Jim in Idaho

Many thanks for the explanation and schematic Karl. I think the mod called for a jumper from test point 31 to test point 2? I'm not sure where TP 2 would be.

Jim

really great pics...many thanks!

Jim

My understanding is you're "shorting" across C42 by running a jumper across the test points. (easier than installing the jumper across the cap itself). When I get around to this mod, I'm going to install a switch to turn it on and off.

Jim

Pat, what you want are stacked metal film caps. I think the ones I used were .22mfd. Gary Brown down in Florida ( an SL user and electronics tech) sent them to me. He sent me a couple of different pairs. The ones I have left are Rubycon IH224J. The capacitance varies with frequency, but averages about .222mfd. Get the closest matched pairs you can. I don't recall exactly what these are...either 1 or 2%

Jim

Id say that's not bad, at all. I think you'll be finding gold before long.

Jim

Looks like glass of some sort....;possibly obsidian.

Jim

4 hours ago, RickUK said:

Jim,that 5x10 coil you recently bought is it a folded mono ?? i have had one for a few years but never used it as yet,but out detecting on a roman trading villa site tomorrow that has horrendous black sand,so my way of thinking is using the TDI with the 5x10 coil on this site.....most folks can only use multi freq machines like say the Nox etc,but will take mine but will also give the TDI a trip out for a change as well and will probably use it for most of the day....will update you on how it goes...the site is a about as difficult a site to detect but the roman coinage and artefact are prolific if you can cut through the black sandy conditions.

Ya know, Rick, I honestly have no idea. It doesn't say on the label, and I haven't tested it, so I have no way to know. It says ML Professional series, so makes me think it was made for the GPX Series. I'm buried in projects and prospecting, so probably won't be doing any testing for awhile. I'm looking forward to your report on how it does on that mineralized ground. Best of luck!

Jim

I like the Sadie, but don't find it much more sensitive than the 7 1/2" DF. Both are very good on the SL, especially with the 16v battery. I also recently bought a 5 x10 Razorback, but have yet to try it. Idaho, and the surrounding states, are really great. I feel fortunate to have spent my adult life here. Wouldn't trade it for any place else on earth.

Jim

Aaah man, I'm really bummed to hear that. He was a good guy, and one of our better detectorists. I always enjoyed seeing his posts and gold finds.

Jim

4 hours ago, CaliGold said:

Jim

 

Thanks! Yes, it was tough but a good learning experience. I bought some capacitors to do the swing speed mod, but they were of different size (but same voltage) AND tolerance as I did a poor job of telling the sales guy at one of the last brick and mortar electronics stores in the area, the appropriate specs. I saw Geotech had not been crazy about that mod so put it on back burner. I'll note that ground balance on this machine with either coil I have has to be run at 7-8. The river near me isn't a gold river but upstream there were some fledgling placer and lode mines (Happy Canyon Santa Ynez) back in the day so the minerality is moderate to high probably from the volcanic rocks I see about. You can see the photo I posted of the gravel to show the sampling. That makes me reluctant to do the swing speed mod as I already have a little "chirp" here and there with minerals out here in California.  *SO you get 1 grain signals with the sadie 8x6 coile or another coil? My TDI SL SE machine was bought in 2019 so it has a couple mods done already that the earlier ones did not. I think the NF Sadie Coil is the next "move" to make this machine a real bedrock hound...

Yes, your machine has the second Reg mod done  by the factory. My swing speed mod made zero difference in ground noise, and I live and detect in a volcanic area with lots of iron basalt and rhyolite. Those caps need to be 1% matched and metal-film. Easy mod to do. If you do some research, there is another sensitivity mod you can do, suggested by another user. I've got it somewhere, but haven't done it yet. I think it's also pretty simple.

Jim

Thanks for the update! Looks like you did very well, for your first soldering job. Those surface-mount components are tough to work with. Have you done any of Reg Sniff's mods to your machine? I've done two, and will eventually get to a 3rd that wasn't designed by Reg. I also added vernier knobs to the Threshold and GB controls on mine. Makes razor-edged adjustments really easily. Mine will detect a 1 grain nugget at 3". Keep me updated. I've got a pair of vernier controls, with custom-made mounting hardware. They're the last pair I've got made for now. Not much demand for things for the TDI's anymore. They're $175 shipped CONUS

Jim

Before I did the last mod, Reg had me do a test, and gave me specific ways to do it. I got 16" in an air test with a nickel. Reg said he thought I'd o even better with the 2nd mod in place. I get a response at 3" to a 1 grain bar...that's grain, not gram. I still have one mod to do, that should improve slightly on that. I do think a well-modded TDI pro is slightly better than mine....that's according to karelian's tests, but the difference is very slight. I do like the light weight and handling of the SL.

Jim

Been telling you guys, these modded TDI Sl's  aren't bad...LOL

Jim

It's been awhile since I looked at all this, but if memory serves R9 is the "flyback" resistor, and drains the coil quickly so it can start "listening" for a target response. As such, it would tend to get hot with increased current into the coil. So,I had decided ,if I ever needed to replace it, I would increases the wattage. I don't recall, offhand, the factory wattage. If you determine that pleases post it.

Jim

Welcome from Blackfoot!

2 hours ago, jasong said:

Nice stuff. 

Have you ever looked for diamonds up by the Stateline district south of Foxpark or around that whole area? A lot claimed by companies but I know some people who had some luck finding some smaller diamonds there, after a lot of work. I used to dredge around there but if I ever found a diamond, I didn't recognize it. 

No, Jason, but I'd venture to guess there are k-pipes there. I know at least one good diamond was found on Cortez creek. My friend from South Africa has several claims on K-pipes a ways east of there. One near Tie Siding, not far from the old Kelsey Lake mine. That's just too far from our place to spend much time there.

Jim

5 hours ago, Cascade Steven said:

Jim: 

Do you know, per chance, who did the drilling for diamonds, and if so can you share the information?  Just curious.

Steven, it was a company called Diamond-X. Or Diamond-EX....can't remember for certain. I think they      drilled 18 different locations if memories serve. Also, I think they found 9 pipes, but that may also be off. I found several of the spots they drilled. There are still old wooden survey stakes laying around.

Jim

5 hours ago, Geologyhound said:

Well if you ever do, Oregon has a square mile set aside for public sunstone prospecting.  There are also a couple fee dig locations with different payment structures.

i’ve always wanted to find a diamond even if it was junk. I hope you find a nice one!

If I do, you can bet I'll be posting pics and the story...LOL. I've been looking for almost 12 years.

Jim

3 hours ago, Geologyhound said:

Nice!  Have you ever gone to southern Oregon to dig sunstones?  You can get some reds and greens, but they are generally larger.  I can post some pics of some of my rough if you would like.

Nope. I've heard of them, of course. There were a few diamonds found not far from there. They were found in gold sluices on the Owyhee River in both Oregon and Idaho. So, it's on my list. When I finally get into that country, I'll probably try for some sunstones, too.

Jim

16 hours ago, Geologyhound said:

Looks like you have some nice transparent ones there!  Since kimberlite is the typical host rock, have you ever recovered a diamond?  Of course the Green River basin is also famous for fossils!

In 12 years of prospecting the Basin, I've never seen a diamond. But I do believe they are there, and I also believe the spot I discovered a few years ago has a high potential for diamonds, Every trip over there, I find new evidence I'm in a good locale. It will either happen this year, or I'll probably give up the search. I will have exhausted the potential, unless something new shows up...as it did on this last trip. There were k-pipes discovered in that area by drilling. None had commercially viable diamond numbers, however. I'm more interested in finding a pocket of placer diamonds.

Jim

2 hours ago, Mike_Hillis said:

Jim, do you do your own lapidary work or do you sell the stones?   pretty.  I could easily mistake it for emerald.

Thanks for sharing the pics.

HH
MIke

Mike, I do some gem work, but chrome diopside requires some special care because its brittle. I have a couple of gemmy pieces of it, but have yet to attempt faceting it. The pyrope garnets are incredibly beautiful in a "brilliant" cut, but I never find any bigger than 1/4". I'll try and post a pic of a couple I did several years ago. A professional cutter told me he was amazed I managed to get 32 facets into a gem that small...lol. The difficulty is finding chrome diopside with enough clarity in a large enough piece to facet. The two garnets in the pic are only 1/8" in diameter.

Jim

 After our muddy attempt in June, where we had to wait 18 hours for things to dry enough we could turn around and go back home, we finally made it in last week. The roads were dry, and so were all the creeks. Had to haul our ore material 15 miles to find water for the jig. Found considerable amounts of chrome diopside, and, of course, garnets. The majority of what's in the pic came from one small area about 6' x 20' that we scraped the surface gravel off of the first day. We did 3x that amount the second day, and got very little. In between one day we went over and poked around the Butcherknife Draw area, but found little. The spot I found a few miles from Butcherknife is still far and away the richest spot I've found for larger chrome diopside. One weird thing happened on our last day. I had decided to dig a hole to see if I could get down to the false bedrock layer, in the hopes there might be a concentration of gems there. I had to dig through some larger pieces of the false bedrock, which is sort of like caliche. When I got down about 2', I ran into a very dark brown, rich-looking material similar to topsoil, with little gravel in it. After 3 days of digging, classifying, and jigging, I was beat, and gave it up. But, that soil kept nagging at my mind. I have been all over the basin, covering 100 square miles over the last 12 years, and I have NEVER seen soil like that...not once. So, we have to go back. I had no probe to drive in and see how deep it goes, and i was too stupid to think of filling some buckets to bring home, of which I had plenty. So, I've ordered one of those sampling tube augers to take, and will make some extension handles for it, so I can go down at least 10' if it extends that far. Wondering what the soil is will drive me nuts. To be down under the clay layer, it has to be really old....possibly 1,000's of years.

Jim

1 hour ago, Joe D. said:

   You look like you do some nice work Jim! Those are cool! May have to get some eventually!🤔

   Have a safe trip!! Hope there's detecting involved!!🍀👍👍

LOL...actually no detecting. This a diamond prospecting trip. We tried in June, and got stuck in the mud for 18 hours and came home. Now we're trying again.

Jim

Thanks, Joe, that's mine. I have one set of those vernier knobs and mounting hardware ready to go right now. Price is $175, shipped in US. We're heading out Sunday and will be gone for a week, so shipping will be slow for a bit, unless purchased immediately.

Jim

Jason, we're going to be in the South Pass area in August. Right now my unit is on loan to the guy in Montana, but if I get it back in time, I'd be happy to meet you over there, and I can show you what I'm doing. I think you'll like it.

Jim