Welcome and Declaration Thread

[chudster]

This thread is started so that new people signing up to the charter can introduce themselves, tell about their abilities and skills and, as required by the code of conduct, provide a place for them to declare any industry affiliations.

Please use this thread only for that purpose.

Chudster

[sido]

Hi Everyone,

A little about myself, well have been tinkering with Electronics since i was 14 years old. 26 years later and still at it as being my first preference as a hobby and up until recently was in Employment as a Senior Technician for a Traffic Management Company. Have become self employed since and loving it. Working mainly outdoor's now after many years staring at white walls and smelling solder fumes. Lol (Dont mind the fumes though, but the walls....)

My highest Education is a completed Diploma in Radio Communication and over the years my main interest has been in RF Radio Transmitters, Receivers and Antennas. Have decided to become more proactive and obtaining my Amateur Radio Licence is on my to do list.

Designing circuits is not my strong point. I am more of a old school type with broad knowledge in repairing/servicing all types of General Electronic products and love building all types of circuits.

You can sort of say i am behind 10 years in such new technologies like PIC source code Programming and cannot offer much there to the group, but what i do have is the ability to build, test and most important field test any new designs if need to be. I could throw more suggestions for designs, but i am reluctant to do so as to not be ridiculed, so my input is limited as such for now, unless i am told otherwise.

Having one of the worst Mineral laden deposits in my neck of the woods as all would know here in Victoria, Australia and my interest in General Metal Detecting of 15 years has me always looking for high performance hobby detectors for obvious reasons (price $$$) and mainly the satisfaction of building it yourself, understanding the technology associated with it and last if not all using it in the real world.

On a final note, i have never had any affiliation with a Metal Detecting Enterprise, either it be in Manufacturing, Sales etc....apart from owning and using a self modified ML SD2000.

Cheers Sid

Open Project Code of Conduct V3.0 Participant

[Pete the Builder]

G'day all,

I'm a self-taught electronicist (like an engineer, but without a formal qualification). After spending 12 years or so working on Z80 designs, then freelance troubleshooting, I got a job on my (few) merits in HP's Test and Measurement facility here in Melbourne for about 5 years, before transferring to the (then) new PC division, where I stayed another 7 years.

I'm now semi-retired, but I taught myself enough audio theory and skills to run a small audio restoration business as a sole trader. Unfortunately, I have a very serious back problem (I have more precious metal embedded in my spine, chest, and butt cheek than I've ever found detectoring!), so I'm not as vertical as I'd like to be.

However, I keep from being a screaming loony by continually designing and developing PIC-based circuits for various people. These are one-off projects usually: someone comes to me with a particular problem (set), and I try and address their problem with a combination of hardware and software. So I'm fairly happy using Protel DXP to do my schematics, capture to PCB, hand-route wherever possible, and I use a good Thai-based PCB fabricator for some single and all double-sided boards. I can print, mask, and etch my own single layer boards (down to 8 thou clearance, if the gods are kind), so all in all I keep fairly busy.

I'm very keen to begin detectoring again (last time I beeped in anger while swinging a coil over stony ground was in the early 80s), and I've been learning about all the different modes, where they're useful and where they're not. I'm also designing and building my own detector, based on an Arduino Due, simply because it has fantastic support libraries, is open-source, and has more fast (1uS) 12-bit ADC channels than you can poke a stick at. It even ships with 2 12-bit DACs, lots of nice PWM, and since it's ARM-based (not those horrible split personality Atmel chips) and 32-bit, it might actually be smarter than me.

My primary goal is actually meteorite finding, as in Victoria we're still allowed to do what we will with such finds. But, since I'm about 5km away from the north-western Melbourne goldfields (near Warrandyte), I figured why make an iron detector (boring!) when I can probably figure out how to do pretty reasonable discrimination with a PI detector, and maybe pick up a few flakes of gold as well. Or ring pulls. Probably ring pulls, actually!

I'm not affiliated with anyone or anything except my gorgeous wife, and no, you can't have her.

I'm really keen to share AND learn as much as I possibly can. My only fault, apart from being too honest, is that I'm terribly unreliable. No, not kidding, unfortunately However, I like to get things done when I'm able to, and I'd love to contribute in any small way to this (and any other) project, and I'd definitely like to learn more maths!

Hope this is not too boring.
Cheers,
Pete the Builder

[Math]

Hello everyone,

Im a Teessider born and bred, northeast England. I have a mechanical engineering background, studied at Bristol Polytechnic and Darlington College of Technology. At the age of 30 I left my job as workshop manager of a turbocharger remanufacturing company to pursue a muddy life in the hills as a dry stone waller and it was about this time my passion for all things metal detecting began.
My first detector a well used Compass Coinscanner.. a few years later my first new machine a Whites XLT, on tick with which i found my first hammered coin.. a barely recognisable Mary groat i first thought was a milk bottle top! Lots of machines later, many still in my possession, part modified and in bits thanks to Geotech and you guys Im here today.. like Pete before me - a self taught electronics professor (well almost) I have attempted some of the projects here which have led to a few of my own over the years, I have enjoyed them all and I particularly enjoy working with Pic microcontrollers, magnet wire and hot glue! Im not or have not ever been affiliated to any detector manufacturer, just a man in awe of many of the designs that have been made over time.

I agree to the Open Project Charter and Code of Conduct

Cheers, Math.. or Matt eithers fine