Pinpointer Garrett Pro-Pointer mod improved version

[Funfinder]

this clip is cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tpCnMKhEiM

Only problem - not all the real detection works directly "over the top".

[golfnut]

I dont own one but there was a u tube comparing the two and the garrett - un modified was a close second place.

[Funfinder]

A 16mm 1euro cent coin is detectable with the ProPointer from 8cm (over 3'') from the side with modification
and without from ca. 4,5cm (below 2'') without.

Such a 1,5mm tin-ball that you see via link is only detectable with modification if it touches the ProPointer directly.

http://www.geotech1.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=31672&d=1415052808

Now you may compare both results with the detectniks probe.

[golfnut]

Met another detectorist on the beach a couple of weeks ago.. I had a try of his detectniks probe on uk 20p in damp sand. Id say it was a little better than my garrett.


It did about 2" in the sand, the garrett ~1.333" The beep rate was a little slow for me but seemed ok, plus a little cheaper.

[Funfinder]

Pro-Pointer Vibration Replacement


The weight unbalance attached motor can fail, but you can replace it with one of an old cell-phone.

To improve the vibration-power, you can attach a weight.
I used a special handshaped piece of soldering iron with super-glue
and as a security measure a 4x winding of 1,5mm "broad" and very thin scotch-tape.
It was melted at its end toghether with the below layers with the soldering-iron so it can't became lose.

Such modifications require enough space for the turning weight inside of the plastic housing or it will get stucked.
Mount the replacement in a way so the weight is enough far away from the left or right side of the board.

That's successful life: Be able to deal with the ultra-huge and also be able to deal with the ultra-small !

[Funfinder]

@ Henrikras
thx for your info. If the tide is low those sunken cities are above the sea-level.
But you need at least a boat and it can became dangerous out there.


@ all
While moding ProPointer Nr.3 I found out that those PCB layout creators from Garrett made a big nonsense:
Check out the jpg to see why! With some bad luck the coil cable can gets caught behind the marked capacitor
and rip it off while draging the PCB out of the case! So do it very slowly and use a flashlight to see whats
going on inside with the coil-cable. And later you may use some ducktape to close the gap behind the capacitor.

[Henrikras]

The sunket City is new to my knowledge, very interesting. Personal I'm not into unterwater arkoælogi but Thanks anyhow.
Garretts PP are easy to work with (replacement or improvement), Thats what I can.. I'm not a Expert into more than that..
Got one Dream with the PP.. - install a jammer syncronize with the vibration engine, so I/we would get a signal in our Headphones.
A signal like electrical fense we all properly had heard, (spark), going into the coil and ends in the Headphones (or speaker)..
If that type of PP could be made, and it could work stable with a lot of Detector brands, many would be happy.
This project would be what I'm trying to do... But I know that the chance to succes is Very little.
Take care and injoy the summer.
Henrik.

[Funfinder]

Very good work - its always the best if someone really can "handle" the stuff he uses and understands the technology behind,
comparable with repairing not too complicated things if the own car or other stuff has some problems.

One aspect in modifying the Pro-Pointer is to make it more "stealth", red LED off-switchable instead of white always on
and silent vibration signal only instead of relative loud beeper. Of course it depends where and for what its used...

Or:
To make this thing really waterproof, the gum-part of the on-off-switch should be glued from the outside,
same with the little audio-hole and the area around the LED. The back is waterproof enough already.

Per instance if you wanna hunt for the sunken rich city "Rungholt" (I saw a docu a few days ago)
which is in the watt-sea near south of the holiday-island Sylt (North-Germany, near to Denmark)
a waterproofed Pinpointer including metal-detector would be the best solution.
Or you can check out the high-society places of Sylt directly, you may find expensive jewelery there.

[Henrikras]

A buddy gave me a broken Garrett PP and I found a new type of switch and made a speaker house in the back..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H4O-A6x8bY&sns=em

Now its usefull
Henrik.

[Funfinder]

found those Pix - Nov. 2012

The +voltage pin is located below the black capacitor (on the same side), you can find it with a voltmeter.
This was the first mod, LED on or off, depending if wire is inserted into the right batterycase-plug pin.
Later I connected the LED also to an additional wire that leads over a tiny push-button to
the voltage for getting the LED very fast on-switchable if this button is pressed.

Attention: If the LED gets its power from a different source as it was before the standard
don't forget to interupt on the PCB the little copper-wire which provides the usual voltage.


And at pic 3 there's another little improvement for the Garrett Pro-Pointer: Very practical for not losing it!
That way its now also possible to lower the pinpointer by a rope into cracks or holes etc. to search there.

[Funfinder]

Some holders so the pinpointer can be mounted on the shoes outer side also would be a good idea, at least as long the ground is not stony etc.

btw. if the LED is switchable it changes the sensitivity while in use.

So I found out a different voltage source for better brightness of the LED and to avoid this problem.

I took a picture of that but I don't know where it is now, guess I can find it, if someones interested.
The pin is somewhere directly near the voltage stabilization chip so the switchable ultrabright LED
now uses the direct power source, in series with a resistor to reduce the otherwise too high voltage.

And Henrik, the detecting shoes must have a pretty hard sole so the coil doesn't gets bended while walking.
Something like plastic ski- or mountain-climber shoes for glaciers have. Of course this reduces the walking comfort.

Mount the Pinpointer to a walking stick would be also an option if the whole thing is very lightweight.
That way a new sport could be established: nordic treasure-search walking!

[Henrikras]

Hi hi hi.... ... Great idea. We can use the PCB from a Deus coil, then its perfect wireless.

by the way... This was exsactly my way to do it: you said this
(They better should have attached to the ferrite coils end a little 3pin jack from the beginning, not this cable.And at the end of the PCB a little plug that exactly goes into this jack when the PCB was pressed complete into the housing.)

Only problem is to get the coil out,... Its glued inside.

Shoes detecting .. Thats the greatest idea Ive ever heard. Big smile here.
henrik

[Funfinder]

pro-pointer-tip-mod.jpg

Below you can see at what location the tip is - direct compare with unmodified version.

Well Henrik, this Garrett Pro-Pointer really is a little bit a sort of a "fail-construction".
The pushbotton gets ripped of if somone is not really careful when pulling out the PCB
and this stupid coil-cable hangs somewhere inbetween and is hard to get back in.

How will you solve this problem with the coil-wires? Perhaps melting a hole at the
other side of the on-off pushbutton, close to where the ferrite starts?

They better should have attached to the ferrite coils end a little 3pin jack from the beginning, not this cable.
And at the end of the PCB a little plug that exactly goes into this jack when the PCB was pressed complete into the housing.

Its time for an updated version of the Garrett Pro-Pointer anyway, I guess its design is now already 5-7 years old
and the PCB only has been improved a little bit over those whole time.

But maybe they won't do much, anyway! I wrote them because of a special project called "shoe detector", but they never replied.

Henrik, this would be a cool project for you:
Modify the Garrett Pro-Pointer a little bit so you can detect treasures with your shoes while walking!
This is no joke, this can be done, because of the relative high sensitivity and the small dimensions it has.

The easy method would be just cutting some hole into a shoe with thick sole and shove the Pro-Pointer into it from the backside.
Of course the pantent rights are mine (just joking!) but I doubt it will be ever developed, if not other develope it!

The professional way would be a ferrite coil that has a perfect "shoe-shape" winding structure and the output could be
accessible by bluetooth or something, so the signal giver would be in one of the shirt- or jeans-pockets.
The coil has to be extremly stable because of the whole or half body weight of the user and other factors
and must not give wrong signals while walking. So perhaps the simple "plug Pro-Pointer as it is in the shoe" method would
be easier and it is already stable enough, because of the massive round coil-housing.

Pinpointing would be great, just circle a little bit with the foot and then scratch a X with the shoe-tip into the surface.

Really useful treasure-hunting-boots - what a fantastic idea - and it mustn't remain a dream!

Good luck.

[Henrikras]

Thanks Funfinder..
If I should do any new improvement to mine PP, it should be a plug to the coils wires. Those 3 wires can make some false signals. But that is a difficult job to do.. (Coil need to come out and its glued)
maybee a winter project...
Henrik

[Funfinder]

thx for the infos.

Henrik you'r absolutly right, a good Pinpointer is important not damaging finds while digging,
because if someone can detect with it the objects middle and guesses the size, save digging from the sides is easy.

I haven't tested it at the moment, but if a 9V Block NiMH has written 9V on it, it should provide 9V, everything else would be fraud.
Plus: if it has written on it: 200mA and: fast-loadable with 40mA within 5h, this also should match. Just check that it's a HQ one.
And the Li-Ion or Li-Po Accu can just have 7,2 V and the pinpointer still works on the same sensitive level and for a very long time.




btw. I forgot another little but sometimes very effective mod (it's like making a knife sharp ):
It is very easy with a soldering iron and some spare black plastic waste from broken housings or whatever
(but should be stable and a bit flexible material that melts and sticks good)
to melt a little bit sword-like tip on it (instead the flat one).

Depending on the soil or earth this way the Pinpointer can be shoved easily 6-12cm into the ground!

Of course that way any manual sensitive adjustment must not be in the way or even
attached with holster-style things directly at the plastic where the search-coil is inside.
This is unpracticable under other circumstances, too.


Just be careful not melting into or touching too much the ferrite-coil wires - but usually the
emailing and the rest is stable enough so melting the plastic directly near the ferrite-coil is no prob.

Good luck.