balloon gas coils

[Funfinder]

Is it possible to fill the coils with gas (helium etc.)
so they are more lightweight?

[WM6]

Is it possible to fill the coils with gas (helium etc.)
so they are more lightweight?

Good idea Funfinder. I think that radon gas would be the best because it can illuminate at gold.

[Carl-NC]

Just tie some helium balloons to the coil.

[Geo]

Just tie some helium balloons to the coil.

[Funfinder]

Just tie some helium balloons to the coil.

Cool answer!

I know this would be funny but we have to something against the coilweight. Especially because most of the MD producers want to sell us heavy units with display, electronics and battery mounted directly on the detector instead of giving us detectors with large coils and units for hanging around the neck!

With this method they want to bind us to small coils!!!

So if gas would need too much volume to get us a significant weight reducting effect we'd need an anti-gravitation device or at least some kind of jet-engine or propeller. This can cut the grass while searching if sharp enough.

[Dukeshooter]

A Thought

I am just beginning this adventure into home built detectors so this may sound stupid.
Couldn't you just use AB foam or spray foam insulation for coil potting material?
You would probably have to compress it somehow so it's not as flexible(or easily moved).
Just a thought may be stupid.

[homefire]

LOL! Just build your coil /Detector into a Hover Craft and be done with it.

With a Blue Tooth Interface, you could just walk along and let it do it's thing.

Or you could hunt like this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBWuJGL0BXg

[bklein]

Get your wife to hold it.

Hold what?

[Funfinder]

Hovercraft would be a cool idea for shallow water and deserts!

Or we use a powerful RC-helicopter or a big hot-air ballon with huge coil below the basket.

And if a halfmeter diameter helium ballon could lift a large 1kg coil and this stuff is not too expensive and available - why not???

The metal-detector shops shall sell in the future:

- small bottle of helium for 20 refills
- lightweigt 2m cord
- 60cm /2 ft. diameter air-balloons

btw. this would be an additional attraction for all those many treasure hunting interested kids!
However it would be enough if this reduces the weight for 50-75%, we don't want the coil flying away.

And just for curiosity:
If something with helium gas filled is more lightweigt than air, vacuum also should be lighter. But I guess in most cases not the housing...

[mikebg]

For minimal search coil weight, you should use aluminium wire. There is an old coil design of White's in which is used Al wire, bur only for TX winding.

[Carl-NC]

For minimal search coil weight, you should use aluminium wire. There is an old coil design of White's in which is used Al wire, bur only for TX winding.

And there is a reason White's quit using aluminum wire!

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The "balloon" suggestion was not 100% joke... many manufacturers use an epoxy that has small hollow glass spheres added to lighten it. These spheres are known as "microballoons". It would be interesting if these microballoons could be filled with helium, but they might have a tendency to float out of suspension and end up all over the ceiling.

[Qiaozhi]

And there is a reason White's quit using aluminum wire!

Some years ago I purchased a second-hand Garrett 12" Crossfire coil that had an intermittent fault. It turns out the TX coil is made of aluminum, and the joint between the TX and the nulling coil was the problem. I used special solder, suitable for aluminum wire, to repair the connection.

[Geo]

Some years ago I purchased a second-hand Garrett 12" Crossfire coil that had an intermittent fault. It turns out the TX coil is made of aluminum, and the joint between the TX and the nulling coil was the problem. I used special solder, suitable for aluminum wire, to repair the connection.

Maybe the reason is the bigger resistance of Al....

[Funfinder]

For minimal search coil weight, you should use aluminium wire. There is an old coil design of White's in which is used Al wire, bur only for TX winding.

If coated and thin alu-wire is easy to obtain it would be a very good idea for large PI coils. If AL has bigger resistance more voltage may help.

Below you can see my current lightweight solution for steep mountain search:

120cm long holder: 400grams
45cm Excelerator coil: 850grams

(modified Garrett GTI 1500 inclusive batteries and bag: 970grams)

[WM6]

If coated and thin alu-wire is easy to obtain it would be a very good idea for large PI coils.

Agree with you, despite that Alu Cu-coated wire is not easy to obtain, because of only Chinese producer that can talk solely about large quantities of such wire (in tons).

But Cu-coated Alu wire exist and is very suitable for certain lite weight MD coils.