Fisher Impulse AQ Ltd Waterproof To 1 Meter

[Steve Herschbach]

19 hours ago, danielbecerra said:

1 meters????? Nooooooo

I'm sorry you have waited all this time, only to be disappointed.

 

[danielbecerra]

It is very disappointing, in a previous thread it had been defined as 3 meters, but we already know how this is Steve, until there is no official publication, I will keep hope.

[Steve Herschbach]

9 hours ago, danielbecerra said:

It is a very disappointing, in a previous thread it had been defined as 3 meters, but we already know how this is Steve, until there is no official publication, I will keep hope.

Well I hope there is a version at some point that is promised as waterproof to at least 10 feet or even more. Even a unit waterproof to 1 meter may be used deeper. There are brave people using the CTX 3030, rated to ten feet, to much greater depths scuba diving. They use extra care to secure possible leak areas, and go for it, with success. Where there is a will there is a way, and making a detector that is waterproof to 1 meter work to three meters would not be impossible for some intrepid forum members. But it would be entirely at their own risk.

 

[danielbecerra]

the truth that I would like very much if someone from the forum made a manual on how to prepare it for 3 meters, otherwise I will be a user of AQ

[danielbecerra]

I think that, like me, several users will feel disappointed, especially those of us who live in places without tides, where everything good stays between 1 and 3 meters.

[Steve Herschbach]

On 5/29/2020 at 11:00 AM, Rick Kempf said:

Tested and rated for 1 meter for 4 hours. Wading in 5’ of water, you  would have the control box and battery submerged only a foot or two. The coil is waterproof.

According to Willy the problem is not the pod or battery case themselves:

"When you put your hands on this unit, you should not attempt any opening of the enclosure nor the battery pod, they are completely sealed with hard EPOXY. This guarantees their water-tightness. If anyone would insist doing it, there are very good chances that some non repairable damage will occur." (Emphasis added)

So the battery and pod are epoxy filled, pretty much bullet proof. The Impulse however employs M8 connectors (see link above) for the battery (4 pin) and headphones (3 pin). M8 connectors are rated at IP67 or IP68 at best. IP67 means the unit can be dropped into a body of water up to a meter deep for half an hour, while IP68 guarantees protection in water up to 1.5m deep for the same period of time. Both are resistant to dust.

So there is the problem. Fisher is testing for and stretching that to 4 hours. I guess a battery good for 4 - 5 hours is a not a bad idea... better get your ass out of the water by then! Even a 6 hour day at three feet will exceed what Fisher is testing for.

It appears Minelab is employing 8 pin M12 connectors on its coils, also IP67/IP68 rated, and claiming the Equinox is good to ten feet. White’s also appears to be using the 8 pin M12 connector on their 10 foot rated models. So these connectors probably have a large safety factor built in that Fisher and even more so Minelab/White's are taking advantage of.

The big difference here - coils versus power cables. If water gets into that Equinox or White’s coil connector, it is unlikely anything will happen. Maybe some pin corrosion at worst. The Impulse power cable is carrying a lot more current. A lot more. Leakage there would be a much larger issue, and in saltwater in particular could create an immediate short and damage.

I am not suggesting M12 connectors are any better than M8 connectors. They have the same IP rating. I’m just pointing out that Minelab and White’s are utilizing them. I’d rather see something like the Garrett PI connectors, which are good to 200 feet, but unfortunately they are proprietary and almost impossible to source by themselves.

Long story short, be super extra careful about properly seating and snugging that battery cable, and protecting it from damage. I’m a little less worried about it personally as mine will be in fresh water way before it ever sees saltwater and will therefore get tested at length in a less risky environment before ever proceeding to saltwater.

It is too bad there is no way to charge the battery without disconnecting the cable. For saltwater use it might be worth considering sealing the detector end of the cable semipermanently to the detector. This would reduce the risk of a battery connector leak by 50%.

The headphone connector, like coil connectors, would be of less concern.

A possible solution to this issue exists in the form of a DIY battery and cable replacement project.

 

[Steve Herschbach]

2 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

I’d rather see something like the Garrett PI connectors, which are good to 200 feet, but unfortunately they are proprietary and almost impossible to source by themselves.

Hmmm, the plot thickens. https://www.aliexpress.com/i/4000585349244.html

 

[Skull diver]

I'm a leakage fighter since 2013, when I switched from Excal to Ctx3030...🔥🤣💀

Usb port was the main issue and submerged underwater was good to obtain an aquarium in the screen...🏊After  results seen on my friends machines, before I started to dive with it, I filled completely the port pushing a marine grade gel grease with a finger tip😉... Waterproof,unwashable and anticorrosion lubricant at the same time.

There's and old but always functional saying for me...Where there's air there's water...I mean, when You're downthere air is soon pushed out by pressure and water take its place in seconds...

So talking about connectors (M12 8pin) I was good with very little film of grease on female one,where the male's pins are usually taking place and even less on thread, cause if you use a lot of it, it can result hard to close correctly to the end...

Another terrible water friendly 😫 place was the battery compartment with the red original o-ring...(Which was not a real O-ring, but a thin red crap gasket of the same shape of a semicircle with a flat part in the upper side)🤐

I changed with a slightly thicker one (o-ring this time) and I'm fine since then, even without grease on it!

This is the old trusty solution for Us cursed divers...

And Now on the FISHER AQ,if anything is epoxy filled, will be waterproof exactly like it's coil folks!

I believe that we can expect the same Excalibur 3/5 years tendancy ...control knobs are something neglected by lot of us...

Come On! This will be the challenge for Us!

 

[Willy]

Quote

 So these connectors probably have a large safety factor built in that Fisher and even more so Minelab/White's are taking advantage of.

Lack of conservatism and over-optimism on depth specs have generated in the past many returns due to leakage on waterproof units.

Lesson learned at FTP!!

The initial design of Impulse AQ was to completely fill the enclosure and battery pack with SELF-HEALING NON-CONDUCTIVE GEL, thus, giving 100% guarantee against any leakage.

This design  has been rejected because of the extra weight due to the gel. Now, the covers of the enclosure and battery pack as well as the back of all external connectors are sealed with hard EPOXY.--> Same 100% leakage-free guarantee.

Weak points are the M8 connectors spec'd as IP68 but are not waterproof when UN-MATED.
This is a common problem in all these connectors. However, the potential water ingress is only limited to the external pins of the connectors thanks to the epoxy filling.

It remains that salted water is very conductive, thus can generate short-circuits on power circuits.

All types of industrial battery are now supplied with an integrated protection circuit against inverse polarity, over-charging and over-current, they just detect that and automatically disconnect. The unit will not power up or will shut down.

The risk of connector flooding is still there but with minimized consequences on the health of the unit.

The operator manual of the Impulse AQ  LTD will STRONGLY advise users to be very careful when mating the power and headphone connectors.

The final solution will suppress the external power circuit cable and connectors on the Impulse AQ.

[Joe Beechnut OBN]

Never had a problem when I did mine...the main thing was keeping them cleaned and silicon-ed.