Open Metal Detector Project

thingiverse

This is a project started to make a metal detector. I'm using arduino and electronic components from this page: http://hackaday.com/2013/07/25/build-your-own-metal-detector/ I have designed the 3D printable parts. I'm hoping this will gain contributors and ideas so that this project can rival the expensive commercial metal detectors. As of this writing there is a long way to go. The project is hosted at https://solar1.net/drupal/metal_detector Instructions Print the base search coil and the pivot. The male part of the pivot should epoxy into the inside diameter of a 3/4 inch PVC pipe. I bent the handle end of the PVC with a torch for better comfort. The electronics are quite simple right now. Is uses a simple oscillator outlined here: http://dzlsevilgeniuslair.blogspot.dk/2013/07/diy-arduino-based-metal-detector.html The circuit itself is very unstable. I had a hard time keeping the frequency stable enough away from metal to get a reading on anything. I wasn't sure if noise from the Arduino was causing the frequency to shift. If I did manage to get it stable is does pick up metal signals easily. The next version should use a BFO (Beat Freq. Oscillator) or a VLF to become more accurate.