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GPZ 10" Xcoils In USA


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I thought it was via a heatgun, maybe wrap it up then put it in an oven set at low or something, but when I made the new connector on the Z14 I wanted some more straight wire so I put the curl flat in between a pair of needlenose pliers and warmed it up then let it cool back down and that only worked with mild success, but it did give me enough straight wire to get the new connector on at least and push it back far enough to have room to solder in front of the clamp body.

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1 minute ago, jasong said:

Argh, I'm slapping my forehead. I wish I would have thought of that.

I guess it comes down to experience, to get wire into long lengths of conduit tis the only way, often when you purchase electrical conduit it has a single strand galv. steel wire in it already. So I just cheated and went with an old fix certainly cannot claim came from my brain molecule.

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When I made my two patch cables, after reading the instruction and seeing the diameter of the wire in that RX cable, instead of soldering the internal wire on first as per instructions I left it until last ensuring it didn`t get stressed in the wire alignment  process. Not sure it is the way but worked for me. I note in Condors second failed patch lead(on the 14 ML coil lead) he exposed this also 268730921_patchlead.thumb.png.032d9b696de756a7ff8fb642449416bb.pnghappened there when he pulled the conx apart.

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That's a good tip too Norvic, if I did it over again I'd do it that way too.

I actually did that tiny wire first because it happened to line up right there with the proper pin, and that was probably the worst possible order I could have done it on reflection.

*Good catch, yep that's exactly what happened to mine too (except on the patch), as to that pic in Condor's except mine was actually hot glued, I had to spend some time cutting it all out. I hot glued my Z14 connector too just to be safe.

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Many Thanks for that Phrunt, I was a lazy bugger and just took the easy way out and asked, you come up with the goods, Utube is certainly the go.

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1 hour ago, phrunt said:

I prefer situations like this where there are holes to loop the wire through to make a tougher connection.

That's true, but I don't think this is a situation where mechanical anchoring would help on the pin. My solder joint was good, it was the wire itself that broke, right where the solder stopped and the insulation started, if not a little inside the insulation. Definitely mechanical anchoring via the hot glue helps though to prevent the wire from moving or pulling though. 

I either cut too deep with the wire strippers, bent the wire around too much and fatigued it as I rotated to solder each pin, fatigued it pressing the cable repeatedly through the middle shaft, or some combo of all 3. It was connected when I completed the patch, and I've reviewed my video to ensure both visually it was connected and that my continuity tests were positive. It only stopped working once I inserted the whole shebang into the GPZ and tried to use it so just that amount of mechanical vibration or pulling on the patch to get the rest of the wire through must have been the straw to break the camels back. Another reason to make the cables fit in the shaft better, if we pull on the patch it's going to put strain on it, if the clamp slips, it's only the hotglue and then the wire taking all that force.

Hopefully awareness of just how fragile that particular wire is will prevent someone else from making the same mistake though. My recollection is part of it was just some thin foil or something too, and then just a few strands of very thin wire. It is apparantly very easy to break even while trying to be careful.

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I think that particular joint is the weak link in the whole process, do it last, to ensure you get that right, check continuity and no solder bridges etc and your there. Triple check to ensure. hot gun glue can be manipulated after setting by reheating with an air gun with a 1/4' nozzle or there abouts, preferably temperature controlled below 220C.

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1 hour ago, phrunt said:

Where did you get this photo from Norvic?  It looks a risky solder job there to me and obviously it's out in the field so it was never glued/liquid taped.  Also the adapters normally come with a little plastic tube to slide up and cover the wires to stop them shorting on the metal outside of the adapter, this isn't on this adapter

I got it on the bush telegraph, probably if you have a yarn to JW he can fill you in on just what the bush telegraph is, but your observations are as mine just a wee dodgy job. Tis easy to do a job right just pure lack of care not to, and to add further to that neglect it wasn`t done out in the field.

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8 hours ago, phrunt said:

I would 100% use Pat for it Rick, he's an electronics guru and $100 is a tiny price to pay to know it's done perfectly and I am certain he can do it perfectly.

Messaged Pat and hes going to do the patch lead for me. Will send it (gpz14 coil) off on Monday. Although ive made a patch lead for the 4500 i was a little concerned about some of those fine wires that needed soldering. Bit enoyed that i chickened out on doing it myself but something was telling me to get someone who had done this before.

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8 hours ago, davsgold said:

I know some of the coil cables are a little wide/fat or whatever you want to describe them as, all I do is stretch the curls and roll them a bit tighter for the first time use, and then roll the coil against the curls as it goes up the stems and it works fine and goes up no prob.

For sure it would be better to have them the exact same as the Minelab coil cable, but this is made specific for mL and the Russian manufacture is making the cables, and these latest cables are by far better, in that they have more insulation properties and wear properties where the cable goes into the coil where it cops heaps of bending at the pivot point.

Once the coils have been used a few times stretched from extending the shafts etc they are quite ok. 

I did stretch the cables before pushing them in, they went back to regular size when it came around to the 2nd time reinserting the same cable (and 3rd in the prairie), I mentioned this in a subsequent post. I'll keep doing it and see if they get smaller. Also as mentioned, on one of the coils the cable still gets stuck even with the "threading in" so it requires some further finagling and pulling, at least for now. I put calipers on the cables and all 3 are definitely different sizes.

Like Goldilocks and the 3 bears, one is too big, one is a little tight, and one is just right. Of course the largest one is the one I chose by chance to use the first time in my backyard.

I'm pretty sure it was that pulling/stretching, extending the shaft, or me pulling on the patch lead up through the shaft when I finally finagled the end of the patch out that broke that wire now as I've looked at my work, testing, and trying to figure any other potential way it could have happened. Even once I got it pulled through, I could feel it was difficult to extend the shaft all the way out, which is how I normally detect, it was binding up as I tried to extend it and wouldn't go all the way. I was able to get it to extend all the way in the prairie, but it was definitely pulling hard on the cable/patch doing so.

I tested the patch numerous times before using it, so I'm positive it was connected on my bench, the break happened sometime during putting the coil on the first time or extending the shaft. Wether it was pulling, vibration, or something else I don't know but I know that wire was connected before I used the patch so something in that process must have contributed at least a little to breaking that wire.

Just relaying this so someone else doesn't potentially do the same thing. If that cable is pulled on, probably best not to pull by the patch cable. For the taller people among us who need to extend the shaft all the way out, this is impossible to avoid for particularly tight cables.

*edit: I just tried this again and even stretching the cable it is still binding up in the middle shaft if I try to extend it, and it requires tugging at it a few times to get it to extend all the way, this is almost certainly putting strain on the patch. This occurs when I push the shaft back in too to fit into my truck, and then again when I extend the shaft once more to use. Opening the control box and holding the patch only marginally helps since the connector end in question is still in the upper shaft and cannot be grabbed so the strain on it persists.

I think if there is any possible way for the manufacturer to make the coil curls smaller and more consistently sized, he should do it. My 17" fits perfectly, so it seems possible. Just my input. 

 

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