Aquasound

[kt315]

from Melbeta
Anatloy
I have some technical material on one older model of the Aquasound in my files. If you have some high resolution photos, of each side of the board, I could look at the board, and make some identification observations for you. I am assuming that the photos might be similar to my technical material. If so, I would try to help you. But my material is older unit, so it may not be relevant to a newer model.

But we would not know that unless we see what you have.

The older AquaSound was a pure TR detector, not a VLF, and it had no ground balance control to remove black sands. so it was designed for clean white sands. It was an high powered unit, having three voltages from the power supply, +5V, +12V, and +18V. The +12V was fed into the Tx side, and there was +18v fed into two transistors, and then into an unknown identity transformer, purportedly to come up with +52V for full power use.

I know what a lot of the parts were, but do not know what the transformer that was used as far as its identity. I believe the transformer stepped up the voltage around 3 times to get +52V.

Inside the Rx of the coil I understand there were some electronic parts, including two 2N2222 transistors.

I know you are able to draw up schematics, so I am guessing you have somewhat of a schematic by now. How about sharing what you have and I will see what I can do to give you what I have.

I have always had an interest in this unit. I know that George Payne did something similar his S/T unit with the transformer in that earlier Teknetics S/T model before he dropped the transformer due to water leaks.
Melbeta

[kt315]

try use this circuit for piezo

[kt315]

In a message dated 3/1/2015 12:12:46 PM Mountain Standard Time, [email protected] writes:



The only transformer I know of on the Aquasound is the audio transformer to drive the headphones.
L and R mean Left and Right.


I just looked and you are right. But there has to be some other way then where the 18v or 12V was changed over to 52V as a power booster. It seems to me that someone in the past mentioned that they used a step up transformer to change the voltage like Teknetics did.

This is what someone said in a post in the past:
Yes, you are correct about the Aquasound. It is now hand built by a couple of very talented people. 52V to the coil in high power and 32 in low. Once you get the feel to tune it optimally then this machine sure goes deep...much deeper than anything I have used before...VLF...PI....Minelab PI.....'

Melbeta

[kt315]

In a message dated 3/1/2015 3:04:04 PM Mountain Standard Time, [email protected] writes:



The Tx oscillator is the power boost circuit, There should be a 25k pot that turns the power up to 52v. Its an amplifier oscillator circuit.


You are correct there, and that power boost circuit is outside of the coil. But also inside the coil is a Rx amplifier circuit, fed by the same amount of voltage current. As I look at it, I recall the words that Keith Wills told me, when I asked him how to amplify the detector, "to make sure you do it in both Tx and Rx to maintain signal stability"! The fellow who built the AquaSound certainly maintained signal stability.

How do you compute the 52V from the 12V current and the 25K pot? I see 12V but I do not see how it goes up to 52V of power.

I know that others say the AquaSound came from the Nautilus, but looking at a couple of Nautilus schematics, even though there are similiar components, and similiar methods, the schematics differ quit a bit. I assume that Rich worked at one time for Nautilus?

When I went to college, I studied Law and Geology, which worked out well for me, but now I wished I had also continued on and studied electronics. But back in the 1950s electronics was not that great. It is now, but was not then.
Melbeta

[kt315]

RF :

The late Herb Mcdonald was the original inventor of the Aquasound metal detector.
He was assisted by Jerry Tyndall of Nautilus fame.
You won't see the real similarity unless you have schematics of the DMC2B or 2Ba.
Don't think there any diagrams for these 2 in the hands of the public.
The power pot and null pots of the Aquasound correspond with the transmit power and R and C on the DMC2B.

Its very easy using 2 transistors to build a high power oscillator.
With 12 volts dc in you can get a 44V or 52V peak to peak ac sine wave out of the coil.

I just built an oscillator for a variant type of bfo detector, with 10 volts dc in I get about 35 to 40 volts peak to peak
ac out.
With an oscillator we input dc and get ac wave out. I still think its magic!

[Altair]

Thank you KT315 to help in reconstruction of Aquasound story!
Know those back stage it's very important to resurrent that project!

[dbanner]

The coil is proving to be difficult job. Winding with two spools, it is necessary for the windings to be side by side to get the benefit of bifilar big voltage step up. I am going to have to make a jig, hands cannot do such a good job, it takes a lot of effort.

[Altair]

For sure coil construction rapresent the more difficult job to deal with. A great help would be to have some internal high quality photos of Aquasound coil, but I don't how where find it.

[kt315]

Thank you KT315 to help in reconstruction of Aquasound story!
Know those back stage it's very important to resurrent that project!

thank you Altair. i did a pause but will bring comments on Orca from compass forum.

[dbanner]

I finished making the coil. Now it's time to breadboard the TX oscillator circuit and do some testing. I'm curious to see what the p-p voltage will be.

I did 40-10-10-40 coil /10 inches diameter.. Bifilar windings. I think this will be ok for testing.

[Altair]

I finished making the coil. Now it's time to breadboard the TX oscillator circuit and do some testing. I'm curious to see what the p-p voltage will be.

I did 40-10-10-40 coil /10 inches diameter.. Bifilar windings. I think this will be ok for testing.

Great work dbanner!
You beat me in time!

[Altair]

Meantime, I revised dbanner pcb making some embellishment, adding references, and correct components values according with photos we have. Schematic is revised too and now is aligned to the pcb.

[dbanner]

Meantime, I revised dbanner pcb making some embellishment, adding references, and correct components values according with photos we have. Schematic is revised too and now is aligned to the pcb.

I will check it out, good work. Today I begin testing coil.First I will try your winding plan, then I will try my winding plan (wires can easily be changed for both)I will measure the peak to peak voltage and scope the waveforms.Whichever one have highest voltage will be the winner.
I use common 2N2222 and 2N2907 for the tx circuit. I will put pics of results later today.

[kt315]

Mekbeta:



When George Payne came out with the first Whites Coinmaster V Supreme, it was an all metal machine, no discrimination. It went deep. In fact, too deep. Customers complained about the depth of the finds. That was in 1975.

So the next year, in 1976, Whites came out with the model with all metal and also TR discrimination, and it was scaled back from the first 1975 model. In other words did not go as deep.

That began the movement that ended many BFO models and many TR models. It was the AGE of the VLF detectors. If you read that test article of LeGaye's pretty close, you will see that the PRG was almost useless in mineralized ground.

Now there is a detector being made today, in Florida, that goes deep, really deep, but has no discrimination in it, and no VLF in it, it is pure TR, with high voltage/current power, and is touted as superior to any machine down in the Gulf area on white sand beeches. If you want one, you have to stand in line for one. I have read that it detects silver dimes (older models) from 12" deep, and on the newer model around 18" to 20" deep.

It is called the AquaSound TR, and the guy who makes them is called by some guys Mr. Gold, and he sells through Florida CraigsList I have also heard he is from Margate FL. I understand he also sells them by word of mouth. Be prepared to pay some serious money for it. Not many hit the used market.
Melbeta

[kt315]

FoilFinder:

This post was updated on Oct 23, 2010; 11:16pm.

"Where's the Beef?!?!" ...you asked? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug75diEyiA0
O.K> I found that custom modded killer TR beach machine I've mentioned earlier. It was called an Aquasound. they could only be used in low mineralized beaches and the really did not have a problem with salt discriminating out small gold. They sure got some amazing depth for a TR machine and any other machine for that matter. This is the epitome of the TR All-Metal metal detectors.

Floridabill
Treasure Quest Sponsor

Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Punta Gorda, Florida (West Coast)
Posts: 1,216
Thanks: 10
Thanked 26 Times in 20 Posts
Default
It's a custom detector made by Mr gold. I saw it in Miami this year when I ran across Mr gold & the Bulgarian hunting there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk03Z...layer_embedded


Some info on it

Quote:
"Aquasound detector, which is a very high powered TR unit (52V to the coil in high powered mode). These have custom built waterproof cases as the word "Aquasound" is embossed on the underside of the case. These are very strong, thick walled, clear polycarbonate (Lexan) cases.

Firstly, the Aquasound must be used away from any black sands. The cleaner/whiter the sand then the deeper it goes. Tuning the machine is also critical (this is usually maximised after about 10 minutes of use). The coil loves to be submerged in water where the electronics can be really wound up.

I'd be confident to say that with "good" tuning then 18" is about right but with "great" tuning then 20" plus. The tuning then incorporates getting both "Null" controls really tight and then the 10turn volume/threshold down really low"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FoilFinder