bklein

Got a link to find out about it?

I see somewhere little magnets are sold to create the buttons.

Arrghhhh!! Stock of EBL 18650 3000mA cells appears to have dried up. Walmart, Ebay, Amazon... out of stock. Suggested alternate? I gave up driving around the vaping shops.

The version shown above appears to be the flat top type. Aren't they intended for spot welded tabs? Will they make good contact inline in a tube?

The EBLs appear in button top and flat top. Any difference in protection features. Flat top mainly for packs using metal strapping? There is a cell the vape shops are selling for $10 each that is quite big. I should have gotten it’s details.

Anyone checked out a couple of these? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mobile-Power-Bank-Case-26650-Battery-Holder-With-USB-Interface-For-Bike-Light/312829220805?epid=20023749936&hash=item48d61317c5:g:h~0AAOSw2H1dvUB1

I bought a beach hog wide coil from Rick a year or two back to try with my GP Extremes. Haven’t gotten around to it yet. Other hobbies and desire to hunt with the CTX have delayed my GP experiments. Does work ok in the garage... I want to cover the control box with a plastic bag kind of thing so no added weight. Don’t need to mess with settings it seems.

I was rather shocked when I visited the local vape shops to buy 18650’s last Black Friday. Seems they have some kind of approval for that use now (and everyone was out of the high capacity cells). Looking online proved different too. Must be difficult/expensive to ship. Then came the tv ads inferring that using these cells will end in a flash fire. Lipo packs for RC use are still available for sale from hobby shops online, but many of the local hobby shops vanished - even before the virus. Anyone know more about 18650’s for vaping and what the “certification” for them infers? I’m thinking it may be for high run current but what would that be? They custom label many of them. Recommendations?

I think there is another aspect to this - if you don’t like hunting with it is there something wrong with it? I bought my CTX used but with warranty. Had problems with it, sent in for repair, fixed coil and gps. Liked it, got the 17” coil everyone was liking. It had issues, sent it back got another. It was better but the 11” is better for me. Then the EQ800 came out. I waited for the forum talk/hype to subside and got one. Used it for 8 months and just didn’t like it. Always wondered if I got a bad one. Went back to the CTX and immediately loved it again. Sold the EQ800 but always wonder if mine was a poor example. So if you like using the detector keep it as the next one you get may not be as good.

Search IMAX B6. AC or 12DC input. Charges up to 15 NIMH cells. Should be fine. Like $30!

Thanks for the link to the battery thread, Steve. Didn't see that. It starts off erroneously saying the battery life is 5-6 hours though - you might want to edit that. Although you say the battery is easily replaceable, it isn't clear to me how that elliptical pod is removed. Is there a manual on this published yet that discusses it? I think the majority of purchasers will be anxious to obtain a lithium-based solution with integral Bluetooth audio in place of that pod. The risks I see with lithium-based batteries are expansion problems if overcharged or overheated -or even just due to ageing. Probably not recommended for underwater. I would think 4 18650's (L-ion) could go inside the shaft, for us above ground guys.

Very interesting. A 3.5 hour battery life on a nimh battery might be troublesome for me, especially after some time builds up on it. It will shorten with use and it doesn’t look easily swappable. I would likely dive right into replacing that whole black enclosure thing, making another with 18650’s inside. Unless....there is additional detector circuitry inside.... Rick, do you know? Maybe battery charge management and an audio amp for the phones? Anyway it would be a fun project to work on, for me more fun than detecting with it as there just aren’t many targets at my beaches and not a lot of areas where the sand has sat for years with hidden deep targets. How is the present design’s battery recharged? Do we have to mess with the big “U” cable each time? I have two Minelab GP Extremes I have been planning to do this exact same mod to. Bluetooth audio so no phones wires. I already tested the GP at my beaches and it beat out my CTX, EQ800, DF, and pi pro on depth on a gold ring. I don’t get much iron and usually use a CTX that ID’s that well. But both the CTX and GP Ex are getting heavy when I go on 6+ hour hunts. A modified AQ would be nice having. So I might flip for one or line up for a used one - no reason for me to rush. A lot of you guys hunt or did hunt almost everyday. Not me, I’m a every other weekend guy if this virus stuff subsides. Just be warned that the nimh battery will eventually piss you off bigtime due to the number of recharge cycles and the nature of the battery technology. Anyone that has played with older RC planes or cars (or weed wacker) knows. We had a discussion on a group buy for southern Calif/Orange County on another forum. Not sure who was serious, but I’d still be interested.

There are at least two efforts to design and build ventilators in more basic low cost form where their factory might be able to help. There is the e-vent.mit.edu open source and the UCI- Virgin Orbit - University of Texas, Bridge Ventilator Consortium.

Curious if you have tried supercapacitors in the TX circuit...

Check online for imax B6AC. Cheap and works great. Can be run from 12V.