SD2100 modifcations.

Hi guys its been a while, I hope everyone's well?

Just got pulled up on the way in to work by someone who's mum is selling her SD2100 and 3 coils she's not sure how much she wants for it.
I know the F1A4 launched a few years after the SD2100 but is anyone doing modifications for the SD2100 like they are the F1's?

Been spending some time with a few Modid F1 users of late and they are doing great.

I'm thinking if I can get this SD cheep that I'd make it a little side project to use with an 18 Elite or something as a deep ground hunter.

Thoughts guys & girls?

Cheers,

Hoff.

G'day Hoff,

I have done a few 2100's and while they don't end up as smooth as the f1 or as sensitive as the f1, they do seem to test ok for depth on bigger bits.
As part of the mods there are some things done that help them handle the hotter ground better than they do as standard. They still don't like clay domes however.

I have one bloke in the US who has one along with a couple of modded f1's who was very impressed with it in his testing, but I haven't heard how he went with his field testing.

The way the ground balance is achieved allows for a lot more gain to be used than you can with the later detectors, however they are chattery when run like this.

Cheers Mick

Thanks a heap for that Mick,

I'll be keeping you in mind should a good deal be struck.
I'm thinking I'll just build it for sweeping deeper ground on the outside of our workings here in Orange.
The ground around this area is rather mild in mineralisation anyway so that should be sweet.

Cheers again mate,

Hoff.

Morning Hoffs Gold,
Owned a SD2100 for about 10 years and that machine talked to me after I found the way with out any modifications and was able to swing the 18" mono on all but the most mineralised ground.
Found this very old post, some of it is now old hat, with details;

SD 2100. by Nightjar
For those of you who still swing the 2100 the method below is tried and proven to get the best from your machine.

Tuning your Minelab SD 2100:
Firstly you probably HAVE missed many nuggets with your SD "warbling" in your earphones. When I now get the slightest variation in the "hum" I scrape off the top layer of rocks, grass etc and if the signal has improved it is usually a small target, hopefully a nugget.
Getting back to tuning:
With the machine turned on and holding it at waist height with base of coil vertical, rotate 180 deg, noting which direction the warbling is greatest.
Lay the detector and coil on the ground with the coil tilted up at about 45/60 deg and facing direction of strongest interference.
Place one hand on the box to keep it steady so there are not any false signals (as you can well imagine the 1 & 2 balance positions are not ultimately tuned at this stage) with your other hand using the small screwdriver, rotate the tuning screw clockwise. (At this point it may be easier to remove your back pack and lay it next to the detector) If you haven't achieved any improvement after say 20 rotations clockwise, rotate anticlockwise for 20 rotations (back to starting point) then keep rotating anticlockwise for another 20 rotations. (This pot does not have a "stop" so it may take time.)
You may feel like a bit of a dork out in the middle of nowhere down on all fours with your butt in the air but believe me it is worth the effort.
If you persevere eventually the threshold will become a steady Hummmm! You will only need to readjust if you move to complete new mineralised ground or your machine again becomes unsteady. After you have your machine humming steadily stand up and go through the 1-2 positions of balancing your machine.
At this point it is advisable to select the “Tone” that most suits your hearing.
Using a small target (shotgun pellet is ideal) scrape a small hole and place target in the hole. Now swing your coil across the target, vary the tone until you get the clearest/ sharpest signal that suits your hearing.
LOW and SLOW and ALWAYS investigate any change in tone no matter how slight, those little grammers soon add up.
Pinpointing your signal:
When a signal is targeted, draw a line through where you think the target is, now step around 90deg and again swing and again draw a line through where you think the target is. Where the two lines cross will be approximately where your target is laying. (After you become confident you will find only imaginary lines are required.)
Coils:
Mono coils have a different target centre to your DD coils, practice with both using previous pinpointing method until you are confident. If the ground is highly mineralised and your machine continually chatters you may need to use your DD coil only.
Tip:
If your signal varies considerably while using the pinpointing method it is quite possible your target is ground noise. (Scrape of the top layer of dirt, the signal should increase if it is a target.)
Good luck on your next visit to the goldfields, and yes, I would be interested in hearing from you whether this advice helped in any way.

Thanks for that Nightjar and au-fever but the SD2100 didn't turn out to be a bargain.
I'll pass that write up on to the owner as she was only selling because she couldn't work out how to set it up.
That write up is crazy Nightjar you must of known that unit well.

The F1's are great au-fever, one of my mates loves his over his SDC even on the small nuggets.
Yes Woody's name has come up in the past.

I'll probs just save up some SDC2300 gold for a new 45.

Thanks for the reply's fella's,

Cheers,

Hoff.

Morning Hoff,
Yes the old 2100 was a winner, many prospectors I met out on the patch couldn't believe I was swinging a 18" mono. Several actually slipped the harness on and went for a swing and came back convinced I wasn't tugging their chain, the 2100 could handle the ground with a mono. (If the 2100 owner requires any further help, let me know and I'll dig into the archives)
Finally went through a few in betweens and we now have a couple of 4500's (another great machine) and a 2300.
Looking forward to getting out there in about a months time.
Good luck getting a 45 you won't be disappointed.