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Minelab Missed Opportunity On Manticore And Equinox Controls


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52 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

Maybe if we were investors in Codan stock they'd pay more attention to us.

I heard this on the radio a couple weeks ago.  Guy buys one share in companies that bug him so they have to send him info and gets a vote, no real results of coarse but somewhat gratifying. 😉 And i agree that button is genuine you know what.  They should have either did like your mock up of put the rubber buttons underneath the the rest in a line so you could thumb them. 

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I wish all the buttons were on the front. Power button maybe on the side just so you don't turn the machine off accidentally. But even that could be implemented with a long press of a button on the front to turn the machine on or off.  If you have a protective cover on the machine it's even more difficult to use the side buttons.

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I have my Maticore set up so that the right user definable soft key is set as the User Profile. No need to have quick access to the accept/reject key (the default for the right key). However, on the Equinox this cannot be done and I completely agree with Steve that it is useless to have in such an awkard position. I never used this on my 800. Perhaps a software upgrade could swith the accept/reject and user profile keys on the Equinox 900?

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This topic was covered somewhat in the 'Sea Ghost' aftermarket Eqx case thread.
It has a 3D-printed case, with all the buttons on the front panel.
 

And also here:

https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/14071-why-didnt-minelab-think-about-it/



I think 'side buttons' have their place. I personally don't want the backlight button anywhere it can be inadvertently pressed. If I'm detecting 'low key' at night, a 'flashlight incident' is not OK.

I think the 'Power On/Off' button may benefit from being a 'Proper' switch for electrical reasons (eg. zero ON resistance ). Membrane / carbon spot / rubbery type buttons are fine for data being read by microprocessors.

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2 hours ago, PimentoUK said:

I think 'side buttons' have their place. I personally don't want the backlight button anywhere it can be inadvertently pressed. If I'm detecting 'low key' at night, a 'flashlight incident' is not OK

Which is probably why on many detectors it’s a menu selection and not a button at all. I have to admit people hitting wrong buttons did not occur to me because it’s never been an issue for me with metal detectors of any sort.

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On 2/17/2023 at 9:05 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

Noobs buy Garrett Ace detectors, not Manticores. And even they put all the buttons on the front - noobs can't find buttons hidden on the side! :laugh: And as far as cost effective, I'd bet my solution costs less to make and reduces potential warranty claims.

But let's say ten buttons are too many. Put the backlight in the settings instead of a direct access button. Wireless I would put with power button. Short press to turn detector on without wireless. Long press to turn detector on plus activate wireless. Now we have eight buttons.

Sometimes you have an opportunity to directly have input on and influence detector designs by stating clearly what you want instead of second guessing why things are the way they are. Something to think about.

In your imagined button pad they could consolidate a couple of those buttons to make it more manageable.  Bring back the trigger switch!  They can dump the pinpoint button, and the trigger switch could be a multi-purpose.

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1 hour ago, Cal_Cobra said:

In your imagined button pad they could consolidate a couple of those buttons to make it more manageable.  Bring back the trigger switch!  They can dump the pinpoint button, and the trigger switch could be a multi-purpose.

You actually only need like four buttons and a proper menu. To this day I think the Makro Racer 2 had one of the best displays ever. Everything right there in English instead of cryptic icons. With the screens we have theses days the language could change with the push of the button, but that's a different issue. Main thing is all options on left. Up and down buttons go both directions so no endless scrolling if you need to go back one. Get to option, left and right arrow adjusts up and down. In this case we have a trigger for pinpointing but a button is fine also, whatever. But four buttons and one more button or a trigger can do all you ever need.

makro-racer-2-lcd-display-screen-controls.jpg
Makro Racer 2 LCD display and controls

makro-racer-2-display-screen.jpg
Makro Racer 2 screen layout

makro-racer-2-menu-functions-list.jpg
Makro Racer 2 screen and control descriptions

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On 2/17/2023 at 9:23 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

Why controls on the side of the pod? The serve no purpose I can see from  a manufacturing perspective, and only serve to complicate the design. Extra holes in the case, rubber chicklets that wear out. The main issue though is that from a user standpoint they really suck. How many people put the User Definable button on the Equinox to real use? It's a fabulous control, and we all should be flipping back and forth between settings to verify targets. At a minimum it's a great way to decide which mode works best, but it's the ability to quickly compare targets in two modes that is a real boon if used properly. Very few people use it at all however, and the reason is simple. The location is so inconvenient as to make us ignore it. Those who do use it have to jump through hoops to do so.

The real crime here is there is no need for this. There is plenty of room on the front to put all controls front and center where they should be. It is too bad that Minelab did not take this opportunity to get it right with the Equinox 700, 900, and Manticore, perpetuating a poor design choice with Equinox into the future.

Which would you rather have?........

minelab-manticore-controls-redesigned.jpg

 

 

Steve,

Without the On/Off button on the side of the control pod, where I reach to pick up the detector after setting it on the ground for a recovery, I would not get to experience the "Wow, this sure starts back up fast" after accidentally turning it off.  It really does start up fast.   🙂

 

UtahRich

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