Making the Goldquest Waterproof....Maybe Toni can help

[Foiled Again Jim in NC]

Anyways I am finally getting around to putting the Goldquest in the Pelican 1060 box. I noticed that the two knobs need to be smaller and also the stress relievers threads will not come all the way thru the plastic housing and the foam (?). Does one need to cut out the hard foam where the stress relievers come thru or try to get stress relievers with longer threads? Thanks for all your help!!

 

[Tony]

Jim,

The main points to keep in mind for this simple mod are:

1. Belt clip from GQ case needs removing.

2. ON/OFF/Threshold and REJECT knobs need replacing with slightly lower profile ones.

3. The bottom of the rubber liner needs to be cut out for the base of the GQ box to sit in (as well as where the headphone and coil cable come through the case).

4. The two drill holes MUST be accurate to suit the cable glands. I used 12mm holes (to suit the cable glands requirements).

5. Coil cable plug and headphone ends need to be removed back to a straight cable.
The glands are then positioned over the cables. Make sure the coil cable is pulled through the drill hole before the black coil cable plug is soldered back on, otherwise it won't fit through the 12mm drill hole.

6. I got my cable glands from www.sealconusa.com
These are IP68 rated and cheap to buy (pack of 10 min).

7. The headphone lead is simple enough (although the headphone wires are quite fine). Excess headphone wires (from the detector) can be gently pushed back into the detector box.

8. Clean up the coil cable plug with desoldering wick so as to expose nice clean (solder free) pins. The main central cable wire goes to the middle cable plug pin, whilst the silver braid goes to the two other pins in equal portions. Note that one of the outer pins doesn't actually connect to anything internally.

9. Don't be tempted to overtighten the two cable gland lock nuts (on the inside of the case).

10. Make sure the two lock nuts are in place before you solder the respective wires/connectors.

11. Do a "dry" run of all parts. That way you can see where everything fits in before soldering.

12. A light coating of silicone grease on the rubber liner (this is basically your O-ring) where the lid top lid meets is a good idea.

13. Taking off the coil cable connector can be tricky at first. You need pressure inside of the collar whilst twisting on the outside.

I'll post more if I've forgotten any key points.
There are some photo's which might give you a better idea of the process...to follow.
Tony.

 

[Foiled Again Jim in NC]

n/t

 

[Tony]

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[Tony]

Jim,

Just shot these today as I lost my older ones.
Hope the quality is okay.

Regards,
Tony.[attachment 37527 Goldquestmods.jpg]

 

[Tony]

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[Tony]

Jim,

Did this mod about 3 years ago....been perfect ever since and there's nothing that I wished I'd done differently.

I solvent welded a belt clip to the underneath of the case using strips of plexiglass, bit hard to see on the photo. Only need about 10mm clearance for a belt to slip under and about 50mm in width...need this much for a typical nylon dive belt which is what I use.

The black foam packing inside the case keeps the detector box nice and snug so there is no slipping inside the 1060 case. I use a sachet of desiccant to soak up any internal moisture that can get trapped in humid weather once the box is snapped shut. It's really a perfect fit..almost custom fitted !

Let me know if you have any problems....the soldering is very simple just have to position the headphone wires where you want them for the solder to flow onto. I didn't hot wrap with shrink tube, that way you can see if there any bad connections after using for some time...mine have been perfect so far. Just space them apart to avoid both wires contacting each other or use a small dab of clear silicone between them. It also helps to arrange the two headphone wires with a mechanical connection in the shape of a "J", the 4 ends can then grip each other before actually soldering...makes for a much stronger connection that having all the wires just running parallel to each other and then soldering. It's a bit fiddly, need steady hands and fine needle nosed pliars.
Tighten the cable gland lock nut with the proper tool but not too much as you will strip the thread. I finger tighten as much as I can and then maybe an extra third turn. Make sure you do a final fresh water submersion test before hitting the salt water and then periodically test it for any possible leaks. I also like to rinse in fresh water after detecting before opening the case just to prevent any salt water drops getting in. So far, I have not had one drop get in.

The most CRITICAL aspect of the entire procedure is the drilling of the 12mm holes into the case at both ends. They need to be nice accurate, cleanly drilled holes. I did some practice drill holes on some similar plastic at home and was NOT happy with my efforts. I had the holes professionally drilled at a local plastics fabricator. The 1060 case was set up on a bench press and the proper style drill bits were used. Apparently, when drilling plastic the drill bits mustn't be too sharp and low drill speeds are used. Sharp drill bits and fast drilling speeds causes some plastics to fragment and crack when wider holes are drilled. Get some advice if you're unsure...I was only charged $10 for the whole procedure. The same guys also made up my basic belt clip and solvent welded it to the 1060 case....only another $10.

Tony.

 

[Foiled Again Jim in NC]

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[Tony]

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