Building a metal detector can be quite simple. Many of us have these common household items just sitting around as well. The process should only take about 30 minutes to complete in the following easy steps.

THE MATERIALS YOU NEED ARE:
1 SET OF INEXPENSIVE HEADPHONES
1 CD-R and 1 DVD-R
1 9V BATTERY
1 ROLL OF ELECTRICAL TAPE

1 BOTTLE OF CONTACT CEMENT
1 SET OF SCISSORS
1 FUNCTIONING (NON-SOLAR POWERED) CALCULATOR

Step 1: Get a set of inexpensive headphones and use scissors to cut the headphone plug off. Cut right on the wire making sure to leave the wire length long on the headphone set.

Step 2: Next, skin the two wires each to 5" exposing each of the copper and colored wire inside the black skin. Each side of the wire should have two wires. These will be 1 copper wire and 1 colored wire. Most headphones will have a red and copper on one side and a blue and copper on the other side.

Step 3: Put a dab of contact cement anywhere on the back side of the DVD-R (where the DVD-R holds information on the back.) Glue only the copper wire from the side of the headphone wire that is paired with the blue wire. Do not glue the colored wire. It will have use in a later step. Wait for the glue to dry, then add a small piece of electrical tape over the copper on the DVD-R, but not on the glue. Place directly on the wire below the glue but still within the DVD-R's back side.

Step 4 : Next, place a drop of contact cement on the CD-R and repeat the step you did on the DVD-R. Except, this time only glue the copper wire that was paired up with the red wire from the other side of the headphone wire. Do not glue the red wire, only the copper wire. Repeat the electrical tape over the copper wire on the CD-R below the glue but still on the CD-R.

By this point, you should have 2 discs with copper wires connected to them with the red and the blue wires not attached to either the CD-R or DVD-R.

Step 5: Get your 9-Volt battery. Using another piece of electrical tape, connect the blue wire to the (-) part of the battery and the red wire to the (+) part of the battery. One piece of tape will do over the two wires on the battery. The tape should hold the wires in place firmly.

Step 6: Turn on your non-solar powered calculator and place it in the middle of the Cd-R faced up. Use electrical tape and secure it to the CD-R on top of the copper wire that you have glued and taped in place.

Step 7: Place the DVD-R directly on top of the calculator with the side with the wire that is glued and taped on it directly face up. The non-info side of the DVD-R should be faced down on the calculator.

Step 8: Next, secure the CD-R and DVD-R together with electrical tape. Make sure the two sides are firmly taped together. The calculator must be between there tightly.

Step 9: Place the 9-volt battery directly on top of the DVD-R in the center where the DVD-R is clear and has the center hole. Tape it down securely with electrical tape.

Step 10: Put headphones on. Move your device over the area you want to find metal. You will hear static when it passes over metal. It will search depths of 6-10 inches approximately.

How does your new metal detector work?
Electronics produce radio frequencies from their internal circuit boards. This device will produce static when it passes over metal. The calculator provides the radio frequency that is amplified by the CD-R and then bounces of the DVD-R. Next, the signal is sent to the headphones in static form when metal is present.

Learn more about this author, Melissa Pettibone.
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