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Equinox 800 Fault


davidh

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We had a look out today . And for some reason the nox switched it's self off ???????? It would  do this intermittently from 1 minute to 5 minutes just went off ??? It was fully charged .  Has anyone else had this problem ??? Tried a FR . Still did it ???? Any info appreciated . 

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8 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

Sounds like a loose battery or power lead connection or a thermal problem with one of the electronic components.  I would get it serviced.

I don't think you are far away there Chase with your answer as David was out detecting in blazing sunshine here in the UK (Most unusual for us this time of year with temp 20c+)  it could well be a Thermal Sensor problem.

David has sent his Equinox 800 back to the UK main supplier and I wouldn't be surprised if the the problem cannot be found now in a cooler environment.

 

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1 hour ago, phrunt said:

nah, those things were made by Aussies, they'll handle 50+ degrees celsius easily!  I would find it impossible to think that was too hot for it.

Well as an engineer dweeb, I like to go right to the specs and fortunately, ML has provided the numbers.  From the manual:

Operating Temperature Range -10°C to +50°C (+14°F to +122°F)

Storage Temperature Range -20°C to +50°C (-4°F to +122°F)

Charging Temperature Range 0°C to +40°C (+32°F to +104°F)

As I suspected, the LiIon battery is typically the weak link and although the above temperature limits are there to preclude damage while charging the battery, LiIon batteries also don't like to behave at extreme high and low temps and you need to be careful about thermal runaway or Lithium metal deposition that can cause premature loss of battery capacity.  I would especially be careful about operating the battery under extreme cold conditions.  Battery protection circuits should help preclude damage while charging, but not sure what protections are provided when simply operating the battery at extreme temps.

Also, at extreme, high temps even within the safe operating range of the detector, variability in component characteristics can push an in-spec but "on edge" component over the edge, thermally.  Also, failing electronic components tend to run hotter.  In that case, the balky component may behave just fine at nominal or cooler temps, then misbehave at higher temps.

As far as the temp limits are concerned, I would not worry about operating the detector a little bit outside the specified temp ranges but wouldn't push it too much at either extreme.  On the high side I would be most worried about component thermal failure on the low side I am most worried about causing premature, permanent loss of battery capacity, requiring wholesale battery replacement sooner than expected.

Operating within specified temperature ranges is important.  Remember, a slightly cold O-ring seal (operating it just under 32F) caused a failure that brought down a whole space shuttle.

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We're talking 20-30°C here in Europe.. if the NOX can't handle that, it ain't worth nothin' - imho

I don't think it's an "out of specs" problem.. you could try to re-seat the battery. If that doesn't do it, it'll probably need a service..

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3 hours ago, Sinclair said:

We're talking 20-30°C here in Europe.. if the NOX can't handle that, it ain't worth nothin' - imho

I don't think it's an "out of specs" problem.. you could try to re-seat the battery. If that doesn't do it, it'll probably need a service..

Can’t tell if you were referring to my post or someone else’s above but just want to make it clear that I was intending with my "specs post" to soley address phrunt’s claim that the Equinox should handle 50+C degrees easily because the thing was designed in Austrailia.  I never said I thought David was running the machine out of spec and did state previously it was likely a power connection issue (btw the battery appears to use wired clips and not pressure contacts, so it is not likely a simple seating issue) or a faulty component that was overheating on its own, not because of the detector ambient temp.

Apologies for the defensiveness, especially if I was not the subject of your reply. But, regardless, there should not be any question whether Equinox can handle 20  - 30C, the specs in my post clearly show it should be a non issue, no “ifs” about it.

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8 hours ago, Randy Dee said:

I don't think you are far away there Chase with your answer as David was out detecting in blazing sunshine here in the UK (Most unusual for us this time of year with temp 20c+)  it could well be a Thermal Sensor problem.

David has sent his Equinox 800 back to the UK main supplier and I wouldn't be surprised if the the problem cannot be found now in a cooler environment.

 

Must admit the thermal theory sounds to be on the right lines ???????? As i spoke to Randy from the field ,he suggested a FR which i did .And thought it had do the trick as we talked for a while and it never went off . When i set off less than a minute OFF . Now when i was talking to Randy i was  shading the control . After that it was going of frequently UNTIL i got peeeed and headed back to the car never went off in 15 minutes HHHHHUUMM . I laid it down as we where getting ready to go i told Kev it had not gone off in 15 minutes . WENT BACK TO IT OFF . My thoughts i was shading it as the sun to my back .And as soon as i laid it down in the sun OFF . Crawford told me to send it back .They are replacing the top section with a new one . And it will be back with me Tuesday:biggrin: . Fantastic service from the Crawfords team . The faulty control/top section going back to Minelab to be checked out . When it was working popping 22 bullets at a good 7 inch impressive AND even finding air rifle pellets tiny . So we are havinf a few hours out tomorrow . Kev with his Deus ME with spade and pointer . He will find and heal i will find mind he does keep some keeping up with lol . 

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4 hours ago, phrunt said:

It's nothing to do with the Aussies,

My apologies if I misquoted you, phrunt. Thought I highlighted it right off your post.  I know it was a tongue in cheek statement but was using it more as a seque to highlight the listed temp specs.  It appears we are in complete agreement that if it was a thermal issue it was due to a faulty component (failure or manufacturing issue) vs. a design issue, though it seems exposure to the higher than average ambient temps did appear to exacerbate the issue. Def not a design flaw or out of spec ops issue, but indicative of an isolated component failure.  Thanks for the detailed info regarding modern printed circuit board fabrication techniques.

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7 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

It appears we are in complete agreement that if it was a thermal issue it was due to a faulty component (failure or manufacturing issue) vs. a design issue, though it seems exposure to the higher than average ambient temps did appear to exacerbate the issue. Def not a design flaw or out of spec ops issue, but indicative of an isolated component failure.

+1

 

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