What are the components of a metal detector?

Website design By BotEap.comIn this article we will look at what exactly constitutes a metal detector to do the job it does. We will also look at the three types of technology that are also associated with metal detectors.

Website design By BotEap.comA typical metal detector will be lightweight and consist of just a number of parts.

Website design By BotEap.comone. stabilizer – This is an option and is used to keep the metal detector stable while the person using it sweeps it back and forth.

Website design By BotEap.comtwo. control box – This is what contains all the circuitry, controls, speaker, batteries and microprocessor for the metal detector.

Website design By BotEap.com3. axis – This connects the box to the coil and is often adjustable so people can set it to a comfortable level for their height.

Website design By BotEap.comFour. search coil – Probably one of the most important parts of any metal detector as it actually detects if there is any metal there. In some cases, some people may refer to it as a “search head”, “loop” or “antenna”.

Website design By BotEap.comHowever, most systems will also have a jack to connect headphones to the metal detector and some will have the control box below the shaft and a small display unit above it.

Website design By BotEap.comOperating a metal detector is quite simple. All you need to do is turn it on and then slowly move over the area you want to search. In most cases you will sweep the coil back and forth over the ground in front of you and when it passes over a target object the metal detector will emit an audible signal. There are more advanced metal detectors available that provide a display that indicates the type of metal it has detected and how deep it is in the ground.

Website design By BotEap.comThere are three types of technology that are used in metal detectors and these are:-

Website design By BotEap.comone. VLF – Very Low Frequency
This is probably the most popular sensing technology available today and is made up of two distinct coils, the transmitting coil and the receiving coil.

Website design By BotEap.comtwo. PI – Pulse Induction
Unlike the VLF metal detector, the PI system can either use a single coil as the transmitter and receiver or it can have 2 or even 3 coils working together.

Website design By BotEap.com3. BFO – Beat Frequency Oscillation
This is the most basic way to detect metals. In a BFO system there are 2 coils of cable, one of which is in the search head and the other smaller coil will be located inside the control box.