Interesting Modified SDC2300 On Gumtree

[Bush]

Total Re- Hash.

Positive Terminal Orange Wire to the sdc internal speaker is on the left when viewing opened from the front.
Taking this Orange extended Positive wire to the middle of the newly installed 3 pronged two way switch returning from either ( but one chosen ) of the outer looping switch terminals back down to the internal speaker.
The other Orange existing right hand speaker wire remains in place to the internal speaker.
Internal speaker is now Operational with on / off switch.

The new switch spare looping terminal is now wired to the new 1/4`` chassis socket that links the bottom ring of the 1/4``stereo jack.
The Black wire is now connected to the new chassis socket terminal that is linked to the middle ring stereo part of the 1/4`` jack.
The Red wire is now connected to the chassis plug that links the upper part ring of the stereo jack.
External Speaker SPK07 with 1/4`` Jack that is inter-changeable with the GPX is now Operational Loud & Clear when the the new installed switch is flicked that now defuses the sdc internal speaker.

1/4`` Jack Koss UR30 head phones Operational when plugged into the same newly installed 1/4``chassis socket ( Pending ) to loop the headphone positive / active speaker terminals in series up at the ear muffs to achieve both headphone speakers then returning in Black to the middle ring stereo plug.

Original SDC mini 6 pin socket remains in place and Operational with the original sdc head phones.

Spliced wires not in use are Yellow / White / Blue / Green.
They are rolled up and conductivity capped in the event for potential future use.
I also found an Acoustic guitar stereo equalizer 1/4`` chassis plug that was a little shorter / thinner with heavier terminals than the Jaycar 1/4`` chassis plug.
It also gave a few mm more clearance regardless that the Jaycar socket is just fitting compatible.

Benched tested A - OK @ present will up date performance when tested in the field.
Any how hope this helps anyone contemplating this conversion.

 

[Bush]

Minelab SDC2300 Shaft Modification.
Installed Upper Shaft Penn Allegiance II Fishing Rod Stem with GPX Lower Shaft.
Initial OEM Minelab SDC 2300 Shaft weight 455 grams.
New Modified Shaft weight 308 grams.
Shaft now 147 grams lighter.
OEM length 850mm.
Shaft length adjustable of 200mm. Range at present 900 mm to 1100 mm & lower shaft can be shortened further if needed.
Reversal of Modification to OEM Shaft can be achieved with little effort.
Weight of 147 grams may not seem much but place a DD battery or two on your coil and notice the difference.
Penn fishing rod tube graphite is 24g / 100mm so i`ll see how the extra length works for a while shortening is not an issue.
Pics attached.
The wings were clipped off the nut shown & were inserted and glued down the tube to center the nylon retaining bolt.
A temporary centering steel bolt wrapped in thread tape was placed to create a second securing thread in resign until dry.
Shaped foam block coated in acrylic paint as a secondary cushioning support.
A dense fiber plastic leaf spring block fitted around the shaft for additional support and glued to the rod locking ring behind.
Block also glued around blue shroud.
All glue points scuffed for extra grip with super glue gel.
Hope this helps anyone contemplating this conversion.
Cheers....

 

[Bush]

Jezz ! timmed out to Edit post don`t think i even had time to squeezed a coffee in .... .
Pic of wing nut but not the one installed with the wings chopped off. I used this instead of square as it is round and slid down the tube perfectly and basically sealled the tube hole.
There was a bloke at school nick named Wing Nut but not because he was a nut ...
Also i use course threaded bolts i think 1.75 pitch as they don`t seem to strip threads on nylon as much as National Fine .
You may ask why i used a fishing rod tube because it was broken and just laying around for $60 bucks Minelab upper shaft could have worked.
First impression ; big improvement IMO on arm / shoulder muscel stress compared to the original but i`m still not fully done with it yet.
The detector is balancing better but not perfect. The OEM handle i figure could have been about 200mm further down from where it is.
My guess Minelab may have balanced the Machine without including the coil because the detector sits horizontal pivited on the handle without the coil.
Nothing against Minelab on the strenght of the existing shaft it is solid and practical on that note and i doubt anyone has destroyed one yet.
Any how i may try a pommel extension to balance the critter or look into setting up an external battery pack.
That`s it Folks for a while i`d say.
As Old Mate used to say.
What a Great Day.

 

[Bush]

Coil Shaft twist locker assembly option adjustable.
Garden hose connector with fitment adjustment & bore hole increase.
Looking good. Firm with no shaft twisting issues.
Minelab twist locker available for $14 bucks plus postage.
or Cable Stuffing Gland another option @ bunnings for a less than a few dollars.

 

[wiley coyote]

Coil Shaft twist locker assembly option adjustable.
Garden hose connector with fitment adjustment & bore hole increase.
Looking good. Firm with no shaft twisting issues.
Minelab twist locker available for $14 bucks plus postage.
or Cable Stuffing Gland another option @ bunnings for a less than a few dollars.

Great idea. have you got any more details on how to fit it? Or, some photos of its centre assembly?

 

[Bush]

Great idea. have you got any more details on how to fit it? Or, some photos of its centre assembly?

No not really Wiley Coyote only what was presented a few posts back. Basically it`s just simular to Minelabs gpx adjustable shaft set up just without a locking pin & lessor adjustment range.
It didn`t really need a twist locker either as the tube & rod shank was a pretty tight fit but just covering the enevidable wear factor down the track outback..
Vernier calipers help a lot when attempting this sort of mods.
i`d be lost without it.
If you used the Minelab upper & lower shaft shanks you`d have more adjustment range but i`m only covering for myself sand shoe to big boots so the 200mm range is what i was seeking.
Also i`m trying to reduce metal objects around near the cable areas as i know how sensitive these machines really are so no metal locking pins and all bolt / nuts in nylon my choice.
In All i`ve only reduced the total original shaft weight of around 150 grams about 1/3 the weight of 8`` coil but lessor weight now at the lower end.
Was it worth it ? i think so as i now have a longer shaft up to 200mm with lessor weight.
The balance has improved but now have ordered a new gpx /sdc new handle assembly from Miner Den $35 bucks and will place it infront of the orginal handle for perfect balance IMV.
Next i`m looking at securing a light weight foam type of rifle butt to snug up under the armpit a little tricky though with battery install around that area.
External battery pack maybe an option.
Nearing the end of Mods to this sdc2300 now.
I must admitt the assistance and advise of members of Prospecting Australia addressing & helping in some areas of this Machine has been invaluable.. Big Thank You goes out to Those.
Just wondering now if anyone has experimented with spoke coils with these sdc`s.

 

[Bush]

SDC2300 fitted with Minelab GP / SD standard handle.
Balance of Machine ... (( Perfect )) ...
In need of scuff pad protection at lower end of cable gland.
Fait de accompli
It`s Done.

 

[Bush]

Nugget Finder 12`` coil stripped down and now in the process of rebuild.
It was connected to this SDC and it was running perfect for a few hours bench testing without any problems.
I got The Heads Up from Grubstake that a few new coils now on the market were having bump issues so i tapped around with my fingers and each time it was giving false signals.
Then reconnected the ML original 8`` coil and tapped around result being no interfering signals at all.
Then swapped the F1A4 coil that Mick @ Detectronics supplied and again tapped around with no false signals.
It may look as if i have destroyed a good coil but a coil that cannot take a few knocks and bumps is not worth having the way i see it.
It is no wonder the sdc could not cope with the 12``NF in the field for to long as it was constantly trying to correct it`s self from falsified messages until it become unstable.
Tried & tested in the field numerous times over with many target results but failed over duration.

Also as you can see the NF 12`` faraday shielding is not fully wrapped around the foam.
NF have spray carbon coated the porous foam where the carbon paper has finished it maybe adequate ... but .. not for me.
Also now i can tap the coil ring i can hear the wires knocking around inside against the foam and this is where the false signals are coming from.
The other false signal issues originally were coming from the sprung coil cable running inside the OEM shaft bumping against the inner walls the issue herewith modded shaft alleviated.
My personal opinion is the 12``NF is still going tobe a good coil candidate for this sdc2300 when this coil rebuild is complete.
Keep you all posted.
Cheers.