LCD screen ‘washes out’ after 40minute sunny beach hunt..

[Pyledriver]

Well it really pains me to report that my equinox apparently has a problem. Was hunting the beach yesterday in the sun in about 89 maybe almost 90° temperatures, and the LCD screen got hot and started washing out to where you could not read it. Minelab suggested factory reset and try again just to see what happens, so I will do that. However I expect to be sending the equinox in for repair very soon. Really making it difficult not to go ahead and snag another Excalibur right now! LOL Not looking forward to now also missing what I could **actually** hunt while ML still hasn’t released the wp headphones! I mean, I might actually have to do some work and get a J O B while waiting! Ugh...! I could always dunk the machine and cool it down but don’t want to subject electronics and housing to rapid temperature changes. Alternately I could build some sort of shade...but dang.

 

[greenmeanie]

Just treat it as a EXCAL then LOL no meter.

 

[Coinnoisseur]

I could always dunk the machine and cool it down but don’t want to subject electronics and housing to rapid temperature changes.

Good idea. Even if it was to do no harm to the electronics or the case, moisture inside the machine would more than likely become present attempting rapid cooling. And since it's sealed, it may take a long time for that moisture to dissipate.

 

[Mr. Carolina]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I had an issue with my 800 and after five or six factory resets it-cleared up. On another note, the waterproof phones are out now. Good luck in the future.

 

[dewcon4414]

3 year warranty....... NOWs the time for these problems to be addressed and get the kinks out. Ive had no problem with mine well over 300 hours now. Ive got to give it to ML the visibility on the screen is just great...... i can see mine most of the time even in chest deep water. Dont need a visor or cuff your hands over it in the sun. Is it me or are we being told to do a awfully lot of factory resets? Can it not handle the heat? Well mines in trouble then cause in Fl we got heat and a lot of sunny days. Wonder how those Lith will react to all the heat plus having our hands around um all day? So far........ two thumbs up on my machine.

 

[lytle78]

Summer is coming quick – lots of folks will have a chance to find out if the problem is just your machine or if the screen overheats in direct sunlight normally.

It seems like the list of issues just grows – maybe it wasn’t a case of it took too long to get the equinox out the door but maybe it happen too soon.

It wouldn’t be the first time. Metal Detector companies after all are small businesses. The big investment of designing and producing a new model - put together with relatively limited field testing might put some in the situation where the pressure is there to get it out to the marketplace - and maybe in fact there are things they don’t know about their machine.

 

[dbado1]

I've had my machine out for a number of hunts in 100°+ weather (AZ) with no screen issues. I hope you get it straightened out!

Dean

 

[Minelab Support]

Hi Pyledriver,

Please feel free to contact us at service@minelabamericas.com or 1-877-767-6522 and we will be happy to help you out.

MLA Jamie

 

[Pyledriver]

I did and will reset and get out again tomorrow! Thanks

 

[lytle78]

Hope it was a one-off. Nice to see ML monitoring things.

 

[Pyledriver]

Hopefully! I know it will be taken care of, this will just derail my plans for awhile.

 

[bklein]

Get a can of freeze spray from Fry’s, Radio Shack, or some electronics supply place and spray the screen when it’s bad to see if it is a thermal issue.

 

[halfstep]

To buy a can of freeze, you have to contend with the guy behind the counter glaring at you thinking that you are going to huff it.

 

[WaterWalker]

Then the rapid change in temperature on the screen may just crack it!
Electrical Freeze is for cooling semiconductors down FAST and the quick cooling will make a semiconductor "shrink" and hopefully close an open circuit. The freeze is usually used in troubleshooting faulty semiconductor devices.
Hence, I would NEVER use it on a glass or ceramic "screen" that has a possibility of cracking.

 

[bklein]

I would assume you hold it a distance away and not up close.... think about what you are doing. Throw some cold water on it then. Should be tolerant of that.

 

[Pyledriver]

Lol about the freeze spray... The screen comes back as soon as it cools a bit in the shade. It’s a heat issue that many LCD displays can have. Hoping the FR will fix it but I’m doubtful! I have backup water machine but it’s a PI which means I can’t hit the place I’ve been working.

 

[Pyledriver]

Well I did the FR and then ran the machine for 45 mins in the sun...and it did fine! More testing as soon as I can.

 

[dewcon4414]

Is it possuvle the lith batteries might be getting hot ?

 

[lytle78]

Is it possible Minelab would release actual specifications - like for example - temperature limits for operating and non-operating conditions. Other electronic devices routinely furnish this information - or perhaps they never got around to establishing these data points. I really hate how metal detector manufacturers treat their products like magic wands instead of consumer electronic products.

 

[Pyledriver]

I wondered about the batteries heating up but the handle doesn’t seem overly hot. I’ll get back out in a few days in the heat and see what happens. As I mentioned, I doubt the reset would change how the LCD reacts but I’m hopeful nonetheless! Been awhile since I worked on electronics but I remember one or two things, lol..