Possibly a pinpoint probe to suit you Oro.

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	Possibly a pinpoint probe to suit you Oro. « on: February 11, 2009, 10:31:45 am »

Hello Oro, I?ve just read about the problems that you have with pinpoint probes because of your failing eyesight. Have you tried a lot of the professional probes on the market? Do they all have a detection field of about ? inch? I know my 'Sherlock probe' does. I don?t find this is sufficient myself. The other thing I find is that if the soil is slightly conductive in any way my probe beeps all around the hole that I?ve dug.
An idea I?ve tried recently is to modify an old PI detector, by miniaturising everything into a small case, including winding a 1.1/4inch O.D coil and fitting the coil at a slight angle on a short shaft.
It does work very well and has a depth of field of around 2 inches, the good thing is that it is directional, so when searching the hole you know where you are looking.
The advantage of the PI probe is that it is not sensitive to ground effects, so once you?ve dug for an object the probe will find it, either still in the hole or amongst the spoils.
I hope this is useful !!!,
Maybe by airing the problem a manufacturer will make one for you to test. There must be a market for one.

Ps. I've heard good reports about the new Garrett probe, but it?s a bit pricey

Best regards Mike.

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oRo

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	Re: Possibly a pinpoint probe to suit you Oro. « Reply #1 on: February 11, 2009, 01:53:32 pm »

Thanks for the tips Mike, your modified PI sounds like it would work well for me. My Vibra Probe is a PI unit. It does work well. It is just that I have to move it in a pattern and all around the dig hole to find the target, my dig holes are huge. My Vibra Probe is the only pin-pointer that I have ever used, so was hoping someone could recommend a pin-pointer that had a wider field of detection. I have some basic circuit experience, but had not thought of trying making one. The older TR type metal detectors also were good in mineralized soil and ignored hot rocks, maybe that would be a good choice for a pin-pointer. The TR is noted as not having a good depth of detection so that would be a plus when using it as a pin-pointer where you only need 0-4 inches of detection. I have not started to look around the web yet for a new pin-pointer, so this is just my first go at finding one., John

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Buttonhunter Jeff

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	Re: Possibly a pinpoint probe to suit you Oro. « Reply #2 on: February 11, 2009, 03:45:17 pm »

Im using the Garrett pro pinpointer and im really happy with it Great

This is the first pp i have owned and it does everything that i expected.
Its well built,almost water proof,its not sensitive to ground effects,its directional,Vibrates and has a sound signal
that beeps faster as you get closer to the target.I have only used it twice,so detecting range in the ground i have no idea,but air testing a small copper button=1 1/2" and a AAA batterie about 2.3".
The only down side from my point of view is there is no volume control on the PP,so if your searching some place where you shouldn't be and you dont want to be heard,then i would think twice about turning it on.

Jeff..

P.S. The price is a little on the high side 99? = 127$

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Mike In2mud Topic starter

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	Re: Possibly a pinpoint probe to suit you Oro. « Reply #3 on: February 13, 2009, 01:49:57 pm »

Hello oRo, the reasons I used the PI detector for a probe, apart from the pcb being small was because it uses only one pot for adjustment and the same coil to send and receive, so it was easy to experiment and wind the coil.
With the small coil I used, the depth of field is limited to about 2 inches anyway, if you wanted greater depth the coil would have to be bigger.
If you use the TR detector you need to calculate the ratio of turns between its two coils and ensure the receive coil picks up a good enough signal for the circuit to detect, ? it just gets complicated ?.
I?ve just had a thought John does your PI probe come apart easily to get at the coil section, if so you could experiment by winding a different coil, provided you could put it back to its original state afterwards.

Best regards Mike.

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	Re: Possibly a pinpoint probe to suit you Oro. « Reply #4 on: February 19, 2009, 03:27:48 pm »

Harbor Freight sells a pinpointer that works fine, with an adjustable range of 1/4-inch to 1 inch, and the price is just $14.99:

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Nothing fancy and perhaps a bit fragile, but for the price (it even comes with a battery and a case you can wear on your belt) it is hard to beat.

---Dan

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	Re: Possibly a pinpoint probe to suit you Oro. « Reply #5 on: February 19, 2009, 03:33:01 pm »

Can't beat that for price.

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	Re: Possibly a pinpoint probe to suit you Oro. « Reply #6 on: February 19, 2009, 03:59:37 pm »

I like the idea of a built-in light. That would help with seeing what is going on.

-------
Harbor Freight Pinpointer:
This tool will detect metal at a range of approximately 1-1/4? to 2-1/2?
depending on materials being tested and the sensitivity setting used.
With the power switch in the ON position, the LED light
will illuminate the detection area or scanned area.
--------
Now I wonder if I can make a two-box detector out of it. Idea

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Mike In2mud Topic starter

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	Re: Possibly a pinpoint probe to suit you Oro. « Reply #7 on: February 21, 2009, 04:25:32 am »

This pin pointer looks like an excellent unit if its as good as it claims, I could even put up with it not being directional for that price. lets hope I can order it in the UK.
Has anyone tried one out for depth on the ground yet?

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	Re: Possibly a pinpoint probe to suit you Oro. « Reply #8 on: February 25, 2009, 02:40:40 pm »

There are some modifications hanging around for the Harbor Freight pinpointer. Some people complain that it is too loud. We bought 2 and are thinking of putting a cell phone vibration motor in it so it vibrates only. Also make sure you glue the cap on the end. Some say that the wire to the on/off button are just shrink wrapped and may come off easily when we took ours apart they had been soldered. All in all I think it will work better than my Bounty Hunter pinpointer.

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