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steveg

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  1. 1 hour ago, Cal_Cobra said:

    Although I don't speak Polish, there was a fair bit of information one could glean from that video.  I like what I see so far, everything appears to be better compared to it's predecessor, even the audio sounds a bit more refined.

    When the user switches from the Manticore to the EQX800 @ 12:17 in the video he detects a wedge(?) and it TIDs right around 13, that's exactly been my experience in the field with the EQX800 on similar iron tools (wedges, pick heads, ax heads, etc).   Interestingly the first time he ran the Manticore over those large bits of iron it was silent, and I didn't see an onscreen TID.  The second time he went over the iron targets with the Manticore after the EQX800 it did detect them with audio and TID.  I guess I missed what he changed between tests.  

    I was hoping he'd put that hammered silver on the wedge and retest ?

    I liked that part of the video very much.  That was very FBS-like, in that the reason the wedge was not detected was because he adjusted the FERROUS discrimination.  If you noticed, the coin he swung over was mid 30s for its conductive ID, which was very similar to the "conductive" ID of the wedge (the conductive ID for the wedge ranged up as high as mid 30s also, see my picture, below).  On the Equinox, the only way to discriminate the wedge, if you wanted to (since there is only conductive information, and no "2-D" ability) would be to set disc up in the mid teens -- which discriminates NOT ONLY the wedge, but also a nickel (or the coin shown in the video).  BUT -- with 2-D (ferrous AND conductive) information available for each target, you can discriminate based on the FERROUS information, only, if you choose.  And in that way, while both targets ID in the mid 30s on the CONDUCTIVE side, the FERROUS ID of each target is much different.  So, proper setup of your discrimination -- with your discrimination based off of the FERROUS ID, means you can discriminate the wedge, but still detect a coin that, from the "conductive" perspective, would ID very similar to the wedge.  There's no way to discriminate the wedge from the coin, on an Equinox; on the Manticore however, just like on the CTX, E-Trac, or an Explorer, you can EASILY discriminate the wedge, and NOT a coin that has a similar conductive ID.

    For anyone familiar with FBS, what I just said is very basic.  But, for those, like GB_Amateur, who are not familiar with FBS machines, hopefully this helps, in that this is a good illustration of what having 2D target information (FE as well as CO) allows you to do, in terms of setting up the machine.  

    NOTE -- of COURSE the primary discriminator needs to be the one "between our ears," with audio being "where it's at," in terms of discerning targets.  We all know this.  But, all I am trying to illustrate is that having the ability to discriminate based on FE ID is a tool that is helpful, and it's a tool I really missed on the EQX...

    Steve

     

    manticore.jpg.59ec3cd6ef91c265738dc329e4827be7.jpg

    • Like 7
  2. 7 hours ago, dewcon4414 said:

    SteveG I agree with you on a lot of that Ferr/con.  I more often than not watched that smart screen then checked out the con digit.  We all learned the silver tinkle watched deep coins like nickels move to points no where near an air test coin.  Took me some time to realize what weak targets were… I really gained a lot of depth once it clicked.

    dewcon -- exactly!  When you learned how deep coins "moved" in their ID, with depth (nickels were a great example of that, as you note), that was key to unlocking the depth capabilities of the Explorer series.  A deep nickel for me was high teens FE many times, and once you learn that, you were able (with the stock coil) to KILL on deep nickels.  The interesting thing, though, is I found that the stock 11-inch "Pro" coil was the only one you could do that with, on the nickels specifically.  When I switched to the Detech 13" ultimate, I gained depth for silver coins, which is really what I target, BUT, completely lost the Pro coil's ID behavior on deep nickels...

    Anyway, good memories!  And for those who I exasperated with that earlier, long post trying to answer GB_amateur's questions, my apologies...

    Steve

  3. 9 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

    Thanks, steveg!  I understood a lot on the first reading and I'll reread after checking out more screen photos of the Mambocorp.  The ML Explorer (digital) readout seems more intuitive but I guess in practice the later normalized methods were more informative?  (Or is it the typical "dumbing down" for the least common denominator type of detectorist?)

    Good stuff.

    GB -- I think it was a bit of "dumbing down," as you say.  For me, and I know other Explorer users who said so, the way FE numbers behaved gave helpful information to the user, whereas once you "force" the FE numbers to read "12" all the time, you lose some of that...

    Just my opinion.

    Steve

    • Like 1
  4. 1 hour ago, PimentoUK said:

    'Burnt coil' first:

    The power put into a detectors coil is VERY small, 10's of milliwatts, enough to light an LED, for example the little red 'standby' light on your TV. So even if this power were increased +50%, it would still be a pathetic amount of power. Nothing will burn, burst into a mass of flaming plastic and copper, explode etc. So any suggestion that Mandingo is capable of such havoc is baloney, and is likely a failed attempt at 'hype'.

    Only two things of relevance come from "+50% more power":

    A potential improvement in EMI handling. If there's 23% more voltage on the TX coil, there's +23% more return signal from the target and the ground .... but the EMI signal remains the same. Hence a modest improvement in signal-to-noise ratio, which is useful.

    Increased current drain on the battery pack. However ... the Eqx draws about 420 mA, from a single Li cell, say 3.8V, hence 1.6 Watts. Of which less than 0.2W [my estimate] is spent driving the coil , the rest is microprocessor / ADC / signal amplifiers / LCD screen/ audio amplifier / wireless TX/RX etc etc. So the new machine will be similar; most power is the inner workings, the 'enhanced' coil power is not a major contributor.

    Thanks for this further explanation, Pimento.  

    I am surprised to hear how little power runs to a detector coil.  I would have thought that it would take much more power than that, to enable the coil to transmit a signal into the ground that is "strong" enough such that it is capable of not only initiating an electrical current in a target buried in the ground, but also one that is then discernible by the receive side of the coil.  I had no idea we were dealing with such small wattage (or apparently, milliwattage, in this case).

    Steve

  5. 1 hour ago, PimentoUK said:

    All this talk of "burning out an Eqx coil" is just a steaming pile of horse manure. Please stop it.
     

    Pimento -- I, and I would assume others, don't understand the issue here, and you didn't do anything to explain WHAT the issue is.  So, just saying "stop it" is of little use.  You and Chase clearly see some issue in this discussion.  I don't, and so a bit of explaining would have helped...

    Anyway...

     

    Quote

    A more pertinent question is:
    What is Mandingo doing that the Eqx didn't do ?
    Here's the Equinox transmitted signal:
    "The Equinox transmits a complex square-edged waveform, that repeats every 385 microseconds. In that waveform are 15 cycles of 39kHz, 7 cycles of 18.2kHz and 3 cycles of 7.8kHz. That is how the operating freqs are related to each other : 7.8k : 18.2k : 39k are ratios of 3 : 7 : 15."

    This, as it stands is pretty good for: general detecting; low-conductor targeted detecting ( gold jewellery / ancient coins ); nugget hunting. The obvious weaker area is the lack of lower operating frequencies, which should ideally suit the high-conductor coin hunting niche, and potentially be useful in salt-water. The Deus2 can be seen to vary its MF frequency selections depending on mode, for example "Deep HC" uses a lower frequency mix.
    So it's not unreasonable for Mandingo's freq blend to be variable - that alone is sufficient to warrant badging it "Multi-IQ+".

    However, there is the X-Y display showing on the LCD screen. If this is anything like the FE/CO FBS system, it requires one l..o..n..g transmit cycle in its waveform to perform a 'pseudo-PI' transmission. This is not possible with the Eqx's Multi-IQ waveform, there's simply too many high-freq signals in it.
    One possibility is they have created a mash-up of FBS and Multi-IQ. If the above waveform lasting 385 microsecs was alternated with a single cycle of 2.6 kHz, there would then be enough time to do the Pseudo-PI, and hence generate the "FE" signal of the FBS system. FBS uses a single cycle of 3.125kHz, so 2.6kHz is similar enough, and probably slightly better, at allowing this trick.
    A down-side of this may be that ther will be a slowing-down of the performance, much like the CTX is slower than the Eqx, due to the main TX waveform only being transmitted half as often. So it may be an option: if you want 'CTX-style', you get slower response, if you choose 'Eqx-style', you get the speed.

    Can you talk a little more about this "pseudo-PI" transmission that you say FBS uses, and how that allows the generation of an "FE" signal?  I find this fascinating, but don't have enough knowledge to entirely follow.  But, this "trick" of which you speak sounds quite fascinating and I'd like to understand better.

    So, are you saying that there could be two DIFFERENT transmissions going on -- an "EQX-like" waveform, and then an "FBS-like" waveform, such that Manticore, in a way, actually COULD be a sort of blend of both FBS and Multi-IQ (just as the "Manticore" name would imply -- i.e. the mythical "multi-species" creature)?

    Steve

    • Like 3
  6. 6 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

    Cal,  I know this is a somewhat tongue in cheek sensationalist statement, but Tom D as an engineer should know that from an engineering fundamentals standpoint regarding a coil (not talking the interface chip), this is just a ridiculous take and also what’s the point of making it?  Was he trying the explain away ML’s propensity to not provide cross platform coil compatibility or were we supposed to be impressed from the imagined visual of Nox coils exploding when they are connected to the M-core’s 2.4 gigawatt flux capacitor?

    As someone who also “enjoys the technology behind all this” because I am an electrical engineer and a detectorist, I CAN say ludicrous statements like this are literally blowing smoke and NOT moving the ball forward.  Tom D should know better.  I’m not worried about you drinking the M-core Kool Aid (it should be a great evolutionary step up from Equinox - I’m liking what I’m seeing as ML feeds us more info), but definitely watch out for whatever Tom is spiking that Kool Aid with.  :rolleyes:

    Chase, maybe I missed something, and I'm not an engineer, but I'm not sure what the issue is, with Tom's statement.  Here is the full statement he made...

    "IF you could figure out a way to wire a EQX coil to the new Manticore...... the Manticore would blow/burn it out. Soooo...... coils are NOT interchangeable. (There's also other reasons for incompatibility)."

    In context, he was just dumping information about the new machine.  These were bullet points, that he was dropping.  So it's just a "stand-alone statement" in context, trying to give those who are curious some info about the new unit.  Really, this appears to me to be just a statement saying "it wouldn't be wise to try to hook up an EQX coil to the Minticore."  In his "engineer" way, I think he was simply explaining that the coils are not compatible; in the context it was stated, he never mentioned or implied anything about the "50% more power to the coil" thing specifically, being the issue with coil compatibility.  I assumed MYSELF that this "incompatibility" had to do with "more power to the coil," and thus that the coil's electronics would be "burned up" due to the higher "power" going to the coil.  Am I incorrect there?

    Steve

    • Like 1
  7. 13 hours ago, Cal_Cobra said:

    I don't think it's purely maketeering.  Clearly it's not going to go 50% deeper, but if you read what Tom's stated, and listen to what their director of engineering's telling us (who's not a marketing guy), there's a practical application here.  Tom D. stated that the coils are different then anything else before them, with unique circuitry, winding designs, even the extra ribbing the water hunters were bitching about have a practical purpose.  Yes the Equinox coils are incompatible because if someone did figure out a way to connect them to the MC, they'd blow out from the amped up power. So it's not a marketing thing like the coils between the Vanquish and Equinox not being compatible where they clearly could have been.

    If you think about it, if you've followed Dankowski for any length of time (as I know you have Steve) he's always had these primary objectives in architecting new detector technology:

    • Better EMI mitigation
    • More usable depth
    • Better unmasking
    • Better capabilities to handle salt water beaches

    Fast forward to the MC, and given that Tom's not only been a tester he's been part of the dev-ops design team on this, it looks like he may have actually succeeded in these areas of interest.

    I probably sound like a Kool-Aid drinker, but in my experience over the years those that enjoy the technology behind all this learn the difference between those blowing smoke up our skirts and those moving the proverbial ball forward.   Being the hard core detectorists that Tom is and his commitment to excellence, I think we may just see something unique here. 

    Of course until we get our hands on them, it's only speculation, but there's plenty of bread crumbs if you filter through the noise.  Unfortunately Tom's clammed up ?

    Brian,

    Thanks for the post; I entirely agree with you, and I MUST POINT OUT that the quote from me, that you included in this post, was an error on my part.  I FORGOT TO TYPE THE WORD "NOT!"  What I INTENDED to say, was that "I am fairly sure it is NOT all a 'marketing gimmick'"  Very sorry about the mistake -- that "not" is a very important word!  

    I corrected my original post, so as to include the "not," and the bottom line is that I entirely agree with you, Brian!
     

    Steve

    • Like 1
  8. 19 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

    All we know is that it has a bigger battery than Equinox (7 hour charge time) because their marketing statement doesn't clearly state how the 50% more power is used vs. Equinox (transmit power, processing power or simply its need to keep the lights on as it has a lot of lights (backlight, keypad light, flashlight)).  :laugh:

     

    I believe I have seen Mark Lawrie say "50% more power going to the coil," than the Equinox, and Tom Dankowski said that if you somehow were to wire an Equinox coil up to connect to the Manticore, you would essentially "blow out the coil."  So, I am fairly sure it's NOT just all a "marketing gimmick."

    (Just to note, I am NOT saying 50% more depth, nor 25% more depth, nor even 10% more depth...of course not; I'm just saying that there is apparently 50% more power going to the coil, and not just a marketing gimmick where the extra power is going to the backlight, keypad, flashlight, etc. -- each of which probably use very little power, i.e. flashlight being LED, etc.)

    Steve

     

    • Like 4
  9. palzynski --

    Yes, my biggest disappointment with this shaft is the expense.  I always try to offer customers the best possible prices that I can.  But, this was a VERY expensive shaft to design, as each part (lower rod end, remote control mount, handle, and arm cuff) had to be designed from scratch, several molds had to be purchased in order to produce these parts, etc.  So, that drives up the cost significantly.

    Think about it this way...compared to my Equinox straight shaft, this shaft has three additional components, right off the bat, that the Equinox shaft does not require -- the remote-control mount, the S-handle, and the arm cuff.  While the cost per piece of the remote-control mount is not high, the injection mold that will be required to produce this part will be costly (initially, this will be a 3D-printed part).  But, the S-handle and the arm cuff require not ONLY expensive molds to produce them, but even once the molds have been purchased, they are expensive parts to produce (due to being carbon fiber, and not plastic).  For these reasons, the cost on this shaft is higher than I would like, and I will likely have to raise the price more, eventually.  But, I wanted to get it out there at the lowest possible introductory price.  And no, that price does not include shipping to Europe.  In the U.S., shipping will add about $21 USD ($250 total price), but obviously more to ship overseas -- probably around $50 USD for shipping to the UK/EU.

    And YES -- a 2-piece shaft WOULD be lighter; about 1 1/2 oz. lighter due to the elimination of one of the cam locks.  And I can CERTAINLY build a 2-piece shaft for anyone who does not require the collapsibility that the 3-piece offers.  I know many users like the way the stock XP shaft collapses for travel, and so I wanted to maintain that ability for those who like it.  BUT -- for those who don't require it, and are happy with a two-piece shaft, another approximately 1.5 oz. can indeed be shaved from the shaft just by eliminating the upper cam lock.

    Steve

    • Like 2
  10. palzynski --

    The introductory price on my shaft will be $229 USD plus shipping.

    Also, thanks for the information/specifications on the Deus Lite S-Stem -- the lighter alternative to the standard Deus stem.  So, yes -- while my shaft is a hair lighter than the standard Deus shaft, it is not quite as light as the Deus lite.

    What I can say, is this.  First, if I made my shaft shorter (Deus length), obviously it would be lighter, as you noted.  In fact, building my shaft to Deus standard shaft length, would reduce my shaft weight by almost an ounce (0.9 oz.)  I can do that, for any customer who doesn't need the extra length.  At "Deus length,"  my shaft weight would then be reduced to approximately 15.4 oz.

    In addition, the Deus shaft uses neither an arm cuff pad, nor an arm cuff strap.  Eliminating those from my arm cuff, would remove another half ounce (0.55 oz.).  This is also something I can do, for any customer that doesn't need a pad or a strap. So at that point, my shaft would be reduced to 14.85 oz. -- and would be within 0.85 oz. of the weight of a Deus Lite shaft (and just over an ounce and a half lighter than the Deus standard shaft).

    Further, there is one additional thing I will say, which I think is a very important consideration -- BALANCE.  To elaborate...

    The standard Deus arm cuff weighs 2.2 oz., if I am not mistaken.  With the strap and pad included on my cuff, mine weighs 5.6 oz. (it checks in at 5.0 oz. without the strap and pad).  And that 3-ish ounce difference accounts for the reason I can't quite match the Deus Lite shaft weight.  While my cuff is carbon fiber, it is larger, and quite heavy-duty.  It also has a larger/taller stand on the bottom than the stock Deus cuff, so that my shaft will rest properly upright, when a coil is attached.  Finally, my cuff uses four small bolts and locking nuts (marine-grade stainless steel) to attach it to the shaft.  Given those features, it ends up just over 3 oz. heavier than the Deus cuff.

    HOWEVER, while I could have substantially reduced the cuff weight by making the cuff less heavy-duty, I did not want to do so, as I am all about solid, heavy-duty builds.  BUT -- but more importantly -- I DID NOT WANT to reduce the weight, because having a cuff on a Deus shaft that is slightly heavier, is a POSITIVE.  The reason is BALANCE (and thus, user comfort).  Like other machines, a Deus has nearly all of the weight at the "coil end" of the shaft, and next to NO weight, at the butt end.  This, of course, means it is nose-heavy.  While the Deus 9" coil is light enough that the imbalance is not a major problem for most users, it is still nose-heavy, which is not ideal.  And therefore, adding 3 oz. of extra weight to the butt end of the shaft (via the arm cuff) IMPROVES the balance of the shaft, and OFFSETS the fact that my shaft is a fraction of an ounce heavier than a Deus Lite shaft.

    This fits neatly in line with what I feel is the philosophical foundation of a perfect shaft design.  And that is, do everything you can to reduce the weight of the shaft as much as possible FIRST, AND THEN -- once you have the lightest shaft possible -- ADD A BIT OF WEIGHT, in the RIGHT PLACE (the butt end) to bring better BALANCE.  This maximizes the ergonomic comfort of the detector, making it a more comfortable machine to swing.  Reducing the "absolute" weight of a detector is just ONE consideration, when attempting to design a comfortable machine to swing; balance is just as important, IF NOT MORESO, than the "absolute" weight.  And, from an ergonomics perspective, BALANCE is, in my view, the most neglected aspect of today's detector designs.

    Steve

    • Like 3
  11. Sandheron --

     

    THANKS for letting me know!

    Sounds like, then, they are very close.  Mine runs about 1/2 oz. lighter, as it weighs 15.9 oz. without the strap on the arm cuff, which D2 cuff does not have.  

    One other note, is that my shaft is also designed to be longer than the Deus stock shaft -- extending about 6" longer than the Deus shaft can.  It's also longer from the handle to the arm cuff; that section of the stock Deus shaft is too short, in my opinion; mine is a few inches longer in that dimension.  So, if I built my shaft to the same dimensions as the Deus shaft, it would end up lighter still; probably an ounce so lighter than the stock shaft.  And of course, I'm happy to build a "shorter" shaft for anyone who prefers that, to shave a bit of additional weight.

    Thank you!

    Steve

    • Like 3
  12. 17 hours ago, abenson said:

    I'll likely pass on this one and wait for others reviews. More interested in the Axiom right now that the Manticore. I really can't see what the Manticore is going to offer that's not already available. Looks to me like it's going to target beach and deep coin hunters. I only hunt beaches with a PI anymore and my days of park hunting are basically over. I'm a relic hunter at heart and a PI basically rules that type of hunting as well.

    Like others have said, too little too late. Can't keep spending money on every new release that comes out. The Manticore is going to have to be pretty impressive for me to pull the trigger on one. Although I am on a list just in case.

    abenson -- how did you get on a list already?

    Steve

    • Haha 1
  13. On 8/25/2022 at 5:36 PM, bigtim1973 said:

    So how much lighter is this gonna make the shaft when complete?

    bigtim, I just finished assembling the first shaft (to be sent out for field testing soon).  Total weight of the shaft, everything included except a coil, and with remote control NOT attached (but with remote control mount included) is 16.3 oz. total weight.

    I'm not sure how this compares, in an "apples to apples" way to the stock shaft (no coil, no remote attached), but perhaps someone can chime in?

    Thanks!

    Steve

    D2-1.JPG

    D2-2.JPG

    D2-3.JPG

    D2-4.JPG

    • Like 7
  14. palzynski -- yes, sir -- most definitely.  Each of the things you mentioned is being addressed.  My shaft allows quite a bit more distance between the arm cuff and handle.  And, not only will the extension length of the "standard" shaft be longer than the Deus shaft, I can customize for anyone that needs a longer-than-standard shaft, as well...

    Chase -- thank you sir!

    Steve

    • Like 3
    • Thanks 1
  15. F350 -- sorry, my friend!  They are going to be installed on field-test prototype shafts in the next couple of days, and then will be sent off to the testers...  ?

    Are you needing an arm cuff?  I have an earlier plastic prototype of this cuff -- very similar, but a bit larger, that I'd sell you for a really good price...

    bigtim -- not sure yet; I haven't assembled a prototype shaft using my "production-grade" parts yet; earlier prototypes were all using 3D-printed parts.  Once I get one assembled, likely this weekend, I'll be able to comment on the weight...

    Thanks!

    Steve

    • Like 4
  16. The project is moving along at a good pace.

    A surprise arrived today, that will now allow me to get the field-test prototypes sent out to testers soon...

    DeusHandleCuff.thumb.JPG.f1e563b49be7faecf04c08bb7844e92b.JPG

    The arm cuffs were produced by my supplier with matte finish, not glossy, by mistake -- but they'll be glossy (to match the rest of the shaft) in the production model.

    For more information regarding the shaft, what it will feature, and what I'm attempting to achieve in terms of improvements, etc., you can find details in my latest "blog" entry (dated 8-24-22) on my website, at https://www.stevesdetectorrods.com/blog/index.php

    Thanks, all!

    Steve

    • Like 8
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