Impulse metal detector “Pirate”

Recently, a lot of popularity is gaining such an occupation, as the search for different old coins, household
items, and just metal trinkets in the ground with a metal detector. In fact, what could be better than taking
a walk with utretsa across the field, inhaling the smells of nature, enjoying the views. And if at the same
time it is possible to find any worthwhile find in the earth – so in general a fairy tale. Some people do this
intending, combing the fields for days in search of valuable coins or other valuables. At their disposal
there are expensive factory metal detectors, which will not be affordable for everyone. However, a full-
featured metal detector can really be assembled by yourself.

In this article, we will talk about creating the most popular, reliable, time-tested, reliable impulse metal
detector called “Pirate”. It allows you to find coins in the ground at a depth of 15-20 cm and large objects
at a distance of up to 1.5 m. The circuit of the metal detector is shown below.

Scheme of metal detector “Pirate”

The entire circuit can be divided into two parts: a transmitter and a receiver. The NE555 chip forms
rectangular pulses, which are fed to the coil through a powerful field-effect transistor. When the coil
interacts with the metal adjacent to it, complex physical phenomena occur, thanks to which the receiving
part has the opportunity to “see” whether there is metal in the coil zone or not. The microcircuit-receiver in
the original scheme of the “Pirate” is the Soviet K157UD2, which is difficult to get now. However, instead
of it you can apply the modern TL072, the parameters of the metal detector will remain exactly the same.
The circuit board proposed in this article is designed specifically for the installation of the TL072 chip
(they have different pinouts).
Capacitors C1 and C2 are responsible for the formation of the frequency of rectangular pulses, their
capacitance must be stable, so it is advisable to use film ones. Resistors R2 and R3 are responsible for
the duration and frequency of the rectangular pulses that form the microcircuit. From its output, they
arrive at the transistor T1, inverted and fed to the gate of the field-effect transistor. Here you can apply
any sufficiently powerful field-effect transistor with a drain-source voltage of at least 200 volts. For
example, IRF630, IRF740. Diodes D1 and D2 are any low-power, for example, KD521 or 1N4148.
Between 1 and 6 pin of the microcircuit a variable resistor of 100 kOhm is switched on, with the help of
which sensitivity is set. It is most convenient to use two potentiometers, 100 kOhm for coarse adjustment
and 1-10 kOhm for fine tuning. You can connect them according to the following scheme:
 The speaker in the circuit is connected in series with a 10-47 Ohm resistor. The lower its resistance, the
louder the sound and the more metal detector consumption. The transistor T3 can be replaced by any
other low-power NPN transistor, for example, the domestic KT3102. The speaker can be used by anyone,
the first one. So, let’s move from words to deeds.

Assembling a metal detector

List of necessary details
Microcircuits:
 NE555 – 1 pc.

 TL072 – 1 pc.

Transistors:
 BC547 – 1 pc.

 BC557 – 1 pc.

Capacitors:
 100 nF – 2 pcs.

 1 nF – 1 pc.

 10 mkF – 2 pcs.

 1 μF – 2 pcs.

 220 mkF – 1 pc.

Resistors:
 100 kOhm – 1 pc.

 1.6 kOhm – 1 pc.

 1 kOhm – 1 pc.

 10 Ohm – 2 pcs.

 150 Ω – 1 pc.

 220 Ohm – 1 pc.

 390 Ohm – 1 pc.

 47 kOhm – 2 pcs.

 62 kOhm – 1 pc.

 2 MΩ – 1 pc.

 120 kOhm – 1 pc.

 470 kOhm – 1 pc.

Rest:
 Speaker 1 – pcs.

 Diodes 1N4148 – 2 pcs.

 Sockets DIP8 – 2 pcs.

 Potentiometer 100 kOhm – 1 pc.

 Potentiometer 10 kOhm – 1 pc.

Printed circuit board

The printed circuit board is performed by the LUT method, it is not necessary to mirror it before printing.
On the board in the first place you need to apply the resistors, diodes, then everything else. It is desirable
to install the chips in the panels. The wiring of the coil, speaker, potentiometer and coil can be soldered
directly to the board, but it is more convenient to use screw terminals, then you can connect and
disconnect the wires without using a soldering iron.
Coil manufacturing
A few words about the searchcoil. The most optimal option is to wind 20-25 turns of copper wire with a
cross-section of 0.5 mm2 on a round frame with a diameter of about 20 cm. The number of turns
determines the sensitivity to a large extent, therefore it is necessary first to wind more turns, 30 pieces,
and then gradually reducing the number of turns , select the number at which the sensitivity will be
maximum. Wires from the board from the coil should not be long, preferably copper and cross section no
less than the cross section of the coil wire.
Metal detector setting
After assembling the board, winding the coil, the device can be turned on. In the first 5-10 seconds after
turning on the speaker will be heard various noises and cod, this is normal. Then, when the operational
amplifier enters its operating mode, it is necessary to find a potentiometer such mode, when individual
clicks will be heard from the speaker. When you bring a metal object to the coil, the frequency of clicks
will increase significantly, and if you bring the metal into the very center of the coil, the trust will turn into a
continuous rumble. If the sensitivity is not enough, and changing the number of turns of the coil does not
help, it is worth trying to choose the values of the resistors R7, R11, changing them to a greater or lesser
side. The board must be cleaned of flux, often it becomes the cause of malfunctioning of the metal
detector. Successful assembly!
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