What are the principal parts of a metal detector?
Metal detectors have been used longer than people think. Today, there are different of kinds of metal detectors that cater to the needs of individuals in different kinds of professions.
For treasure hunters, a metal detector is a vital equipment in finding gold. Today, there are metal detectors that detect only gold that you can buy in retail stores.
But before anything else, just what are the principal parts of a metal detector ? How does a metal detector work? The article will provide the answers.
Principal parts of a metal detector
A metal detector is basically made up of the following parts:
Stabilizer. This is an optional but helpful part that keeps the whole device steady while your sweep it back and forth.
Control box. The control box contains the speakers, batteries, microprocessors, and circuitry of the whole device.
Shaft. This connects the control box to the search coil.
Search coil. This is the heart and soul of the whole device. This is the part that senses metal and it is sometimes referred to as the “search head,” “loop,” or “antenna.”
Stabilizer
This is an optional piece for metal detectors, but it can be very convenient. The stabilizer is made from space age materials. You slip your forearm through the stabilizer to prevent your joints from getting fatigued. This will maker you comfortable and will not strain your arm.
Control box
If the search coil is the heart and soul of the whole detector, the control box is the blood that keeps the device running. Scientists have conducted numerous studies and research in the field of electronics in order to make the modern-day control boxes. The control box receives the signals from the search coil and it converts these signals into audible sounds. Before, metal detectors only beep whenever the search coil detects metal. Today, control boxes have clear LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screens that can tell you the kind of metal that is discovered, how deep it is buried, and can even show you a silhouette of the item.
Shafts
Old metal detectors were made out of aluminum or plain iron. Today, most manufacturers use composite materials such as carbon fiber for the shaft. Carbon fiber is made from carbon filaments that were woven into a cloth. The end product is a very durable and light material that is currently used by NASA for its space shuttle programs and also used as a raw material for creating the body frames of Formula 1 race cars. The use of carbon fiber has become very helpful in manufacturing metal detectors. Since some metal detectors are used for demining (detecting and removing land mines), the device that should be used should be very durable and light and a metal detector with a carbon fiber shaft will be able to do the job.
Search coil
The coil can be considered as the most principal part of a metal detector . This copper coil is responsible for picking up signals from metal items. There are three kinds of technologies that search coils use to discover metal items.
First is the VLF (Very Low Frequency). The VLF or induction balance is probably the most popular form of technology used in metal detectors. A VLF metal detector uses two coils called the transmitter and receiver coil. The transmitter coil releases an electromagnetic field that goes beneath the ground. Once it comes in contact with any magnetic item, this field weakens because causes the metal to produce a weak electromagnetic field of its own that pushes its way up to the coil.
Second is the PI technology or Pulse Induction. The PI system uses a single cord and works by emitting strong and short bursts of pulses through the coil that generates a small magnetic field. After the creation of this field, an opposite magnetic field is created but only momentarily. This collapsing of the opposite field takes only a fraction of a second. Whenever this coil is placed over a metal object, the opposite field will collapse slower than usual.
Third is the BFO or Beat-Frequency Oscillator. The BFO has two distinct wires. A large coil is placed on the loop or search head while a smaller coil is placed on the control box. Each coil is attached to an oscillator that produces radio waves. Whenever the large coil passes through a metal object, it creates a magnetic field around it. It signals the user by a producing an audible beat. This beat will change its tone and tempo whenever it passes through a metal object.