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X-coil Connection - Bad To The Worst


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I sent my new 14" Minelab 7000 coil in to an alleged knowledgeable electronics facility, as recommended by Dave, to have a patch lead professionally constructed.  It was returned yesterday looking sharp, but would not connect to the X-coil.    I then tried the Minelab 14" coil now equipped with a female 5 pin adapter, still no connection.  I did a complete restart of the machine and tried both coils again, still no go .  I then tried Dennis stock Minelab 14" coil on my machine without the adapter, naturally,  NO GO!  I was able to pull some of the shrink wrap tubing back on the female 5 pin connector on the coil.  Clearly the grey co=axial center wire did not get soldered.  The multi-mesh type wire around the grey wire was well soldered with the extra tail to the metal connection parts as per the instructions, but the center core of that wire did not reach the solder point.  As far as the business end of the patch lead, there is no way visually check the solder joints as it is encased in hot glue.  The company said send it in and they will check the solder joints, but it sounds like my problem got a lot worse than faulty solder joints since the machine won't recognize a legitimate Minelab coil now.  Remember, the machine was working fine with the 14" Stock Minelab coil until now. 

X Coil 2021 News

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Condor I really am sorry this gyrukus has happened....

I know what it feels like to be here expecting all the best and then issues like this happen. 

The scariest thing in your post was that your ZED won’t recognize Dennis’s coil now!!!

Sure puts a damper on your whole trip...  dammit!!!

i expected you and Dennis to have homed in on some good big gold by now ....so we could be pushing you out of the way with the backhoe... lol

Well, in all seriousness, I hope all the ones involved do the right thing and fix the issue or compensate you for your expenditures. 

The one thing they can’t do is replace your trip of a lifetime.

I sure wished was going smoother. 

Well I will bow out and see what happens next.

 

 

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That's no good to hear at all. I really hope you get something working.

Is it giving the "coil not connected" error when you attach Dennis' stock Z14, or is it doing something else?

I wish I could think of a helpful suggestion, all I can think is maybe reinstall the firmware? Or maybe a wire came loose in the ML connector going into the box (the one Simon posted a pic of with the ferrite) from all the connecting and disconnecting of coils?

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Oh no!  That was my concern about having someone else do it.  If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.  I was a little OCD and kept ohm-ing out the pins to make sure I didn't bridge any.  I bet I checked it 20 times.  Maybe Jason's suggestions will help.  If you can't get the non-modified coil to work, then this is about all you can do short of sending it to a minelab house to review.  Maybe you won't have to pay for an entirely new machine, just a board.  Best of luck!

Andy

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Getting a wee bit nervous now about making my patch lead:unsure:

Sorry to hear about your issues Condor, must be stressful not knowing exactly what the problem is. I hope everything gets sorted out somehow for you. 

Cheers

Rick

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1 minute ago, Andyy said:

Oh no!  That was my concern about having someone else do it.  If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.  I was a little OCD and kept ohm-ing out the pins to make sure I didn't bridge any.  I bet I checked it 20 times.  Maybe Jason's suggestions will help.  If you can't get the non-modified coil to work, then this is about all you can do short of sending it to a minelab house to review.  Maybe you won't have to pay for an entirely new machine, just a board.  Best of luck!

Andy

Yeah i know what you mean about being OCD. when  made my 4500 patch lead to run a lipo battery i checked it so many times and then crossed my fingers when turning on the detector for the first time.

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1 hour ago, phrunt said:

Bugger.

It sucks a shop made that mistake, they should take responsibility as they charged you for the service. I'd send the repair invoice to them.

You need to think about this for a second, the fact that there was a problem initially before the second adapter was made/repaired suggests there might have been a pre-existing problem either with the actual X coil or maybe damage done originally as suggested by the “Coil Not Connected” warning with a cascading degradation after that point. 

JP

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Condor

What kind of error do you get; coil not connected; coil overload; or some other error? 

Minelab detectors are normally pretty forgiving in their coil circuity and survive most faults. So I would first suspect and look for a bad connection in the bulkhead female connector. 

The original large Minelab 7 pin connector threaded ring should be almost flush with the bulkhead when the plug is completely seated.

The large Minelab 7 pin female bulkhead connector may have a female pin that has been damaged or broken within the plastic encasement. 

With a bright light and a toothpick inspect each female pin for unusual looseness or movement.   

Maybe a solder joint on the backside of the bulkhead connector has failed. 

The only way to properly check this would be to open the Bulkhead and check continuity through each of the 7 pins. 

Unfortunately this is not a simple check and repair for the average person in the field. And it is possible as others have stated that it will require service from a Minelab repair center. 

Good luck and hopefully a better day,
Chet
 

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