I have seen a few interesting mods out there for using Infinum coils and slinging the actual control unit - mostly weight driven ideas. I too am in the process of detaching the control unit from the telescoping shaft - that thing gets HEAVY after a while. Completely removed the stock coil from the telescoping shaft - lots of cutting with the Dremmel - but not impossible. Planning to mount the stock coil to a modified XP Deus lower and see how it works. Have to fabricate a new mounting system/bracket, we'll see how that goes. Would love to have a cable extension if anyone knows where - or if - there is one that will work with the ATX. Lots of tinkering, but nothing too complicated so far! Did you know that if you remove those Garrett ATX stickers on the sides of the control box that the word "Garrett" is actually embossed in the housing.....
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Show me your ATX Mods!
- Thread starter Shayne
- Start date
steve herschbach
New member
Have not done it but have been thinking of a total strip and re box. I keep hoping for a factory version though so keep putting it off. Still, will be interested to see your coil mount bracket.
Booty Hunter
Member
I too would like to remove the stock coil from the shaft. Can you tell me if the cord runs through to the coil from the tensioner screw side or the solid side? I'd like to mod the coil to mount it to a stock garrett lower rod. Do you have a photo of your coil now? I'd like to see it.
Sorry for the delayed response, I am stationed in Japan and I am +13 hours ahead of EST. To answer your question, the coil cable runs through the left upright - opposite the tension screw. I have attached a few photos of my rough progress - everything done with a Dremmel. I am by no means mechanically inclined and NO cutting of wires has occurred - mostly because I wouldn't know how to reassemble them! Project is advancing slowly, as I only have time to mess with it at night after work. I intend to fill the left pillar - the one with the coil cable - with a strong waterproof epoxy. After I let it set, I intend to drill and thread the hole to receive a long plastic bolt. Not exactly sure how I am going to do it yet.....the shaft and coil connection assembly on the XP Deus is rather narrow.....still a work in progress. Using my CTX3030 in the meantime, but it does NOT like the highly mineralized soil here in mainland Japan. If Steve ever decides to breakdown the internals and remount them - count me in. The thought of slinging the main control unit is not very appealing to me. I love the detector, but it reminds me of everything else I use in the military....dependable but overly engineered. OH....forgot to mention....I drilled a hole in the top of the left pillar so that I could reroute the coil cable up and out of the coil assembly. Also forgot to mention that the telescoping rod - without the actual coil attached - still weighs more than my entire XP Deus, but less than the CTX3030! Still looking for a solution to extend the cable for the stock ATX coil....its long enough to reach a chest or side mounted control unit but stretched out a little further than I would like - I'm 6'-3" tall.
Booty Hunter
Member
Thaks alot for the picutres. That has got me motivated to start on my project. I wonder if you could not unwind the cable to reduct the tention and add some length? Maybe hang some weights on each end while over a curtain rod for a few days? I will post pics when I get started. Maybe later this week.
steve herschbach
New member
Looking good. I am planning on selling a bunch of detectors, and if so I may buy another ATX and gut the one I have. I think I would make a bracket that clamped onto the center coil loop, and attach the rod in the center of the coil. I am not fond of the rear mount, it pushes the center of gravity forward and the coil likes to droop forward.
The ATX/P modification is almost complete. I call it the ATX "P" because I am basically mounting the 11" ATX coil on my spare X "P" Deus shaft assembly. Spent some time this weekend modifying the ATX coil pillars to accept a MUCH smaller lower shaft. Required me to fabricate an insert that I adhered to the coil using a Japanese super adhesive that I picked up locally. During the trial fabrication phase, I created the bracket out of Plexiglas, hard rubber and wood. The Plexiglas looked good, but was way to brittle and I had difficulty getting the heavy coil to lock in place - not enough friction. The rubber insert assembly was too pliable and had a tendency to flex. Finally found the solution - oak insert. I was able to fabricate the insert, adhere it to the coil, drill out the shaft and coil pillar assembly to 8mm, counter sink 16mm rubber grommets in the lower rod assembly and the coil pillars. I held it all in place with an 8mm dowel rod. The final product is a nice and tight friction based coil/shaft assembly. I can remove the coil from the XP lower, but it requires cutting the dowel rod and drilling out the wood.....not a problem, I had to do that with my first attempt because I was not satisfied with the overall quality/durability of the assembly. The inner coil had a factory installed "plug" inside the pillar around the coil cable to prevent water from entering the coil. I left that in place and filled the remainder of the chamber with waterproof epoxy. I assume the coil is still waterproof, but I do not plan to submerge it for any period of time. Still need to lightly sand the coil pillars and the oak insert. Then I will spray a light coat of satin black over the coil and install the rubber grommet over the hole where the cable exits the coil pillar. As you can see, I am attempting to stretch the coil by leaving it tightly extended along the shaft for a week or so. Plan to attach the coil cable to the extended shaft using 3 Velcro straps placed at various lengths along the shaft. Tested the modification today and the coil worked perfectly. The entire assembly weighs less than 3.0 pounds - not much more than my XP Deus with the 11" coil attached. I slung the ATX main control unit under my right arm using a 2 point rifle sling that I attached to the ATX control housing using a sling swivel I attached to the back of the unit. The sling swivel was attached to the headphone cap and merely screwed onto the center storage location - very strong assembly and not permanent. 
WaterWalker
Well-known member
What is the name/brand/supplier of the foam grip on the ATX?
Did it stretch over the control panel or how was it installed?
The weight is not noticealbe while in the deep blue waters.
A coil stabilizer,5 non-rusting screws and the grip would make my ATX perfect for my use.
The cams do cause some fustration, but seem to be wearing in and getting better with use.
Did it stretch over the control panel or how was it installed?
The weight is not noticealbe while in the deep blue waters.
A coil stabilizer,5 non-rusting screws and the grip would make my ATX perfect for my use.
The cams do cause some fustration, but seem to be wearing in and getting better with use.
The foam grip is basically a foam tube I picked up at a local crafts store. I had to cut the tube to length, slice it up one side, place the thin automobile double sided trim tape along the seams and it stick to the ATX. Works like a champ. I then purchased a $2 rubber sleeve - used for extra grip on tennis rackets - an pulled that over the control unit intact. The fit was nice and tight. Finally wrapped the rubber with black tennis racket grip tape. Its a nice and comfortable setup. Seems durable too, but I do not dive or submerge my ATX. That said, I am confident it would work well underwater and dry out without any significant issues.
WaterWalker said:
WaterWalker
Well-known member
Many thanks, I'll have to try it on my water ATX. Never gave tennis racket tape a thought and the auto double sided tape should hold up well. I use the ATX in the water 99% of the time. Just loving the improvements over the Infinium.
Made a little more progress today - installed a tension screw in the lower rod assembly where it connects to the coil, painted the coil, installed the coil cover and modified the XP Deus shaft by installing a 6" rifle bipod stand; expandable to 9". For those of you that are unfamiliar with the Deus, the tiny detector stand that is built into the bottom of the arm cuff is woefully insufficient - the weight of the coil alone will cause the detector to tip over. Even with all the mods, it still weighs less than half of the original ATX setup. Hopefully, if it ever stops raining here in Japan, I will get this hybrid out to a local park for a test run.