Bounty Hunter T-IV

[Steve Owen]

Have you ever taken your metal detector apart, and seen what you have paid 100+ dollars for?. I've seen more guts, in a $15.00 transistor radio.

 

[nugget]

Yeah, the neighbour next door is an electronics wizz. He has taken one of my units apart to track down a problem for me, it's almost comical. However the units work pretty good, I own 2 of them. I use them the most out of my stable. I do have other brands as well, and I use what I need for the job at hand. The IV's are good in the parks, and dry sand on the beaches, I have even found nuggets with them! I don't know why they have such a large control housing it's mostly air anyway! Be better if the Contol Housing was more like the Tesoro micro units. regards Nugget.

 

[Steve Owen]

Well, you have got to consider with the four or more chips (I didn't exactly count), there is a lot more to it than it looks. I was looking at a way to slow the meter down, and to keep it from slapping the pin so hard. Tried several values of capacitors up to 220 mfd, but it proved fruitless. The return spring in the meter is just too strong, and the internal resistance to low to be affected by the cap. So I guess I will have to live with the meter slap.

But it is a little shock! when you open the box, its like where is the "Beef" in the old McDonalds commercials.

 

[BH-LandStar]

I agree that it appears there is not much in that box, but consider this...there is a LOT of circuitry packed into each of those chips...they are each equal to hundreds of individual components...all that packed into a chip the size of a dime....that takes some fancy engineering, which costs major money to develop...I also agree that the housings look like mufflers on a stick...It could be made smaller (prolly saving production costs). I have said it many times, and I will say it again...First Texas needs to re-design their machines and listen to their users a little better...They put out a great machine functionally, but ergonomically and aesthetically, they need improvement...

Happy Hunting ,

BH-LandStar

 

[Steve Owen]

I think a volume control for the headphones, would be a big plus. Well at least with the over sized housing, you don't have a problem putting it back together. I opened some electronics that it took Houdini, to put it back together. That's what I spent the greater part of my working life doing, electronics servicing.

 

[BH-LandStar]

Just be carefull if you ever take one apart...those ribbon cables (the flat plastic ones) are near impossible to repair yourself if you damage them...the machine would be best to go back to First Texas if this happens...I did this with my Pioneer 505, and had to rig a new Ground-Trac button from a radio shack momentary switch and a few wires...luckily, I am an Electronics Tech also, so I was able to trace the circuit bypassing the original button, and tying into my replacement...machine worked like a charm, but just had 1 useless button and one new button on the faceplate...The Pioneers and the Land Star use the same faceplate, so I put the new button where the Manual Ground Balance knob would be on the Land Star...

HH,

BH-LandStar

 

[rmptr]

Hi Steve,

Read your post about the volume control....

I think, it would be better to have a volume control and eliminate the onboard speaker.
That way a gazillion inexpensive headphones and ear buds could be used from an 1/8" jack.

 

[Steve Owen]

That would work just as well, maybe even better.