HOW TO MAKE A METAL DETECTOR 1

Building your own metal detector is an ideal school, college, or hobby project. Requiring very little
skill or equipment. 

Build with confidence this project  is completely free, costs nothing, is guaranteed to work, and has
been built by thousands worldwide .
Simple BFO metal detector 

BFO ( beat frequency oscillator ) metal detectors use two oscillators, each of which produces a radio
frequency. One of these oscillators uses a coil of wire that we call the search loop. The second oscillator uses a
much smaller coil of wire, and is usually inside the control box and is called the reference oscillator. By
adjusting the oscillators so their frequencies are very nearly the same, the difference between them is made
audible as a beat note, this beat note changes slightly when the search loop is moved over or near to a piece of
metal. It has been found in practice best to make the search oscillator fixed say at 100khz and to arrange for
the reference oscillator to be adjustable 100khz plus or minus 250hz. This gives a beat note of 250hz to 0 to
250hz. The beat note disappears or nulls when the two oscillators are about equal. This type of detector is
most sensitive when the beat note is close to zero, about 5hz ( motor boating ) any slight change being
noticeable.

Parts list

Power source:
Any 9v battery PP3 is ideal.

Capacitors:
2 off  220uF 16v electrolytic.
5 off  .01uF polyester.
5 off  .1uF polyester.

Resistors:
All resistors 1/4 watt 5%
6 off  10k
1 off  1K
1 off  2.2m ===== 2.2 Mega ohm
2 off  39k
Transistors:
All BC 184B, or 2N3904, or 2N2222A. Just about any small signal npn with a gain of 250+ will do.
There are hundreds to choose from.

Audio output:
A 2.5 inch 8 ohm speaker will work but headphones or earpiece are preferable the higher the
impedance the better.

Many of the above parts could be salvaged from a broken transistor radio, or purchased from
companies like Maplin Electronics, Radio Shack, or Digikey whos adds often appear at the top of
this page..

Once the components have been obtained the circuit can be built in a few hours using copper clad
stripboard, or if you the facilities make a printed circuit board using the layout below. The original
layout as below should print out at about 50mm x 100mm. Coils
This is the only tricky part. The search loop is best wound on to a plywood former. Method 1: Cut
three circles from some 3mm plywood, one 15cm diameter and two 16cm diameter. Using wood
glue make a sandwich with the 15cm circle in the center. When the glue has set you can wind 10
turns of . 25 mm  enameled copper wire around the groove in the edge of the former. Connect this
coil when finished to the points marked coil 1 on the schematic.  Method 2: Cut a 16mm diameter
circle from some 10mm plywood. Then with this circle clamped in a vice run a saw around the edge
of the circle so as to make a slot about 5mm deep and 2mm wide around the edge to accommodate
the windings. If you have access to an oscilloscope or frequency counter make a note of the
frequency. Ideally This coil will be oscillating at about 104khz, with an amplitude of about .5v p to
p.  The second or reference oscillator needs to be made much smaller and if possible attached to the
control box so it can be adjusted as the detector is used. To make a really good adjustable reference
oscillator you will have to visit a DIY store, what you need are  some plastic water fittings, two
examples are shown below. The smaller one is the inlet pipe to a plastic ball valve assembly fitted
with a brass nut. The larger one is a plastic tank connector fitted with a brass nut from an old tap.
Both of these work well and are glued to the control box in a position where they can be adjusted.
The reference coil itself is wound on a piece of wood or plastic about 10/12mm diameter and about
50mm long  The actual number of turns of this coil depends on the diameter of the former and can
only be found by experiment. Start with about 125 turns . 25 enameled copper wire ( this coil when
finished has to fit inside the plastic tube ) and remove turns until the two frequencies are close. This
coil is attached to the circuit board at points marked coil 2. If all is well the detector should be
howling at this point. When the two oscillators are well matched it should be possible by adjusting
the brass nut in or out to bring the beat note to a halt or null.

Note. On the working detector shown in these pictures we wound 10 turns on to the searchcoil which then
oscillated at 104 khz Then we wound on to a piece of 12mm dia x 50mm long  wooden dowel ( taken from a bird
cage ) 120 turns of wire. This was pushed inside a  threaded plastic tube from a ball valve assembly. This
oscillated at 96 khz without the brass nut and increased gradually as the brass nut was screwed on up to 106 khz.
This was perfect for tuning the detector.

Searchcoil  made from 10mm thick plywood

The reference coil is wound on to a piece of wooden dowel about 12mm diameter x 50mm long. This has to fit
inside the Plastic pipe fitting above, and is tuned by moving the Brass nut. Drill a very small hole 1mm through
each end of the wooden dowel so that you can pass the beginning and end of the wire through these holes to keep
the windings in place.

This large coil is 30cm wide by 60cm long ( 12 inches by 24 inches ) and is made from 10mm plywood. It has 5
turns of wire in a 3mm deep groove cut around the edge with a saw. it oscillates at 104 khz . If you want to
make different size coils start with the big one, as with only 5 turns you can only alter it in big jumps eg. 4
turns = 115 khz and 6 turns = 85khz . next make the reference coil to match. next make the next smallest coil
and so on. The smaller coils  are easier to match up as adding or removing a turn at a time only alters the
frequency in small amounts

Building a practical detector.

Building a practical detector for outdoor use will depend on the skills and materials at your
disposal. The golden rule is keep it lightweight, avoid using heavy materials such as hardwood or
perspex. The round search loop needs to be glued to some sort of handle, with the circuit board
inside a small box at the other end for balance. You will need to adjust the reference oscillator from
time to time when in use. 
 Coil A = Search coil: Coil B = Reference coil: NC = No connection: B+ = Battery + 9V PP3 or similar : B- =
battery -

Notes for the electronics beginner.

2 off 220uf / 16v Electrolytic : These are 220 microfarad / 16v working voltage. You can use a higher working
voltage but not less. Higher working voltage capacitors work just the same but they get physically bigger. They have
a negative lead that must be connected to the battery - track. These components must go in the correct way round.

5 off .1 and .01 polyester : These also have a working voltage. 63 volt in quite common and will be ideal. If you
want to use the pcb layout above you will need capacitors with 5mm lead spacing.     .1 can be marked as .1 or 100n
or sometimes 104 :   .01 can be marked as .01 or 10n or sometimes 103. These components can go in any way
round.
All resistors 1/4 watt 5%: These are general purpose carbon film resistors with a 5% tolerance and rated at 1/4
watt. You could use resistors of a higher wattage as this does not affect the working they just get bigger. 1 watt or
bigger will not fit on the board. These components can go in any way round.

Transistors: The bc 184b transistor is described has Audio, low current, general purpose NPN . These are quite
easy to get in the UK but may be difficult to get in other countries. There are hundreds of types of small plastic NPN
transistors available around the world and just about all will work in this circuit. You will have to be sure of the
pinouts though. You can get the pinouts for most transistors from manufacturers websites. This will be
the most likely problem area when building this project. These components must be connected correctly.
PNP types won't work.

Other Transistors: 2N 3904 --2N2222A --BC183--most small npn transistors will work

Frequently asked questions.

Q. On the circuit diagram above there is a point marked NC what does NC mean.

A. NC means I am really crap at drawing diagrams. At the point marked NC two wires cross and there is "no
connection" NC between these wires. One day I will put a better diagram up. when I get round to it. 

Q. I know nothing about electronics, but like to make things, and have always been fascinated by those little
electronic components that look like sweets. I have no equipment, but I am prepared to sod about with this
for days on end until it works. Do you think I will get it going .

A. Well if you have little knowledge of electronics, and no equipment it will be difficult, but hundreds of people like
you have done it. You need to keep to the plans exactly and have a bit if luck with it. Resist the temptation to alter
things and add stuff like a meter or a pilot light. Whatever happens it won't cost you much and at the end you will
know something about electronics.

Q. I am making this detector for my school course work project can you send me a detailed explanation with
diagrams how it works.

A. Would love to but don't have the time.

Q. How many meters down can I detect a single Gold coin with this detector.

A. None. For a single coin its about 120 mm if you are lucky. A bit more for larger objects.

Q. I built it but I cant get it to work.

A. Well it does work and usually straight away. The most likely reasons for not working would be. Transistor of the
wrong type eg. PNP, or connected wrong. Wrong pinouts. Stripboard  can be used but be careful not to get solder
bridges across the tracks. If the search coil and reference coil are way off frequency you won't get any sound.
Q. What is the best size for the searchcoil.

A. The bigger the coil the deeper it goes. But big coils are no good for small objects like coins and rings. The 16 cm
coil is just about perfect for coins and rings.

Q. Is it OK to use a metal shaft and bracket down to to searchcoil.

A. Any metal near or on the coil will effect the frequency, you must take this into account when you wind the coil.
A small ally bracket will not make a lot of difference. If you use a metal pole and it moves as you are detecting it
will alter the tuning.

Q. Can I buy a kit of parts from you for this project.

A. No we don't sell anything to do with this project.

Q. Our son wants to build this detector for a school exam project, could you build it for him and send it to us.

A. No tell him cheats never prosper.    ( trouble is cheats do prosper ) .

Email           Saxons#Easytreasure.co.uk   Please include name and location e.g.  John from Alabama

Please put Metal Detector in the subject box

#=@

If you are successful with this project send us an email, small picture would be nice but not essential.

From Transylvania

A Probe
 Another Probe

GOOD LUCK
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 DjChYnO

Metal Detector Project Circuit

Hey guys,

For my Projects class, I am planning on buolding a metal detector. I have found the schematic diagram on Metal
Detector For this class it does not have to be orginal, the project can be taken from the internet. I have a few
questions regarding this schematic diagram. There is a small arrow connected from the Emitter of the T3 to the 10n
Capacitor C4. What does this arrow mean?
Also does anybody know if this website or this scehmatic diagram is legit before I order the parts?

Thank you.

 22nd January 2010 09:44 AM #2

It appears to me that the arrow is simply indicating signal flow as right to left in that particular wire, which is
different from the remaining circuit's left to right. You would do well to try and locate the "unknown source" that
this schematic was "borrowed" from.

That website is well known. In this circuit I see many problems. I don't have time to find all of them, so here is a
sample.

1) The most critical component is the coil L1. The text says 15 turns and the schematic says 20 turns. I suppose
either will work, but VC1 will be different. I would try 15 turns first.
2) VC1 is 0-22pF. A 0pF minimum is unnecessary, and it would be a difficult to find part. With a 15 turn coil, the
nominal setting for VC1 is about 18pF, so a 5-15pF part in parallel with a 5 or 10pF fixed capacitor will be easier to
find and easier to adjust.
3) The 4 inch coil and 5.5MHz operating frequency will give a very limited detection distance. Might be good for
finding nails in the wall, behind the plaster.
4) The oscillator V+ should be regulated and isolated from the audio amplifier. Otherwise zero beat will interact
with the audio, since the audio amplifier can draw a few hundred mA.
5) R2 value (330R) is wrong. It would prevent T1 from ever conducting. Maybe it's 330K.
6) C11 and C13 are basically in parallel. VR1/C11/C13 low pass frequency varies from infinity to 5kHz with the
volume setting.
7) The power bypass capacitors C1 and C14 are unlikely to be effective at the 5.5MHz operating frequency. The
detection oscillator will tend to lock on the ceramic filter's frequency. The circuit needs a few 0.1uF (100n) caps to
filter the oscillator V+.
Last edited by mneary; 22nd January 2010 at 09:45 AM.
de KI6RWX

 23rd January 2010 01:13 AM #3

Might try this site PROJECTS Scroll down, you'll find a half dozen or so metal detector circuits and projects.
Chemelec is also a member here. All his projects a well documented, and very detailed. Worth a look, even if you
want to stick to your current circuit.

 23rd January 2010 02:44 AM #4

Thank you very much but I found a very simple and more understandable schematic circuit.
HOW TO MAKE A METAL DETECTOR

I'm going to order the parts at Allied Electronics it all came up to $10 including shipping.
That's the circuit, and it looks very similar to the previous circuit. Thanks guys, and I would appreciate some
feedback on this new circuit I found; hopefully it will work.