‫بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم‬

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF

A METAL DETECTOR

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO
University of Khartoum
In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of
B.Sc (HONS) Electrical and Electronic Engineering
(POWER SYSTEMS ENGINEERING)
Faculty of engineering
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

By
MAHALB OSMAN MUSTAFA KHALAF ALLA

Supervisor:
Dr. Kamal Ramadan

July 2011
Declaration of originality

I declare that this report entitled ''Metal Detector'' is my own work except as cited in the
references. The report has not been accepted for any degree and is not being submitted
concurrently in candidature for any degree or other award.

Signature: _________________________
Name: ____________________________
Date: _____________________________

II
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Firstly I want to say that without my family encouragement and
Supporting I would never finish my study and go forward do
Great thanks to them MY MOTHER, MY FATHER, MY BROTHERS
& MY SISTERS.

All teaching staff of electrical and electronics engineering

Department for their great support among my study period
Especially Dr. KAMAL RAMDHAN

All my colleagues during my student live

III
Dedication

TO MY DEAR FAMILY
TO MY TEACHERS
TO MY COLLEAGUES

IV
Abstract:

This project aims to design, simulate, and construct a simple and cheap metal detector.
This metal detector was implemented using LC colpitts oscillator.
The background information of the history and uses of metal detectors ,basic elements of
metal detectors and the theory behind how a basic colpitts oscillator metal detector works are
presented as well as the design criteria for the constructed metal detector.The simulation was
done using workbench simulation software and the simulation results are presented in this thesis.
The metal detector circuit was successfully constructed. This detector was capable of
detecting metal near to its region. The performance and limitation of this metal detector are
discussed in this thesis.

‫المستخلص‬

‫ وقذ تن‬. ‫ هذاكاة وبٌاء جهاس كاشف هعادى بسيط التزكيب ورخيص التكلفه‬,‫يهذف هذا الوشزوع إلى تصوين‬
‫ وكذلك‬, ‫ الوعلىهات التاريخيه عي جهاس كاشف الوعاى‬.‫استخذام هذبذات كىلبت في تصوين هذا الجهاس‬
‫الوكىًات االساسيه للجهاس وطزيقه عوله وكذلك ًظزيه عول هذبذات الكىلبت تن تقذيوها في التقزيز العام عي‬
‫) كوا هىضخ‬Electronic workbench( ‫ وقذ توت هذاكاة الجهاس باستخذام بزًاهج الوذاكاة‬.‫الوشزوع‬
. ‫في التقزيز‬

‫ وقذ توكي الجهاس هي الكشف عي الوعادى في الوٌطقه الوذيطه بولف‬. ‫تن تٌفيذ الجهاس بٌجاح‬
‫ وكذلك توت هٌاقشه خصائص التصوين واداء الجهاس وهساده عوله ودقه وضىح ًتائجه في هذا‬,‫الكاشف‬
.‫التقزيز‬

V
Table of Contents

Declaration of originality....................................................................................................II
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT............................................................................................... III
DEDICATION................................................................................................................. IV
Abstract……...................................................................................................................... V
‫المستخلص‬...............................................................................................................................V
TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................. VI
LIST OF FIGURES...................................................................................................….VIII

Chapter 1: Introduction………………………………………………..………………………..2

1.1 Background……………………………………………………….…………………..2
1.2 Metal uses………………………………………………………….………………….2
1.3 Project aim………………………………………………….……………………...….3
1.4 Metal detector uses………………………………………………………………...….3
1.5 metal detectors technologies……………………………………………………….....3
1.5.1 Very low frequency (VLF)…………………………………………………3
1.5.2 Pulse induction (PI)……………………………………...…………………4
1.5.3 Beat-frequency oscillation (BFO)………………………...………………..4
1.5.4 RF oscillators……………………………………………………...………..4
1. 6 Report Structure…………………………………………………..…………………5

Chapter 2: literature Review…………………………………………………….……………..7

2.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………..7
2.2 History ……………………………………………………………………………….7
2.2.1 The Pioneer…………………………………………………………………7
2.2.2 The induction balance………………………………………………………8
2.2.3 Discrimination………………………………………………..……………..8
2.3 The wireless age………………………………………………………...……………10
2.4 Further refinements……………………………………………………...……..………….11
2.5 principles of operation of metal detectors……………………………………………….11

Chapter 3: Elements of metal detector………………………………………………………..14

3.1 Introduction………………………………………………………….………………….14
3.2 Search coil…………………………………………………………………...……….14
3.2.1 Search coil basics…………………………………………..………………14
3.2.2 Principles of operation of search coil………………………...…………….14
3.2.3 Search coil depth……………………………………………...……………15
3.3 Types of search coil………………………………………………...………………..15
3.3.1 Concentric search coil...................................................................................15
3.3.2 Mono search coil...........................................................................................16
3.3.3 Imaging search coil.......................................................................................16
3.3.4 Double-D search coil....................................................................................16
3.3.5 Two-box search coil.....................................................................................17

VI
 3.4 Sizes and shapes of search coil....................................................................................18
3.4.1 Smallest search coils.....................................................................................18
3.4.2 Small search coils.........................................................................................18
3.4.3 Medium search coils.....................................................................................19
3.4.4 Large search coils.........................................................................................19
3.5 Factors that affect the choosing of metal detectors……………………..………..….20
3.5.1 Depth............................................................................................................20
3.5.2 Sensitivity.....................................................................................................20
3.5.3 Discrimination...............................................................................................21
3.5.4 Ground balance.............................................................................................21
3.5.5 Coil types......................................................................................................21

Chapter 4: Design & Construction of the metal detector……………………………………23

4.1 Construction of the circuit...........................................................................................23
4.2 Design..........................................................................................................................23
4.2.1 Main circuit (Colpitts Oscillator circuit)……………………………..….…23
4.2.2 Indicator circuit.............................................................................................25
4.3 Block diagram..............................................................................................................26
4.4 Simulation....................................................................................................................27
4.4.1 When there is no other field near to the metal detector………...……….…27
4.4.2 When there is another field near to the metal detector……………...……..27
4.5 Methodology................................................................................................................28

Chapter 5: Discussion &conclusion………………………………………………………..…..32

5.1 Discussion....................................................................................................................32
5.2 Conclusion...................................................................................................................33
5.3 futures work.................................................................................................................33

References………………………………………………………………….…………...………34
Appendix A: flow chart of working mechanism…………………………..………..…...……37

Appendix B: derivation of colpitts oscillator frequency………………………..………..…..38

VII
List of figures:
Figure 2.1 metal detector………………………………………………..……………….…...…..7
Figure 2.2 Fox method for finding metals. ……………………………...…………...…..……....7
Figure 2.3 a person using induction balance. ………………………………………..…………..8
Figure 2.4 winding of the metal detector. …………………………….………………..…..……11
Figure 3.1 search coil. ………………………………………………….………………………..14
Figure 3.2 Depth of search coil. ………………………………………….…………….…..……15
Figure 3.3 concentric search coil…………………………………………………………...…....15
Figure 3.4 Mono search coil...………………………………………………………….…..……16
Figure 3.5 imaging search coil.……………………………………………….……………...…..16
Figure 3.6 Double-D search coil.…………………………………………..……………..……...16
Figure 3.7 2-Box search coil.………………………………………………….…………..……..17
Figure 3.8 Smallest search coil.…………………… …………………..………………………..18
Figure 3.9 small search coil.…………………………… …………………………………...…..18
Figure 3.10 Medium search coil.………………………………………………………….……..19
Figure 3.11 Large search coil.………………………………………………….………………..19
Figure 4.1 Colpitts circuit..………………………………………………………..……………..24
Figure 4.2 the main circuit.…………………………………………………………………..…..24
Figure 4.3 Indicator circuit..……………………………………………………………………..25
Figure 4.4 Block diagram..………………………………………………………..……………..26
Figure 4.5 No metal circuit.……………………...……………………………………… ……...27
Figure 4.6 There a metal circuit..……………………….………………………………………..27
Figure 4.7 Metal detector circuit.…………………….…………………………………………..28
Figure 4.8 Circuit result when there is no metal near to the search coil………………………....29
Figure 4.9 Circuit result when there is a metal near to the search coil………………………..…30

VIII
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Background

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 detect metal.
The use of such a device to find ore-bearing rocks would give a huge advantage to any miner
who employed it. The German physicist Heinrich Wilhelm Dove invented the induction
balance system, which was incorporated into metal detectors a hundred years later. Early
machines were crude, used a lot of battery power, and worked only to a very limited degree.

For the last century the percentage of criminals increase and the lost people was increase due
to this crimes ant these criminals was used a metallic weapons to kill their victims, so it has
become very necessary to prevent gunmen, knife men, kidnappers and suicide bombers from
gaining access into sensitive and highly populated public places such as hotels, banks,
airports, stadium, theaters, government and business headquarters. Since many of the deadly
weapons used by these societal miscreants are made from combinations/synthesis of metallic
materials, one effective way to stop these hardened and determined criminals in their track is
the installation and use of metal detectors in these strategic public places. These detectors help
to identify and confirm the presence of metallic objects on persons, luggages and
consignments, thus assisting security operatives to sort these individuals and luggages and
determine if the metallic objects on them are for safe or harmful use. This has helped to arrest
and stop potential killers, terrorists and similar criminals.[1]

1.2 Metal uses

The strength and resilience of metals has led to their frequent use in high-rise building
and bridge construction, as well as most vehicles, many appliances, tools, pipes, non-
illuminated signs and railroad tracks.

Metals are good conductors, making them valuable in electrical appliances and for
carrying an electric current over a distance with little energy lost. Electrical power grids rely
on metal cables to distribute electricity. Home electrical systems, for the most part, are wired
with copper wire for its good conducting properties.

The thermal conductivity of metal is useful for containers to heat materials over a
flame. Metal is also used for heat sinks to protect sensitive equipment from overheating.

Some metals have specialized uses; radioactive metals such as uranium and plutonium
are used in nuclear power plants to produce energy via nuclear fission. Mercury is a liquid at
room temperature and is used in switches to complete a circuit when it flows over the switch
contacts. Shape memory alloy is used for applications such as pipes, fasteners and vascular
stents.[2]

2
Chapter 1 Introduction
1.3 Project Aim

The aim of this project was to create a circuit that was capable of detecting metal. It
had to be battery powered or power supply, and use a commonly available and understood
design. In addition to this, the circuit design had to be relatively simple and compact so as to
fit on a size limited Printed Circuit Board (PCB) board.

1.4 Metal detector uses

A typical metal detector used for detecting buried coins, gold, or landmines consists of
a circular horizontal coil assembly held just above the ground. Other uses of more specialized
metal detectors include usage in medicine, security etc. Metal detectors have been used for
diagnostic purposes since 1881. They have been utilized to localize a myriad of foreign
objects including bullets, intraocular metallic fragments, swallowed coins and other foreign
bodies and medical devices. Rapid detection of metallic objects may facilitate diagnosis or
treatment. Metal detectors are diagnostically useful because of their low expense, lack of
radiation exposure and ease of use. Other uses include demining (the detection of land mines),
the detection of weapons such as knives and guns, especially at airports, geophysical
prospecting, archaeology and 'treasure hunting'. Metal detectors are also used to detect foreign
bodies in food, and in the construction industry to detect steel reinforcing bars in concrete and
pipes and wires buried in walls and floors. Metal detectors are finding applications all over
the place as the ability to detect certain types of materials at a distance become ever more
crucial.[2]

1.5 Metal detectors technologies

i) Very low frequency (VLF).
ii) Pulse induction (PI).
iii) Beat-frequency oscillation (BFO).
iv) RF Oscillation.

1.5.1 VLF Technology

Very low frequency (VLF), also known as induction balance, is probably the most
popular detector technology in use today. In a VLF metal detector, there are two
distinct coils:

Transmitter coil – This is the outer coil loop. Within it is a coil of wire. Electricity is
sent along this wire, first in one direction and then in the other, thousands of times
each second. The number of times that the current’s direction switches each second
establishes the frequency of the unit. Receiver coil – This inner coil loop contains
another coil of wire. This wire acts as an antenna to pick up and amplify frequencies
coming from target objects in the ground.

3
Chapter 1 Introduction
The current moving through the transmitter coil creates an electromagnetic field,
which is like what happens in an electric motor. The polarity of the magnetic field is
perpendicular to the coil of wire. Each time the current changes direction, the polarity
of the magnetic field changes. This means that if the coil of wire is parallel to the
ground, the magnetic field is constantly pushing down into the ground and then
pulling back out of it.

1.5.2 PI Technology

A less common form of metal detector is based on pulse induction (PI). Unlike VLF,
PI systems may use a single coil as both transmitter and receiver, or they may have
two or even three coils working together. This technology sends powerful, short bursts
(pulses) of current through a coil of wire. Each pulse generates a brief magnetic field.
When the pulse ends, the magnetic field reverses polarity and collapses very suddenly,
resulting in a sharp electrical spike. This spike lasts a few microseconds (millionths of
a second) and causes another current to run through the coil. This current is called the
reflected pulse and is extremely short, lasting only about 30 microseconds. Another
pulse is then sent and the process repeats. A typical PI-based metal detector sends
about 100 pulses per second, but the number can vary greatly based on the
manufacturer and model, ranging from a couple of dozen pulses per second to over a
thousand. Pulse Induction detectors are now widely used in the construction industry.

1.5.3 Beat-frequency oscillation (BFO)

Beat-frequency oscillation is the most basic type of metal detector. The BFO type or
(two-button system -- off/on/tuning and volume control) transmits a beat frequency
radio signal that is balanced by tuning the detector until a slight sound is heard
through the speaker or headphones. This type of detector uses two coils: one large coil
in the search head and a smaller coil in the control box. Each coil is connected to an
oscillator which generates a steady frequency, with each coil having a slightly different
frequency. This difference in frequencies will cause a steady "beat" which can be
picked up by the receiver in the control box. Any metal or mineral in range of the
signal will interfere with the frequency in the search coil, causing a change in the
duration and tone of the beat frequency.

1.5.4 RF Oscillation

Resonant-frequency oscillation is the simplest type of metal detector. It operation is

executed by only one coil, here the main circuit of the metal detector is producing a
range of frequencies depend on it component (resistances, capacitances,
indudactances), and this arrangement produce a certain output voltage and frequency.
When existence of a metallic object (magnetic object) this change the circuit output by
changing the inductance of the circuit by the principle of magnetic and this change is
made as indicator in detecting the metal, this change is made as indicator by firstly
connect the main circuit with other circuit (indicator circuit) when their no change in
the output frequency and voltage the indicator gives nothings as output but when a
change occur this change is translated as sound (speaker weeping) or light(LED
lighting) in indicator circuit.[3]

4
Chapter 1 Introduction
1.6 Report Structure:

This report consists of five chapters which contain:

 Chapter 1: Introduction
This chapter contains general information about the project such as project
aim and project importance.
 Chapter 2: literature review
This chapter contains history of metal detectors and its development since
invention until now.
 Chapter 3: Elements of metal detector
This chapter contains the basic elements of metal detectors and their types.
 Chapter 4: design and construction of metal detector
This chapter contains the design parameters of the constructed metal detector
and methodology used in addition to simulation results.
 Chapter 5: Discussion and conclusion

This chapter contains discussion of performance of the constructed metal detector,

project conclusion and updates which could be applied

5
CHAPTER 2
Literature Review
Chapter 2 literature Review

Chapter 2: literature Review

2.1 Introduction

A metal detector is a device which responds to metal

that may not be readily apparent.

The simplest form of a metal detector consists of an

oscillator producing an alternating current that passes
through a coil producing an alternating magnetic field.
If a piece of electrically conductive metal is close to the
coil, eddy currents will be induced in the metal, and
this produces an alternating magnetic field of its own. If another coil is used to measure the
magnetic field (acting as a magnetometer), the change in the magnetic field due to the
metallic object can be detected.

A gold metal detector for example to locate gold underground figure 2.1 shows a gold
detector. There are many types of metal detectors with varying degrees of refinement and
complexity but they all operate on the same basic principle.[2]

2.2 History

2.2.1 The Pioneer

If anyone could be regarded as the inventor

of metal detectors, he will be English
geologist and mining engineer R. W. Fox. It
was Fox who first discovered that electricity
will flow through metallic ores as well as
solid metal objects. He devised a simple
metal locator which consisted of nothing
more than a battery, several metal rods and
a suitable length of wire.

7
Chapter 2 literature Review
His first method of detection was as follows: one metal rod would be driven into the
earth where the suspected vein of ore was located; it was connected to one terminal of
the battery, as shown in figure 2.2.

The other battery terminal was connected to a floating wire. Other metal rods were
driven into the ground at several different points and successively touched with the
floating wire. Where a spark occurred, it was an indication that metal was present.
Circa 1870, this device was modified to two rods insulated from each other in a
common probe and connected via battery to a bell and plunged into the earth. When
contact was made by metallic ore, nugget or metal pipe, the bell rang, thus indicating
the presence of a conductive object.[4]

2.2.2 The induction balance

In 1879, Professor D.E. Hughes demonstrated to the

Royal Society in London his Induction Balance (I.B.).
Its purpose was to study the molecular structure of
metals and alloys. However, Hughes and his
instrument maker, William Groves, soon recognized
the potential of the I.B. as a metal locator. The Royal
Mint used the Induction Balance for assaying metals
and detecting forgeries, as shown in figure 2.3.

The well- known American inventor George Hopkins

modified the I.B. for locating metallic ores, treasure
chests and the like. In fact, the Induction Balance
forms the basis of most metal detectors used today.[4]

2.2.3 Discrimination

The biggest technical change in detectors was the development of the induction-
balance system. This system involved two coils that were electrically balanced. When
metal was introduced to their vicinity, they would become unbalanced. What allowed
detectors to discriminate between metals was the fact that every metal has a different
8
Chapter 2 literature Review
phase response when exposed to alternating current. Scientists had long known of this
fact by the time detectors were developed that could selectively detect desirable
metals, while ignoring undesirable ones.

Even with discriminators, it was still a challenge to avoid undesirable metals; because
some of them have similar phase responses. Thus, improperly tuning out certain
metals increased the risk of passing over a valuable find. Another disadvantage of
discriminators was that they reduced the sensitivity of the machines.

Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, was working on an electrical
induction device for locating metals in 1881.

In 1890 test were made to locate sulfides through the medium of conductivity, using a
telegraphic receiver connected in series with a battery and a wire brush. Electrical
contacts were made in the earth, and a brush was then moved over the surface.
Whenever it touched sulfides, the brush would complete the circuit, indicated by a
click in the receiver. Since it could be used only on exposed mineralized surfaces, the
method was of limited value. Further attempts at metal detection were made, using the
Wheatstone bridge circuit for measuring resistance. Here again, conductivity was the
determining factor, but the conductivity between two points on the earth‟s surface had
to be calculated indirectly by first measuring resistance. This method also proved
impractical.

In 1925 an electrical gate checker was designed to help factories cut down on rampant
thefts of tools and products. Its operation was based on the use of electromagnetic
waves. Two German physicists, Dr. Geffeken and Dr. Richter of Leipzig, designed the
original gate checker. Their work was continued by Gebr Wetzel .An electromagnetic
field was caused to flow across the passageway. Metal carried by persons passing
through the door caused alteration of the electromagnetic field and a signal was given.
The apparatus, forerunner of the modern “walk-through” detector, was adjustable to
allow small objects such as watches and keys to be taken through the gate undetected
while larger objects were detected.

A small searching coil was used to inspect those persons who produced a signal as
they passed through the doorway. This coil could be adjusted to various sensitivities,
allowing small objects, such as coins in pockets, to pass undetected. About the same

9
Chapter 2 literature Review
time, Shirl Herr was recognized, according to reports, as the inventor of the magnetic
balance, a device used for locating underground minerals and metals. In 1927 the
spark gap metal detector was invented.

The modern development of the metal detector began in the 1930s. Gerhard Fisher had
developed a system of radio direction-finding, which was to be used for accurate
navigation. The system worked extremely well, but Fisher noticed that there were
anomalies in areas where the terrain contained ore-bearing rocks. He reasoned that if a
radio beam could be distorted by metal, then it should be possible to design a machine
which would detect metal using a search coil resonating at a radio frequency. In 1937
he applied for, and was granted, the first patent for a metal detector. However, it was
one Lieutenant Jozef Stanislaw Kosacki, a Polish officer attached to a unit stationed in
St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, during the early years of World War II, who refined the
design into a practical Polish mine detector. They were heavy, ran on vacuum tubes,
and needed separate battery packs.

Several companies began producing vacuum tube and transistorized detectors for the
consumer during the „50s. Since the development of transistors permitted construction
of smaller and lighter weight detectors, vacuum tube detector production ended in the
early „60s. But, it was not until the late „60s and early „70s that a substantial interest in
metal detectors arose; in the „70s great strides in metal detector development began
taking place. Ultra-stable and very sensitive metal detectors that featured “Good/Bad”
target identification and ground mineral rejection came into existence during this
period. The first microprocessor metal detector was appear at the „80s.[4]

2.3 The wireless age

With the very rapid development of wireless techniques during World War I, it was only
natural that this technique would be adapted to metal locators and prospecting equipment.
One of the first pioneers to exploit this technology for locating buried treasure was English
man George Williams, Being fully conversant with wireless techniques, and seeing the
somewhat primitive treasure locators available then, he decided he could improve the existing
technology by designing a Radio-Locator.

The first industrial metal detectors were developed in the 1960s and were used extensively for
mining and other industrial applications. Uses include de-mining (the detection of land

10
Chapter 2 literature Review
mines), the detection of weapons such as knives and guns, especially in airport security,
geophysical prospecting, archaeology and treasure hunting. Metal detectors are also used to
detect foreign bodies in food, and in the construction industry to detect steel reinforcing bars
in concrete and pipes and wires buried in walls and floors.[4]

2.4 Further refinements

Many manufacturers of these new devices brought their own ideas to the market. Whites
Electronics of Oregon began in the '50s by building a machine called the Ore-master Geiger
Counter. Another leader in detector technology was Charles Garrett, who pioneered the BFO
(Beat Frequency Oscillator) machine. With the invention and development of the transistor in
the '50s and '60s, metal detector manufacturers and designers made smaller lighter machines
with improved circuitry, running on small battery packs. Companies sprang up all over the
USA and Britain to supply the growing demand.

Larger portable metal detectors are used by archaeologists and treasure hunters to locate
metallic items, such as jewelry, coins, bullets, and other various artifacts buried shallowly
underground.[1,2]

2.5 Principles of operation of metal detector

A metal detector operates by generating an electromagnetic field which is swept along the
Ground. As it does so, any metal found will affect the electromagnetic field by changing it
and this change will be displayed for the operator to see and also may be indicated by an
audible sound produced by the metal detector.

Inside a metal detector are two sets of copper wire windings. An electrical current is passed
through one of the windings and this creates the electromagnetic field. This is called the
transmit winding as shown in figure 2.4.

As metal conducts electricity, any metal object

brought into the field will alter it and this alteration is
picked up by the second winding, known as the
receive winding. This is then sent to the control box
which the operator can use to control the types of
metals he or she wants to detect. This information is
then displayed through a meter or LCD display and,
11
Chapter 2 literature Review
often, with an audio signal. The more sophisticated the detector the more information is
displayed.
There are various refinements to metal detectors designed to filter out unwanted metals and
give a signal on the wanted metals only. This is called discrimination and is achieved by the
detector being set for a specific level of conductivity. Different metals conduct electricity in
different degrees. Silver is an excellent conductor of electricity for example whereas nails are
a very low conductor of electricity. Conductivity of each metal is known of course and so a
metal detector can be set to detect gold or silver and reject any others.

The size of the metal found is not particularly important in this case. It is just the ability or
the „willingness‟ of metal to conduct electricity that is detected.

A detector will often react to minerals in the ground or "mineralized ground" as it is called.
These cause false signals and is referred to as "ground noise".

Any metal detector should have a "ground balance" control to tune out ground noise. The
best metal detectors can eliminate virtually all ground noise.

Some detectors can detect metal quite deep. This will depend on the quality of the detector as
well as the way it is used. It also depends on the size of the object. A large nugget of metals
deeper underground will be detected whereas a small speck might not be.[5]

12
CHAPTER 3
Elements of metal detector
Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector

Chapter 3: Elements of metal detector

3.1 Introduction
The principle of work of metal detector is that it sends signal and then receive it and this is
done by the search coil. The search coil produces a normally balanced alternating magnetic
field; a metal piece passing it distorts this field. The distortion is amplified in the electronics
and produces a detection signal, so the main component on the metal detector is the search
coil. In the following sections the search coil will be discuss in details.

3.2 Search coil

3.2.1 Search coil basics

The search coil is a vital part of any metal detector. It is the flat, typically circular
disk, which generates a magnetic field and senses metallic targets in the surrounding
environment figure 3.1 shows a search coil. It is located at the end of the stem and is
connected to the control housing via a cable
normally wound around the stem. The size and
depth of the magnetic field is determined by the
shape and size of the search coil.[6]

3.2.2 Principles of operation of search coil

Search coils generally consist of two internal
sets of coiled wires, a Transmit Coil (TX) and a
Receive Coil (RX). Mono coils can be different
in that one coil acts as both the TX and the RX. When the detector is turned on, the
TX coil generates a magnetic field in the surrounding space. When a metallic object is
within this generated magnetic field, it will create a distortion in the magnetic field.
The RX coil will sense this distortion and send a signal to the control housing. A
search coil’s detection pattern is determined by the combination of the TX’s generated
field pattern and the RX’s sensing field pattern.

14
Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector
3.2.3 Search coil depth

The detection depth of a search coil, as a rule-of-

thumb, will be approximately equal to its diameter,
for a coin-sized object. However, as a search coil’s
size increases and its field pattern becomes larger,
the field pattern becomes less concentrated and
begins to miss small objects as shown in figure 3.2.
For a coin-sized object, this effect becomes noticeable when using search coils larger
than about 15" in diameter. Since the field generated by a large search coil is larger,
deeper and less concentrated than a small search coil, it is the best choice when
hunting for targets that are usually large and deeply buried, such as caches or relics.

3.3 Types of search coil

In addition to search coil sizes and shapes, there are also a variety of search coil
configurations available, with each proving to be the best choice depending on hunting
applications and ground conditions. The configuration of a search coil refers to the
arrangement of the TX and RX coils within the search coil shell. There are basically five
configurations: Concentric, Mono, Imaging, Double-D and 2-box.[7]

3.3.1 Concentric search coil

The concentric configuration consists of a TX coil and RX coil which are usually
circular and arranged as shown in figure 3.3. The advantage of this configuration is
that both the TX and RX coils are wound as large as
possible within a given search coil diameter. This
provides the largest possible detection field and
greatest detection depth, making the concentric coil
potentially the most sensitive configuration
available. In addition, concentric coils also provide
the most symmetrical detection field, allowing ease
in pinpointing and consistency in target
identification.

15
Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector
For the previous reasons, concentric search coils are the most commonly used search
coils and will provide the best overall performance in most environments.
Unfortunately, this configuration is the most susceptible to interference from ground
minerals, which results in substantial loss of performance when used over heavily
mineralized ground.

3.3.2 Mono search coil

A mono-coil is available only on Pulse Induction
detectors figure 3.4 shows a mono search coil. The
mono-coil can be manufactured with the TX and RX
coils located together or as a single coil acting as both
TX and RX. The detection and performance
characteristics of the mono are essentially the same as
the concentric in that it provides the maximum possible
sensitivity, but suffers some performance in
mineralized ground.

3.3.3 Imaging search coil

An Imaging search coil is an enhanced version of
the concentric configuration that features an
additional RX coil as shown in figure 3.5. This
extra coil provides the detector with additional
target information necessary for true target-depth
perception and true target-sizing capabilities. With this additional sizing information,
the detector can more fully characterize a target and for the first time distinguish
between trash and good targets of the same conductivity.

3.3.4 Double-D search coil

The Double-D configuration is designed to significantly reduce ground interference
and, thereby, recover the performance lost by a concentric coil over mineralized soil.
With the Double-D, it is the arrangement of the TX and RX coils that produce a
canceling effect of ground signals.

16
Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector
This configuration is called DD because both
TX and RX coils are in the shape of a “D” as
shown in figure 3.6. The positive detection field
of the DD runs beneath the overlapping center
section from front-to-back.
The remaining portion of the coil actually
produces negative (i.e. canceling) detection
fields. It is this canceling field that allows the
DD coil to maintain performance over
mineralized ground. Because of its small
positive detection field, the DD is inherently
less sensitive than a concentric search coil of the
same size, over non-mineralized ground. The
Double-D will, however, significantly be better than the concentric coil over
mineralized ground. For this reason, it is highly recommended when hunting over
mineralized ground commonly found when prospecting and relic hunting.

3.3.5 Two-box search coil

In a 2-box configuration, the TX and RX coils are physically several feet apart as
shown in figure 3.7. This configuration provides a
lightweight, manageable means of achieving the
performance of a 3' to 4' diameter search coil. Because
of its large size, and consequently large detection field,
the 2-box is the best choice for detecting large, deeply
buried objects such as relics and caches. Also, because
of its large detection field, it ignores objects smaller
than about 3" in diameter. This characteristic is
advantageous when hunting in areas heavily littered
with small trash objects. There’s also an enhanced
version of the 2-box. This version incorporates an
additional pinpointing coil for precise target location.

17
Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector

3.4 Sizes and shapes of search coil:

There are a variety of search coil sizes and shapes. The correct one to use depends on the
environment it will be used in as well as the targets being sought. A change in any one of
these variables may require a different search coil. Generally, search coils are circular or
elliptical in shape. An elliptical search coil is more maneuverable than a circular search coil
and its narrow width actually provides greater coverage than a circular coil due to its
elongated length. However, a circular search coil has slightly more detection depth and
sensitivity in non-mineralized soil, so it is still the most commonly used shape. Search coils
range in diameter from a few inches to several feet. Those less than 6" in diameter are
generally considered small, 6-11" in diameter are considered medium and over 11" are
considered large.
There is a direct relationship between the size of a magnetic field and the size of a coil. The
bigger the coil the larger the magnetic field. Therefore, larger search coils generally detect
deeper than smaller search coils.[8]

3.4.1 Smallest search coils (up to 5")

They are great for extremely trashed areas figure 3.8

shows a smallest search coil. "Mini coils" provide better
separation of trash and desirable targets in close proximity
and have an ability to detect close to metal poles and wire
fences without detecting them.

3.4.2 Small search coils (5" - 8")

They are used for "trashy" areas and highly mineralized

ground. These coils are maneuverable in heavy vegetation
or on rough terrains. They have more detection depth than
"snipers" but less than medium-sized coils. Figure 3.9
shows small search coil.

18
Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector
3.4.3 Medium search coils (8" - 11.5")

These coils are the "golden medium" among all

coils and designed for general use in finding the
wide range of targets, and under average metal
detecting conditions. Figure 3.10 shows a medium
search coil.

If the mineralization intensity is high and trash content is low, the 9.5"-11.5" Double-
D search coil should be used for optimum depth and coverage.

3.4.4 Large search coils (11.5" - 24")

They are designed to penetrate the ground at the most depth. Theoretically, the larger
the search coil, the deeper it will detect targets. In reality, it is not always true because
the amount of detected mineralization has negative
effect on detector's performance: the larger the coil,
the more mineralization it "catches." This disables a
metal detector in terms of deep ground penetration.
The maximum practical size of a large search coil
was experimentally determined to be 15" (38 cm)
figure 3.11 shows a large search coil. Using a search
coil of a bigger size (diameter) would not increase
detection depth unless a Pulse Induction metal detector is used.

Large coils are very useful for finding coin caches and deeply buried, large relics.
Large coils provide considerable ground coverage. Detecting with a large coil enables
the detector to cover a vast territory, such as a large farm field, quicker than with a
medium search coil. The large search coil's drawbacks are its lack of sensitivity to
small targets, poor pinpointing, simultaneous rejection and masking of more targets.

19
Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector

3.5 Factors that affect the choosing of metal detectors

Metal detecting can be divided into two main categories: Gold Prospecting and Coin and
Treasure Hunting, with a sub-division of this, Underwater Detecting.

During the last few years there have been tremendous advances in metal detector technology.
With the use of micro-processors and high-technology surface mount circuitry the metal
detector has evolved with greater depth, improved sensitivity, automatic ground balance and
superior discrimination.

When checking the different metal detectors, there are five main characteristics which can be
used to compare one metal detector with another. These are depth, sensitivity, discrimination,
ground balance and type of coil.

Other factors that should be considered are the size and type of additional coils that are
available, how comfortable the detector is to use for long periods of time, what batteries are
used, how long they last and the price of the detector.[9]

3.5.1 Depth

This refers to the distance that the metal detector can penetrate and detect metal
objects in the ground. This can be influenced by the frequency the metal detector is
operating on (low frequency tends to give better depth than high frequency), how
sophisticated its circuitry is and how well it will cope with highly mineralized soil.
Often some metal detectors produce extraordinary depths in air or neutral soil like dry
beach sand, but in heavily mineralized metal fields the metal detector becomes noisy
and unstable.

3.5.2 Sensitivity

This is also determined by the frequency the metal detector is operating on. Some
metal detectors are now being manufactured with reasonably high frequency such
as 50 and 60 kHz, and this makes them much more sensitive to the small match head
size nuggets. Depth on larger targets often suffers when high frequencies are used.
There are even metal detectors that have two or three frequencies so that it can be

20
Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector
switched between a low and high frequency depending on what to look for and what
type of ground that is working in.

3.5.3 Discrimination

This is the function some metal detectors have that enables the operator to determine
what type of metal has been detected before digging it up. This is a great time saver
for treasure hunters, with some discrimination systems being highly accurate.
Discrimination enables the operator to segment the items into different categories and
"Smart-find" almost fingerprints the target, so that it is highly accurate in its target
identification and elimination of junk. Discrimination is not advised when using the
metal detector to search for native metal nuggets, as the impurities of metal and the
concentrated minerals in the soil around the nugget will confuse the discriminator and
may produce a false reading. For this reason a lot of metal detectors manufactured
specifically for gold prospecting have quite basic discriminators.

3.5.4 Ground balance

This is probably the most important function on the metal detector and often the one
that is over looked when comparing capabilities of each metal detector. Ground
balancing is setting the metal detector so that it can compensate for the effect the
minerals in the ground have on the machine. This allows the metal detector to scan
the ground and only give a signal when it passes over a metal object. If this is not
done properly the metal detector will produce false noises from the ground itself and it
will be found very difficult to tell the difference between ground noise and a metal
target.

3.5.5 Coil types

Coils come in different shapes, sizes and search patterns as mentioned in section 3.3.

21
CHAPTER 4
Design & Construction
Chapter 4 Design & Construction

Chapter 4: Design & Construction

4.1 Construction of the circuit

Since the electromagnetic principles support the fact that whenever there is a metallic
object in an electromagnetic field there would be an electric current flowing in this object and
via versa , based on this fact the design was started and the first step in the design was to
introduce an electronic circuit that produces an electromagnetic field. Search was done and
the best choice found was the colpitts oscillator, it was found that the colpitts oscillator can
produce the required magnetic field, the output ac voltage of the circuit change when circuit
field change i.e. when there is a metallic object near to the circuit the field decreases.

After the circuit was chosen the problem was how to monitor the output to do this
another circuit was to be used and the simplest circuit found was a circuit consists of
MOSFET, LED and power supply.

4.2 Design

Design was done based on the principle of operation keeping in mind availability of
components and getting the output in tangible manner i.e. using LED, So two circuits was to
be used, first the circuit which produces the magnetic field and second the circuit that
monitors the output. After design was done block diagram was used to simplify the problem,
simulation was done and the circuit was constructed and tested.

Appendix A shows flow chart of the mechanism used by the metal detector to detect
metallic objects.

4.2.1 Main circuit (Colpitts Oscillator circuit)

The Colpitts Oscillator is a type of LC oscillators. This circuit consists of an LC

resonance sub-circuit connected between the emitter and the base of a single stage
transistor amplifier producing frequency output [10]. By the current flowing through
the coil a magnetic field is induced around the coil, when a metallic object enter field
region a magnetic field induces in the object which reduce the field of the circuit
figure 4.1, shows basic colpitts oscillator circuit.

23
Chapter 4 Design & Construction

The Colpitts oscillator uses a capacitor voltage divider as its feedback source. Figure
4.2 shows the main circuit with the used values of the circuit components.

Frequency output of the circuit:

..................................................................4.1

The total capacitance:

..................................................................4.2

To get derivation see appendix B.

24
Chapter 4 Design & Construction
Circuit frequency:

The capacitor values was found to be C1=0.0068µF C2=0.0068µF and the coil's inductance
was found to be about 0.52 .

From equation 4.2 the total capacitance is:

From equation 4.1 the circuit frequency is:

4.2.2 Indicator circuit

The MOSFET is a transistor consists of three terminals (GATE-DRAIN-SOURCE),

this transistor is used for amplifying or switching electronic signals. A voltage on the
gate can induce a conducting channel between the two other terminals. The gate is
separated from the channel by a thin insulating layer. The inversion channel is of the
same type, P-type or N-type, as the source and drain, thus it provides a channel
through which current can pass.[11]

In this circuit LED is connected to one terminal of the MOSFET (source) and dc
power supply connected to another terminal (drain) and the output of the main circuit
is used to drive the MOSFET i.e. connected to the gate. Figure 4.3 shows the indicator
circuit.

25
Chapter 4 Design & Construction

4.3 Block diagram

After main circuit and indicator circuit was determined then the block diagram was
constructed. The block diagram consists of the main circuit which contains a coil, this coil has
a magnetic field around it, this magnetic field change according to presence of metallic
objects, the output of this circuit connected to the gate of the transistor which contain LED at
one terminal and power supply at the other terminal. Figure 4.4 shows the block diagram of
the metal detector.

26
Chapter 4 Design & Construction

4.4 Simulation

The designed detector was simulated to ensure that it works well, before its implementation.

The metal detector circuit was constructed into workbench software and the output was seen
when there was another field near to the coil and when there wasn't another field.

The simulation steps were as follows.

4.4.1 When there is no other field near to the metal detector:

Figure 4.5 shows the simulation result when there is no other field near to the metal
detector, it can be noticed that the LED is OFF.

4.4.2 When there is another field near to the metal detector:

Figure 4.6 shows the simulation result when there is another field near to the metal
detector circuit, it can be noticed that the LED is ON.

27
Chapter 4 Design & Construction

4.5 Methodology:

The first step was to determine the types of the circuits that are to be used in the project, and
the needed frequency was calculated to determine the values of the components used.
Simulation was done to ensure that circuit can work.

After the simulation work, components were brought search coil was made using
copper and the main circuit was constructed, it was tested and the output of this circuit was
monitored at that time using oscilloscope and digital multimeter, after making sure that main
circuit works properly the indicator circuit was connected and tested using voltage from the
power supply to ensure that it was working well.

The output of main circuit was connected to the indicator circuit (the gate of the
MOSFET) then a number of experiments were done to suite the voltage of power supply
(which supplies the main circuit) such that the output when there is no metal in coil's field to
be slightly more that 1.4V (AC) and less than 1.4V (AC) when there is a metallic object in
that field.

When voltage more than 1.4 volt (AC) is applied to the gate the drain and source will be
connected i.e. the LED is ON and When the gate voltage value is less than 1.4V (AC) drain and source
will be isolated i.e. the LED becomes OFF.

It was seen that when a metallic object comes near to the coil the LED was turned
OFF and when there was no metallic object in the field the LED was ON. Figure 4.7 shows
the full circuit of the metal detector.

28
Chapter 4 Design & Construction
Figure 4.8 shows the constructed circuit result when there is no metal near to the search coil, it
could be noticed that the LED is ON and Figure 4.9 shows the result when there is a metal near to the
search coil, it could be noticed that the LED is OFF.

Figure 4.8 Circuit result when there is no metal near to the search coil

29
Chapter 4 Design & Construction

Figure 4.9 Circuit result when there is a metal near to the search coil

30
CHAPTER 5
Discussion &conclusion
Chapter 5 Discussion &conclusion

Chapter 5: Discussion &conclusion

5.1 Discussion

 When testing the constructed metal detector a LED is used instead of loudspeaker
since the generated emf is very weak, and it is found that:
The LED is ON when there is not metallic object near to the search coil.
The LED's light intensity decreases when a metallic object comes near to the
search coil and the LED becomes OFF when the object gets very closer from
the search coil.
This is an agreement with principles of electromagnetic.
 Computer software simulators can’t introduce a metal and instead of it an AM
source was applied. When the constructed circuit test by simulators.

 Oscillation amplitude: The amplitude of oscillation is generally difficult to

predict, but it can often be accurately estimated using the describing function
method, but here there is no nessceraty to predict the amplitude while it can be
predict the desire amplitude by varying the amplitude of the DC power supply.

 The constructed metal detector was used to test for various sizes of metal at
various distances from the search coil and the following result were obtained:
1) The lager the metal, the darker that LED goes to or even not lighting.
Smaller the metal, the LED goes darker but a little bit it can’t be
recognized – though this also dependent on the size of the search coil.
2) The closer the distance between the search head and the metal, the darker
that LED goes to or even not lighting and the farther the distance , the LED
goes darker but a little bit it can’t be recognized, make LED not lighting
fast and clearly recognized distance where theoretically the magnetic field
due to the search head is zero.

 RF oscillation principle is one of the reliable simple, and cast effective for a metal
detector. disadvantages of RF oscillation includes:
1) Low sensitivity.
2) Short range of detection. Though depended on the size of search coil.
3) Not be able to discriminate metals.

 The best size for the searchcoil: The bigger the coil the deeper it goes. But big
coils are no good for small objects like coins and rings. The 9.5”-11.5” coil is just
about perfect for small objects such as coins and rings as shown in chapter 3.

32
Chapter 5 Discussion &conclusion
5.2 Conclusions

1) A metal detector was successfully constructed using colpitts oscillator which produces
a magnetic field, this field change if a metallic object comes near to it. The change on
the field appears as a change in the intensity of light of a LED connected to the colpitts
oscillator using MOSFET transistor.

2) Workbench was used to simulate the circuit and the coil used for metal detection was
successfully modeled by using different values for inductors.

3) Once each stage was verified to operate correctly, the circuit was able to demonstrate
detection of metal when the coil was in close proximity to a metal object, which was
the aim of the circuit. Verification of the correct operation of each stage of
construction was used by comparing this against results obtained in the Workbench
simulations.

5.3 Future works

There are many updates which could be applied to this detector in the future in order
to solve the limitations of this detector and get detector that can be practically used.

Possible modifications are:

1. Increase the detection region of the detector; this may be done using high
power to supply the circuit.
2. Use LCD or earphone as indicator, this is also depends on the power.
3. Make the detector portable by using portable supply such as mobile battery.
4. Update the detector to make it determine the type of metal it detects.

33
Appendices
Appendices

Appendix A: flow chart of working mechanism:

B
Appendices

Appendix B: derivation of colpitts oscillator frequency

Figure A: colpitts oscillator equivalent circuit

Figure A shows the equivalent circuit of the Colpitts oscillator. To simplify the analysis, Cm and
rp are neglected. We can consider Cp to be part of C2, and we can include ro in R.

A node equation at the transistor collector (node C) in the circuit of Fig.(13.13) yields

1 
 
s C2 V  g m V    S C1  1  s 2 L C2 V  0
R 

Since V  0 (oscillations have started), it can be eliminated, and the equation can be rearranged
in the form
 L C2   1
s 3 L C1 C2  s 2    s C1  C2    g m    0
 R   R
Substituting s = j gives

 1  2 L C2 
 g m    
  j  C1  C2    2 L C1 C2  0
 R R 

For oscillations to start, both the real and imaginary parts must be zero.

Equating the imaginary part to zero gives the frequency of oscillation as

1
o 
 C C 
L  1 2 
 C1  C2 

C
References
References

References
1) LANDMINE DETECTOR (10 Feb 2011)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48540496/lmd
2) Metal detector (March 2008)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_detector
3) Metal detectors
http://www.hobby-hour.com/electronics/metal_detectors.php
4) HISTORY OF TREASURE & GOLD DETECTORS ()
http://www.goldgold.com/stories/historytreasuredet.htm
5) Gold Metal Detectors (Sunday, February 1, 2009)
http://goldprice.org/metal-detectors/2009/02/gold-metal-detectors.html
6) Searchcoils (2003 Garrett Electronics)
http://www.goldminingcentre.com.au/Technical%20Data/techsheet-coils.pdf
7) Searchcoil Tech Sheet (PDF)
http://www.garrett.com/hobbysite/pdfs/searchcoil_tech_sheet.pdf
8) Search Coils for Metal Detectors.
http://metaldetectingworld.com/search_coil_size_applications.shtml
9) How to Choose the Best Metal Detector for Your Needs
http://www.minersden.com.au/default.asp?pageid=CHOOSINGADETECTOR&template
=CONTENT&site=15
10) Sedra & Smithm, Microelectronic circuits, 5th Ed., NEW YORK, 2004.

11) MOSFET Basics (2003)

http://www.ecse.rpi.edu/~schubert/Course-ECSE-6290%20SDM-2/1%20MOSFET-
1%20Basics.pdf