Build Your Own Arduino Metal Detector and Hunt for Treasures on the Beach

Hackster Staff
Jul 25, 2017 · 2 min read

While using a metal detector can be fun, it’s often a challenge figuring out the exact place to dig. This not only makes for more work, but can increase your impact on the environment as well.

Each coil can pinpoint objects at depths of 7–10cm, making it perfect for finding lost coins and rings at the beach or park. (📷: TechKiwiGadgets)

With this in mind, TechKiwiGadgets came up with an eco-friendly DIY detector. Like many others, his design uses transmit and receive coils to induce and detect a magnetic field. When a metallic object is within its field, it modifies the signal, forming what are known as eddy currents.

The detector includes auto calibration, a USB rechargeable power pack, and four different screen modes. (📷: TechKiwiGadgets)

What makes this gadget unique, however, is that it employs four sets of transmit/receive coils, which are combined using an Arduino Mega to form one image. In order to narrow down the location of the “treasure,” signals from the individual coils can then be viewed on a 3.2" TFT display split into four sections, telling you just where to start digging!

Ready to hunt for coins, jewelry, and other items at the beach? You can check out TechKiwiGadgets’ tutorial here!

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