Minelab SDC2300 information and questions

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Would be interested to know if anyone has had any issue when collapsing the shaft on the SDC. Shaft not fully collapsing last 50 mm . Tend to think it's inner shaft binding on spiral cord inside?
A little better if you collapse the smaller part of shaft first then upper larger shaft,.
Have also found that shaft is subject to sand ingress after beach work as the shaft is not sealed tends to give the carbon fibre a bit of a rough up.
Cheers
 
I stopped collapsing the shaft as I completely lost audio to my headphones jack. It started off with a little crackling when I was re extending the shaft and then one day it just stopped working all together. This happened to an sdc I bought off gumtree so minelab refused to fix it because the serial number stickers weren't on the detector anymore.

I have since bought a brand new sdc from minersden and again noticed the audio crackling when extending and retracting the shaft so therefore I always leave my sdc fully extended.
 
Chuky thanks for reply ................. interesting indeed will try mine and see what the go is?
From what I can gather with the shaft not being sealed when used at the beach sand ingress being abrasive powders up the carbon fibre and the powder being so dry is not allowing the spiral cord to glide up and down the shaft internally. I also don't fold completely up and never have just shorten shaft length.
I haven't found to many SDC owners who actually completely fold the machine after use?
Off to check any sound variation
Cheers
Okay an edit is no noise when extending or retracting shaft .............. thankfully, although in saying that have found minelab to be excellent in regards to any problems. But I have found you get a much better response going straight to the source rather than the dealer as in my experiences there are a few that once they have the bucks they don't have a care or concern about any issues afterwards. :rolleyes:
Chuky I note your getting this on your new machine also ? Speaker and headphones or just thru headphone jack ?
 
Wally69 had the same problem with the shaft not retracting the last 50mm, he sent it back to minelab to fix a few other small issueas and had the shaft issue fixed at the same time.
 
We have a 2300 and it is over 18 months old.
It has never been used on the beach but spends a lot of time in dusty areas.
After every time it is used I remove the protective canvas cover and wipe it clean with Aldi baby wipes ($2 for 80 pack) to remove the dust from it, especially on the shaft prior to collapsing. Once a week I dismantle the bottom knuckle joint (carefully) and clean the surfaces, threaded hole and the plastic screw. I wipe the coil and the skid plate and if the 2300 sounds a bit scratchy, remove the skid plate and wipe that also.
Collapse the 2300 to fold it up every time at the end of day and store in an overnight travelling bag.
Regards
Ian.
 
Bogger said:
Chuky thanks for reply ................. interesting indeed will try mine and see what the go is?
From what I can gather with the shaft not being sealed when used at the beach sand ingress being abrasive powders up the carbon fibre and the powder being so dry is not allowing the spiral cord to glide up and down the shaft internally. I also don't fold completely up and never have just shorten shaft length.
I haven't found to many SDC owners who actually completely fold the machine after use?
Off to check any sound variation
Cheers
Okay an edit is no noise when extending or retracting shaft .............. thankfully, although in saying that have found minelab to be excellent in regards to any problems. But I have found you get a much better response going straight to the source rather than the dealer as in my experiences there are a few that once they have the bucks they don't have a care or concern about any issues afterwards. :rolleyes:
Chuky I note your getting this on your new machine also ? Speaker and headphones or just thru headphone jack ?
Click to expand...
Just through the headphone. Got sick of trying to track down the original owner of the gumtree sdc after getting the cold shoulder far too often. So I busted the sdc open myself I continuity tested all the headphones terminals through to the coil connection. Every terminal tested fine. So I unplugged all the circuit board leads and re fitted them. Turned on the sdc and it worked straight away. Got away with that one luckily or NOT.
 
Heatho said:
Wally69 had the same problem with the shaft not retracting the last 50mm, he sent it back to minelab to fix a few other small issueas and had the shaft issue fixed at the same time.
Click to expand...

Managed to fix the shaft prob .................... small shot of silicone spray simply stopped the coil wire from grabbing shaft . Was surprised to see shaft is open to water and ingress thru hole in heel of shaft ?
Belladonna how much is involved in removing knuckle as I'm sure there is sand in there
Cheers
 
belladonna said:
We have a 2300 and it is over 18 months old.
It has never been used on the beach but spends a lot of time in dusty areas.
After every time it is used I remove the protective canvas cover and wipe it clean with Aldi baby wipes ($2 for 80 pack) to remove the dust from it, especially on the shaft prior to collapsing. Once a week I dismantle the bottom knuckle joint (carefully) and clean the surfaces, threaded hole and the plastic screw. I wipe the coil and the skid plate and if the 2300 sounds a bit scratchy, remove the skid plate and wipe that also.
Collapse the 2300 to fold it up every time at the end of day and store in an overnight travelling bag.
Regards
Ian.
Click to expand...

Ian is this the screw you take out to remove coil ?
1460251536_sdc_screw.jpg
 
Bogger,
That is the wrong screw; from your photo it is the one adjacent to it that you use to tension the coil to working position. This Acme thread screw just turns out anti clockwise, then you can separate the blue (coil side) to black (shaft side) of the joint. It will pull apart about 12mm and you can see the internal curly cable. I wipe the two surfaces of the rotating joint, clean the acme screw of the bolt and clean the threaded hole. Push the joint back together carefully, you might have to rotate slightly as you go and refit the screw. Sit the detector on a table with the coil flat on the table before you separate the joint.
I am thinking of making a small hose for the vacuum and see if it will suck some of the dust from inside the shaft.
Has anyone seen these screws at a suppliers anywhere, I would like a couple of spares.
Ian.
 
Thanks Ian .................. probably wouldn't worry about vacuum with small hose two screws and the end just slides out of carbon fibre shaft. Was surprised to find it not sealed. This was full of carbon fibre dust on mine and was making curly lead grab on inner shaft and stopping it from collapsing completely. Lead is obviously sealed at coil and at machine the shaft if in water just fills up through the hole in bottom of knuckle. Washed out shaft and a bit of silicone spray and glides like new.
I even stuck and endoscope camera up it and it's just a hollow tube and explains the wetness on my car seat when placed there after using ................. it's all the water in the shaft draining back out the bottom of the knuckle. :|

1460257774_sdc_knuckle.jpg
 
Bogger,
Thanks for the reply,

It is good to know that I can further separate the coil and clean.

I only learnt about the knuckle separating when my mate had the Acme screw break in half when detecting and the knuckle joint separated. He could not buy a replacement screw from a detector agency and end up putting metal screw and nut to hold it together. Still works, still finds gold!
Regards,
Ian
 
Ian all good .................. I probably wouldn't put anything metal down that close to the coil ? But as said if it works ?
Just get a spare through the dealers ?
Cheers
 
Bonicini,
Thanks for the info,

I have had a look in bunnies and no luck, might take the screw out of the detector, drive over to masters and have a look/ see!
Ian
 
The dick smith I went to at edwardstown only has the 2 packs, $4.40 for 2 batteries, got 4 packs, these things last all day, certainly a cheaper option to the 6000mah batteries on flea bay.
 
Hi all,
I went to a spot at willunga yesterday, it had power lines overhead, the machine just hummed along, I found shotgun pellets, a musket ball, gold foil.....that got my heart going, and a tiny piece of aluminium, the machine thankfully didn't have any issues mentioned above, Dick Smith batteries seem to fit very well $8.80 for 4 batteries, they last all day, so not used the minelab batteries, something I did notice, was the DS batteries have a bigger + terminal than the minelab batteries, maybe the small + terminal could be the problem?

Cheers,
Paul
 
Paul_mac1, glad to hear the DS batteries work well I bought 8 the other day around $7.00 from memory, due to closing down I spose. Good info in this thread, cheers
 

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