How to Make a Metal Detector Circuit Board

Find a tested metal detector schematic online or in a book. Educational websites and sites containing reviews might contain better schematics than blogs.

Create a list of electronic components by looking at the schematic. Add one IC socket per chip to your list, if the schematic contains ICs. Write down the number of pins each socket must accommodate. The number of pins is equal to the number of pins the chip contains. Purchase the components, copper-clad stripboard and single-core wire.

Place each type of through-hole component, such resistors and capacitors, on a breadboard or the copper-clad stripboard. Measure the amount of space each component occupies with a ruler.

Build the circuit on a breadboard or the copper-clad stripboard according to the schematic. Compare your circuit to the schematic to ensure it is correct.

Launch the graphic design software on your computer. Create a document that is equal to the size of your copper-clad stripboard. Alternatively, use a piece of graph paper and draw the outline of the board. You can also draw the image to scale if that is easier. For example, the drawing might be double the size of the board.

Draw the layout of the copper-clad stripboard. Draw the copper tracks and holes according to their proportions on the stripboard.

Draw and label the components according to your circuit's layout and the schematic. Draw the components to scale using their measurements. If necessary, indicate any locations on the stripboard where the copper track must be broken by using a specific color or symbol.

Use a track cutter to break copper tracks on the stripboard where necessary. For example, each pin of an integrated circuit (IC) must not be connected. Break the copper tracks between the IC's pins.

Transfer the circuit to the copper-clad stripboard according to your drawing. Use wire to connect components that need to be connected but cannot be because of space constraints or the circuit's complexity. Compare your circuit to the schematic to check for errors.

Solder the components to the stripboard with a soldering iron. Solder heat-sensitive components, such as diodes, quickly to avoid damaging them.

Solder IC sockets to the stripboard, if your circuit contains ICs. Place the ICs in their sockets when you are done soldering all of the components.