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  • Let's Design a new and poweful MD

    ,Hi to all friends in this site, I am sorry for my english !
    I find this site and forum very interest and I want we help together to design and build
    a new and powerful metal detector for real hunting,
    Let's Design a new MD from first step and go to the building a powerful
    metal detector, thus at first below information are a good point to start:

    --- Introduction to How Metal Detectors Work ---

    Metal detectors use one of three technologies:

    1-Very low frequency (VLF)
    2-Pulse induction (PI)
    3-Beat-frequency oscillation (BFO)


    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.

    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.

    As the magnetic field pulses back and forth into the ground, it interacts with any conductive objects it encounters, causing them to generate weak magnetic fields of their own. The polarity of the object's magnetic field is directly opposite the transmitter coil's magnetic field. If the transmitter coil's field is pulsing downward, the object's field is pulsing upward.
    The receiver coil is completely shielded from the magnetic field generated by the transmitter coil. However, it is not shielded from magnetic fields coming from objects in the ground. Therefore, when the receiver coil passes over an object giving off a magnetic field, a small electric current travels through the coil. This current oscillates at the same frequency as the object's magnetic field. The coil amplifies the frequency and sends it to the control box of the metal detector, where sensors analyze the signal.

    The metal detector can determine approximately how deep the object is buried based on the strength of the magnetic field it generates. The closer to the surface an object is, the stronger the magnetic field picked up by the receiver coil and the stronger the electric current generated. The farther below the surface, the weaker the field. Beyond a certain depth, the object's field is so weak at the surface that it is undetectable by the receiver coil.

    VLF Phase Shifting:

    How does a VLF metal detector distinguish between different metals? It relies on a phenomenon known as phase shifting. Phase shift is the difference in timing between the transmitter coil's frequency and the frequency of the target object. This discrepancy can result from a couple of things:

    Inductance - An object that conducts electricity easily (is inductive) is slow to react to changes in the current. You can think of inductance as a deep river: Change the amount of water flowing into the river and it takes some time before you see a difference.
    Resistance - An object that does not conduct electricity easily (is resistive) is quick to react to changes in the current. Using our water analogy, resistance would be a small, shallow stream: Change the amount of water flowing into the stream and you notice a drop in the water level very quickly.

    Basically, this means that an object with high inductance is going to have a larger phase shift, because it takes longer to alter its magnetic field. An object with high resistance is going to have a smaller phase shift.

    Phase shift provides VLF-based metal detectors with a capability called discrimination. Since most metals vary in both inductance and resistance, a VLF metal detector examines the amount of phase shift, using a pair of electronic circuits called phase demodulators, and compares it with the average for a particular type of metal. The detector then notifies you with an audible tone or visual indicator as to what range of metals the object is likely to be in.

    Many metal detectors even allow you to filter out (discriminate) objects above a certain phase-shift level. Usually, you can set the level of phase shift that is filtered, generally by adjusting a knob that increases or decreases the threshold. Another discrimination feature of VLF detectors is called notching. Essentially, a notch is a discrimination filter for a particular segment of phase shift. The detector will not only alert you to objects above this segment, as normal discrimination would, but also to objects below it.

    Advanced detectors even allow you to program multiple notches. For example, you could set the detector to disregard objects that have a phase shift comparable to a soda-can tab or a small nail. The disadvantage of discrimination and notching is that many valuable items might be filtered out because their phase shift is similar to that of "junk." But, if you know that you are looking for a specific type of object, these features can be extremely useful.

    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.

    If the metal detector is over a metal object, the pulse creates an opposite magnetic field in the object. When the pulse's magnetic field collapses, causing the reflected pulse, the magnetic field of the object makes it take longer for the reflected pulse to completely disappear. This process works something like echoes: If you yell in a room with only a few hard surfaces, you probably hear only a very brief echo, or you may not hear one at all; but if you yell in a room with a lot of hard surfaces, the echo lasts longer. In a PI metal detector, the magnetic fields from target objects add their "echo" to the reflected pulse, making it last a fraction longer than it would without them.

    A sampling circuit in the metal detector is set to monitor the length of the reflected pulse. By comparing it to the expected length, the circuit can determine if another magnetic field has caused the reflected pulse to take longer to decay. If the decay of the reflected pulse takes more than a few microseconds longer than normal, there is probably a metal object interfering with it.
    The sampling circuit sends the tiny, weak signals that it monitors to a device call an integrator. The integrator reads the signals from the sampling circuit, amplifying and converting them to direct current (DC). The direct current's voltage is connected to an audio circuit, where it is changed into a tone that the metal detector uses to indicate that a target object has been found.

    PI-based detectors are not very good at discrimination because the reflected pulse length of various metals are not easily separated. However, they are useful in many situations in which VLF-based metal detectors would have difficulty, such as in areas that have highly conductive material in the soil or general environment. A good example of such a situation is salt-water exploration. Also, PI-based systems can often detect metal much deeper in the ground than other systems.

    BFO Technology:

    The most basic way to detect metal uses a technology called beat-frequency oscillator (BFO). In a BFO system, there are two coils of wire. One large coil is in the search head, and a smaller coil is located inside the control box. Each coil is connected to an oscillator that generates thousands of pulses of current per second. The frequency of these pulses is slightly offset between the two coils.

    As the pulses travel through each coil, the coil generates radio waves. A tiny receiver within the control box picks up the radio waves and creates an audible series of tones (beats) based on the difference between the frequencies.

    If the coil in the search head passes over a metal object, the magnetic field caused by the current flowing through the coil creates a magnetic field around the object. The object's magnetic field interferes with the frequency of the radio waves generated by the search-head coil. As the frequency deviates from the frequency of the coil in the control box, the audible beats change in duration and tone.
    The simplicity of BFO-based systems allows them to be manufactured and sold for a very low cost.But these detectors do not provide the level of control and accuracy provided by VLF or PI systems.

    ************************
    Thanks all, I hope these information are useful for you,
    I waiting for your idea to start our NEW MD design

  • #2
    you really have burnt the people out by this info. I believe oldie clipping How Metal Detectors Work is written by Mark Rowan & William Lahr. many time ago I began from this start point congrat you are on a right way...

    Comment


    • #3
      VLF or PI ???

      Hi to kt315 and other friends that want to start...

      I think at first we must select one kind of MD, VLF or PI ?
      VLF for better discrimination...
      PI for more depth...
      Is it correct?
      what is your choice to start... ?

      Comment


      • #4
        Let's Design a new and powerful MD

        Originally posted by zenit52 View Post
        Hi to kt315 and other friends that want to start...

        I think at first we must select one kind of MD, VLF or PI ?
        VLF for better discrimination...
        PI for more depth...
        Is it correct?
        what is your choice to start... ?

        There is a new micro controlled DIY detector project on :http://goldprospecting.invisionplus.net/
        Have a look and see what you think.Its all in the public domain.Available for everybody

        Comment


        • #5
          Lets's Design a new and powerfull MD

          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
          There is a new micro controlled DIY detector project on :http://goldprospecting.invisionplus.net/
          Have a look and see what you think.Its all in the public domain.Available for everybody
          Great Work , looks like a very impressive machine !!! This Gold prospecting/Invision plus Forum quotes a cost of $500.00 just to build it !!!! So it must have a performance of a metal detector worth 5 or 10 times that amount !!! I will check that web-site again to hear about completed units and any Field Test Results . I am sure this took some time to develop , and I hope others will comment here on the results.....Regards.......Eugene52

          Comment


          • #6
            Hi to all friends,

            I think is better we design a VLF detector, because
            discrimination is a important factor for treasure hunting...
            and we must design a VLF detector with good discrimination and more depth...
            for discrimination we must have a Phase angle difference measuring circuit
            to detect and measure phase angle difference between Tx and Rx signals...
            Are you a good idea or good circuit for it ?!!!

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by zenit52 View Post
              Hi to all friends,

              I think is better we design a VLF detector, because
              discrimination is a important factor for treasure hunting...
              and we must design a VLF detector with good discrimination and more depth...
              for discrimination we must have a Phase angle difference measuring circuit
              to detect and measure phase angle difference between Tx and Rx signals...
              Are you a good idea or good circuit for it ?!!!
              Hi Zenih52 for an asian guy like you there is a metal locater designed specially for mars rover project , it uses a CPU that runs at 500Mhz , and detects gold on mars and u can use it here, the schematic is here..... www.microsoft.com

              it runs on all principles detects ultrasonic thumping sounds the martians make,

              Comment


              • #8
                Arr-ooooooo

                Of the moon: they say, "It's made of green cheese." But, who are "they"?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Hi to all friends,
                  i waiting for Phase angle difference measuring circuit ...
                  anybody can help ??? !!!

                  Comment

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