Minelab

[dodomark]

G'day all :-) Has any one got a schematics for a Minelab SD 2000, 2100, 2200D ?

Thanks,
Mark :-)

[Unregistered]

Santa has one ask him
Stop asking silly questions!

[Carl-NC]

A more polite answer might be, "I doubt anyone outside of Minelab has those schematics."

- Carl

[Reg]

Hi Mark,

Although, I have not looked inside the control housing of a Minelab PI, I have been told that the components have been covered with some form of paint or other type of coating covering the components and pc board, thus making it very difficult to reverse engineer.

As such, there is very little information about the components used in the ML PI's or about the actual design.

You might keep an eye out over on the Finder's forum. Woody might post a few things about just how they are build before he is done. He has posted some about the coating and I suspect he has figured out a way to remove some of it.

Reg

[dodomark]

minelab

G'day all, thanks for the relpys. I rang Minelab in Adle SA and asked them about selling the detectors and was told no we dont want any more dealers in Australia! I asked why and the guy said if thay have more than 2 or 3 in any state the dealers will start to under cut each other and thats bad! He went on to say that the goal is to max on the price! every one I meet out in the feild say minelab is the best! but ever one I meet that has and gets good nuggets has a White or Garrett!!!!!!! I just wonder what makes the minelabs work. I my self are kinda new to this and I only have had a minelab and its works ok "I think" well I have a great time out using it! but all the books I read and sites I go and pro's "bar one" that get the nuggets never say anything about the minelabs. So guys what kind of detectors do you all use? And what have you found? I think we need a fourm or site for posting finds and and what detector was use ect, but no crap about how this is the best detector in the world! I hope Minelab crap does not make other pll think that we aussie are full of it to!

Thanks all,
Mark

[Reg]

Hi Mark,

I wouldn't worry about just what is inside the ML's. Don't get me wrong, ML does make a very good nugget hunting detector but there are no real hidden secrets. So far, no one, including ML has been able to defy the basic laws of physics, so they really do not have any major secrets hidden under the paint. ML does have a decent form of ground balance that works quite well on their PI units and that does make their PI stand out as a very decent gold hunting detector, especially in certain areas where the mineralization is very high. However, there are also many areas, any PI equipped with a DD coil will do about as well as a PI with ground balance. In a few gold producing areas, any PI even with a mono coil will do as well, since the mineraliztion is really quite low. In fact, I have found a few gold producing areas that about any detector will work fairly decently.

You asked just what detectors we use to hunt for gold, well, I have used about every type out there specifically designed for gold hunting. This is a partial list that includes the Garrett Stinger, the old Ground Hog, the Fisher GB and GB 2, the Tesoro Lobo and Super Traq and even used the Bandido with a few mods, the Discovery Gold Trax, the Minelab 17000, 18000, Gold Striker (and a couple of others that don't remember the name), the ML SD 2100, 2200, and a 2000 briefly. I have also modified a couple of Eric Foster's PI's and used or are using them now. I have even tried the Hammerhead briefly.

Now, here in the US, it is harder to find gold, but I have found gold with all of those detectors mentioned, but one. I haven't found any with the HH yet, but that is simpy because I simply haven't used it enough in areas where gold is found.

PI's excel simply because they do not respond much to some of the types of mineralization that give a VLF fits. As such, a PI can find gold hidden by certain mineralization and hotrocks that will mask the gold when using a VLF type detector. Typical Black sand and magnetite hotrocks will cause a very strong response on a VLf, but will generate little or no response on a PI. Unfortunately, gold has a tendency to be associated with black sand and magnetite hotrocks, so these two items can give a VLF user fits but cause very few problems for a PI user. A PI will go usually deeper in many cases, but I have never found the difference to be that dramatic and I have done a lot of testing.

A VLF will generally do better on extremely small gold, but Eric Foster has made some major strides in PI design that just might change that advantage some time in the future. Now, PI's are approaching the VLF's in being able to detect small gold but still have a ways to go.

However, Eric's experimental PI maintains the advantage of not detecting magnetite or some hotrocks and does so on a PI operating at the extremely short delay of 5 usec or so. This extremely short delay on a PI will allow the PI to approach the ability of a VLf in detecting extremely small gold as well as generate a stronger initial signal on larger gold. So, this possible future PI has some real potential.

Reg

[dodomark]

minelab

G'day Reg, mate what do you think about using a flugate magnetometer to find gold nuggets?

Thanks,
Mark

[Reg]

Hi Mark,

Unfortunately, a Fluxgate Magnetometer will not detect gold objects. It would be fine to determine iron objects though. So, it could be used to check buried objects and reduce the number of ones to dig.

Reg

[dodomark]

Minelab

G'day Reg, mate I see things like the accumeter ect and GPR all over the net! I have been told most are fluxgate magetometers that feed back to a pc and thay use 2d or 3d software? I found a nugget just last weekend and I went in to the Dep of mining and let the guy have a look and he said I should peg it out, get a permit and get a bob cat in a take off 12" and then try agin! It seems to be that a metal detector will not go down all that far? what stops the detector from going down more? And it looks like you cant build a GPR or some kind of radar that goes down 5ft and can see gold. I have read about the wenner aray's and thay cant find a 2g nugget. may be I shoud try and old army mine detector! LOL :-)

Thanks mate,
Mark

[Reg]

G'day Mark,

I have not tried a ground penetrating radar setup so I won't comment on them. I did build a kit form of the magnetometer but screwed it up so it only worked for a short time and then quit, so I can't really comment much on them either. I did build a form of magnetometer using a hall effect transistor and it worked ok but not great. Since it didn't do what I was hoping it would, I abandoned the magnetometer idea. At the time, I was hoping to use one for hunting meteorites.

Now, it is quite possible that many of the units you have investigated are magnetometers. They can be used to detect anomolies in the ground mineralization. So, they will sense ground magnetic changes. This would work for some things, but I wouldn't use it for gold, except to maybe try to determine iron or magnetite veins.

As for the depth capabilities of a metal detector, unfortunately, there are many factors that will limit the depth capabilities. Clay seems to be one of them. In fact in one of the many sites that can be found on the net, ie http://www.usace.army.mil/inet/usace...1-1802/c-4.pdf

where on page 39 they discuss how certain clays will cause problems that can alter the depth capabilities.

If it was suggested that you "peg" an area, you might want to consider it. I would then search the area thoroughly before scraping with a cat. Personally, I wouldn't scrape more than 6" at a time and even then, I would carefully search the scraped piles as well as the new surface. Who knows, you may have found a major patch just out of range of detectors.

As for old mine detectors, they would be a step backwards from your GP Extreme. As for how deep it will go on different size nuggets, only testing will tell and then, one should test in different areas to see if the ground conditions make a difference.

The signal returned from a target will be inhibited by signals returned or absorbed by other things such as the ground mineralization, etc. So, there is no definite answer to your question as to how deep a detector will detect an object. Generally, you will detect an object farther in an air test than in the ground. Just remember that anything that is detectable will have an effect or can have an effect on the depth capabilities. Bad ground can absorb the signals so depth is lost.

Once in a while, depth capabilities will be enhanced, but not often. Generally, depth is lost because of the ground mineralization. However, when using a PI, I have found that magnetite can enhance a signal a little. So, something like a hotrock next to a gold nugget might be found easier or deeper if a hotrock was next to it. Unfortunately, this advantage seems to be very limited and most likely, not consistent.

Personally, I have found clay type ground to be the worst condition overall. For some reason the clay will cause the greatest depth loss and provide the most erratic signals.

It is a good idea to take actual nuggets and test the depth capabilities by burying them to see just how deep you can detect them in the area you plan to hunt. You might want to tape a string to them so they can be found easily, though. Do not simply dig a hole so see how deep they can be found. A hole in the ground can have a strange effect on depth capabilities of a detector. So, it is not a good test. I remember years ago when I was first trying a PI, I dug a hole and stuck a gallon paint can in it. I could detect that can 3 feet deep easily with a couple of VLF's and the PI as long as the hole was open and I could see the top of the can. Once I filled in the hole, no detector would detect it except the PI and even that signal was questionable.

Simply put, there is no better way to determine just how well a detector will work in an area than to simply test and test again.

Reg

[dodomark]

Minelab

G'day Reg, thanks mate for the link and all your help :-) Do you know were I can buy Eric Foster metal detectors?

Thanks mate,
Mark

[Reg]

G'day Mark,

I suspect you will have to contact Eric Foster in England to purchase his PI's. You might try dropping him an email at the following:
[email protected]

I don't think he has anyone who is a dealer in Australia.

BTW, his new Goldscan 5 should be the detector most likely to work well in Australia. This machine is in the final design stages and should be available very shortly. This is his PI that has ground balance and should be the one that would work quite well there.

Eric can also be contacted at the PI Technology forum where he is the key person who answers questions about PI's. Here is the link to that forum:

http://www.findmall.com/list.php?34

Hope this helps.

Reg

[dodomark]

Minelab

G'day Reg, thanks mate. I just sent him and email so I hope to get one soon! You have been a great help to me :-) Mate if you ever come down this way please let me know I will show ya around the place! :-)

Thanks,
Mark

[Siliquae_Sid]

Hi Mark,

Hmm Minelab...Bull**** there's two words you don't see together TOO often (yeah right)!

Well it's like this... Minelab are FULL OF IT. Sure they make some competent kit, but most of the REALLY successful detectorists don't use it. So how come they are No.1?

Well, it's because they SAY they are (and sadly they believe it). It's also because in the UK, and no doubt America and Australia too they have paid stooges who they give free kit to, who spout off that this is the best in the world. Of course it is, they got the damn stuff for FREE!!

Take Desmond Dunne, a GREAT guy, but constantly writing articles for the detecting magazines in the UK to keep the name "Minelab" in the of peoples memory.

The "Corfe Rally". Minelab users galore all spouting off about how good this stuff is. Check out the Minelab owner’s forum. One guy who I've met many times actually gets ALL his travel expenses, and the like paid to attend events and bull**** about the virtues of this stuff.

Halcro, Minelabs "holding company" makes audio amplifiers. The DM10 is "The best in the world" according to Halcro. Ask ANY UK audiophile about Halcro, and you'll get the answer "WHO"? Considering the likes of Naim, Cambridge Audio, Quad, Pink Triangle and the like are ALL English companies (and it's acknowledged that THE BEST audio kit comes from the UK) who the hell are this bunch of jumped up Aussies to claim to be No.1?? Also on their website, they claim that "Linear power supplies" above a certain rating are illegal in the EU...BLATANT LIE!!

In Ireland they hide behind EU law. Some of their business practices would be illegal in the UK, but because they hide in Ireland, they are exempt. IMHO this makes them cowards.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Minelab is NOT the best, it's just another brand of toys, Poorly made in most cases, It's the suckers out there in the general detecting world who get taken in by the hype and bull they spout. YES, they make competent products, YES they are poorly made and fall apart, YES they have an excellent marketing department, YES they are perceived to be the worlds No.1, but.... NO they DO NOT make anything that's any more competent (in the right hands) than say White's or Garrett. NO they are NOT the world no.1, they just like to say they are. NO they are not a fair company to deal with (ask any small dealer in the US).

Personally, I think people should look more at what SUCCESSFUL detectorists are using, than joining their growing ranks of gullible fools and buying a fashion accessory rather than a competent and easy to use FUN metal detector.

[kt315]

hi All.
can anyone give me a forum link on o-scope signals of Elite or GT? this '17 frequencies' signal... it was discussed also in Foster forum or anywhere (?) I can not remeber now... so any link will be welcomed.

yours