Jeff Kelley

On 7/13/2023 at 2:16 PM, Mirda said:

V3i was introduced in 2009, so it had to be in development a few years before. It also means, that there is probably nobody around, that knows the current code. It was made with coding language and tools available at that time. They are very probably not updated anymore -> they would need to completely rewrite whole codebase to be able to use modern processors and development tools. If there are routines in a very low language, like assembler, there is not many people able to decipher it.

The V3i was in development for about five years before release.  The bulk of it was written in C++ and would be compatible with modern processors, compilers, and development systems.   The issues would be with hardware that has gone obsolete along with the opportunities that new technology provides that you just would not want to miss in a new machine.

For example, the processor has built-in hardware acceleration for a filter but you cannot find that anymore.  Could do that in software because processors are much faster now.   Higher resolution displays are now available – would not want to pass that opportunity by.   The system is split with analog and audio in the battery box and the main processor in the pod – would want to fix that.  Wireless audio is another area where technology has grown enough to suggest a redo.  The V3i has some ground tracking that could be improved and detecting in harsh ground runs into limits.  Steve found a noise issue somewhere in Alaska that was never figured out.  So, some improvements in performance would also need to be addressed.

You could patch up each of these things in turn and ship something, but I would certainly start over.  And if the original developers would start over, it is pretty certain that Garrett would make a fresh start if they wanted to do something similar.  The value is within some of the techniques which are still applicable and combining them with more modern practices.

The developers for the V3i are not employed by Garett.   John Plautz has passed on, Anne Kelley is not working on detectors, Carl is at First Texas, and I followed him there.  Garrett has a design purchased that they can work with to figure it out, but First Texas has access to the designers. 

Either company could resurrect the V3i.  The question is if they would want to.  How many customers want to be empowered with many settings and how many would be intimidated?  This makes it a niche market within a niche market. 

What I would be interested in knowing is what features of the V3i would make it relevant today?  Would it truly be the best VLF in Garrett’s lineup?  Does it beat the Equinox and Legend?  Certainly nice to be hearing, but is this true?   What is the good, bad, or ugly about it?

Good or Bad, I do have a Head for eggs, but once out of the Nest they are easy to forget.  The Faberge Egg is easy to remember, but the others can be harder.  If it helps, there should be 12 because that is how many fit into a carton.  I could say more, but that is “Top Secret”.