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Remove Or Reposition Equinox Handle & Pod Assembly?


Redneck

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Steve, congrats on your Work with the EQ team.!  That's awesome.  I thought something big was coming when you put up most of your machines for sale.    Question.   Can the EQ handle be loosened on the shaft and repositioned ( slid up or down ) and tightened , to adjust for arm length? also can the batteries be accessed by taking the handle off the shaft?   Keep dropping those subtle tips for us hungry wolves!

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On 11/23/2017 at 10:48 PM, Redneck said:

Can the EQ handle be loosened on the shaft and repositioned ( slid up or down ) and tightened , to adjust for arm length? also can the batteries be accessed by taking the handle off the shaft?

The upper armrest / arm cup may be repositioned with ease. It provides all the adjustment anyone should need. I have mine set one notch in from the very upper end of the detector. At 5’ 11” I have the main rod set two notch’s from the longest setting. In other words, this detector can be extended farther than most. I usually max the height settings on most detectors. The Equinox I am actually shortening it up. I don’t see much market for “tall man rods”.

The grip/handle is easily removed via a cap and four screws. There is a small hole in the bottom side of the rod and corresponding tab on the cap end that “locks” the handle firmly into position in the rod.

minelab-equinox-handle-separated-from-rod.jpg

For me to reposition the handle would require that I create a new hole in the rod for the lock tab. This might weaken the rod the more holes that are added in a small area. Or I could simply grind the tab off and clamp the handle wherever, but that might make the handle more prone to twisting or slipping. If I was me I might grind the tab off as the simplest solution except for the fact that the Equinox adjusts to fit very well, so a person would need a reason that I currently do not see. I cannot swear there will not be a change in this “hole and lock tab system” with the final build but no matter what custom rod positioning or entirely custom rods will be easy with Equinox.

Warning - making mechanical modifications of any sort should be done with caution, and could void your warranty as regards breakage/mechanical failure.

The battery is currently accessible by removing the handle and an internal mechanical plug. That also could change and much depends on what Minelab decides to do as far whether customers will be approved to make the battery change, or whether it is deemed a “service center only” sort of thing. Obviously if Minelab decides they are ok with customer battery changes, easy access would be desired. If they decide they only want service technicians to make the change without voiding warranty, then some sort of seal could be added to reveal tampering.

This was the last official statement from Minelab as regards batteries:

“The Li-ion battery in the EQUINOX detectors is easily replaceable. Minelab has not yet released official information as to whether or not a user can change the battery over without voiding warranty or if we recommend the battery is changed by a dealer or service centre. Further information about battery care and maintenance will be provided in the EQUINOX Instruction Manual, which has not been released yet. This will be available when the product is available. The EQUINOX detectors are not designed to run from AA batteries. However, you can use a standard USB power bank (as you do with mobile phones) to recharge the built-in battery and operate the detector at the same time.”

To clarify the above statement, if you hook an external battery pack to the Equinox while in operation, it will continue to operate the detector, however the Equinox battery will not be taking a charge at the same time as the detector is operating. So you hook it up as if you are charging it but the power is diverted to running the detector as long as it is powered up. If the Equinox is powered down, the external power source will then charge the battery.

minelab-equinox-li-ion-battery-handle-sealed.jpg

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I agree, from reading the last info released by Minelab it appears as though the battery can be changed by the user when it's depleted it's intended life expectancy. Once again the more I read the closer I'm getting to preordering the 800!!! Thanks again Steve for the info and that was a great question Redneck.... "D"

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  • 2 years later...

Thanks, this answers my question about the ability to remove the handle.  My next question is has anyone extended their handle so it's easier to see.  I had my neck fused and am unable to see the screen unless I bend over at the waist, which is uncomfortable to do all the time.

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2 hours ago, BPERSSON said:

...Has anyone extended their handle so it's easier to see?  I had my neck fused and am unable to see the screen unless I bend over at the waist, which is uncomfortable to do all the time.

Sorry to hear about your predicament but good on you for not letting it interfere with your passion.

Sounds like you're talking about lengthening the pistol grip stem so the control unit is farther away from the shaft.  It's going to add weight, obviously, but the weight is somewhat centered so maybe won't throw off the balance.  (Would be nice if it improved the balance.)

Is there a way to rig up a (hopefully lightweight) fiber optic system, even attaching it to your glasses or a headgear?  I've seen this kind of thing done before, but not with a metal detector.  Here's an example of the principle.

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There are prismatic glasses that you can look through only to see the pod but look past to watch yourvsurroundings   Do a Ebay search. 

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Mounting the handle on an S-Rod would raise the control pod about 5 inches. All it would take is some drilling and installing a grip if it doesn't already have one. You would then hold the detector by the S part of the rod instead. 

 

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