dave
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by dave on Feb 16, 2020 23:23:41 GMT -8
Very Sad to hear Gary has passed , the world just dropped an IQ point .
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dave
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by dave on Feb 17, 2018 18:40:38 GMT -8
Thanks Gary , I have found one . It's not the one I was looking for but it will do as a start , Cheers , Dave .
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dave
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by dave on Feb 12, 2018 15:09:36 GMT -8
Hello all , I hope all members are well or well enough . I have a request . I was wondering if anyone has a bmt of the barracuda legend . I know that the barracuda boards are available from silverdog but I had a lot of trouble with the surf boards from him (they didn't work). So basically , I don't trust them anymore . I'm not saying its the boards 100% but I have never built multiple circuits of the same design only to find that none of them worked . Gary sent me a solution and it worked very well first time . And I really enjoy etching my own boards . Hope someone can help with this , cheers , Dave.
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dave
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by dave on Aug 26, 2017 14:49:31 GMT -8
Sorry for the typo Gary , I have had some very interesting results with a DD coil on this project . Just experimenting with positioning of the coils I went from minimal distance of 2-3 inches on an AU 20c coin in a standard DD configuration to almost 14 inches by forming a more or less square shape . That is by overlapping the curved sides and forming a square shape leaving the straight sides on the outer sides . Backwards DD ! . This is much more sensitive than a standard form . So ,I accidently made the detector 4 times more sensitive . I'm sure this is to do with getting the correct induction values on the coil but it just surprised me so much I actually got excited in my own low key way lol .Then I discovered that if I made two elliptical diamond shapes about 10 inches by 8 inches and overlapped them by 5 inches sensitivity increased again but only slightly ( another inch or so ) . Also by changing connections from two separate parallel coils to an in series connected coil , still overlapped stability increased . There is a slight ringing now but nothing extreme . Photos to come soon , when the day gets warmer . Can't tell you how grateful I am Gary . There is nothing worse than being obsessed with something you can't get to work , you want to give up but simply can't . Perseverance can pay off sometimes , I feel the relief of a finished project approaching . I hope the fires in Canada have declined and you are well , thanks again MR Lecomte , Cheers Dave . Dave Emailed Me: Hi Gary , I couldn't upload these to the forum as they are larger than 1meg . I have no idea why this works , especially the way I have it connected . I think some research is in order . Small foil is COMPLETELY ignored , but so is small gold . Very sensitive to silver . Cheers Gary , Dave . Really like your circuit . It looks wild with the 3300 cap sticking out of it .
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dave
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by dave on Aug 25, 2017 15:32:52 GMT -8
Hello everyone , this is an update on the surf PI . Having been sent a pcb image by Gary I have printed and etched some single side boards. Some parts differ slightly but this is mostly the one I'm used to . Well after duly building a unit it actually worked . BUT .....detection range is limited (nice and loud though ) and there is some sort of bfo type reaction as in when metal is brought close to the coil there is a bfo like beeping . Anyway I'm confident that I will sort this out so a big thanks to Mr Lecomte for his patience and guidance , success ....THANKS GARY .! I'm now wondering why Silverdog stopped emailing me after I told him I replaced all the control chips and still none of the 3 kits worked . Cheers , Dave .
I edited This, as No "P" in Lecomte
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dave
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by dave on Jul 11, 2017 14:17:40 GMT -8
Very nice Gary , hope everyone is safe and well .
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dave
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by dave on Jun 29, 2017 14:57:58 GMT -8
a MUCH better weld with 2mm rod, 2mm steel stripe: at this time, boost converter power is about 350W. and it's almost enough for 2mm rod. what's curious, the welding works only on direct polarity ("+" on the rod). but the correct polarity with DC welding should be reverse: "+" on the workpiece, "-" on the rod. when i try to reverse polarity, it blows the fuse at the booster input (50A). and even when i bypass the fuse, it simply does not work. e.g. _literally_ DOES NOT. the arc simply can't start. curious.... Hi Lamazoid , straight polarity with dc is electrode negative . Reverse polarity is electrode positive . Around 70 % of the heat is generated at the positive pole .I don't know much about your circuit as I'm not an engineer like some of you guys but I think this may have something to do with direction of current flow in the components . I have over 40 years experience as a welder and would really like to see you develop this idea , good luck mate . Cheers , Dave.
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dave
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by dave on Jun 28, 2017 16:25:28 GMT -8
Hi, Gary , I have sent you an email . Cheers Dave .
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dave
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by dave on Jun 27, 2017 16:06:25 GMT -8
Secretly , I also didn't think replacing all the chips would help but I was HOPING . I have spent literally weeks on this problem . Iv'e even considered breadboarding all the parts after I strip a board clean . That will be the next phase . Quite disappointing is an understatement . Anyway , thanks Gary . I will never give up but I may just shelve the problem for a while until I have more insight into how the circuit works .Cheers , Dave .
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dave
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by dave on Jun 26, 2017 18:42:53 GMT -8
All new replacement chips arrived and duly replaced on all three boards ......result.....0 .Think I'm going to cry hahaha .Think I will completely strip one even though it will take forever and probably damage the board I don't seem to have a choice . Because I'm NOT giving up !
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dave
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by dave on Jun 17, 2017 4:47:38 GMT -8
Lamazoid , starting to follow this with real interest , I am a welder by trade amongst other things . Keep going , don't be discouraged . It is my dream to have a hand held (1 electrode burn capacity say 2.5 mm rod ) welder , powered by batteries that is completely self sufficient . An Idea has been patented around 2000 . But no-one has realised anything as yet .....good luck on your quest .
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dave
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by dave on Jun 16, 2017 20:56:26 GMT -8
I'm not sure why they are like that either Gary, but the traces can be seen at the right angle . It's very difficult though . So I replaced the MPSA13 darlington and with a fresh battery pack I'm getting a voltage change into the negative on the 5534 pin 6 and a voltage change into the positive on pin 7 on the 358 . I think I should be hearing something .....oh well baby steps hahaha Cheers , Dave.
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dave
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by dave on Jun 16, 2017 17:53:05 GMT -8
Please forgive me for not uploading the pics as they are pretty much unviewable . I should have mentioned this fact , sorry everyone . I have been talking to Andy Beasley ( Silverdog ) about all kinds of possible causes and have possibly narrowed it down to either a bad batch (50) of LM358's or a smaller batch of 4066's . I have tried connecting speakers and different types of headphones and had the same results . Waiting on a new delivery of 4066 and 358 ic's and will go from there .I'm also going to get a complete kit as a control and a blank board for use with my own parts . So this is what I have found , ....there is a voltage change at pin 6 on the 5534 to ground when metal is passed by the coil. However, there is no voltage change on pin 7 to ground of the 358 which gets signals from pins 2 and 4 of the 4066 which are present in correct polarity .Some problem with amplification ? Possibly also the 4093 which will be replaced in turn . What really gets me is that all 3 turned out the same . At least I'm learning how these different components work and what they do together in a circuit .I would never have learned this much if I had not had this problem to solve .If you don't give up , eventually , you prevail !
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dave
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by dave on Jun 5, 2017 23:32:39 GMT -8
Hi Radioman , I've already sent Gary a bunch of pics but they won't help much as the boards are double sided and lacquered black . I'm fairly certain it's not a trace problem as one of the boards I am troubleshooting actually works but the volume is extremely low with a huge emphasis on low . The volume control works to reduce and increase the volume to a just audible signal through headphones with their own volume control . Seems it's a parts problem , but eliminating them is time consuming . I have swapped out numerous parts with ,as yet, no success ......but I'm not giving up . I'm just becoming more determined ( another word for stubborn ).I'm thinking now , that a change of the mpsa 13 and the n3906 will be next using better quality parts . After that will be the rf 9604 and the 78lo5 . After that .....I will have a little cry and think of something else . Cheers , Dave .
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dave
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by dave on Jun 5, 2017 15:35:48 GMT -8
Hello again , still pulling the last of my hair out. I know I am grasping at straws but is it at all possible that metal film and carbon resistors combined in the same circuit could affect it's operation as I have used both . Told you I was grasping at straws .........Cheers , Dave .
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