‫بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم‬

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
MOHAMMED TAJ ELSSIR MOHAMED OSMAN

Supervisor:
Dr. Kamal Ramadan Daoud

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

During the development of my graduation project in the University of Khartoum several

persons collaborated directly and indirectly with my project. Without their support it would be
impossible for me to finish my work. That is why I wish to dedicate this section to recognize
their support.

I want to start expressing a sincere acknowledgement to my advisor, Dr. kamal Ramadan

because he gave me the opportunity to research under his guidance and supervision. I received
motivation; encouragement and support from him during all my studies.

I also want to thank my family for their unconditional support, motivation, inspiration and
love.

Also great thanks to all teaching staff of electrical and electronics engineering department for
their great support among my study period.

iii
Dedication
TO MY Father
To my mother
To all those who teach me
TO MY COLLEAGUES
TO ALL COMRADES

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 limitations of this metal detector are
discussed in this thesis.

‫المستخلص‬

‫ وقذ‬. ‫يهذف هذا الوشزوع الي تصوين وهذاكاة وبٌاء جهاس كاشف هعادى بسيط التزكيب ورخيص التكلفه‬
‫ وكذلك‬, ‫ الوعلىهات التاريخيه عي جهاس كاشف الوعاى‬.‫تن استخذام هذبذات كىلبت في تصوين هذا الجهاس‬
‫الوكىًات االساسيه للجهاس وطزيقه عوله وكذلك ًظزيه عول هذبذات الكىلبت تن تقذيوها في التقزيز العام‬
‫) كوا‬Electronic workbench( ‫ وقذ توت هذاكاة الجهاس باستخذام بزًاهج الوذاكاة‬.‫عي الوشزوع‬
. ‫هىضخ 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..................................................................................................…... 1

1.1 Background......................................................................................................…... 2
1.2 Importance of the project........................................................................................ 2
1.3 Project aim........................................................................................................….. 2
1.4 metal detectors technologies.............................................................................….. 3
1.4.1 Very low frequency (VLF)...................................................................... 3
1.4.2 Pulse induction (PI).................................................................................. 3
1.4.3 Beat-frequency oscillation (BFO)............................................................ 3
1.4.4 RF oscillators........................................................................................... 3
1.5 Thesis Structure....................................................................................................... 4

Chapter 2: literature Review...........................................................................................….. 5

2.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................….. 6
2.2 History ..............................................................................................................….. 6
2.2.1 The Pioneer.............................................................................................. 6
2.2.2 The induction balance........................................................................….. 7
2.2.3 Discrimination.......................................................................................... 8
2.3 The wireless age.................................................................................................... 10
2.4 Further refinements............................................................................................... 10
2.5 principles of operation of metal detectors............................................................. 11

Chapter 3: Elements of metal detector............................................................................... 12

3.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................…. 13
3.2 Search coil............................................................................................................. 13
3.2.1 Search coil basics................................................................................... 13
3.2.2 Principles of operation of search coil................................................…. 14
3.2.3 Search coil depth.................................................................................... 14
3.3 Types of search coil.............................................................................................. 14
3.3.1 Concentric search coil............................................................................ 15
3.3.2 Mono search coil.................................................................................... 15
3.3.3 Imaging search coil................................................................................ 16
3.3.4 Double-D search coil............................................................................. 16
3.3.5 Two-box search coil............................................................................... 17
3.4 Sizes and shapes of search coil............................................................................. 17
3.4.1 Smallest search coils.............................................................................. 18
3.4.2 Small search coils................................................................................... 18
3.4.3 Medium search coils.............................................................................. 18
3.4.4 Large search coils................................................................................... 19
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 3.5 Factors that affect the choosing of metal detectors............................................... 19
3.5.1 Depth...................................................................................................... 20
3.5.2 Sensitivity............................................................................................... 20
3.5.3 Discrimination........................................................................................ 20
3.5.4 Ground balance. .................................................................................... 21
3.5.5 Coil types............................................................................................... 21

Chapter 4: Design & Construction of the metal detector.................................................. 22

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............................................................................................................. 26
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..................................................................................... 31

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

References.............................................................................................................................. 34
Appendices............................................................................................................................. 36

Appendix A……………..….……………………………………………………… A-1

Appendix B………………..………………………………………………………. B-1

vii
List of figures

Figure 2.1 Gold detector………………………………………..……....………………..….... 6

Figure 2.2 Fox method for finding metals. …………………….……….....……...……......… 6
Figure 2.3 a person using induction balance. ………………….…………......……..…........... 7
Figure 2.4 metal detector windings. …………………………………………....….......…..... 11
Figure 3.1 search coil. …………………………………………………………..…….......… 13
Figure 3.2 Depth of search coil. …………………………………………………...…....…... 14
Figure 3.3 concentric search coil…………………………………………………........……. 15
Figure 3.4 Mono search coil...………………………………………………………......…... 15
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…………………………………………….……...…….…. 18
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 Simulation result when there is no other field........................................................ 27
Figure 4.6 Simulation result when there is another field......................................................... 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
1
Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Background

In the 18th century when the industrial revolution began. Factories needs for metal increased
due to the increase of its uses. This increasing demand leads scientists and engineers to think
about inventing a machine that can detect metal to save effort and time wasted in detection of
metal. In 1830 metal detectors appeared.

From that time until now the applications of metal detectors have been rapidly increased and
critical applications was included, which has led to variety in types, sizes and applications of
metal detectors. This project will provide a simple design and implementation of metal
detectors.

1.2 Importance of the project

Due to increasing mining activities in Sudan and the increasing prices of metal detectors the
need for simple and cheaper metal detectors appears.

After pace agreement in Sudan, it is necessary to remove Remnants of war especially Land
mines, metal detectors can help in detecting land mines.

Metal detectors are also important to prevent sensitive and highly populated places from
terrorists and other criminals. Since all weapons are made partially or completely from metal
then metal detectors can help to identify and confirm the presence of metallic objects on
persons and their belongings hence help security to protect important places.

1.3 Project aim

The aim of this project is to design and construct simple and cheap metal detector circuit. This
detector should be capable of detecting metal pieces near to its region.

2
Chapter 1 Introduction

1.4 Metal detectors technologies

There are many metal detector technologies available [1], such as:

1.4.1 Very low frequency (VLF)

Very low frequency is the most popular detector technology used today. It uses two coils for
detection operation. One of the coils has variable magnetic field across it and the other acts as
an antenna to pick up and amplify frequencies coming from target objects in the ground.

1.4.2 Pulse induction (PI)

It is less common form of metal detectors. It is based on VLF but it uses single coil for
detection operation .The field here comes from current pulses applied on the coil.

1.4.3 Beat-frequency oscillation (BFO)

It is the most basic type of metal detector. This type uses two coils 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.

1.4.4 RF oscillators

Resonant-frequency oscillators are the simplest type of metal detector. It uses one coil
for the detection operation. It is the cheapest and simplest technology for building a metal
detector.

This technology is used in this project.

3
Chapter 1 Introduction

1.5 Thesis Structure

This thesis consists of five chapters which contain:

 Chapter 1: Introduction:
This chapter contains general idea about the project such as its aim and its
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 to the constructed
metal detector.

4
5
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 is designed 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.

6
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. [3]

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. [3]

7
Chapter 2 literature review

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 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.
8
Chapter 2 literature review

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 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 appeared at the „80s. [3]

9
Chapter 2 literature review

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
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. [3]

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 [4].

10
Chapter 2 literature review

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 there 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 which is 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, 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.

Large nugget of metals deeper underground will be detected whereas a small speck might not
be detected. [5]

11
12
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]

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Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector

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.

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]

14
Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector

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.

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.

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Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector

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. 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.

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Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector

3.3.5 Two-box search coil

In the 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.

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]

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Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector

3.4.1 Smallest search coils (up to 5" in diameter) - "Mini Coils" or "Snipers"

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" in diameter)

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.

3.4.3 Medium search coils (8" - 11.5" in diameter)

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.

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.

Figure 3.10 shows a medium search coil.

18
Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector

3.4.4 Large search coils (11.5" - 24" in diameter)

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.

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.

19
Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector

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 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.

20
Chapter 3 Elements of metal detector

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
22
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.

4.4 Simulation

The designed 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.

26
Chapter 4 Design & Construction

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
31
Chapter 5 Discussion &conclusion

Chapter 5: Discussion &conclusion

5.1 Discussion

 When testing the constructed metal detector it was found that:

The LED is ON when there is no metal 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
i.e. the circuit field decreases.
This is an agreement with principles of electromagnetic.

 The field of the search coil is more concentrated at its center and decreases with the
distance from it.

 From equation 4.1 it could be noticed that, the frequency of oscillation will be determined
by the resonance frequency of the parallel-tuned circuit.

 It is found that the effect of metallic objects increase as the size of this object increase,
also the effect of the metallic objects increase as the distance between it and the center of
the search coil decrease; this because the field becomes more concentrated.

 In general the suitable size of the search coil is about 9.5''-11.5'' diameter However the
search coil used in this project is smaller than this size; this because the power is small
and to use larger search coils higher power is needed. The size of the search coil used was
determined after performing several experiments.

 PC power supply was used in order to get high power, but the power we get from it was
not high enough to increase detection region and search coil size.

 In simulation the problem was that no metallic object exists in the simulation software and
as the circuit the field to detect objects this problem was solved using AM source i.e. to
simulate the existence of the metallic object.

32
Chapter 5 Discussion &conclusion

5.2 Conclusion
A metal detector was successfully constructed using colpitts oscillator. Colpitts oscillator is a
type of RF oscillators 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.
This detector detects metallic objects near to it.
The limitations of this detector are:
1. It cannot distinguish between several types of metals.
2. Its detection region is small.
3. This metal detector is not portable.

5.3 futures work

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 headset as indicator, this also needs increasing the power.
3. Make it portable by using portable supply such as mobile battery.
4. Update this detector and let it determine the type of metal it detects, to do this
another technology is to be used.

33
34
 References

References

[1] Metal detectors

http://www.hobby-hour.com/electronics/metal_detectors.php

[2] Metal detector (March 2008)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_detector

[3] History of treasure & gold detectors

http://www.goldgold.com/stories/historytreasuredet.htm

[4] Land nine detectors (10 Feb 2011)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/48540496/lmd

[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] Search coil 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 and Smith, 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

35
36
 Appendices

Appendix A: flow chart of working mechanism:

A-1
 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) 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 

B-1