How to Make a Homemade Metal Detector

Making your own homemade metal detector out from materials that you can simply find around your house can be an interesting activity. 

There are actually many tutorials around the internet that you can find. But, do they really work?

I actually came across a certain website that teaches you on how to create a simple metal detector out from a calculator, two pieces of CDs, headphone and one 9 volts battery. 

Unfortunately, the project that I made didn't worked. Perhaps I didn't do it right.

Moreover, I found a much better result in building simple and cheap metal detector electronic projects. 

The simplest and cheapest homemade metal detector that I made uses a 555 IC (Integrated Circuit). Any electronic enthusiasts are surely familiar about this type of electronic component.

Here's the link to the website that teaches how to make your own homemade metal detector out from a 555 IC:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-cheap-and-simple-metal-detector/

This MD doesn't just actually consists of a 555 IC, there are also other components that you need such as resistors, capacitors, speaker, battery and etc... 

The good thing about these electronic components is that, they are very common where you won't have a hard time buying them from any electronic shop.

Another interesting MD that you can make at home is James Hobson's DIY Metal Detector. It also require a 555 IC timer but with better and improved design as compared to the other one mentioned above.

The basic concept on how this MD works is that, it utilizes a search coil made from copper wires in which it transmit frequency signal. 

If the coil is placed near a metal or magnet, the output frequency will be affected which causes the 555 IC to generate a different audible sound.

Here's the link to James Hobson's homemade metal detector:

http://hackaday.com/2013/09/28/diy-metal-detector/

Perhaps the best homemade MD that I built is the design owned by Gary from Chemelec website. Although, it isn't actually for beginners where it requires some good understanding in the field of electronics.

Unlike the other two simple projects mentioned above, Gary's PI MD is composed of several electronic components. 

And unfortunately, there are some components that are no longer available in the market. Thus, you should know how to find the right "substitutes" for those missing components.

Anyway, if you are really interested in building Gary's homemade metal detector, it's best to purchase the complete kit on his website. 

This way, you don't have to go through the trouble of acquiring all of the necessary components.

Here's the link to Gary's Pulse 2 version of metal detector:

http://chemelec.com/Projects/Metal-2a/Metal-2.htm

And finally, for more list of metal detectors that you can build at home, check out Geotech's metal detector projects:

http://www.geotech1.com/cgi-bin/pages/common/index.pl?page=metdet&file=projects.dat

Overall, learning how to make a homemade metal detector can actually be a lot more fun than using the tool you made out in the field.