TedinVT

I'm hoping the Gray Ghost folks can get their hands on the Nox connector so we can have a choice for waterproof headphones.  Problem is that probably won't happen until long after the Nox hits the streets.  I have to say I'm really not very impressed with the whole Nox roll out process and lack of information (delivery date, manual, accessory prices and availanility, etc.).

Steve,

Will these great tips and nuggets from you and other valued contributors find their way into your "Minelab Equinox Advanced User's Guide" (a work in progress)?  There's so much valuable info scattered throughout this forum over the last months and it would be great for those of us learning to use the new machine (if it ever arrives) to have it all in one place.

What could the rationale possibly be for not posting the price of the waterproof headphones?  With so much interest on the forums in beach / saltwater detecting there must be thousands of folks who would want to tack on the waterproof headphones to their Nox order.  What does holding back on the waterproof headphone price at this stage in the game accomplish other than frustrating a lot of customers?  I want the 800 AND the waterproof headphones and want to be able to figure out what the bottom line is going to be before I decide to pull the trigger.

A link from Minelab Worldwide Users Group indicating end of Jan. shipping, early to mid Feb. receiving.

Release Date - Will Ship from Australia to USA end of January!
We should start getting our first shipments from Minelab early to mid February and will be shipping them out to you as we come to your name on our list of preorders.

Good answer, Steve.  Thank you for the research work.

I'm wondering if the Equinox battery charging terminals will be 'hot', ie. the detector's internal battery's voltage present at the terminals while detecting.  Realizing the voltage is only around 5vDC, there isn't any real human danger with exposure.  This is more a question of what happens if the terminals are 'hot' while detecting in saltwater.  Could mineralized water provide a path for slow battery discharge, increasing battery drain?  Is there any possibility of electrolysis that might cause damage to the charging terminals while detecting in saltwater?

Hey, good eye!

Figured it was an early prototype.

I read on one of the UK forums that one of the testers over there bought a 16,000 mAhr USB power bank for his NOX.

Getting ready, I bought a RAVPower RP-PB19 rated at 16,750 mAhr.  Standard 5 volt output.  It has 2 USB ports, one rated for 2.4A and the second at 2.1A.  Check Amazon.  Not that expensive.  I weighed this power bank and it's about 0.65# on the wife's analog kitchen scale.  Comes with 2 USB cables, one long and one shorter.  You would use the USB cable that comes with the NOX.

I use it exclusively in the water and wet sand.  Works great.  Just let go of the detector and it's always in easy reach when I'm finished with the scoop.  I don't use it in the dry sand.  I unclip it in the dry.

A good friend in FL showed me his solution to the scoop/detector handling issue in the water - credit to John.  It amounts to a 16” length of 3/16” bungie cord (hardware store) and a 2” SS caribiner.  Make a loop with the bungie cord and fasten the caribiner to the loop with a cable tie.  Put the loop on your finds pouch belt.  I have a 1 3/4” SS circular key ring fastened to the arm rest of my detector with a cable tie.  I hook the carininer to the ring.  This rig is just long enough that I can swing the detector normally and can let go of the detector without dropping it and keeps it out of the way for the two handed scoop work.

It's good to see the question about production capacity out there.  The other half of that question is is the logistics of distribution worldwide able to handle the task as quickly as we would all like?  Then that brings up the question of will distribution favor all countries the same?

Thanks for the reassurance on the screen saver, Steve.  Looks great.

Is it possible for saltwater, or any water, or beach sand to get between the screen protector and the display when the Equinox is used submerged?

A lot of discussion regarding pre-orders, pre-paying, release dates, finalizing the design, etc.  No discussion about production capacity, ability to satisfy the pent up worldwide demand, best guess order lead times, etc.

I'd love to have one by early Spring, but the reality of that happening is not good.  If there is a demand for a million units, for example, ML would have to produce just a bit less than 42,000 units per month to satisfy that demand in two years.  That's a bit less than 1400 units per day.  Still, I plan to wait patiently and follow the news and comments with eager anticipation.

I suspect that with the worldwide level of interest in the Equinox the demand on the initial production will be huge.  I'm imagining many months lead time for those of us who haven't pre-ordered and probably for many who have.

Here, in the north, metal detecting season has pretty much wound down thanks to the frost and snow anyway.  I'll sit back by the wood stove and watch the reviews trickle in for the next several months and pull the trigger when the supply catches up with the demand.