John Earle, Engineer

[Melbeta]

Today I spent going through Compass Chief Engineer John Earle material, and he left Compass Electronics, just before Compass sold to the Pakistani buyer, who I believe, is said to have milked the company, sold it to the head Service Department person, in its death throes....But this posting, is not about that what that Pakistani did or did not do, nor is it about what Steve did or did not do, it is about John Earle. Now John was an engineer, and a aged John Earle at that. So what success he had at Compass Electronics, he took with him when he went to work for Whites Electronics. Now I do not know if he was an Chief Engineer, or just an Engineer at Whites, so not to destroy any history, lets just call him John Earle, Engineer. And he was an older engineer, perhaps a bit too old we may assume or not assume. He did do some patent at Whites Electronics before he passed away, and each of the patents was assigned by contract, to the ownership of Whites Electronics. Now I just made a statement, and as always, if I have evidence to support my statements, I stick them in right on the spot. So right below, is a .PDF file, I like to take old, older, and new material, put them right then and there, as I do have a copyright for anything I create, and I go through each file, and put in my own words, then I create a PDF file, which then is a copyrighted file under the US Copyright Act. I will not recite Copyright law, it is an correct copyright statement of my artistic copyright under that act. So right below, is an PDF file, showing the Patents, that John Earle received for his discoveries, and his assignments to Whites Electronics. But before it, will be John Earle's obituary, as I think it should be, an praise by myself, and for and to his memory, as I loved Compass Electronics metal detectors. So first his memory, then the Patents made by John Earle while employed at Whites Electronics. I like to be correct, and precise in anything and everything I do. And accrurate as much as possible too...
MELBETA
JOHN EARL_Died_S_NP_001.Pdf
Now that is above, I will now post the file on John Earle's PATENT's he corrected while employed at Whites Electronics, created a new POSTING area...
JOHNLEARL-Patents_S_NP_001.Pdf
Now that is complete, I will not insert this new created content, on John Earle, Engineer at Whites Electronics..... MELBETA
JOHN EARL_Died_S_NP_001.Pdf

[Melbeta]

Now that I created an new posting category, I am going to tell a story about John Earle, Engineer. Now I have lots of electronic technology documents by John Earle, and some on John Earle. But first the ones written by John Earle. Now John Earle studied Ground Minerals pretty well, and he understood them quite well. So first of all, is this file which I love to read, about Ground Minerals, what they do in wet sands, and what they do when water is on top of the wet sands. And we know, there is either lots or less of water on top, and the amount of water on top, is also an puzzling matter. So right below, is John Earle, explaining the matter of water on top of wet sands...I am going to separate each subject matter, so what I write is very good!
It is now set, and I will now post this separate subject matter, read, learn, and enjoy what John Earle wrote and did...
MELBETA
GROUND~1_S_NP_001a.Pdf

[Melbeta]

Okay, did not want to screw up Carls GeoTech forum, I want it correct and accurate. Now John Earle, did several electronic technical documents, on the Compass Electronics MINERAL SWITCH, so to make sure we get it all, I am going to post each of the technical documents. Now there might be duplication in the documents, but by downloading and reading, you the reader, will not only know, you will learn, and not miss any techinal information, from each of the documents. Now I am old, suffer form Short Term Memory Loss, so rather then try and assimilate all of the documents, I am going to stick in each one, and as I do not know which was first, nor know which was last, they will be stuck in in a non knowledge order. Okay?
And when I get done, each will be in here, regarding the Compass MINERAL SWITCH, and you I will be able to call you, a "KNOW IT ALL" guy or gal. And you will have them all, and as I have them stored in my John Earle DIRECTORY!!!!!!!! The first one was written in 1990, and it is first, as I think it was the first one written.
MELBETA
1990_Mineral Switch_S_NP_001.Pdf
J_EARLE_CompassSwitch_s.pdf
Now this next one, is a photo, dated 2012, believe it was taken at Compass Electronics, and the people, I think are from the Compass Engineering Dept. Next, will be John Earle as an engineer at Whites Electronics, and will be an technical file...Since I do not have PDF software in this computer I am not sure what the subject matter is... Okay????Now since that was three uploads, and I have an old computer, with memory problems, going to do an install. OH, I was a PrIinters Devil back in 1954, soI enhanced the photo. Consider yourself lucky to see each person in enhanced version photo... Now the photo is last!
MELBETA

[Melbeta]

Okay, I am lucky today. I am a newbie still making mistakes, but doing fantastic postings, with fantastic material. This first file, is an older file, posted in the Compass FORUM, either by or for John Earle. I do not know if it has more or or less on the Mineral Switch, but being a perfectionist person, here it is right below... I have no idea what is in the file. Except it is an old technology file on Compass. You see you met a rare person, one who tells the truth, irregardless if it makes him look stupid. I live with myself, so do not care if I am stupid you see...
MELBETA
http___compass-metal-detector-forum.548136.n2.nabble.com_John-Earle-on-the-Compass-Mineral-Switch-td6988773_S_NP_001a.Pdf
So there it is, ANOTHER story on the Compass MINERAL SWITCH. Now by reading this file, you are a "KNOW-IT-ALL" person, ON the mineral switch that is......... Now I have another file, it was made 6 months after John Earle died, made at Whites Electronics, was a bunch of postings regarding a super disk, that was made by a former Whites person, who made the search coil, in his own house/garage/shop, and it tells a story, one that most people do not know the story. The former employee, died, and the technology WAS LOST to White Electronics! So now you know what the public does not know. And you know what I used to know years ago too...Now the last file, is gong to be an enlarged ENHANCED photo, of John Earle, so you can do with it as you please.
JEARLE at Whites Electronics_001_S_NP.Pdfexactly what John Earle used to look like. Enjoy reading about him. Now I am going to insert this text and photo, into the posting line...Oh, I forgot to say, the PRINTER's DEVIL enhanced John Earles closeup, so it shows that I think he was out in the sun testing metal detector machines, A LOT!!! And I think he wore goggles or some kind of eye ware...You can see horizontal lines below each eye! Not dirt!!!
MELBETA

[Melbeta]

Okay, the Compass metal detectors had a lot of features. One was Ground Balance Splitter, it was a switch inside the PCB area, on the PCB itself. I will let John Earle himself, tell you all about that hidden SPLITTER SWITCH inside the control box. It is right below...
MELBETA
2013_American-European-GB-Splitter-td2230607.pdf
Now like all older guys, I am a bit tired. So going to take a break from what I did today. Will see what any of you guys or dolls say if any say anything. Be gone now, until tomorrow!That is if I make it through the night you see.
MELBETA

[Melbeta]

Okay, the 2013 American European GB Splitter, splits the entire 180 degree range, into two ranges, one is 0 to 90 and is the NEGATIVE Range. the other is the 90 to 180, and is the POSITIVE Range. So if you are out looking for gold nuggets, or small pieces of nuggets, you want to use the 90 to 180 range, as gold is a Positive Range signal. Now the first range, not much going on in there according to John Earle. It is the second range which is the main search range.

Now the earlier SLIDE SWITCH, is the American detecting range, and the other side is the European Slide range. Leave it set on the American range. Now the European range goes DEEPER, but it picks up more iron as well, so leave it alone. Now I am talking about the slide switch inside the Compass Yukon detectors, not the newer PHASE SHIFT metal detectors. Had to come back and make sure you know I was speaking of the older Compass Yukon TR all metal/no discriminator detectors.

It is a slide switch. I went to my older computer, which still has PDF software working in it, so I could explain it to you. We need to have Carl Moreland, who is an engineer with First Texas explain the 0 to 180 range so we can grasp it better as I am not knowledgable about those two ranges and Carl is a expert on it.

I am not even an engineer, I am a former farm boy who went to the Univ of Nebr and asked GOD for the wisdom of Solomon. Did I get it? Yes, I got it, but HE did not give me the same wisdom HE gave Solomon, HE gave me that which HE deemed to be important to me... I have used it very well, and used it in metal detecting as well. But as I just know what I know, I did not study electronics at the Univ of Nebr, I studied LAW and studied BUSINESS.So those of you, such as Ivconic, Carl, and others, can explain to us dummies (electronics deficient) what is going on in the 0 to 180 degree range so we are as smart on that, as the gus who know electronics are... I will admit I know a little about electronics but not as much as Carl, Ivconic, and other GURU's know! I know enough to be a bit dangerous, but I do know enough not to go beyond what I really do know.....
Melbeta

[Melbeta]

Okay, the Compass metal detectors had a lot of features. One was Ground Balance Splitter, it was a switch inside the PCB area, on the PCB itself. I will let John Earle himself, tell you all about that hidden SPLITTER SWITCH inside the control box. It is right below...
MELBETA
[ATTACH]n420746[/ATTACH]
Now like all older guys, I am a bit tired. So going to take a break from what I did today. Will see what any of you guys or dolls say if any say anything. Be gone now, until tomorrow!That is if I make it through the night you see.
MELBETA

This is the posting, that John Earle, was speaking of the switch, that divides 0 through 180 degrees, and is the Negative/Positive range switch. If you download and read it, you will learn about the DIVISION of the 0 to 180 into two halves of that range... Understand???

Oh, the Compass YUKON models, divide that 0 to 180 into two HALFS in degrees. Other metal detectors, divide it, into different PORTIONS or DIVISIONS other then 50/50 like the Compass YUKON Machines..... That should sink in better now!!!
MELBETA

[Melbeta]

Now you guys and gals, will ask me, or Carl, what is this 0 to 180 degree range. Now I found a file, which uses an old Compass PROTRACTOR piece, to show the 0 to 180 degree range, and remember now, an COMPLETE CIRCLE is 360 degrees, in other words, 0 thru 360 degrees, so 1/2 of that, is 180 degrees, the left half is 0 thru 90, and is NEGATIVE SIGNALS, the right half, is the other half, which can be called 90 throug 360 degrees or 90 through 180 degrees. Negative ground minerals, if I remember George Payne correctly, is close to 0 degrees. If you used the older METAL/MINERAL metal detectors, the NULL CENTER was ZERO degrees. MINERALS was the NEGATIVE HALF and METALS is the POSITIVE HALF. I got a file which discusses it a bit better and am sticking it right below...
MELBETA

Question regarding ground balance please,
Reading the DEUS manual, it appears to ground balance in two different ways depending on what mode you are in

1. Goldfield (or all metal) says it is an exact ground balance point that matches the ground phase.
2. In the discrimination modes it says that all the ground numbers are rejected below the setting.

It almost sounds like the ground balance in the motion modes are like the discrimination setting but for the ground region of the scale. Am I right thinking this? and how many different methods are there to achieving ground balance? Thanks. DANNO

Some detectors have true GB in all-metal mode but not in disc mode. In those cases, all-metal will have a threshold audio you can hear and when you are GB'd and you can pump the coil over the ground and the threshold will stay consistent. Disc mode is silent search (no threshold audio) and GB will be some preset value that may or may not be accurate. Because there is no audible threshold you cannot hear the imbalance and the disc processing will prevent the ground from creating a target signal. If the ground is very consistent and you maintain a very level sweep then this method works OK. If ground is variable, uneven, or your sweep isn't level then ground signals can mask targets.

I think what the Deus is doing is real GB in both AM and disc modes. However, it appears they also apply a silencer (filters to filter out what they do not want you to hear) to anything below the current GB point so as to silence cold rocks. The silencer is turned off in Goldfield mode. Carl Moreland

Thanks Carl, Can you elaborate a bit more on what true GB is please? and what is not true GB method? DANNO

True GB is where the phase of the R-channel demod is adjusted so that ground signals are nulled. This can be done by manual adjustment or by automatic means (ground tracking). Other detectors use a fixed phase for the R-channel, usually set with ferrite, which works fine for weaker soils. But even manual & auto GB are only able to null out a particular soil phase; hot rocks & cold rocks can still come through.

The Deus has auto ground tracking so I'm pretty sure it has true GB in disc mode. I think they apply disc on top of that to silence hot/cold rocks. Carl Moreland

Out of interest and using the Deus GB scale, lets assume the actual ground reading is 78 but you have it set on 90, what would be the effect on the detectors operation if a) the ground is not strongly mineralised or 1-2 bars, b) the ground is strongly mineralised or 6-8 bars.(this is referring to DEGREE NUMBERS of 78 degrees and 90 degrees)

Mineralisation strength in this case as per the bar on the Deus. Is there a trade off in setting the GB high (90) if the mineralisation strength is low? DANNO

If strength is low enough then having a misadjusted GB is not much harm. That's why fixed-GB detectors work OK in milder soils. If strength is high the a misadjusted GB will create very noisy operation as you sweep the coil over the ground unless the ground is perfectly flat, perfectly consistent, and the sweep is perfectly level.

If ground=78 and GB=90* then lowering the coil to the ground will create a positive ground signal. Some people intentionally offset the GB very slightly below the ground point (maybe by 1 point) on the theory that they never want to get a negative ground response because that can mask a weaker positive target signal.

However, 12 points (degrees here) of offset will probably create a very strong ground signal and that will also mask weak targets. Also, it is common that people slightly lift the coil at the ends of the sweep which will create a negative ground signal even with a "positive" offset, and this could mask a weaker positive target signal. Again, weak ground is not so much a problem, but generally there are no advantages in a misadjusted GB, except for the "1 point positive offset" which I am not convinced really helps. *GB is actually set lower than the actual ground loss angle, but this is commonly called a positive offset.
Carl Moreland

When setting ground balance, I prefer to hear the audio hum. I search only for faint deep targets. I have lost interest in near the surface targets myself. I also use a special audio amplifier, with a bypass switch. I search with the amplifier wide open. When I hit a target, I switch into bypass, and see the target is faint and deep. If it is I dig it. If not, I go on detecting. My amplifier uses no batteries for power. It has zero noise and it is crystal clear... I do not release the schematic of the circuit. Why? I want no competitors near me when I detect. My amplifier was built for me by an excellent engineer to not achieve noise in the circuitry. He knew what he was doing. He used to wind all size of coils for his vintage detectors. He would wind them, with one end connected, as he was winding, when the audio came in, he said you cannot wind them any better then that. He left some for the connection and stopped winding. Now all I said is what he said, so I cannot explain it any further. He was the chief engineer for Tranex which build industrial transformers for sale. AHHHHHHH! Tranex went out of business in the past, and my engineer guy moved to Texas, near the Garrett plant. I do not know where he is living today now...
Melbeta

[Carl-NC]

Now this next one, is a photo, dated 2012, believe it was taken at Compass Electronics, and the people, I think are from the Compass Engineering Dept.

2012 seems right, but that is the White's engineering team, not Compass. In 2012 Compass had long ago burned down. I'm in that photo, somewhere.

[Melbeta]

2012 seems right, but that is the White's engineering team, not Compass. In 2012 Compass had long ago burned down. I'm in that photo, somewhere.

Now why did I not think, as I knew Compass Electronics went out of businees long before 2012? For some reason it did not click in my mind. I am not quite sure just when Compass closed their doors, but it was not long after 1996 or so. Do you know just when Compass closed up Carl??? I quit selling metal detectors myself in 1996, and I think by 2000, Compass Electronics was gone?

I think by 2000 the X200 was no longer being made by anyone? I know the Pakistan guy was the last major owner, and then Steve Goss bought the remaining inventory, hung on for a while, then it was all done then. After 1996, I did not keep tabs on Compass Electronics as I was doing very well in mail order surplus. Hmmmmm?
MELBETA