Surf PI Pro

[6666]

I attached a photo of my board and the coil (spiral wound 24 awg double wire 30 winds)

Ground to outer winding, hot side to inner for spiral coil.

[jimfrombr]

Thanks, I did that. I am having trouble with my potentiometers they are really jumping all over the place, not sure if there is flux in them ?

[jimfrombr]

I went back to a 10in diameter 24 awg stranded wire with 30 turns connected to 3 feet of electric guitar cord. I believe everything is working I can detect in air (apartment) a college ring at 6-8 inches it pick up the gold ring better than the quarter at about 4 inches. I am not sure if the delay is working? I still have a lot of work todo but I think I have a working board (not sure about the delay). I need to get an inductance meter and a oscope.

[jimfrombr]

This is a dumb question but where the best spot on the SURF XX board to measure the circuit consumption I don't want to screw something up, I just got the darn thing sort of working.

[6666]

An amp meter in series with the battery, start on the highest current setting on your meter and work down.

[jimfrombr]

Thanks I wasn't sure were in the circuit I was to check I went back and read I should check what state/control settings the detector should be.

[jimfrombr]

I reading about 36mA with it in normal operating settings. I am still playing around with settings it seems like the delay and sensitivity settings affect the current the most

[6666]

The overall average current drawn by the circuit depends on a few factors, such as battery voltage, the tx pulse width, the pulse rate, the timing of samples and their width, and what the audio section is doing at time of measurement, so current variations will happen.

[jimfrombr]

Well my first Surf Pro PI was working but I didn't have a lot of confidence in my work so I built a second board and boy was it a lot better I can get 10inche in the air on a 9.5 inch coil 340uH connected to my board with 3.5 feet of guitar cable. The coil was just a baseline reference coil. I need to start planning my actual coil. My intention is to use this on the beaches here in San Diego.

[6666]

I was in San Diego for one day back in 1989, nice place for what I can remember .

[jimfrombr]

San Diego ok but I am out place here I am from the Gulf of Mexico region.

[jimfrombr]

I have my detector about finishes and it works with mock-up coils. But I am concerned the battery consumption and current draw may be high. My current draw (not sure about the significant figure I maybe off one) was 15 mA without the coil and went up 40 mA with the coil (on a cheap volt/amp meter in series see picture). I was wondering if that was in the normal operating ranges. I checked the current draw before I put in the box with my DMM and I think it was normal 15mA. The picture shows the volt/amp with the coil attached with RGX8 approx 9 ft and 9.5 inch coil approx 320uH (the led display was moving and didn't capture the correct reading it was about 11V and 40mA). Thanks in advance, I am still on a steep curve on all fronts but I quick learner.

[FatBob]

A PI type detector typically puts 1 Amp into the coil but just for 1% of the time.

Your meter will read the average so will be much less. 40 ma is fine.

[jimfrombr]

Thanks Bob

[Tim]

Hello to all. I wish to have a few Apberg XX boards made up,(is that OK Apberg?), so was wondering if anyone has the XX in Gerber? Or alternatively, would some dear soul with the capable programs be able to convert this Lay, and post it here??
I just ordered 10x Hammerhead RevD boards from China (ALLPCB) for a price of AUD$3.89 ea, delivered, so if they are of acceptable quality, I will let y'all know.

Thanks in advance : )