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F-70 backlight

yowow#1

New member
I was wondering if any you fisher folks know if there is anybody that can do a backlight mod on a F-70, with my failing eyes a backlight on other detectors seems to help me out considerably.
 
I think I remember seeing a youtube vid of a guy putting a backlight into a rig..it was NOT a F70 though..seems he used a tiny led, and a long piece of lexan rod behind the screen. I wonder if theres room?
Maybe Dave J will pipe up? Theres a backlight on the 75 right? so the components should be the same?:shrug:
Mud
 
Thanks mud, i might call fisher and see if their techs will do a backlight mod, Can't hurt to ask.
 
I seem to remembe someone on this forum adding one to the f70.
He added a small box under the control box to house the switch.
If I remember right, he was from the UK.
 
Well...it would be good to have a project this winter!..:clapping:...Maybe Fisher would walk you through it so you know where to solder the LED to the hot leg of the On/Off switch? I cant see too good anymore, and only have one good ear, but I do believe a guy could hunt blind if he had to, I hunt in the dark all the time with no lights, just by tone.....and we had a poster here on Findmall that was totally deaf and modded a machine to work on LED indicators last Spring...I suppose if a guy is both blind and deaf, a fellow could mod one to tap on your hand in diff locations for diff signals...
Mud.
 
I'm not sure about detector manufactures, but most won't modify their stuff for "liability" reasons. An in-line fuse and a switch could me modded into just about any electronic device. The trick is making it reliable and professional looking.

Mr Bill did a lot of mods on Whites classic machines. But I understand he is retired now. Maybe a repair tech on the forum would take up the challenge.
I'm too afraid of "bricking" a machine to try anything like that for someone. But my own cr@p, fire up that soldering iron.

I'll see if I can dig up that mod on my days off. Atleast it would be a head start for someone to try it.
 
Cool! Thats the ticket Shadowulf! That F70 box is so small, I bet its gonna be tough!
Mud
 
Thanks guys, i'm gonna check into the backlight mod with fishers and other sources, maybe even attempt it myself, might not be able to make it happen, but nothing ventured nothing gained right?:) also i appreciate any info you hear about. GL HH.
 
I seem to remember the LEDs were on the edge of the clear panel. Using it like a fiber optic.

Another quickie mod is to find a 2 led cap light and fix it to a visor for the screen. Its pretty "billy-bob redtneck" looking, but it works
 
Found the link. It was in the modification forum a few years ago.

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?22,1129915
 
Interesting project!

Technology is changing so fast it's mind blowing. I heard talk on the tube tonight they have developed such small LED's that there capable of being inserted under the skin with the intention of illuminating body tattoos! Can't imagine how they would be powered, unless they come with a tiny rechargeable battery to also be inserted under the skin similar to what the newer pace makers use. I believe it's called "inductive charging".

Instead of an actual screen on your detector you could have one tattoo'd on the top of your fist and activated by tiny LED's! :wacko::rofl:

Wish the weather would cooperate a little more.:sadwalk:
 
shadowulf said:
Found the link. It was in the modification forum a few years ago.

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?22,1129915

Wow, thanks shadowulf,:thumbup::thumbup: you are one great forum friend, and thanks to you mudpuppy, can always depend on you on the F-series forum, it looks like i might be able to get this backlight mod done,:thumbup:
 
Thats great! What an informative post your found Shadow! :clapping::please: I think its super important to NOT sand the edges of the plexiglas, like he stated not to do...might be one little led would be enough to throw light throughout the glass when positioned on one edge? ..a fellow might be able to power a small one with the existing power supply and perhaps trigger it with the PP button and a 30sec timer chip? So a guy could hit the PP and the screen would stay lit for 30 sec? It sure would be handy for adjusting settings in field at night. or else, maybe a small flat battery instead of the 9 volt with an external magnetic switch? You know, you would place a small magnet on some specific location on the outside of the box, and the switch is activated on the inside of the box and the light would come on? Oh the possibilities! If a guy made a nice, clean, easy to install package, they would sell!
Hey Knarfj! Thats amazing and weird!:surprised:
Mud
 
Even a small pressure switch mounted to the s-rod like a trigger.grip a little tighter a on comes the light.

There might be room for a timer circuit inside the control box. But I think a latching micro switch(press on, press off), that could be mounted below the PP button on the s-rod, would be the most conveniant.

DigiKey might have something like that with a small cord attached. That would make it a sweet little mod that might work on other machines too.

And btw, inductive charging could power those inplanted LEDs through a wristwatch. Hold the watch over a charging point for a minute and the LED would glow for however long the battery/capacitor would hold a charge.

Just don't tell my oldest about it. He has enough tats as it is.
 
Yeah, your right, Shadow...much better idea.!..little button with a hearing aid battery or something, maybe drill or file a tiny hole just big enough for the wire on the underside of the box where the two halfs come together, slide the power screen and light up in there, and tighten the screws...quick, and clean...I have a little led flashlight with a flex neck it has that on/off switch of course, and it holds several little hearing aid batteries in it...the thing is probably a perfect power pack right off the shelf! One button is for a laser pointer, and it has to be held in, but the other one is for the light, and its a click on/off. I used to clip this onto my shirt and sort of aim it at the screen, but it just got in the way, so its been sitting around here waiting for an application to come along.
Mud
 
Funny you should post that pic. I have one of those flashlights on my fishing vest. The light was too bright and directional. So I took a ping-pong ball and cut a slit in it to just fit the lamphead into the ball.
It spread the light out and kinda looks like a mini-chinese lantern.
Used a black marker to darken the side nearest my eyes so as to keep my "dusk vision"

Hook something like that on to a rain cover and no need to open the control box.

Darn it. You are going to make me "geek out" on this and not get my honey do's done.
 
Yeah? I like that ping pong ball idea! I had to wrap the end of this light with some masking tape to do the same thing...
Mud
 
Thinking fibre optics....what if a person took lets say 3 or 4 strands of fibre optic thread and superglued them to the edges of that burnished sheet of plastic, then ran them outside the box through a small hole to one of those cheap little flashlights? That way, a fellow would not really have to do any wiring or have the LED inside the box? Might need more than 4 strands, or maybe only one, I dont know, they are tiny like a piece of fishing line..just thinking...
Mud
 
Usually, the light is emitted out the end of the strand with a much lower amount along the strand. Something else that might be avilable is a "LED strip". It is a thin circuit board with 3-4 small LEDs facing the same direction. They are often used as on-board diagnostic indicators fo micro-electronic devices. Also, they are used for backlighting membrane buttons and control pads. The are very low draw LEDs and probably would take minimal drain from the existing battery power. They can be as thin as a wooden matchstick. But it would take a schematic of the F70 to determine the needed connections. And I'm pretty sure FTP will not release the schematics.
 
Yeah, the light comes out the very end of a fibre optic thread,, so if a guy glues the VERY END of the strand to the very edge of a sheet of plexiglas, so the beam is shooting through the 'glas from one edge across the flat sheet and outside the other edge...If you and scuff up the surface of the plexiglas, it makes the whole scuffed up area of the sheet glow, any unscuffed portion of the glas, you cant see any light emitting through it.
I just tried it on a flat piece of thin plexglas .067 by holding an LED tight up against the very EDGE, if the plexiglas is smooth and clear, the light passes right on through, but if you scuff up the surface of the sheet, the whole thing glows.as the light passing through it diffuses. Its pretty cool..lemme see if I can get a decent pic...
Mud.
 
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