Joe Beechnut OBN

On 1/14/2024 at 11:41 AM, RIbeach_hunter said:

Nice find!

 About how deep?

Judging from the picture, the coil is 12.5 inches, 13 to 14 inches? 

I've dug some crazy deep gold with the AQ. 

12 hours ago, Yatahaze323 said:

I guess the real question is if you were able to find a larger capacity battery that fits the manticore would the manticore  recognize that its a larger capacity and properly charge it?

If you're not water hunting it would be easier to buy one of those powerbanks and if your manticore needs charging when out then connect it up and charge it.

Should make no difference on the Manticore (or Nox) as far as charging, only one size fits the manticore and that would be a 2 pack 21700 3.7 volt. Finding a larger capacity battery would be finding and using the same batteries but with more Watt Hours, or mAh (Milliamp Hours) The charger only sees 3.7 to 4.2 volts, it just takes it longer to charge one that has more capacity..

When it comes to Li-ions, best to buy a well known brand name, not just a larger capacity one.

23 hours ago, Tony said:

I wonder if the Manticore battery is the same as the Equinox ??

I'm not sure if the OP wants a simple replacement battery or something with a bigger mAh capacity ?

The Manticore and Nox use different batteries. Same voltage, but the Nox uses a single 26500 size Li-ion 3.7 volt battery. 2  21700 li-ions on the Manticores, I don't own either but I can tell from the battery designs in the video. All you would need is to break open either to see how they are setup then remake them as needed. Easy stuff. 

How long does the Manticore run before needing charged? I'm sure MInelab uses a fairly decent battery in it?

Looks like 2  21700 li-ions on the Manticores, you could make your own but much easier I think is Tony's idea, external battery pack. 

I use the 21700 lipstick battery pack for my Go Pro 7, gets me 6 straight hours of video. Single li-ion 21700 4000mha

Twenty inches is impressive on a air test. As time goes by keep us informed on how it does on the open beach, than.. once you get deep in the saltwater. I'm mostly interested in how it does in semi-rough saltwater submerged. 

I would love to find a machine that could do double duty, replacing the AQ and Excalibur in the water. Deep and have discrimination as a opp.

23 hours ago, bklein said:

Anyone take apart the stock headset?  Cheapest route would be to modify it. Those MSA L/R’s are like $60 to begin with, Tony made nice replacement piezo plates. What he is charging for his headset is probably reasonable given the background work he had to do to come up with a product.

I wonder what the high efficiency mod is. Good to know it’s right to get for the AQ.

I just received the 50mm black rimmed piezos today. I’m just not that anxious to start this project… might just buy Tony’s and do mine later.

OBN, you said Alexandre uses a JBL Clip for his demo. So he uses it as an amplified speaker (not Bluetooth)?

 

I have some pictures of the insides of a 2 sets they were playing with along with the stockers, originals.  Also on the JBL, Yes..as a amped speaker..not bluetooth. 

First 3 pics are the very first set they made for the AQ, I got them. Blue shells, double piezos poor audio (86)

Black set comes with the current AQ, even worse audio, single piezo (82)

The next is the second generation Blacks they made for the next AQ's (which was never shown or sold) 65mm piezo, much better audio (94) 

And my guess is the piezo tony used in the Stalkers headset? I told tony about the 65mm's last January.

My db audio test is using a nickel at 4 inches, on my test swing. And just a note, the set I make "Skullies" that I have a post about showing how to make them using the 50mm piezo and the 3m seal come in at 106 db's so you can see the advantage I have with my AQ. 

Jim that is a beauty!!  Nice design and chunk of gold! 

It's amazing what a Good set of headphones will do for any machine, specially PI's.  I've always been on the "The better the headset, the deeper targets" Mission

Thanks for sharing! 

6 hours ago, Tony said:

Plated, stainless, etc gets hurled way out to sea into deeper water where it belongs 🤣

 Spoken like a true Pirate!.. If it's not Gold or Silver, it's destiny is the plank....

 I have had a few distant friends that sell the stuff. Those are some nice looking chains and I would bet the one with the religious' metal would sell first.

I'm with Steve, all I care about is deep. The rest of the opps on the AQ, "Tones, Mute, and Volcanic sand"  I have no use for them.

I'm out of the loop as far as a connection to Fisher and testing the AQ, Not heard a word from them in over a year. Is the project still alive? No clue here, one reason I purchased a second unit. I've seen this in the past with PI's, a very limited production, than you never hear a word and they become as rare as hens teeth..

I do have tons of videos' and pictures of the AQ,........ with only one side by side video comparing the AQ to a TDI BH with the upgraded 16.8 volt, 4 cell battery pack. Not the best video for I had no assistance but it was enough to convince me, that where I hunt the AQ has no problem seeing deeper than the TDI BH by 3+ inches on average.

 I hope the project is still progressing.

Just under the wire with what I consider they ultimate goal, Gold!

On 12/24/2023 at 12:23 PM, bklein said:

Anyone tried these? 
https://www.steminc.com/PZT/en/multilayer-piezoelectric-speaker-700-hz

https://om.rsdelivers.com/product/sonitron/sps-3530-03-c1/sonitron-piezoelectric-miniature-speaker-81db-700/7868917

I am also wondering about your link for the black ringed piezo. It doesn’t show the ring in the photos.

Never tried those. I found one similar to the top one. It was made to be used as a wall piezo. Where you have it mounted to inside the wall and when you turned the stereo on it would use the wall as the base plate. Never worked as I needed. 

On 12/29/2023 at 1:37 AM, bklein said:

OBN, I called PUI tech support regarding the "50mm" discs with black plastic ring.

He came up with this one: (48MM): https://puiaudio.com/search?query=aps4812b-lw100-r

Is this what you used?

Yes, that is the PUI Audio Unlimited piezo I use.. remember it is how you mount it and what you mount it to / on..that makes the audio difference. 

On 12/27/2023 at 8:20 PM, The_Stalker said:

BK,

  I went with the High Efficiency model.  My thought was I would never be deeper than my nipples so the headphones should never be submerged.  They are really nice.  Block out most of the wind and wave noise and are much better than the set that came with the AQ.  I really have no idea on the piezo question.  Running Black Widow headphones on the Deus 2, Killer B's on the Tarsacci and Tony's on the AQ.

Black Windows and the Killer Bees use the same speaker, the Audio Sears 2653, (kind of tinny) the Black Widows are by far the best set for blocking out the outside noise. Most of the popular land headsets use the 2653, the old rat phones of yesteryear used the Kobitones.. (deep base

15 minutes ago, Bill (S. CA) said:

I like to think of my PI as a situational machine

That sums up my use of my (AQ) PI, knowing what I'm walking into...

I've had a few water PI's, Sea Hunter, Infinium, White DF.. and the Fisher AQ. First, I love the AQ and I feel there is no deeper water production PI out there.... The bad I feel it has to many issues for me to recommend. The infinium, I never liked the Low/HIgh...High/Low signals, the Whites DF to much noise for me. I do like the Sea Hunter, simple like the Sand Shark..beep and dig. The only down side is the small coil, I know the excalibur in PP is deeper with it's 10 inch coil in All Metal. There is the OPp for the bigger coil on the Sea Hunter but I never liked any coil that was not round and its tuff in rushing water with those big coils. 

The New VLFs, and not the Nox line.. Or the D2 and the Manticore seem like nice machines but I'm old school, I like simple. And as noted,... don't think they can take the rougher waters or black sands..

Excalibur, Love it also ..sad is ...its big bucks, and cable quality is bad. Not great in black sand, it does take several mods to bring it up to standards to match today's VLF's and honestly I swear it sounds just like the sand shark in All metal if I remember correct. 

I guess my first choice would be the Sea Hunter, very much like the Sand Shark and its built like a tank. I feel both the Sand Shark and Sea Hunter are very close in performance.

Merry Christmas to all the Gold Loving Pirates of the World. May we all have a Happy, Healthy 2024 and dig plentiful amounts of Gold 🏴‍☠️

Stunning! Specially with the added stone, great choice.

I used it a few times in close to shore at a small, simi-trashy beach., calmer brackish waters. I did not care for it, felt my excalibur 10 inch was better suited to work those areas. I did sell mine. Maybe Carolina can chime in for he hunts more "normal" beaches than I do...

I think?..  they went with the 8 to help those that were having issues with rough salty waters shore lines? I know at one time it was to be a 10 inch which I would have rather had..........  From what I heard it did help a few that were getting a lot of falsing at the water line and in the saltwater. 

I do know my friend Mike, who has a stock large coil on his AQ did a trip to the ocean ..OC Md... and said the AQ was a bear in the surf lane.. very noisy. Water is very rough their. 

11 hours ago, The_Stalker said:

you could tell with your eyes closed

Now your talking!

A good bit of the time, once I'm in a pattern in the water, and the water is somewhat calm, I hunt with my eyes closed.. specially in areas you know holds deep faint targets..........once your vision is gone seems your hearing senses are enhanced, and there are less distractions? And that is with both the AQ and Xcal, in All metal. 

NOise cancel sounds interesting, years ago I "almost" went for a set but they were like 250.?  These were the ones used at Nascar races and this was around 2012. I bet they have come a long ways, quality and price wise. I tried several combos on trying to hide the ocean noise, I did "Fair?" with the wave action but the crashing of the waves, no luck. Now i was able to remove "most" of the wind noise..wearing a hoodie over the head phones ....Keep us informed...

Also the only issue I ever seen with Tony's phones over the years was the micro small screws that hold the over head band supports in place, they will rust in saltwater. (They lock in the cross over wire) So you may want to dab a small amount of something like fingernail polish on them to keep them from rusting. And those are the MSA L/R model. 

When is your trip?

Tony Makes some great head phones for sure, I tested a set of Tony's with the AQ, see if I can find the pictures and numbers. I know they were better than the stock ones by several db's on the audio. Will be interesting to see how the JBL's work for you to, I'm always open to new ideas and tricks. The AQ has so much information to offer in the audio. Great to see your playing and learning the AQ, sure helps when it comes time to find those deep golds and silvers.

Also, Thank you again for the gift! Good luck on your adventure! Keep us informed! 

Merry Christmas and a Health 2024 for all..

A few build shots using the 3m Peltors..  I used Dow 111 on this set.. I'll put up a picture of both the Dow 111 and the 3m film on working sets. Late tonight

14 hours ago, bklein said:

I know I didn’t get piezos with the black rim - I’ll get some to try. Does the tegaderm intentionally space over the black rim of the piezo, leaving an air gap or is it pressed tight against the piezo?  Is there leakage around the wires to the piezo?

I took my headset off the AQ and drove it off my Wavetek function generator.  Seems like flat response until something above 1600 Hz or so, then it gets louder. I just bought a piezo driver IC pcb from Adafruit but now think it would not be necessary for these disks we are trying.  (It has a charge pump to output higher voltage than the supply)

I get the piezo setup and in place against the back of the cup...15 minute Epoxied to hold in place (Just on the rim on the black, "Not" the piezo) than just enough silicone to seal any gaps. Then I unsolder the wires, apply the 3m film to seal it to the back of the earcup. So the 3m tegaderm covers the Piezo and extends out as much as possible into the cup,  maybe a half inch. And the same can be done using the thin sheets of plastic as the piezo plate. I press the 3m down but there will be gaps between the black rim, the piezo and the black rim and the cup base. All in place I re-solder the wires, which the heat will open the solder area up (melts the 3m) ..solder..than seal with a small dab of aquaseal, or silicon..Small amount as possible. When un-soldering the wires I try and leave a small ball of solder so as to be able to touch and go.. so it is fast soldered..not a long period holding the iron down. I crank up the iron to 480F.. To finish off I add a directional horn,  thin plastic that is aimed right at my ear canal. I use the clear thin plastic tube they use to cover fluorescent tubes to protect them. I cut them long, then once I try the head set on I will trim them. I use 3 small dabs of silicon to hold in place. It fit almost perfect on the black rim of the piezo, silicon only on the black rim, not the piezo.

And remember you can use the DOW 111 if you do not use the 3m bandage tegaderm. It does require cleaning off every few months but works as good. The main thing is give the piezo freedom to float and the black rim PUI piezo is the trick.

Make two sets, one with the piezo mounted to the back of the cup and try the thin .007 Craft plastic. Either will blow away the stock headphones, and I use these on both the AQ and my Excalibur. 

As far as which Ear muffs/ headset..ear protection to use, I've experimented with a few..Different Peltor's, MSA's L/R, Walker, GG shells, Black Widow shells and Dave Clarks. The over all best ambient noise blockers are the 3m peltors and the Black Widows. The most comfortable, the MSA Left / Rights. Adding the Gel pads to either of those will aid in blocking and comfort.

The 3m tegaderm film I use to seal the Piezo.

Aviation Gel Pads which help seal the earmuffs against the head, and comfortable. Everyone of my head sets have these, a must!

Heyco pigtail 3227... https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Heyco/3237?qs=wRLls4Gs8BDGZ3e68gV4QQ%3D%3D

On 12/18/2023 at 10:29 AM, bklein said:

I can make just about anything but without detailed guidelines I’d be just trying my luck. I have the parts (have to check if as recommended above) but have several quite different recommendations for mounting/sealing the piezos, plus I have samples of different diameters. Piezos are for waterproof headsets and I don’t hunt where I’d intentionally dunk them. So I would think that an off the shelf non-piezo set would likely be superior in response - but all the talk is about using piezos. I use my CTX with the wm10 and earbuds and I’m good.  When I compared my AQ to a friend’s it seemed 1” less sensitive and both had identical looking headsets.  Mine also was re-validated at the factory although I haven’t been able to validate that performance myself. That factory performance should have been tested with the headphones I sent in attached to it. 

I tested several speakers on PI's and the Excalibur over the years......... Kobitone 254-DS408 8 ohm, AudioSears 2463 150 ohm, All Electronics 300 ohm, Kobitone 25CE500 600 ohm.. than a few others. For me, I liked the 50mm Piezo PUI Audio Unlimited, I got the most from that piezo. I do think if I was using a discrimination filter than speakers maybe the ticket... But i like all metal only and the Volume and sharpness of the piezo.

 There's only so many ways you can mount them, play around some. You know how I like to do mine.. Mine uses the full ear cup and a horn to direct the audio of the Piezo directly into my ear canal while the earcup resonates the audio.... The most popular mount is the Piezo plate..... something I will never understand is why everyone uses a thicker piece to mount the piezo to.............the thinner, the wilder the audio. Try this stuff..(pictured below) very loud, more bass-ey than I like..  Use this glue to mount all..(pictured) Very LOUD.

A little trick I do when I mount them in the back of the earcup.....have them hooked up to the machine I plan on using them with, Press the piezo in place to get the strongest audio, than hold in place till the epoxy dries. Takes about 30 minutes each.. ............. when the black piezo rim (of the PUI 50mm) is pressed and held,... it will give louder audio. 

On 12/18/2023 at 12:20 PM, bklein said:

Ahhhh. It could be that the AQ has a piezo driver IC to drive the headset. If so, regular headsets probably won’t work well.  Anyone know more?

I'm not sure but I do know the JBL Clip 2 I have and the similar as Alexandrea uses, works great also.  

15 hours ago, bklein said:

Newark Electronics seems to be having a sale on Bulgin M8 stuff. Check it out but leave me something.

I loaded up a few years ago, still have a few left. I did go to the M 12 8 pin after I started making batteries. Which I no longer do.. .