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X Coil Connection Problems


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We have had one here for a month now and have been unable to use it ?‍♂️.  Tried the patch cable made by Steve first, zed says coil not connected ?, checked points with a multimeter all seemed correct.  Decided there had to be something wrong with our patch lead so sent it off to the mob in kalgoorlie to make a ‘proper’ one,  finally got it back and tried again, same problem ?‍♂️

I’m a bit disappointed as we wanted to run it over some ground on the ugly nugget patch where we have got several multi oz pieces, but the mines department here only let you keep a certain amount of ground open so we are forced to rehabilitate it without getting to test as we need to move areas.  Hopefully Yank 2 can get a replacement before his trip is over so I can try it on some other ground we have.

X Coil 2021 News

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Phrunt may be less then a short, Trent you said you tried your multimeter, I assume you measured resistance, could that fry the chip? I checked on my patch lead resistance but didn`t go near those extra terminals in the original what is it 7 pin plug, just checked the resistance of coil windings and ensured they were isolated from each other and agreed with the original coils. Maybe that chip was damaged when the coil was originally wrecked.

Or Trent maybe you folks simply have a crook X coil there, so far been no dramas here, I expect my 3rd in the mail tomorrow. Buh...…….most frustrating...……...

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3 hours ago, Trent King said:

finally got it back and tried again, same problem

What about with an original coil - does that do it?  I am super untechnical but if the chip is fried (pun intended) then it will not work on any coil...? 

Bugger that it’s happening, hope you get it sorted  ?

 

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Hi Trent

Try the following checks with a multimeter with the ohms/resistance mode set to the lowest measurement scale.

With the new patch cord connected to the original 14” or 19” coil you should get the following resistances on the Minelab 7 pin male plug;

The four large pins are numbered 1-4 in a clockwise direction starting to the right of the plastic guide bump. You can read them with a bright light. 

Measuring across the receive pins 1 and 4 should read 6 ohms +/- 2 ohms.

Measuring across the transmit pins 2 and 3 should read 0.4 ohms +/- 0.2 ohms.

Measuring between pins 1 and 2 or 3 and 4 should not have a reading unless there is a shorted connection.

Repeating the above measurements with the X Coil connected to the patch cord should produce similar results.

The measurements will vary a few ohms depending on the accuracy of the multimeter and the wire diameter and length that is used in the each transmit and receive coil.

The three small pins across the middle are for the Minelab chip inside the molded plug. They are not affected by the patch cord connections that you have made.

Have a good day,
Chet
 

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Wow, I hope you guys can get that sorted out...

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Unfortunate to hear about this and at this point troubleshooting the problem.

We've had several people inquire about who could make the patch lead here in the states if someone wonders about their abilities and I've thought of a solution.  Most automotive electrical shops deal with patch leads of a similar nature so they could act like they are just making another harness.  

We also have offroad shops that install lights and things on tricked out trucks.  I even stopped by one of those in Maryborough looking for a car wash/detailer.

A final thought on the matter is to go to a speedometer shop.  I did that recently to get the lights updated on my 2003 Escalade.  I noticed that they put it on a bench and re-soldered all the connections ... not just the ones that were dim.

Those are the places I'd go with it if I bought an XCoil.

Mitchel

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1 hour ago, Chet said:

Hi Trent

Try the following checks with a multimeter with the ohms/resistance mode set to the lowest measurement scale.

With the new patch cord connected to the original 14” or 19” coil you should get the following resistances on the Minelab 7 pin male plug;

The four large pins are numbered 1-4 in a clockwise direction starting to the right of the plastic guide bump. You can read them with a bright light. 

Measuring across the receive pins 1 and 4 should read 6 ohms +/- 2 ohms.

Measuring across the transmit pins 2 and 3 should read 0.4 ohms +/- 0.2 ohms.

Measuring between pins 1 and 2 or 3 and 4 should not have a reading unless there is a shorted connection.

Repeating the above measurements with the X Coil connected to the patch cord should produce similar results.

The measurements will vary a few ohms depending on the accuracy of the multimeter and the wire diameter and length that is used in the each transmit and receive coil.

The three small pins across the middle are for the Minelab chip inside the molded plug. They are not affected by the patch cord connections that you have made.

Have a good day,
Chet
 

Aie spot on Chet, but with caution just don`t go near those 3 small pins with your multimeter leads.

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25 minutes ago, Norvic said:

Aie spot on Chet, but with caution just don`t go near those 3 small pins with your multimeter leads.

Hi Norvic

I agree with your caution of avoiding the three small pins. 

Minelab is most likely using a standard One-wire identification integrated circuit chip. The low voltage and low current of the multimeter even in a reversed polarity condition will normally not do harm to the chip. 

The real danger is on a cold day the discharge of static electric spark could damage the chip. 

Have a good day,
Chet
 

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Nothing wrong the motherboard as the detector still works fine with the Minelab coil.

 I doubt that the multimeter caused the problem because it was not working first, that’s why we tested it, and we didn’t touch the 3 small pins with it.  Thank you for the info Chet.

My thought from the start was that it must be the coil, as the original patch lead was done exactly as per instructions and looked to be a very fine job.  

We are about 6hrs away from the nearest McDonalds here Mitchel, no electronic stores out this way.

With all the doomsday scenarios you blokes have came up with I am glad to be testing with someone else’s detector ?

Will give an update once we get to try another coil.

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Does the manufacturer send a replacement coil in this case, or is that still to be determined? 

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