Accessory Coils And Coil Covers, Do You Expect Coil Covers To Be Included Or Not?

[Doc]

10 minutes ago, GoodAmount said:

Hi Doc, yes I’m using ABS. I didn’t expect it to hold up particularly well given it’s a fairly soft plastic, but it’s actually working out very well. The trouble with vac-formed covers is that the thinnest part of the moulding is on the fillet around the leading edge where the plastic has to stretch the most as it sucks over the plug (the deeper the plug, the worse it gets). But that’s actually where you want the most material to be when you’re scraping your coil over the rocks given it’s the highest wear area. 3D printing is great, given you can add material wherever you need it most and strip it out where you don’t.

That's sweet.  And I just happen to have a 3D printer.  What thickness did you set the coil cover at?

Thank you,

Doc

[GoodAmount]

Awesome. Nominal thickness is 1.5mm increasing to 3mm around the leading edge. You might need a heated build chamber to keep the part from warping - ABS gets freakily hard to keep stuck to the build platform when printing flat parts like this. ?

[Doc]

35 minutes ago, GoodAmount said:

Awesome. Nominal thickness is 1.5mm increasing to 3mm around the leading edge. You might need a heated build chamber to keep the part from warping - ABS gets freakily hard to keep stuck to the build platform when printing flat parts like this. ?

What coils have you made stl files for?  Are you using CAD to design them?  I wonder if I could use my 3D scanner to scan a coil cover then increase the thickness in the 3D print settings.  I have just started using the scanner and printer so I am no expert by any stretch of the imagination.  But it has helped immensely in scanning detectors and printing out models to use for making fabric protective covers.

Doc

[GoodAmount]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

What coils have you made stl files for?  Are you using CAD to design them?  I wonder if I could use my 3D scanner to scan a coil cover then increase the thickness in the 3D print settings.  I have just started using the scanner and printer so I am no expert by any stretch of the imagination.  But it has helped immensely in scanning detectors and printing out models to use for making fabric protective covers.

Doc

Hey Doc, I’ve measured up my coils and used digital modelling software to make the skid plate model file from scratch. The ones I’ve made are pretty simple shapes (circle or oval), so it hasn’t been too difficult. You could 3D scan an existing cover and modify the file using a polygon modelling software if that works better for you, but for me that would mean learning a new skillset. You could also take a 3D scan of the coil itself to use as a reference model to make a skid plate model around - I’ve done it this way before for other projects.

I’ve made covers for my Sadie (obviously), Nel Sharp 5”, Whites Goldmaster DD 5x10 and Whites Shooter DD 4x6. The shooter was the trickiest because it’s not a pure oval.

Doing it this way sure beats trying to source aftermarket covers for coils that are no longer in production. The only limitation is the build volume of your 3D printer - large coil covers would be more difficult given you’d need to patch the cover together from parts small enough to fit in your machine.

Feel free to PM me if you’d like to get into more detail. ?

[Doc]

On 4/15/2023 at 1:54 AM, GoodAmount said:

Hey Doc, I’ve measured up my coils and used digital modelling software to make the skid plate model file from scratch. The ones I’ve made are pretty simple shapes (circle or oval), so it hasn’t been too difficult. You could 3D scan an existing cover and modify the file using a polygon modelling software if that works better for you, but for me that would mean learning a new skillset. You could also take a 3D scan of the coil itself to use as a reference model to make a skid plate model around - I’ve done it this way before for other projects.

I’ve made covers for my Sadie (obviously), Nel Sharp 5”, Whites Goldmaster DD 5x10 and Whites Shooter DD 4x6. The shooter was the trickiest because it’s not a pure oval.

Doing it this way sure beats trying to source aftermarket covers for coils that are no longer in production. The only limitation is the build volume of your 3D printer - large coil covers would be more difficult given you’d need to patch the cover together from parts small enough to fit in your machine.

Feel free to PM me if you’d like to get into more detail. ?

I have the pretty large 3 D printer.  This was a cover model for the Axiom.

Doc

[GoodAmount]

Looking good Doc. That’s a good sized build platform - you should be able to get some good usable parts off it if you can control warping.
 

Has the part pictured there lifted off the bed mid print? What material is it? I ended up building an insulated box around one of my open printers to try and control the ambient temperature around the part. I’m getting better results with it. I also run PETG or PLA filament on that machine as they’re more dimensionally stable materials than ABS. I only run ABS in my Stratasys machine - it was designed specifically to use it.

[Michaeldoc2u]

I own two Whites V3i with the stock 9.5" or is it 10" DD coil. One machine is 2011 and I purchased a coil cover online that fit perfectly. I ordered a 2nd cover and no matter how I  tried to place it on the coil it would not fit.

I was told by the seller that machines 2017 and earlier would use a 501-4140 cover and later models 501-4145 cover. Needless to say, i returned the cover that did not fit and ordered another and the cover did not fit. Did anyone have this same experience with the V3i stock DD coils. Seller added that the covers will only fit the coils with the gold lettering???  Anyone have a solution for my coil cover delimma?  I wll pay for for 3D printed copies so I can cover my coils.

[GoodAmount]

My VX3 came with a 9.5” coil that I suspect might be the same as yours Michaeldoc2u. It didn’t come with a cover and I remember at the time being p’d off with Whites for being so cheap. I taped a plastic disc to the bottom rather than spending a crazy amount of money to have an OEM part sent to Australia - it was an ugly workaround but it did the job for the short time I used the coil. I ended up buying a 4x6” prism plus an OEM cover and never went back to the 9.5” round.

It would actually be nice to 3D print a cover, put the 9.5” coil back on my machine and go relic hunting again if I can get the design to fit on my printer’s build platform. It’s been a while since I’ve used the detector for that purpose.

I’d be happy to 3D print a cover for you too if it works out. I’ll post a pic of my coil when I get a chance to see if it’s the same as yours, but even if it’s not the same model version, I can scale the digital model file to fit the dimensions of your coil and 3D print the right size. All I’d need is an accurate measurement of the outer diameter of your coil as a reference.

[Michaeldoc2u]

Good Amount,

I can do that. I will send you a photo of the 9.5 DD coil that came stock with the detector. At the same time, I can do a measurement of the circumference of the coil.  If I can find a 501-4136-2 cover all would be well, but the supply has dried up. One seller even told me to boil the cover and/or place it in the sun to soften it. There was NO way it would fit despite his suggestions. In the meantime I will cut a piece of plexiglass and tape it to the coil.

Thank you for your suggestion.  BTW, what is your opinion of purchasing a TDI SL instead of the BeachHunter TDI. I was told the BH has one fixed coil even though it is completely waterproof. The TDI SL is not waterproof, but can accept an array of coils. I don't see myself doing deep water detecting.

Michael