Jump to content

Equinox 800 Ground Balance Factory Problem


Recommended Posts

Just throwing this out in case anyone else has had this problem or for future reference.in case anyone has it in the future.  I bought my Equinox 800 in April 2018 and it has been great with no problems until  a month ago. I started getting problems ground balancing and getting very different ground balancing numbers even over the same ground.  I tried factory reset but didn't help .  Also, it didn't always have the problem. I called Minelab and they had me send control pod and 11" coil to their service center in PA. in early June as it was under warranty.  (thankfully). After getting message they had it and processing might be delayed due to Colvid-19 issues I finally heard back from them July 7.  They indicated "after much testing the unit has begun showing issues.  However, the issue is very sporadic and does it when it decides too.  The issue is a ground balance issue. When trying to ground balance the unit it will ground balance correctly.  The unit will be wildly off in the 80's.  Next it will ground bale to 0, all in the same location of a couple of feet. The difficulty of pin pointing it however is that it seems to do it even when replacing an item.  Our test coil will experience the same issue on the customer's pod.  The I tried the customer's coil on our control pod and will experience the issue again.  I have done factory resets and reloaded the latest firmware to insure it was not just a software problem. Out of an abundance of caution, I strongly recommend the replacement of both the coil and the control pod.   NOTE: There will be a delay on the control pod as there are parts difficulties due to Covid-19. Once art is received  we will update the ticket and return the unit to the customer."  This all was very weird.  I recontacted Minelab about what the new timeframe might be for getting my detector back and why I just couldn't have them send me a brand new detector(minus wireless headphones] .  No response back as yet.  

  • Like 2
  • Sad 2
  • Oh my! 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I feel your pain Walter,

They have had mine about 3 weeks now, and i have heard nothing! Thankfully though, it's so hot out now, i probably wouldn't be using it anyway! Unless we get a tropical storm, or hurricane! In that case, it better be here for that!!!👍👍

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/10/2020 at 12:28 PM, Walter S. Fowler said:

I started getting problems ground balancing and getting very different ground balancing numbers even over the same ground

I assume you are using tracking or the so-called automatic pump method? I can’t say I’ve ever had much luck with the auto pump method, and always set the ground balance manually.

Minelab needs to get their act together fast on these repair/replacement delays. They spent the last three years building up a reputation for quick, efficient turn around, and a pissing that all away now.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Minelab needs to get their act together fast on these repair/replacement delays. They spent the last three years building up a reputation for quick, efficient turn around, and a pissing that all away now.

I wonder if repair delays have to do with pandemic induced international shipping issues such as those Simon (Phrunt) has been revealing over the past several weeks.  I suspect the big users (strong squeeky wheels) receive better service in that regard.  Getting Minelab parts from the other hemisphere to the USA...?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/16/2020 at 4:49 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

I assume you are using tracking or the so-called automatic pump method? I can’t say I’ve ever had much luck with the auto pump method, and always set the ground balance manually.

Minelab needs to get their act together fast on these repair/replacement delays. They spent the last three years building up a reputation for quick, efficient turn around, and a pissing that all away now.

I haven't been looked at the forum for a while, as I was awaiting the return of my control pod and coil.  But, finally did get both a new control pod and coil back from Minelab just recently with extreme apologies  for the delay which they attributed to a parts delay due to Coil-19.  I'm sure they did the best they could in terms of getting me a new pod and coil.  The issue was also very confusing and took them a while to figure out.  Actually, they never did totally figure it out and just decided to give me a new pod and coil.   I tried both the automatic pump method and manual ground balance when it first started giving me problems with the same bad issues occurring , but not all the time which made it even more frustrating. I don't use tracking.  Also, installed new 3.0 update successfully and at least in my ground test garden does seem to hit better on my deeper test coins.  As mentioned by Steve, very grateful to get updates from Minelab.  Happy to be back detecting again. Spent the last 6 weeks water/beach detecting at Lake Tahoe with my pulse detector. 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Same here Walter, 

My 2 problems did not appear for them, but they found a third, and replaced my pod last week! Took about three weeks door to door! Someone here had said recently that their "new" pod was a rebuilt one! And that may be the case with mine! But I'm ok with that, as long as it functions the way it is supposed too! It doesn't look warn to me! Mine that was sent in, only had a slight wear spot on the handle; otherwise looked new!  It appears that they don't stock many, if any replacement parts at the Repair Center, and must await shipments for confirmed problems!👍👍

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cold solder joint or failing component on the board could do that. Unless they happen to have very similar conditions ie temperature, emi etc the problem might be difficult to replicate especially if it is marginal.

I had an issue with my AT Pro after I cracked a coil where it would be knock sensitive even with different coils yet it worked ok at the service dept. What made things trickier is my new replacement coil had a bad wire probably from shipping making for more trouble shooting issues. They replaced the pcb, put a shiney new cover and tossed in a new coil and all is good to go. Luckily it was all just before the virus.

Glad your up and running.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, kac said:

Cold solder joint or failing component on the board could do that.

I worked on a laptop last year that had a problem with a chip that out of the blue would cause all types of problems.

You could never know if or when it would act up until I used some cooling freeze on the part, then it finally showed the bad component.

With today's electronics you never know what is going to happen in the factory on how each part is made. That is why there are so many break downs now. Cheap, poor quality parts, and the people who makes them gets rich.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, 2Valen said:

With today's electronics you never know what is going to happen in the factory on how each part is made. That is why there are so many break downs now. Cheap, poor quality parts, and the people who makes them gets rich.

Much harder to trace problems with the multi layer pcb's. Todays electronics are pretty much throw aways. Though much cheaper to make through automation and more compact the real problem lies with long term durability. Very difficult or cost prohibitive to test and problem solve versions in the field.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, kac said:

Todays electronics are pretty much throw aways.

100% agree with that statement as I have worked on tons of electronics in my lifetime.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...