Tutorial for Detectorists: How To Mount a Wireless Transmitter onto Your Metal Detector, page 2

What Could Be an Optimal Enclosure for a Wireless Transmitter?

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Before some manufacturers of metal detectors and accessories began releasing their universal wireless-headphones kits specially designed to work with metal detectors in the mid-2010s, detectorists would use the wireless transmitters of the Universal Wireless Headphones Systems designed for INDOOR use. Such transmitters were of large sizes and not water-resistant, therefore, could not be used for metal detecting in wet or muddy field conditions without any dust-proof and water-resistant protection.

Metal detectorists came up with а way to protect the indoor wireless transmitters by enclosing them into plastic, food storage containers with the screw-on lids (see my old detailed tutorial which I created and posted in 2013 - How To Make Headphone Operation Wireless (Attaching the Enclosed Wireless Transmitter Directly to an Armrest)). The food containers are lightweight, leak-proof and shatterproof; however, even the smallest ones are too large for the small-sized transmitters designed for metal detectors and offered on the market today. This was what I was thinking while walking to a local supermarket selling a variety of the plastic food containers.

When I was passing by a small hardware store on the street, my inner voice told me to enter the store (yeah, I hear voices all the time like everybody else... just kidding! :)). I had no idea what I was looking for but intuitively walked in and towards a section with electrical supplies. In a showcase, I saw what I needed - a variety of plastic junction boxes of small sizes! As soon as a shop assistant got one square box out and gave it to me to inspect, I took the wireless transmitter out of my pocket (I was prepared) and held it next the box. The box seemed to be of a right size for my square wireless transmitter measuring 2.3 x 2.3 x 0.8 in (5.9 x 5.9 x 2 cm).

If your wireless transmitter has a rectangular shape, there are also rectangular junction boxes of various sizes available in the hardware stores. When I put my transmitter into the box, to my surprise, the transmitter fit snug into the box as if this enclosure was designed for it!

This particular junction box had seven cable entries, and seven rubber stoppers firmly held the transmitter in its position. In fact, I had to slightly push the transmitter down to get it to the bottom. Тhus, the rubber stoppers would certainly eliminate the need to use any foam pads to prevent the transmitter from wobbling inside the box. The less parts in a setup, the better!

On one of its four sides, the box has one eyelet positioned in a center. This eyelet is certainly a perfect entry for a cable connecting the detector's phone socket to the transmitter's micro USB socket even though the micro USB socket is not positioned in the eyelet's middle point, rather above it.

To get the transmitter out of the enclosure, one can stick a finger through the opening and underneath the device, and push it up.

The following are specifications of this junction box:

• Product Name: Outdoor Plastic Square Junction Box
• Dimensions (L x W x H): 2.9 x 2.9 x 1.6 inches (7.4 x 7.4 x 4.2 cm)
• Color: gray (RAL 7035)
• Clip in cover (plain press on, fast lock lid)
• Materials: Polypropylene (box and cover), Rubber (stoppers)
• IP degree of protection: IP55 (protection against most dust; protection against water jets: water projected by a nozzle (6.3 mm) against enclosure from any direction will have no harmful effects) according to IEC 60529
• Cable Entries Number: 7
• Cable Entry Diameter: 26mm
• 7 Rubber Stoppers (Plugs)
• Ambient air temperature for operation: -13...104 °F (-25...40 °C)
• Fire resistance: 1202 °F (650 °C)
• Product weight: 2.8 oz (80 g)
• Price: from $2.00 (€1.80) to $5.99 (€5.38)
• Warranty period: 18 months

While hanging out in the hardware store, I also bought bolts, washers and nuts for attaching the junction box to my detector. The bolts obviously must have a diameter that is smaller than a diameter of holes, 5mm, in the detector's shaft. So, two M4 bolts (3.8 mm in diameter, 4 cm (1.5 in) in length), six M4 nuts (4 mm in diameter) and four washers (hole diameter - 4 mm, 11 mm in outer diameter) were sufficient for affixing one enclosure to the detector's shaft.

I could not believe how easy it was to find an ideal enclosure for the wireless transmitter and solve the problem in no time. And this wonderful solution cost me only $2.50 (including the bolts, washers and nuts) for one transmitter! Well, I actually bought a few more junction boxes (and bolts, washers and nuts) to affix them to my effective, non-wireless detectors (Fisher F75+ and Teknetics G2+ and T2+) designed to work with the wired headsets, and to have enough spare parts, just in case any enclosure gets damaged during metal detecting.

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