By JEFF O'DONNELL

Super- Sensitive
Metal Locator
BURIED under the sand of the beach, along with old salami sandwiches,
fruit pits and Eskimo Pie wrappers, is unclaimed treasure -the money
that fell out of people's pockets as they changed into their swimsuits.
There's plenty of it there: pennies, quarters, dimes, and maybe even a
half dollar. If you don't feel sifting a carload of sand is worth a few pennies
and dimes, you can do the job a lot easier and faster with our Super-
Sensitive Metal Locator. It's a fraction of the size, weight and cost of the
metal locator in our September, 1959 issue.
And it's a metal locator straight out of the junk box. You finally can
use those salvaged capacitors and resistors from the shattered transistor
radio because the metal locator is just about the least critical project going.
Even if you're the world's worst coil winder you'll have no problems for
the correct way to make the search -head coil is to scramble -wind the wire.
Just in case your junk box is bare, you can start from scratch with all
new components and bring in the project for less than $5.
The locator works on the beat- frequency (BFO) principle. As you see
in the schematic, the circuit consists of just a broadcast -band oscillator.
Search -head coil L2 is 101 in. in diameter; as it is swept over the ground
any metal within its range causes a change in its inductance which in turn
slightly changes the oscillator's frequency.
The usual BFO -type treasure finder has a variable- frequency oscillator

30 Electronics Illustrated
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and a fixed - frequency oscillator tuned to al- limited, follow the pictorial. If you're an old
most the same frequency. The beat-frequency pro, do what you please, the component lay-
between the two is amplified and fed to head- out is not critical. Just don't substitute for
phones or a speaker. When L2 is passed over the specified transistor.
metal the change in inductance produces a Start by mounting a battery holder, power
change in the tone, and you know you've switch SI, jack J1 and tuning capacitor C5.
passed over metal. The battery holder is a double AA cell holder
In low -cost BFO treasure finders, the os- with both terminals on the same end -this
cillators have a tendency to lock together will accommodate a standard 9 -V transistor-
and this reduces sensitivity. Ambient tem- radio battery, such as a Burgess 2U6, very
perature changes can cause the oscillators to nicely.
drift apart as the sun heats things up. To Tuning capacitor C5 can be any miniature
avoid both problems, and to keep the cost at type as long as its maximum capacitance is
rock -bottom, our locator uses a standard approximately 365 µµf. Either use the low -
transistor radio as the second oscillator, beat cost unit specified or the antenna section of a
frequency detector and audio amplifier. two-gang tuning capacitor salvaged from a
Construction. The unit shown is built on transistor radio. Install C5 so that the dial will
the main section of a 4 x 21 x 15/4 -in. Mini - project above the cabinet so you can easily
box. If your construction experience is turn the dial to change the operating fre-
quency.
The terminal strip shown is a miniature
type, such as would be found in transistor
equipment; a standard -size terminal strip will
be too large for the cabinet.

Layout is not terribly critical but note that re-

sistor RI and capacitors C1,C2,C3 as well as lead
from S1 are all grounded at same point. Watch
the heat when soldering QI or you'll ruin it.

May, 1968 il

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 J1
PLI LY/
o

PARTS LIST
B1 -9 V battery
C1,C2,C3 -.05 µf, 12 V or higher ceramic disc
capacitor
C4-.01 µf, 12 V or higher ceramic disc
capacitor
C5-10-365 µµf miniature variable capacitor
(Lafayette 99 H 6217)
J1- Miniature phone jack
-2.5 mh subminiature iron-core choke
L1
(J. W. Miller 70F253A1, Allied 54 E 1869,
840 plus postage. Not listed in catalog)
L2- Pickup coil; 8 turns No. 22 enameled
wire (see text)
PL1- Miniature phone plug to match J1
01 Q1- 2N3860 transistor (GE)
BOTTOM VIEW R1-33,000 ohm, 1/2watt, 10% resistor
R2-20,000 ohm, 1/2 watt, 101/2 resistor
R3 -1,000ohm, I/2 watt, 10% resistor
S1 -SPST slide switch
Metal near L2 changes its inductance canning it
to shift 1,000 kc oscillators frequency. This causes
Misc. -4
x 21/4 x 11/2-in. Minibox, terminal
strip
tone change in nearby radio set to 1,000 kc.

bottom end and attach the handle to the

Metal Locator search head. A single wood screw will hold
the handle to the head if you also use a good
To avoid soldering -heat damage, QI must contact cement such as Touch-And -Glue.
be the last part installed. Do not cut Q1's Mount the oscillator cabinet on the handle,
leads short-use them full length. The wire about 12 in. down from the top. Connect a
from Ql's collector to JI is ordinary shielded shielded lead to PL1, plug PLI into J1 and
wire-you can use thin coax-with the shield run the wire to the bottom of the handle,
connected only at J 1's ground lug. Tape the fastening it in place with staples. Cut the free
shield at the transistor end of the wire to pre- search head wires short and attach them to
vent strands from shorting to other com- the braid and hot lead of the shielded wire:
ponents. it doesn't matter which goes to which.
Winding the Coil. The search head is a Checkout. Place a transistor radio near
101 -in. dia. piece of 1/2 or 3/4 in. thick stock; the box; it can be taped on the handle just
plywood is fine. Drill two holes approximately below the oscillator cabinet as shown. Tune
1/16 in. dia. spaced about l in. apart from in a reasonably strong station above 1,000
the top of the head through to the side as kc-the locator's oscillator does not operate
shown in the drawing. Pass about 3 in. of No. below 1,000 kc. Carefully adjust C5 until
22 enameled wire through one hole so the free you hear a loud beat note in the radio. If you
end sticks through the top of the search head now pass the coil near metal you should hear
and wind 8 tight turns. the beat note change pitch.
There's no need to be neat, just 8 tight If you do not get the beat try tuning to a
turns, even a scrambled winding will do. Pass station well above 1,000 kc; depending on
the free end of the wire up through the sec- how you made L1 the locator might not tune
ond hole and then twist the two free ends all the way to 1,000 kc. If you still can't get
together twice to secure the coil. Coil rigidity the beat check for a wiring error. Normal
is extremely important, so coat the coil with battery current is 2 to 6 ma.
a thin layer of silicon rubber adhesive such Using the Locator. Tune in your reference
as Silastic Bathtub Caulk. Let the adhesive station and slip the radio into a pocket or
dry overnight. If you don't have any No. 22 tape it to the finder's handle. Hold the search
enameled wire you can substitute 9 turns of head a few inches above the ground and ad-
No. 22 hookup wire or No. 24 enameled wire. just C5 for a low- pitched growling beat note
Final Assembly. Salvage the handle from in the radio. As you move the search head,
an old broom or mop, cut an angle on the keeping it as close to the ground as is possi-

32 Electronics Illustrated
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 10-314` DIA. X 3/4" THICK

8 TURNS NO 22 ENAMELED WIRE

The search -head coil should be wound on a 101/2-in. dia. piece of ti or 2/4 -in. thick plywood; coil is
scramble wound around edge of wood. Because coil must be as rigid as possible. coat it with a thin
layer of silicon rubber adhesive. Make certain the adhesive completely covers every bit of the wire.

ble, there should be no change in the beat's or taped to the handle of the locator. Then,
pitch until you pass over metal. Then, de- you adjust C5 until you hear a loud squeal
pending on the type of metal, the note will in the radio. Finally, C5 is trimmed so the
slide up or down in pitch. Try to use a growl, radio tone becomes a low growl. When L2 is
rather than a high pitched beat, as a very passed over any metal the growl will either
slight change in L l's inductance will cause a go up or down in pitch, or down to full zero
large change in pitch when a growl is used beat. Since the broadcast-station frequency
as the reference. is maintained to -!- 20 cps and since the radio's
The locator's sensitivity will depend on oscillator is not an integral part of the treasure
the size of the buried object. Coins can be finder, the drift of one oscillator, and the
detected about I to 2 in. below the surface, tendency of the oscillators to lock up, is
depending on their size. About 25 sq. in. of eliminated.
metal can be detected from 2 to 4 in. As the Coil L2 does not need the usual electro-
object gets larger the sensitivity gets better. static shield. When a shield is used all the
Very small objects will cause only a barely capacitive effect is eliminated and there is no
perceptible change in beat note, so pay atten- change in the oscillator frequency as the coil
tion to those minute changes in frequency. is brought near the ground. However, a
How it Works. As we said, you simply shielded coil responds only to ferrous metals,
tune in a strong broadcast station on a tran- not to aluminum and copper. By leaving off
sistor portab!e which can be kept in a pocket the shield the locator detects all metals. -4

Radio can be carried in your pocket or taped to the Locator's handle directly below the oscillator.
Don't try to pick up more signal by moving the radio closer to oscillator or the radio will lam.

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