and now I think I need to put it back in. Just a few more components but I odn't have any room on the board now. The good news is it will go right on the end so I guess I can glue and fiberglas a piece on. LOL I have the terrible feeling those guys were right when they said it takes twenty boards before you get it right. It hurts when i try to laugh. LOL

 

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Got rough weather on the way and my mountain of work in the yard is still only half way done. So it's git 'er done. I still have hope I can get that board working all the way. it works as is. I can point to a test target. But I won't be happy until I get it better. I'm going to try to make that happen today. Said that before. LOL