GROUND BAL. BUTTON ON HANDLE

[garimpo 2,272]

Grd. Bal. button for GPX 4000

There was a discussion about where to find a replacement awhile back but I can't find the source....

does anybody remember where a replacement may be purchased?

[El Dorado 963]

If you can't find a factory original, I think I have something that could work...........

[garimpo 2,272]

Yesterday I emailed the repair center and asked them if they have the parts but I haven't heard from them...

[adam 3,110]

All the dealers should have the OEM handle. Got one off ebay one time, and had to buy another from Rob a year ago.

[grubstake 654]

Rob, DOC, and BILL all have them. also AZO, Grubstake

[Mike Furness 1,511]

Can't just buy the button anymore ... Have to buy the whole handle assembly ... that is if you buy factory stuff.

[garimpo 2,272]

Oh Senior Bill S......do you have the button for the OEM or is it necessary to buy the entire unit?

[Hoser John 1,240]

Any good ol'american electronicparts house should carry a lousy switch as that as NOT rocket science?? The whole assembly??? NOT GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE-John

[Rimshot 181]

Is the switch cleanable with spray contact cleaner? Or did your strong Okie hands break it?

[garimpo 2,272]

Rim it's not a switch but instead a button that you push down with your thumb.....unless your like Hoser

John then just push it with one of his five tentacle's (Octopus arms). A spring under the "button" then

pushes it back up.....I had to go back to the ranch house the get my 3500 and a young guy used the 4000

for the hour I was gone....in that hour he broke the head phone cord and the bal. button....

[Hoser John 1,240]

G ----I thought ya'al was in Brazil and NOT Mexico?? John PS-Are ya' watching BAMAZON aka rednecks n' d' jungle bungle soooooooooooooooooo hilarious,playn' n' the mud, runn' around at night stumbln' over them purty coral snakes by the zillion, with them sweet ol'howlers a howln' ,what a hoot and no gold tooooo boot-they need you for help bud BAD

[Rimshot 181]

Garimpo,

I'm sending you a PM.

[GlennM 93]

It's a momentary switch in the 6-8mm diameter range. shouldn't be too hard to find if you're able to find an electronics parts place in Brazil

[garimpo 2,272]

It's a momentary switch in the 6-8mm diameter range. shouldn't be too hard to find if you're able to find an electronics parts place in Brazil

Dream on Bro. Glenn.....

[garimpo 2,272]

Here's what Minelab repair center has to say.....I asked if the GP3500 handle would work on the GPX's....

I believe they do work interchangeably. You shouldn’t have a problem. As for parts to repair. Unfortunately the piece is a moulded handle so getting into it isn’t an option so a new one would have to be purchased.

While I was waiting for their answer I went down town to a little shop that sells sewing stuff....they must have a million little and

big buttons.....so we fished around until we found one that would just clear the sides and go down into the recess where the

former ground balance button was.....came home and put the red rubber thing down inside and used a tooth pick to seat it.....

now inside that is the white hollow shaft that is connected to the electronics below that make contact for the balance function....

Then mixed a very small amount of PC7 and put it in the hole of the red rubber and put the new button on top of that and I

pressed down slightly to get some of the PC7 up through the button holes....

Will give it a flight test tomorrow after the PC7 sets up all night....

Tomorrow the rest of the story......

[GlennM 93]

That's using yer Okie Ingenuity!

[garimpo 2,272]

Glenn after that statement I hate to tell you'll what happened.....

Got to the site 29 km from the house.....many hills now with heavy vegation and beautiful gravel that has

been detected many times....mostly with VLF's....

Anesio took the 3500 and away he went.....I finally got all my garb on and ready.....had to cross a barbed wire

fence I parked next too....walk about another 20 feet from the PU.....raised the coil to do an noise cancel.....

saw that my newely glued black button was GONE.....along with the red rubber thing-a-ma-jig.....DANG IT....

DANG IT.....still had the little white hollow post inside the handle and it does work the balance.....

Three hours later started back tracking the 50 feet from where I noticed the button missing....put the Minelab

round DD on the ground and slowly back tracked to the PU.....found the little bugger right where I was standing

I lifted the detector off the hood....

PC7 held the button solid to the red rubber TAMJ.....so now guess it's time for some contact cement on the

little red TAMJ.....

[garimpo 2,272]

Back at it again today....hate to give up on something so simple....here's what the cavity under the lost

balance button looks like minus the red rubber TAMJand with the red

rubber piece

Here's what it looks like in the handle with the rubber hand grip off

Now it's started out (easy)it's out

Went to the hardware store and got a very small wood screw...cut it to a 1/8"....reinstalled the

red rubber thing with contact cement under it.(don't think it will stick to the red rubber)...then

filled the hole in the white post with PC7 and inserted the screw into that

Then more PC7 and put the shirt button back on top of the screw head with the PC7 coming

through the holes....tomorrow test

If this doesn't work I'm calling Au and ask who makes the balance plug for them and try to get

an email address and maybe buy a couple of the button units.....

[garimpo 2,272]

Repaired part going back in the handleI

tested it by hand and it seems ok...at least it didn't come apart....

Hope to give it the field test tomorrowthe foam

rubber on the handle was in bad shape so I nearly tore it up getting the thing off the handle...

so for a few more trips I used some of that fantastic green Rescue tape....later I'll go to the

bicycle shop and get a handle bar grip.....they work wonders....

Spent a little time replenishing the PC7 protection on four of my favorite coils....left to right

Coiltek Joey DD....Coiltek 19" Rd DD.....Coiltek Joey mono and Minelab 11" Rd DD.....

since I had time between beers I put Red Rescue tape on the coil cords so their easy to

see and it gives them better stability going into the connector.....

[garimpo 2,272]

Took the balance button PC7 fix for a walk-about today....little sucker works wonderful....

[El Dorado 963]

Good job

[cp90macs 13]

These buttons look promising? Check out the, IDEC, Non- Illuminated push button, series A6.

http://www.galco.com/scripts/cgiip.exe/wa/wcat/catalog.htm?searchbox=pushbutton%20spdt

These are spdt momentary switches.

More Au to you, Robert

[cp90macs 13]

DIMS information...

http://www.galco.com/techdoc/idec/ab6m-m1-g_ds.pdf

Hope this help, I haven't taken apart or lost my yet on my GPX 5000.

More Au to you, Robert

[garimpo 2,272]

Robert you did a great job of finding those switches....thanks a bunch....

The problem with replacing the entire switch assembly is getting the built in cord to work with something

new....it would nearly have to be replaced with a original type of switch unless your into building electronics...

and believe me I'm not....

Still waiting for a response from Minelab on where they source their parts from......I quit holding my breath

since I don't care for the color Blue....

I've been using these switches ever since they came out and this is the first problem I've had....I think I may

have broke the switch when one day I had the detector turned up side down and the switch was resting on the

pick-up tail gate....

Thanks again for your help....

[shep 214]

Don't know why they put the switches on top of handle. Put a switch on my 3500??? but in a forward (pistol trigger position), I know, white male republican approach, but I believe it's a better position. How many times when recovering a target do you bump the button? Think about it

Shep