field test unit no 001 "model T"

[Aziz]

Hi all,

well, the ground balance (GB) issue isn't off-topic here even UF, PJ and other trolls are trying to poke on me. (BTW, they know, I can do it. They know, I can do it better than Candy. And they know, I have it - the WBGB. )

The GB is in fact one of the most challenging tasks. To solve this issue, you need a very flexible design platform and Moodz's approach is going into this direction by processing almost everything in the software instead of analog circuit components.

You can go the pure digital detector solution, which is the most expensive in this case. Or you can go the semi-analog/digital detector solution, which is more affordable and still gives flexibility.

But don't underestimate the requirements for the pure digital detector solution.
Cheers,
Aziz

[UrbanFox]

Hi all,

well, the ground balance (GB) issue isn't off-topic here

Thank you Aziz,

(BTW, they know, I can do it. They know, I can do it better than Candy. And they know, I have it - the WBGB. )

I personally won't make comment on how melodious the fat lady's voice is until I have heard the fat lady sing. I haven't heard a note yet, and I don't believe anyone else has either!!

The GB is in fact one of the most challenging tasks.

Aziz, how true, I would actually say the most challenging and the most relevant to achieve a successful PI design. There are many detectors out there that in the right ground will go quite deep, but on the majority of our Australian goldfields they fail dismally.. If a detector had ground balance that gave the same depth capability on the "bad" ground as achieved in free air with ground balance switched out then we would have a world beater.

Take a GPX5000 to the dry sand at the back of the beach and switch out the ground balance and check the depth capability....make sure you take your long handled shovel if you want to dig targets.......I expect many other detectors may perform similarly under the "right" conditions....

I would suggest that a high performance ground balance design that can be engineered into current detector designs would find a lot of interest from forum members.

Cheers,
Aziz

Aziz, are you going to lead the GB discussion?

Should GB have it's own thread??

Cheers,
UFox.

[sido]

The best GB is the one you DONT see, use a pan, no need for the best GB detector at ALL.

Sid

[Aziz]

Hey UFox, forget it. You won't get my WBGB. It's all way way beyond your scope.

And you didn't show any integrity to take you serious.
Aziz

[Carl-NC]

You too, Aziz... brag about the WBGB over on Doug's forum, then UF can mercilessly taunt you over there. Don't need or want it here.

[hdphilip]

carl,

we need a mop bucket and broom to clean up moodz's thread

[Aziz]

You too, Aziz... brag about the WBGB over on Doug's forum, then UF can mercilessly taunt you over there. Don't need or want it here.

This guy/girl is following me everywhere and trying everything to get some clues...
I reckon, he/she can't stop.
Aziz

[moodz]

field test unit no 002

....in the mean time while everyone has been arguing the toss about everything except getting on with detector development
...I have put my arguing energy into moving forward with the design ...all the hardware is complete .... code cutting is mainly focussed on bolting together all the bits and pieces I have worked on over the last couple of years ...
the "new" frontend and direct conversion is the final piece of the puzzle.


Pic below shows the guts of the "moodz detector" prototype out of its casing ... the telemetry unit, power supplies and battery pack are not shown ..... have to show a side shot as I dont want to start any more arguments ... LOL.

moodz.

[hdphilip]

instresting how the boards mount, whats the large black object to the left?

[chudster]

....in the mean time while everyone has been arguing the toss about everything except getting on with detector development
...I have put my arguing energy into moving forward with the design ...all the hardware is complete .... code cutting is mainly focussed on bolting together all the bits and pieces I have worked on over the last couple of years ...
the "new" frontend and direct conversion is the final piece of the puzzle.


Pic below shows the guts of the "moodz detector" prototype out of its casing ... the telemetry unit, power supplies and battery pack are not shown ..... have to show a side shot as I dont want to start any more arguments ... LOL.

moodz.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]21438[/ATTACH]

Great progress. Don't worry, I can assure you that despite much other posting real progress on detector technologies is being made.

Along with progress on RTOS code and hdphilip's experiments with it there are other 'R&D' activities underway.

For instance I just put your JPG through my 3D quantum resonance rotator so that I can read the part numbers. You should have painted them white or is that 'Whites' or the special shade of Minelab white that many (but not me) are familiar with?

Also, doesn't the pair of pliers you have balanced it on mask the target signal or is that part of the 'ground balance'?

In all seriousness: Well done. Great progress and thanks for reminding us what we are all really here for.

Chudster

[moodz]

instresting how the boards mount, whats the large black object to the left?

The front end board is kept away from any noises coming from the FPGA also so I can probe etc whilst operational.
The pinout is arranged so that the boards can sit on top of each other also ( with a shield between them ).
If I blow the front end its cheaper to just replace the front end board.

The big connector is an XLR for differential input to the front end.

[moodz]

Great progress. Don't worry, I can assure you that despite much other posting real progress on detector technologies is being made.

Along with progress on RTOS code and hdphilip's experiments with it there are other 'R&D' activities underway.

For instance I just put your JPG through my 3D quantum resonance rotator so that I can read the part numbers. You should have painted them white or is that 'Whites' or the special shade of Minelab white that many (but not me) are familiar with?

Also, doesn't the pair of pliers you have balanced it on mask the target signal or is that part of the 'ground balance'?

In all seriousness: Well done. Great progress and thanks for reminding us what we are all really here for.

Chudster

Thats not a pair of pliers ... thats my precision surface mount placement tool
The FPGA runs a "soft core" 32 bit MIPs compatible processor though I may drop this in future code in favour of addon like the PIC32. There is a fully synchronous HDL implementation of a UNIPI controller in the FPGA with a 200 Mhz clock for fine timing resolution ... the core can do a bit north of 400 Mhz on a good day though.
moodz

[6666]

Good work Moodz

[IBGold]

Looking great Moodz how is our code bug going and I still can not get the UART menu up even with your chip so can not change the TXF?

Regards, Ian.

[moodz]

Ian ... i am looking at it in the limited time that I have .... but I have to work on working projects first and non working projects second.

Here is a thought for you ... this direct sampling project will easily do the TEM project as well ( a simple replug mod of the front end board ) so the UNIPI chip version is already obsolete.

The direct sampler will catch the whole TEM waveform so we will see then if there is any merit in it .....

and while I am at it I will add a VLF mode as well since again the signal chain is identical if all the processing is done on chip.

moodz.