Why is the processor so slow?

[Smooth23]

Anyone? The etrac isn't that old. Does anyone know what microprossessor is being used in the etrac? What I mean by slow is the delay between hitting a target and hearing it. not to mention the massive null on something that is discriminated. My omega 8000 was 1/3 the price new, and that is one catagory it has the etrac beat hands down! Any insight welcome.

 

[Elton]

Null is items discriminated out .........So the more items under the coil knocked out..longer delays for recovery to targets that are notched in..

There isn't much delay it hitting and hearing a target... Don't forget the detectors your speaking of advertise fast response resets..that also makes for other issues you did not mention EMI etc...

 

[robertj298]

I don't notice any delay when I hit a good target. If there was a delay you would have a whole lot of trouble pinpointing in the discriminate mode which I'v never had.

 

[DigDugNY]

I think Elton has it down...if you are in places where there is a lot of trash, then using a smaller coil can probably help with that as well or you can do what I began doing and use TTF. If you want to hear every target then use that. You can find coins hidden amongst nails and junk and there is not a lot of delay even in that situation

 

[Southwind]

I believe it is the processing process that makes the recovery time slow. The E-Trac is processing/filtering a heck of a lot of information and that takes time. You notice all the high end intricate target ID detectors have a slower recovery time. It's not a race anyway. I'd much rather have good accurate information than speed. I've used the fastest of the fast and wasn't impressed.

 

[Elton]

Correction above should have read Multi frequency processing

 

[Smooth23]

Thanks for the responses. What I'm saying though, is that there is no reason for there to be more of a delay with a null than with something not discriminated. It reaks of poor/inconsistent programming, or a slow processor. Think of it this way. Detector 'sees' a target, processes it as valid and plays a sound. WHY is there an added delay, when it should be detector 'sees' a target, processes it as invalid, doesn't play a sound. Where does this delay come from?

I'm a computer engineer, is why I ask. None of this processing is (or at least should) be done by analog circuitry in the etrac. Have these issues been resolved in the 3030? Don't get me wrong, I love my etrac. I'm a perfectionist though, and when I see an obvious flaw I want to know whats up with it.

 

[robertj298]

I'm no engineer but I believe the etrac does a lot more processing than other detectors thats how it is able to discriminate and ID objects deeper than most other detectors

 

[khouse]

n/t

 

[Goes4ever]

It is simple the less you disc out the faster it is

 

[stasys]

Etrac is slow because ist old technology, generaly its the same old Explorer. But in the metal detectors market its still one of the best. Can it be better? No doubt.

 

[Neil]

the null on an invalid target is a response

 

[Southwind]

I'm a computer engineer, is why I ask. None of this processing is (or at least should) be done by analog circuitry in the etrac. Have these issues been resolved in the 3030? Don't get me wrong, I love my etrac. I'm a perfectionist though, and when I see an obvious flaw I want to know whats up with it.

One of my hobbies is computer programming. Been doing it since my first VIC 20. Of course newer detectors are getting faster processors, but given the same processor, the more processing done the slower the response. If I write a simple calculator program that simply can give you 1 + 1 = 2 and write one that can do complicated mathematics, multiple processes at the same time and can read not a simple 1 digit answer but down to .0001 then which do you thing will be faster? Sure, the simple one. If simple is all you need then by all means do simple. Myself I want as much information as I can get from a target and don't care if it is a bit slower. It is not a "flaw" by any means but simply a matter of taking more time to do more things.

 

[sprchng]

Part of the processing with FBS is done in the coil on what I understand is amplification and transmission of the info to the control box. I don't think any other detector deals with nearly the amount of data an FBS does. FBS2 as in the CTX is a slightly modified version of the method of communication between coil and box which makes it a bit quicker. The F75 is extremely fast in contrast, but that quickness leads to much inferior audio qualities , making the e-trac far superior in those areas where some discrimination is important.
I don't see the speed of response with the e-trac as a flaw as much as a useable trait

 

[Smooth23]

I'm a computer engineer, is why I ask. None of this processing is (or at least should) be done by analog circuitry in the etrac. Have these issues been resolved in the 3030? Don't get me wrong, I love my etrac. I'm a perfectionist though, and when I see an obvious flaw I want to know whats up with it.

One of my hobbies is computer programming. Been doing it since my first VIC 20. Of course newer detectors are getting faster processors, but given the same processor, the more processing done the slower the response. If I write a simple calculator program that simply can give you 1 + 1 = 2 and write one that can do complicated mathematics, multiple processes at the same time and can read not a simple 1 digit answer but down to .0001 then which do you thing will be faster? Sure, the simple one. If simple is all you need then by all means do simple. Myself I want as much information as I can get from a target and don't care if it is a bit slower. It is not a "flaw" by any means but simply a matter of taking more time to do more things.

Your response shows a hobby level of programming. Let me put it this way, the detector detects something, triggering an interrupt which processes that something. Basically, once the processing is done, it returns either a true or false, if true, decide which vdi/sound is appropriate. If false, we cut the threshhold for a null and resume..

I don't understand why everyone is getting so defensive with their "just because" responses.

 

[Prep1957]

I asked this question 3 years ago got the same aggressive response as above.You are right there is no excuse for such a long delay no matter what excuse is given.If this delay would in fact give you a better discrimination I might think different but look at the large amount of amount junk everyone is digging with FBS detectors not to mention more Iron junk targets being dug now than detectors just 10 year ago.If it was not for the fact they do go about 2 inches deeper than most detectors and are constructed well not sure I would own one.No excuse whatsoever.The only way to snipe coins out of junk is to forget looking at screen and use tones to hear high pitch with no discrimination.Now build that detector, because a lot of people are hunting that way with their FBS Etrac machines anyway or a variation of that called 2 tone ferrous.Let me put it to you this way ,why in this day in age does the NULL even have to exist on any detector.

 

[robertj298]

I asked this question 3 years ago got the same aggressive response as above.You are right there is no excuse for such a long delay no matter what excuse is given.If this delay would in fact give you a better discrimination I might think different but look at the large amount of amount junk everyone is digging with FBS detectors not to mention more Iron junk targets being dug now than detectors just 10 year ago.If it was not for the fact they do go about 2 inches deeper than most detectors and are constructed well not sure I would own one.No excuse whatsoever.The only way to snipe coins out of junk is to forget looking at screen and use tones to hear high pitch with no discrimination.Now build that detector, because a lot of people are hunting that way with their FBS Etrac machines anyway or a variation of that called 2 tone ferrous.Let me put it to you this way ,why in this day in age does the NULL even have to exist on any detector.

I dig very little amount of junk or iron junk with my etrac. The null doesn't have to exist at all, all you have to do is not discriminate anything out. There is no perfect machine but for the places I hunt and the things I hunt my etrac serves me well.

 

[Southwind]

Your response shows a hobby level of programming. Let me put it this way, the detector detects something, triggering an interrupt which processes that something. Basically, once the processing is done, it returns either a true or false, if true, decide which vdi/sound is appropriate. If false, we cut the threshhold for a null and resume..

And your response shows virtually no level of programming. A 12 year old who google the Internet perhaps? You're, attempting, to explain hardware processes not software. I was trying to point out the simple fact it takes longer for a processor to process more calculations/data. Yes a faster processors does make the job faster. See the difference between the old Explorer II and the E-Trac. The E-Trac doesn't need to be swung as slow, to get the same processing info, as the slower Explorer II. And the CTX 3030 is even faster.

I don't understand why everyone is getting so defensive with their "just because" responses.

I couldn't agree more.

 

[Smooth23]

And your response shows virtually no level of programming. A 12 year old who google the Internet perhaps? You're, attempting, to explain hardware processes not software. I was trying to point out the simple fact it takes longer for a processor to process more calculations/data. Yes a faster processors does make the job faster. See the difference between the old Explorer II and the E-Trac. The E-Trac doesn't need to be swung as slow, to get the same processing info, as the slower Explorer II. And the CTX 3030 is even faster.

So by your massive amounts of experience, hardware is irrelevent to software? This logic is what seperates a computer scientist from a computer engineer... we actually know whats happening at the hardware level. What I'm pointing out is that something is WRONG with the programming, in order for the hardware to behave the way it is. Of course there MAY be a perfectly legit explanation to the problem, but I've yet to see it.

 

[Southwind]

OK I'll give you that, but, all one needs to do is take a look at the "slow processor" based forums and see who is making all the consistently good finds. Someone is doing something right and the proof is in the results.

When I see a post showing finds of a bunch of wheats and silver I can almost always bet that person is using a E-Trac or CTX 3030. The so called slow machines.