Metal Detector Project Report

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 1
Metal Detector Project Report

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 2
Metal Detector Project Report

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Project Introduction

Metal detector is a very common device that is used for checking persons, luggage or
bags in shopping malls, hotels, cinema halls, etc. to ensure that person is not carrying any
metals or illegal things like guns, bombs etc. Metal Detectors detect the presence of metals.

There are different types of metal detectors like hand held metal detectors, walk through
metal detectors and ground search metal detectors. Metal detectors can be created easily and the
circuit for a basic metal detector is not that complex. In this project, we have designed a simple
DIY type Metal Detector Circuit using very simple components that can be used in our homes
and gardens.

A metal detector is an instrument that detects the presence of metal nearby. Metal
detectors are useful for finding metal inclusions hidden within objects, or metal objects buried
underground. They often consist of a handheld unit with a sensor probe which can be swept
over the ground or other objects. If the sensor comes near a piece of metal this is indicated by a
changing tone in earphones, or a needle moving on an indicator.

Usually the device gives some indication of distance; the closer the metal is, the higher
the tone in the earphone or the higher the needle goes. Another common type are stationary
"walk through" metal detectors used at access points in prisons, courthouses, and airports to
detect concealed metal weapons on a person's body.

1.2 Brief history into metal detectors

Towards the end of the 19th century, many scientists and engineers used their growing
knowledge of electrical theory in an attempt to devise a machine which would pinpoint metal.
The use of such a device to find ore-bearing rocks would give a huge advantage to any miner
Dept. of ECE, APSCE
2020-21 Page 3
Metal Detector Project Report

who employed it. Early machines were crude, used a lot of battery power, and worked only to a
very limited degree. In 1874, Parisian inventor Gustave Trouvé developed a hand-held device
for locating and extracting metal objects such as bullets from human patients. Inspired by
Trouvé, Alexander Graham Bell developed a similar device to attempt to locate a bullet lodged
in the chest of American President James Garfield in 1881; the metal detector worked correctly,
but the attempt was unsuccessful because the metal coil spring bed Garfield was lying on
confused the detector.

Chapter 2

LITURATURE SURVEY

2.1 Metal detector

Author : Manu Mitra

Summary

The main aim of the project is to detect the metal near by to the sensor. Whenever the
metal is brought near the sensor (inductor) a buzzer is produced from the speaker and whenever
the metal is removed the sound is switched off. As the magnetic flux passes through the some
opaque objects such as plastics, cloth, etc., by which we can detect any metal hiding some
objects.

Modification:
It is a very simple circuit to understand. It works on the principle of super Heterodyne. It
consists of two oscillators one is Colpitts oscillator and other has a ceramic filter which is
commonly used in the intermediate frequency sound section in T.V. and both the frequencies
combined to mixer and from the Transistor of the collector is taken out and given the two diodes
known as detector stage and then to IC (TDA 2822) which is a stereo Amplifier which amplifies
to the loud speaker.
Actually, the first oscillator is fixed at 5.5MHz and other oscillator known as Colpitts is
selected to 5.5MHz frequency by using a available capacitor called trimmer. Then the
capacitance is changed by varying the capacitance of the capacitor before varying see that no
metal is in contact with the inductor. After changing the capacitance, the two frequencies are

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 4
Metal Detector Project Report

equal hence there is no sound. When any metal is bought under the contact of the frequency
(Colpitts oscillator) changes. Hence the difference of the frequency is taken and hence there is
an out. This is output is amplified and given to the speaker

2.2 Arduino Based

Author’s name: Ratnesh Kumar and Amulya Niraj Khalko

Summary
The outline and usage of a mobile phone worked metal detector is introduced in this
paper. Presently days, metal recognizing framework are turning out to be imperative part in
securing live and properties of regular citizen and military.

Modification
This metal detector is connected on mobile phone worked vehicle. For this paper, the
metal identifier worked in a way that the metal sensor (Colpitts oscillator) detects any
electrically or metallic object conveyed near it. The metal indicator circuit creates a sound
which can hear to the end client through the cell Phone. The vehicle comprises of arduino
board, a L293D interface circuit, and a motor driving framework. The controlling electronics
are associated with the arduino board. The arduino board sends signs to the interfacing board
L293D that controls the motor driving framework. In the course of a call, if any button is
pressed, a tone corresponding to the button pressed is heard at the other end of the call. This
tone is called `dual-tone multiple-frequency' (DTMF) tone. The vehicle perceives this DTMF
tone with the help of the phone stacked in the vehicle.

2.3 SRPM method

Author’s name: S Yamazaki

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 5
Metal Detector Project Report

Summary
Metal detectors are extensively used to find undesirable metal objects in processed food.
In such a typical metal detector, the coils are coaxially arranged with the transmitting coil in the
center and two receiving coils on the sides. The receiving coils are connected to a differential
amplifier. When the magnetic field generated in the transmitting coil is disturbed by metal
objects, the amplitude and phase of the output voltage of the differential amplifier change, and,
thus, the existence of foreign metal pieces is detected. The relationship between the amplitude
and phase of the output and the electromagnetic properties of the metal objects, however, has
only been discussed experimentally so far.

Modification
The authors have already developed the SRPM method to simultaneously estimate the
electrical and magnetic properties of a spherical sample by vectorially measuring the difference
in the impedance of two circular solenoid coils, one with and the other without a sample. An
attempt is made to theoretically analyze the properties, such as size, conductivity, and
permeability of the metal objects from the output, i.e., amplitude and phase of the metal
detector. Based on this method, an equation to estimate the vector voltage induced in the
receiving coil by the metal object is derived by using a spherical sample to simplify the
analysis.

Chapter 3
BLOCK DIAGRAM

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 6
Metal Detector Project Report

LC Circuit
LC circuit has inductor and capacitor connected in parallel. This circuit starts resonating
when there is same frequency material near to it. The LC circuit charges capacitor and inductor
alternatively. When the capacitor is charged fully, charge is applied to inductor. Inductor starts
charging and when charge across the capacitor is nil, it draws charge from the inductor in
reverse polarity. Then inductor charge is reduced and again the process repeats. Note inductor is
a magnetic field storage device and capacitor is electric field storage device.

Proximity Sensor
The proximity sensor can detect the objects without any physical interference. The
proximity sensor will work same as infrared sensor, proximity also releases a signal, and it will
not give output unless and until there is no change in the reflected back signal. If there is a
change in signal it will detect and give the output accordingly. There are different proximity
sensors for example to detect plastic material we can use capacitive type proximity and for
metals we should use inductive type.

There are three main parts in the metal detector circuit: the LC Circuit, the Proximity
Sensor, output LED and the Buzzer. The coil and the capacitor C1, which are connected in
parallel, will form the LC circuit.

Proximity sensor (TDA0161) is triggered by this LC circuit if any metal is detected. The
Proximity sensor will then turn on the led and produces alarm using buzzer.

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 7
Metal Detector Project Report

Chapter 4
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

4.1 Components Required

• 1 x TDA0161 Proximity Detector IC
• 2 x 47nF Capacitors (Ceramic Capacitor code 473)
• 1 x 1 KΩ Resistor (1/4 Watt)
• 1 x 330 Ω Resistor (1/4 Watt)
• 1 x 100 Ω Resistor (1/4 Watt)

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 8
Metal Detector Project Report

• 1 x 5 KΩ Potentiometer
• 1 x 2N2222A (NPN Transistor)
• 1 x 5V Buzzer
• Coil (copper wire of 26 – 30 AWG is taken and it is wound in to a coil of diameter 5 – 6
cm and 140 – 150 turns)
• Additional Components (for LED)
o 1 x 220 Ω Resistor (1/4 Watt)
o 1 x 5mm LED

4.1.1 Proximity Detector IC

TDA0161 is a Proximity Detector IC manufactured by STMicroelectronics. It can be
used detect metal objects by detecting the slight changes in the high frequency Eddy current
losses.

The TDA0161 IC acts as an oscillator with the help of externally tuned circuit. The
changes in supply current will determine the output signal i.e. current is high when a metal
object is near and it is low when there is no metal object.

TDA0161 has 8 pins and it comes in Dual in – line Package (DIP). The following image
shows the pin diagram of TDA0161 IC.

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 9
Metal Detector Project Report

4.1.2 Capacitors

A ceramic capacitor is the most commonly used capacitor in an electronic circuit. A

ceramic capacitor is used due to its small physical size and large charge storage capability. The
ceramic capacitor gets its name from its use of ceramic as a dielectric medium.

4.1.3 Resistors

A resistor is a passive two-terminal electrical component that implements electrical

resistance as a circuit element. In electronic circuits, resistors are used to reduce current flow,
adjust signal levels, to divide voltages, bias active elements, and terminate transmission lines,
among other uses. High-power resistors that can dissipate many watts of electrical power as
heat may be used as part of motor controls, in power distribution systems, or as test loads
for generators. Fixed resistors have resistances that only change slightly with temperature, time
or operating voltage. Variable resistors can be used to adjust circuit elements (such as a volume
control or a lamp dimmer), or as sensing devices for heat, light, humidity, force, or chemical
activity.

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 10
Metal Detector Project Report

4.1.4 Potentiometer

A potentiometer is a three-terminal resistor with a sliding or rotating contact that forms

an adjustable voltage divider. If only two terminals are used, one end and the wiper, it acts as a
variable resistor or rheostat.

4.1.5 NPN Transistor

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 11
Metal Detector Project Report

A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals and

electrical power. Transistors are one of the basic building blocks of modern electronics. It is
composed of semiconductor material usually with at least three terminals for connection to an
external circuit.

4.1.6 Buzzer
The buzzer is a sounding device that can convert audio signals into sound signals. It is
usually powered by DC voltage. It is widely used in alarms, computers, printers and other
electronic products as sound devices. The buzzer consists of an outside case with two pins to
attach it to power and ground. ... When current is applied to the buzzer it causes the ceramic
disk to contract or expand. Changing the this then causes the surrounding disc to vibrate. That's
the sound that you hear.

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 12
Metal Detector Project Report

4.1.7 Coil
Coil, in an electric circuit, one or more turns, usually roughly circular or cylindrical, of
current-carrying wire designed to produce a magnetic field or to provide electrical resistance or
inductance; in the latter case, a coil is also called a choke coil (see also inductance).

4.1 8 LED
Dept. of ECE, APSCE
2020-21 Page 13
Metal Detector Project Report

Made popular by their efficiency, range of color, and long lifespan, LED lights are ideal
for numerous applications including night lighting, art lighting, and outdoor lighting. These
lights are also commonly used in electronics and automotive industries, and for signage, along
with many other uses.

4.2 Circuit Explanation

• When the LC circuit that is L1 and C1 has got any resonating frequency from any metal
which is near to it, electric field will be created which will lead to induces current in the
coil and changes in the signal flow through the coil.
• Variable resistor is used to change the proximity sensor value equal to the LC circuit, it is
better to check the value when there is coil not near to the metal. When the metal is
detected the LC circuit will have changed signal. The changed signal is given to the
proximity detector (TDA 0161), which will detect the change in the signal and react
accordingly. The output of the proximity sensor will be of 1mA when there is no metal
detected and it will be around 10mA when coil is near to the metal
• When the output pin is high the resistor R3 will provide positive voltage to transistor Q1.
Q1 will be turned on and led will glow and buzzer will give the buzz. Resistor r2 is used
to limit the current flow.

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 14
Metal Detector Project Report

Chapter 5
WORKING

5.1 Function
The LC Circuit, which consists of L1 (coil) and C1, is the main metal detector part of the
circuit. With the help of this LC Circuit, which is also called as Tank Circuit or Tuned Circuit,
the TDA0161 IC acts as an oscillator and oscillates at a particular frequency.

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 15
Metal Detector Project Report

When the LC circuit detects any resonating frequency from any metal which is near to it,
electric field will be created which will lead to induces current in the coil and changes in the
signal flow through the coil.

Variable resistor is used to change the proximity sensor value equal to the LC circuit, it is
better to check the value when the coil is not near any metal object. When the metal is detected,
the LC circuit will have changed signal.

The changed signal is given to the proximity detector (TDA 0161), which will detect the
change in the signal and react accordingly. The output of the proximity sensor will less than
1mA when there is no metal detected and it will be around 10mA (usually greater than 8mA)
when coil is near to the metal.

When the output pin is high, the resistor R3 will provide positive voltage to transistor Q1.
Q1 will be turned on and LED will glow (not shown in the circuit) and buzzer will be activated.

5.2 Anatomy of a Metal Detector

A typical metal detector is light-weight and consists of just a few parts:

Stabilizer (optional) - used to keep the unit steady as you sweep it back and forth

Control box - contains the circuitry, controls, speaker, batteries and the microprocessor

Shaft - connects the control box and the coil; often adjustable so you can set it at a comfortable
level for your height

Search coil - the part that actually senses the metal; also known as the "search head," "loop" or
"antenna"

Most systems also have a jack for connecting headphones, and some have the control box
below the shaft and a small display unit above.

Operating a metal detector is simple. Once you turn the unit on, you move slowly over
the area you wish to search. In most cases, you sweep the coil (search head) back and forth over
the ground in front of you. When you pass it over a target object, an audible signal occurs. More
Dept. of ECE, APSCE
2020-21 Page 16
Metal Detector Project Report

advanced metal detectors provide displays that pinpoint the type of metal it has detected and
how deep in the ground the target object is located.

Metal detectors use one of three technologies:

• Very low frequency (VLF)

• Pulse induction (PI)
• Beat-frequency oscillation (BFO)

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 17
Metal Detector Project Report

Chapter 6
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

6.1 Advantages

• The Proximity Detector IC TDA0161 based Metal Detector Circuit is a very

simple and easy to construct metal detector that can be used to detect small metals
in our homes, offices and gardens.
• There is need for any microcontroller as the Proximity Sensor will be sufficient to
implement the project.
• Metal detectors have the ability to scan for all types of metals in products,
magnetic (steel, iron) or non-magnetic (aluminum, Brass, Copper).
• Metal detectors are mainly used for security purpose in airport, college, office
building etc.

6.2 Disadvantages
It is not safe with people who had to get a pacemaker or replacement such as knee
replacement.

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 18
Metal Detector Project Report

Chapter 7
APPLICATION

7.1 Security Screening

A series of aircraft hijackings led the United States in 1972 to adopt metal detector
technology to screen airline passengers, initially using magnetometers that were originally
designed for logging operations to detect spikes in trees.[20] The Finnish
company Outokumpu adapted mining metal detectors in the 1970s, still housed in a large
cylindrical pipe, to make a commercial walk-through security detector.[21] The development of
these systems continued in a spin-off company and systems branded as Metor Metal
Detectors evolved in the form of the rectangular gantry now standard in airports. In common
with the developments in other uses of metal detectors both alternating current and pulse
systems are used, and the design of the coils and the electronics has moved forward to improve
the discrimination of these systems. In 1995 systems such as the Metor 200 appeared with the
ability to indicate the approximate height of the metal object above the ground, enabling
security personnel to more rapidly locate the source of the signal. Smaller hand held metal
detectors are also used to locate a metal object on a person more precisely.

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 19
Metal Detector Project Report

7.2 Food industries

Metal detectors for food primarily are used for the purpose of consumer protection.
Despite maximum care metallic contaminations of food products during the production process
cannot be fully excluded. Metal particles that enter the product during the production process or
already are contained in the raw material may cause serious injuries of consumers. The
consequences for the producing company are numerous and serious and include compensation
claims and expensive recalls. Even bigger and longer-lasting damage is caused by the negative
brand image and the loss of consumer trust caused by impure food products.

Metal detectors for food provide effective protection against ferrous and non-ferrous
metals (aluminium, stainless steel, etc.). They can be installed in every step of the production
process and can be used for many different applications, e.g. for the inspection of bread and
bakery products, meat and sausage product, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, spices, sugar, etc.

In addition to consumer protection, metal detectors also are used to protect machinery.
Even smallest metal particles can lead to machinery failure. Expensive repairs and production
downtimes are the consequences, often followed by revenue decreases.

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 20
Metal Detector Project Report

7.3 Archeology or geographical prospecting

Metal detectors are widely used in archaeology with the first recorded use by military
historian Don Rickey in 1958 that used one to detect the firing lines at Little Big Horn.
However archaeologists oppose the use of metal detectors by "artifact seekers" or "site looters"
whose activities disrupt archaeological sites.[6] The problem with use of metal detectors in
archaeological sites or hobbyist who find objects of archeological interest is that the context that
the object was found in is lost and no detailed survey of its surroundings is made. Outside of
known sites the significance of objects may not be apparent to a metal detector hobbyist.

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 21
Metal Detector Project Report

7.4 Construction industries

In civil engineering, special metal detectors (cover meters) are used to
locate reinforcement bars inside walls. American metal finders are a term that refer to the
devices and equipment or instruments made by American companies or manufacturers , that can
be used to find or detect metal objects nearby or buried underground such as silver or golden
coins or small jewelry like rings or collars and so on. Metal finders' more accurate term is:
Metal Detectors, as the metal detector's main function is to detect the presence of metal objects
including for example underground buried metal targets such as gold treasures, bronze
statues, archaeological artifacts made of different metal types.

The most common type of metal detector is a hand-held metal detector or coil-based
detectors that use a oval-shaped plastic disks with built-in coils made of copper usually, the
search coil works as sensor probe and must be swept or moved over the ground to detect the
potential metal targets buried underground, when the search coil detect a metal object the device
give a feedback as an acoustic feedback as changed audio tone via speaker or earphone, and in
most metal detectors the feedback is an analog or digital indicator as a unique number called
Target ID based on target metal type.

These metal detectors first invented and manufactured commercially in USA in twentieth
century by Fisher Labs in 1930s then other companies like Garrett established and developed
the metal detectors in terms of technology and features in following decades to reach the current
form of metal detector that is common in use by hobbyists and treasure hunters or gold
prospectors.

Skilled prospectors have put their confidence in American metal detectors due to the high
quality of their industry and low cost of production, they are known all over the world.

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 22
Metal Detector Project Report

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 23
Metal Detector Project Report

Chapter 8
CONCLUSION

Overall, we successfully reached our goal and created a circuit that has good potential
applications for the real world. The metal detector circuit is already used for different kinds of
things. One example of an important use for a metal detector is for airport security. In the
process of creating the circuit, both team members learned more in depth about the operation of
LRC circuits. It was a very educational experience to build the circuit and learn the theoretical
side of the circuit. There were some problems along the way but the team was able to address
the issues and continued forward. In conclusion, the team created a functioning metal detector
circuit successfully and gained valuable experience along the way.

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 24
Metal Detector Project Report

Chapter 9
FUTURE SCOPE
The future of the metal detector market looks attractive with opportunities in the
government, commercial, consumer, food & beverage, pharmaceutical, and textile
industries. The metal detector market is expected to reach an estimated $1.6 billion by 2022
and is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.1% from 2017 to 2022. The major growth drivers for
this market are rapidly increasing terrorism activities, expansion in infrastructure, and
increasing stringency in government compliances in various sectors to maintain high level of
security and safety. Emerging trends, which have a direct impact on the dynamics of the
metal detector industry, include increasing trend towards advancement in metal detector
technology for superior performance and growing use of metal detectors in new applications
such as sports and medical applications.

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 25
Metal Detector Project Report

References

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 26
Metal Detector Project Report

Dept. of ECE, APSCE

2020-21 Page 27