I know “fatty” pennies have been a thing in the past. I mostly know of them from 1859-1864 for indian head pennies and also for 1856-1858 flying eagle pennies. As to why, I have no idea. I did find something saying that fatty coins were all of a copper/nickel mix where non-fatty coins from the same era were bronze.

Video of them working! https://youtu.be/0tww5egn9cM

I think they got some terrible marketing advice. I recently tore down my ML105 headphones that came with my Manticore to improve the comfort, sound quality, durability, and weatherproofing (https://www.iratemetaldetectors.com/forum/general-discussion/manticore-headphone-fixes) and found that they're Bluetooth 5.2 headphones. Normally I'd be very pleased with BT 5.2 or 5.3 headphones, but it bothers me a bit here since Minelab's marketing team went to great lengths to make it sound like they were doing something unique. In the Manticore marketing material, it says, "low latency wireless audio" with no mention of Bluetooth. In the ML105 marketing material, it says, "higher quality audio than standard Bluetooth" and in the ML105 install manual, it says, "use wireless technology which delivers faster, higher quality audio than standard Bluetooth". I think the real key here is the phrase, "standard Bluetooth". They don't explicitly say they aren't using Bluetooth, but they do imply that they're doing something special. When I opened up the headphones, I was surprised to find a Bluetooth transceiver and not something proprietary. I had to go find the FCC test results to verify that I wasn't losing it! I don't know if Minelab is outright lying, but their marketing team is definitely relying on customers not looking too closely or questioning them.

I just finished my schematic for the Manticore headphones (attached). I'll start by stating that I did this mostly over a single day with only a little research done last week, so I could easily have missed something. I also am pretty burned out from trying to onboard 4 new engineering teams at my office, so my brain isn't firing on all cylinders right now - again, I may have missed something. I don't know why, but for some reason, I thought the Manticore used a proprietary wireless communication mechanism and not Bluetooth (possibly because they never call out Bluetooth in the Manticore marketing and instead say, "low-latency wireless audio", or because they specify in the ML105 marketing that it has "higher quality audio than standard Bluetooth". Who knows?). However, the transceiver chip was a Bluetooth 5.2 transceiver available on Digikey and Mouser. I checked the FCC filing for the Minelab ML105 headphones, and sure enough, on page 6 of the FCC test results, it calls out: Bluetooth Version V5.2 Modulation GFSK 1Mbps, GFSK 2Mbps Number of Channels 40 Channels On to the technique, tools, and materials: Tools / materials: J0 and J1 Phillips head screwdrivers (plus others for your replacement headphone shell) small flathead screwdriver / pry bar Soldering iron desoldering pump desoldering wick heat gun scraper / knife flux 1mm 2:1 heat shrink tubing 30 AWG wire acrylic conformal coating Epoxy Epoxy Putty, Thermoplastic, or something else moldable Rotary tool with carving bits (dremel, Ryobi, etc.) Technique: Opening the ML105s is pretty easy. Unscrew the two exposed screws on the hinges to the right and left sides of each earcup. This allows the earcups to disconnect from the headband. Remove the foam from the earcups by pulling lightly to expose a small gap at the perimeter, then using a small prybar/screwdriver to gently slide around and disconnect the pressure clips. Once the foam is removed, you will see 4 small Phillips head screws that hold the earcups closed. Once these 4 screws are removed, carefully turn over each earcup and allow the speaker element to fall out. It will still be connected with a wire. Now comes the fun bit. I started by figuring out where the USB-C port was on my new headphone shell and ensuring that Board 1 would fit. It was close but not perfect. I was able to sand down the board a bit to make it fit without compromising any components / connections. Next, I determined where the buttons would be for each Vol -, Vol +, and Power. I did this using the original buttons from the ML105. I routed out holes for these and moved the buttons from the ML105s to their new home. I then used some epoxy putty to build supports for Board 1 so I could screw it down. I wanted to avoid ordering a new FFC cable, so I found a home for Board 2 that let me reuse the original cable. I turned everything on and checked where the LEDs would be most visible, then drilled a small hole in the earcup and filled it with clear epoxy to let the light shine out. I originally tried to retain as much of the original wiring as possible, but it was just too small for me to strip and re-solder with my hands, so I desoldered the 6 wires on Board 1 and replaced them with new 30 AWG wires that I ran to the battery and each speaker. To avoid FULLY disassembling the new headphones (some parts were glued / taped in place), so I used the newly-soldered 30 AWG wires as jumpers and soldering them to the original wires for the Sony headphones I was using, then used heat-shrink tubing to protect the connections. I just abandoned the 500 mAh battery from the ML105s. It was taped down VERY firmly and was also surrounded by a thin plastic border. I could either cut the border (and risk accidentally puncturing the battery), or try to leverage the battery out (and risk puncturing / bending the battery), so I opted to use the 1000 mAh battery from the Sony pair instead. Lastly, before I screwed the 2 boards into their new homes, I coated both with acrylic conformal coating. This just adds a bit more weatherproofing. After that, it was time to close it all up! Marketing Notes: The Bluetooth 5.2 thing really bothers me here. Minelab's marketing for the Manticore and the ML105 headphones both intentionally make it sound as though Minelab is using something better than Bluetooth while not actually saying that. They claim "higher quality audio than standard Bluetooth". But what is "standard Bluetooth"? If I define standard as Bluetooth 5 or as BLE, then yes, Bluetooth 5.2 is definitely better. It's also possible that they're doing something proprietary by limiting the frequencies these headphones use to avoid interference with the detector, and I just don't understand. But at their core, these are Bluetooth 5.2 headphones, which puts them in the same class as headphones like the OneOdio A11, the Razer Barracuda Pro, or the Sony WH1000 XM5. And that begs the question, why not just let us choose the headphones we want? If BT 5.2 is good enough, give us a cheap pair of BT 5.2 headphones with the detector (like they did) and declare clearly in the documentation that Bluetooth headphones are generally supported but that Minelab cannoy guarantee the performance of 3rd party headphones and strongly recommends BT 5.2 or above to avoid latency issues.

Quick update - I did it! And it’s glorious! It took a lot of modifications to the headphone body and to the boards to make it all fit together, but I got the guts of the Manticore headphones into a pair of Sony WH1000-MX4s. The fit and comfort are perfect and the audio is better than ever thanks to the extra insulation on the Sonys. I don’t need to have the volume cranked up quite so high to hear over the wind and waves. I took them out to the beach this afternoon for their first real world test and they are SUCH AN IMPROVEMENT! Here’s what I gained: * double the original battery capacity * improved noise isolation * improved speaker elements * improved comfort * improved durability (no exposed wires) * improved weather resistance * smaller pack size I’ll post some pictures of the end result along with a wiring diagram in the next few weeks.

You probably have a few local clubs. They’d have some kind of standing meeting schedule and might already have gatherings on the books.

So I verified that I can absolutely fit all the guts of the Manticore headphones into the shell of these old WH1000-MX4 headphones. What do I gain from this? slightly smaller form factor, the ability to fold and stow, significantly improved comfort, and better build quality / weather resistance. What do I have to lose? Potentially my Manticore headphones. That’s the big one. I also probably won’t expose the line in, so I’d lose the ability to use a wired connection to my detector. But how big of a loss is that anyway? I would use something like the Grey Ghost Amphibians if I wanted to get IN the water, but I don’t think I would ever choose a wired headphone over a wireless headphone unless I expected the controller box to go underwater. I need to get into Boston and get some more heat shrink to rewire the Manticore components into the Sonys, but for now I think I am going to avoid the risk of doing this while burned out and running on RedBull. If I go through with it in a week or two, I’ll let you all know how it goes.

Update - I decided to do a bit of “research” by tearing down my Manticore headphones and also a broken pair of Sony WH1000-MX4 headphones that I have on hand. I am decently certain I could get the Minelab headphone components to fit in the Sony shell and also provide a battery upgrade. The Manticore headphones run off a 3.7v 500mAh Lithium Ion battery. The Sony runs on a 3.7v 1000mAh Lithium Ion battery that takes up almost exactly the same footprint. The main board for the Manticore headphones is a little larger than the Sony board, but the Sony also needed a significant amount of space for added wiring and sensors. The Manticore headphones are remarkably simple.

I definitely enjoy it. The forests near me freeze in weather like today (-28F this morning!) but the beaches are good year-round assuming I can tolerate the temperatures. I mainly stick to salt water beaches since they’re just more accessible. I used my Equinox 800 for a few years, then got a Deus II when that came out and have used it since then. I just got a Manticore a few weeks ago and have only been able to get to the beach with it a handful of times, but so far I like it as much as my Nox at least. I’d say it’s currently a toss-up between my Manticore and my Deus II.

I have a Predator Tools Ranger and a Predator Tools Phoenix that I got for different uses. I like them both, but most days I reach for the Phoenix over the Ranger. I think it’s really just because I like that it scoops a bit. I also have an Excalibur Merlin for if I’m traveling and don’t want to lose ALL my cargo space. I like it, but would still take the Phoenix over it most days.

I’m game! I’m based near Boston if anyone is up this way. Merrill - your videos have me seriously considering bringing my detector the next time I visit friends in NYC too. I never even thought about hitting the beaches there before! Crazy given one of my old friends is an avid surfer in Rockaway - it really should have occurred to me sooner.

I think research will be your best friend there. But you would also benefit from learning to read the forested landscape a bit. Tom Wessels has a YouTube series on it that focuses on New England, but much of it can be applied elsewhere. My dad and I used this on some land that my parents bought a couple years ago for their retirement house. They knew the land had been used for centuries, but didn’t know if there was a foundation anywhere on it. We found an old field stone wall which implied sheep farming (based on Tom Wessels’ videos), then were able to identify the side that likely had the sheep and the side that likely had crops. From there we started looking for rises in the landscape where someone might have put a house. We found a few and looked near them for pillows and valleys to indicate a large tree had fallen or for pecan or crabapple trees that were still standing. Sure enough, we found an old crabapple tree and a large pillow/valley, so I’m guessing that there had been an older crabapple that fell and this one grew from one of the fallen fruit. We found the foundation about 20 feet from the pillow/valley.

They do, but not at the rate of XP. I have already had 3 or 4 updates for my Deus II, but my Equinox 800 is only on version 3.0 of the software. That said, it hasn’t really needed much. If you go to their website, you can navigate to your detector and then go to the “Downloads” section. Some detectors have updates, but not all. Still waiting on one for the Manticore to help with some of this iron falsing in soil.

I have used Big Boy Hobbies, Serious Detecting, Metaldetector.com (right down the street from me!), and KellyCo Detectors. I enjoyed working with all of them and mostly decide now based on inventory. Then there are accessory companies too (mainly for my old Nox). Steve’s Detector Rods is amazing. Steve worked with me to come up with a custom design to fit a custom 3d-printed handle hinge I built so the whole Nox800 would fit into a travel case. Detect-Ed is another good one, but shipping from Australia can take a bit.

It looks to me like it might have been part of an old toy. Those designs look like they were supposed to represent mechanical components of something (maybe an old toy car? or a rack on the back of something with a wheel?)

That’s a nice detector too. I just got one for my father-in-law last fall. He uses it in old farm fields out in Lancaster, PA and loves it.

I haven’t played with the 900 at all. I had already pre-ordered a Manticore by the time they announced it, so I didn’t see any reason to look into it too much further.

I have three today (Minelab Equinox 800, Minelab Manticore, and XP Deus II). I still use the Equinox 800 with great results and have seen them selling used for well under a grand. The Equinox 600 and 800 are still very capable detectors. The 800 has some added features (gold field mode and 20k and 40k frequencies), but that isn't anything that's strictly necessary. The main difference between my Equinox and my Manticore is the 2D target display on the Manticore, and the fact that the Equinox pulls in a bit less iron (Merrill did a good video that touches on why this may be a little bit ago -- "Minelab LIED About The Manticore: Here Is The Truth About Its Power") It might also be that I just found a really iron heavy site for the past few days, though. Today I keep the 800 at my parents' place in ME and the Deus II and Manticore at my place in MA, that way I always have a good machine ready to go!

Hey all - I'm Brent. I'm "That Guy Again" in most forums since I tend to collect hobbies and pop up all over. Into archery? I'm there. Into metal detecting? I'm there! Into hand carved wooden spoons? Somehow there too. I'm a software engineering director out of the Boston area (Swampscott for those who know the area). I normally hunt beaches with my Deus II but just got a Manticore in the mail today and can't wait to get out with it once I'm through this next week.