A proprietary device, known as the Terminator 3 metal detector, is used for targeted searches for coins of various denominations. The circuit solutions used in the device ensure the extreme sensitivity of inductive sensors, allowing you to identify metal objects with a high degree of accuracy.
Metal detectors under this name are assembled according to the classical scheme, in which there are two inductive coils (transmitting and receiving), as well as an additional winding called compensation.
The transmitting coil is connected directly to a self-oscillator, which produces a pulsed signal of relatively high frequency. As a result, it begins to emit electromagnetic oscillations (waves), creating an alternating field in the search area. Propagating in the medium under study, this field, in turn, induces voltage fluctuations of similar shape in all metal objects.
Note! The field created by the transmitting coil affects the receiving circuit of the metal detector itself and also induces small amplitude oscillations in it.
In the absence of foreign metal objects, the potentials acting in both coils are balanced by means of an additional compensation winding. When any metal object appears in the area under study, the established balance is disrupted. In this case, the sensitive element of the electronic circuit amplifies the difference signal and directs it to the actuator, which generates warning pulses.
Based on the described principle of operation, the MD Terminator 3 device includes the following electronic components:
The device is designed as a structural module with an external probe frame into which the measuring coil itself is built. The main part of the electronic circuit is located in a separate console containing a power source, as well as indication and sound notification elements.
The procedure for handling the device can be found in the instructions supplied with it.
The mode of measurements carried out by the device with the excitation of an alternating electromagnetic field is classified as IB (induction balance). The metal detector has the following technical indicators:
To the specified operational capabilities should be added the presence of autonomous power supply, supplied from a 9 or 12 volt battery.
The detection depth of coins in the soil (with a working coil with a diameter of 240 mm) is:
For a more complete understanding of the principle of detecting coins, it is advisable to familiarize yourself in as much detail as possible with the VDI scale for this model, which is valid in the “Discrimination” mode and facilitates their identification.
The advantages of the product in question include the ability to clearly identify objects made of non-ferrous metals (with a probability of 85%). The remaining part (15%) consists of cases of detection of iron or heavily rusted objects.
Additional Information. Devices of this class differ significantly from some of their analogues (Terminator 4, for example), which are capable of determining only the depth of an object.
The list of their advantages can be supplemented with a low relative measurement error.
In various situations, such detectors make it possible to detect objects at depths not exceeding the size of a shovel bayonet, which is not bad at all for this class of devices. In all other respects, the model in question is considered a fairly “powerful” device, superior in its capabilities to its known analogues.
Their disadvantages, in addition to their relative high cost, include low sensitivity to rust-affected iron. In some cases, when an erroneous “dirty” signal is issued, indicating something between black and non-ferrous scrap (or vice versa), metal covered with a layer of rust is detected. You can learn to distinguish a false signal from a useful one only after a long period of mastering the techniques of working with this device.
In order to make and test a metal detector with your own hands, first of all, you need to assemble its electronic part, and then place the individual boards in a suitable housing. As an example, consider the device diagram given below in the text.
Important! To assemble boards yourself, you need to be able to handle a soldering iron professionally and have basic skills in soldering microcircuits.
All radio-electronic elements indicated in the diagram, after their acquisition, are soldered into a printed circuit board, which is placed in the housing (its general view is given below).
After the circuit is assembled, you can proceed to visually checking the quality of soldering of the printed circuit board. But first, it is thoroughly wiped with a clean flannel soaked in solvent, which allows you to clean the connecting tracks and contacts from any remaining traces of flux.
After assembling and connecting the individual components, we proceed to setting up each of the device modules, which will require the following measuring equipment:
When setting up the assembled device using an oscilloscope, the presence of a radiating signal and the absence of voltage at the amplifier input in rest mode are checked.
The required frequency of the emitted signal is set using a frequency meter by changing the capacitance of the output oscillating circuit. Using the same oscilloscope, the presence of a useful signal at the input of the amplifier and the output of the detector is checked in measurement mode.
The test begins with the sensitivity control knob of the device being turned to the maximum so that a stable sound signal is heard in the speaker.
After this, you should touch the frame with the inductive sensor with your hand and monitor the change in sound. If it is immediately interrupted, this means that everything was done correctly and the circuit is working properly. Otherwise, you should check the entire circuit, stage by stage, using the same oscilloscope.
Note! The control LED should blink after being supplied to the power circuit and immediately go out. When the voltage is removed, it lights up and then gradually fades out.
In conclusion, we note that the final configuration of the device is carried out at the place of its use (taking into account the soil in the possible search area). To be completely confident in the performance of the device, it is recommended to test it on various samples of metal parts.
Terminator 3 is a coin detector that operates on the induction balance (IB) principle.. The Terminator circuit was developed based on metal detectors from Tesoro. But it has a number of differences, both in the operation of the metal detector itself, and the process of its manufacture and configuration is simplified. Also, a great advantage of the Terminator is the ability to recognize metal at the limit of sensitivity (even with minimal target acquisition, it detects it quite accurately).
Operating principle – IB (Induction Balance)
Detection depth of objects in the ground with a 240 mm coil:
5 rubles Russia – 22-24 cm.
5 kopecks of Catherine - up to 30 cm.
Helmet – up to 80 cm.
Operating frequency – 7-20 kHz (Depends on the coil and capacitors C1 and C2).
Search modes – “Discrimination” and “All metals” can be switched.
Ground balance is manual.
The power supply for the metal detector is 9 – 12 volts.
The picture below shows the division of the VDI scale of the Terminator-3 metal detector. 
Thanks to this, the Terminator is able to effectively distinguish gold products from other metals.
Terminator-3 has a high level of complexity for self-production . Therefore, it will be extremely difficult for a beginner to do this. We recommend that this circuit be assembled by people who have sufficient experience in electronics and the manufacture of metal detectors! But if you feel strong enough, then the process of making Terminator 3 will be described below and all the information necessary for this will be collected.
To manufacture and configure the Terminator-3 metal detector, in addition to the standard set of equipment, you will need: Multimeter with capacitance measurement, Oscilloscope andLC meter. But this equipment can be replaced with computer emulators, circuits and programs for which are freely available on the Internet.
For ease of manufacturing and setting up a metal detector, you will also need Terminator-3 diagram broken down into nodes:
Several versions PCB routing for the Terminator 3 metal detector can be downloaded in this archive -
Parts List for the manufacture of the Terminator-3 metal detector in *.doc format (For a board with SMD resistors) -
We make a printed circuit board. Then we solder jumpers into the board, then SMD resistors, then panels for microcircuits and then the rest of the parts.
The capacitors on the board must be metal film with high thermal stability. It is also recommended to use a tester to select the most identical parts in terms of parameters on two parallel amplification stages and the values of capacitors C1 and C2 (So that everything is as identical as possible), this will greatly facilitate your setup. It is also better to use a multi-turn trimmer resistor.
After soldering the metal detector, the board must be washed with alcohol, dried and visually checked for defects and stickiness. Then, without a coil, you can already check the functionality of your board. Turn on the power of the metal detector, turn down the sensitivity control until a constant sound appears in the speaker, and touch the sensor connector with your fingers, the sound should be interrupted for a second. When turned on, the LED should blink and go out. If everything is so, then the board is soldered correctly. And you can start making the coil.
Manufacturing a 200mm ring coil for the Terminator-3 metal detector
To make it, we need winding enamel wire with a diameter of 0.4 mm. We fold it in half in advance (So that we have 2 ends and 2 beginnings), or we wind it in parallel from 2 coils. Next, on a sheet of plywood we draw a circle with a diameter of 200 mm for the TX coil - the transmitting coil, and 100 mm for the RX coil - the receiving coil.
Then, in increments of 1 cm, we drive in nails around the entire circumference (preferably in cambrics, so as not to damage the wire insulation during winding).
We wind 30 turns of double-folded wire onto a 200 mm mandrel. Then we saturate the coil with varnish, and after drying, wrap it with thread. Then we remove it from the mandrel and solder the middle, obtaining a solid winding of 60 turns. We got 2 extreme and one middle tap.
Then we wrap the coil tightly with electrical tape, wrap aluminum foil for the screen over the electrical tape, with a gap of 1 cm, and again wrap electrical tape over the foil to protect the foil. We first bring the ends of the windings out.
Then we wind the receiving coil onto a 100mm mandrel - 48 turns, also with a double wire. And then he gets drunk. The middle terminal of the transmitting coil is connected to the minus on the board to start the generator, and the middle terminal of the receiving coil is needed only for tuning, then it is isolated and not used. The compensating coil is wound with a single wire - 20 turns. Its diameter is selected so that it fits tightly inside the shielded transmitting coil.
We take a 4-wire cable for the coil in a common screen.
Now we connect the TX (transmitting coil) to the board, connect the middle terminal and the coil screen to the minus of the board, connect the oscilloscope, the negative probe to the minus of the board, and the positive one to one of the ends of our coil. When setting up the coil, there should be no metal objects around it!!! And so we connect everything and look at the oscilloscope to see what frequency we get. Then write down the value and put the coil aside.
We do the same with the RX receiving coil, measure its frequency, ideally it should be lower than the TX frequency by 100 Hz. If this is not the case, then it is necessary to adjust the frequency by selecting a loop capacitor. As a result, you should get, for example, 9.1 kHz TX and 9.0 kHz RX.
Now the middle RX pin is isolated, and we proceed to mixing the coil. We connect the coils according to the diagram below.
We place the coils in a pre-prepared mold for filling with epoxy resin. We take an oscilloscope, a negative probe to the minus of the board, a positive probe to the output C5, set the division time on the oscilloscope to 10 ms and the division of 1 volt per cell. We look at our picture on the oscilloscope; there is no balance yet, so the vertical amplitude will be large. Then we wind up one turn from the CX (compensation coil) from the soldering side to RX, bite off this turn and solder it again. And we observe a decrease in amplitude. We carry out this procedure until the amplitude becomes zero. Then we reduce the volt/division and continue to wind the turns until we reach 0 at the very minimum resolution of your oscilloscope. It is clear that it will not be ideal, but you need to find the number of turns, after winding which it will begin to grow again. This position is our intermediate balance. Now we fix the coil, make a 10-15 cm loop from the CX output, and bring it outside our fill; this will be our compensating loop, which will help us bring the coil together.
We fill the sensor with epoxy resin but only half the depth of the mold. Then, after it hardens, we connect an oscilloscope, bend our loop into the inside of the mold and begin to twist and twist it, trying to find the minimum amplitude value. After this position has been found, we fix the loop with glue, check the balance again, and fill our form to the end.
After you have made the coil, you need to adjust the Terminator 3 metal discrimination scale
The correct setup should look like the table below
This is what a finished homemade coil for the Terminator-3 metal detector looks like
You can also make a DD coil for Terminator 3. Detailed description of manufacturing a DD coil for the TERMINATOR 3 metal detector -
Conclusion:Terminator 3, although quite complex to manufacture and configure, will require some effort on your part. But a carefully and correctly assembled metal detector will delight you with the quality of its work and pleasant finds. Terminator three will work on par with branded metal detectors of the mid-price category, and in addition to your labor, it will require low material costs.
The following people should be thanked for the development of the Terminator-3 metal detector: a2111105, Yatogan, Radiogubitel, Elektrodych from the md4u.ru forum
When writing this material, data from the sites was used:
Terminator 3 is an IB metal detector with discrimination and very good performance! The main thing is that it is not difficult to set up and does not contain microcontrollers. The reduced diagram shows the main blocks of the device.
1. Power supply. I advise you to check its functionality before installing the microcircuits. When assembling a device without installed microcircuits and without coils, turn on the metal detector to check. Do not forget about the current, if it is very small and the voltages correspond to 6 and 4 volts, then you can move on! 2. Sound generator. I advise you to install the ms3 microcircuit first and apply power - you will hear a tone that will delight you when the metal detector detects a target. The tone can be changed by selecting c13 and resistors p14-15 3. RF generator. The main block that creates an emitted magnetic field that will be received reflected from the target. 4. Receiving amplifier. The functionality and importance of this unit is clear from the name. 5. Synchronizer. The key is on a 4066 chip. 6. Amplification channels. If you are assembling the device for yourself, pay attention to the selection of parts for the symmetry of the channels. I won’t pay attention to the filter and discharge indicator - these are not the main units.
You will find a clearer image of the MD T3 circuit and drawings of a printed circuit board for conventional radio components and SMD on the forum. Having assembled the Terminator 3 metal detector, having carried out an initial check of the functionality of the power supply and sound generator, we install the microcircuits and turn them on, while measuring the current without sound and coils. It can fluctuate from 10 to 30 mA, and with sound up to 50 mA. The current should not exceed these indicators if all the ratings of the parts are met.
At this stage, you can check the metal detector by setting knobs p7 (Disk) to 0k, p8 (BG) to 100K and resistor p39 (Senses) to set the sound to the threshold of failure. Touch the PX or c5 with your finger and the sound should briefly subside or disappear.
Now we wind the coils. I prefer the DD sensor - it’s easier to set up and you don’t need a cx coil - simple and convenient! First I made this template:
It’s not a tricky thing, but it allows you to repeat coils en masse and achieve identical half rings. To make such a template you need a base and material for the frame itself. Afterwards, we cut out the template, make a cut of about 1 cm for easy removal of the coil, and a cut in the base - also about 1 or 2 centimeters. As a wire receiver (let's call it that), I use electric staples, which punch wire No. 6 along the baseboard, and glue them around the perimeter with hot-melt adhesive - they are strong enough! We wind the coils with 0.4 mm wire into two wires of 30-35 turns. Then we tighten it with ties. And we remove it, tightening it with threads and removing the ties. After we tighten it with thin tape, we make a screen from aluminum tape without a gap, but with an overlap. And in order to avoid a short-circuited turn, we wrap it with tape in the place of overlap so that the foil does not touch each other. We solder the wire to the aluminum tape; there is no need to wrap it with tin! You can also add a layer of tape to seal the sensor. Then we wrap it in fiberglass and into a mold for pouring. We make the mold in foam plastic. To set up the discrimination of the T3 metal detector, you first need to prepare targets - copper (not copper-plated textolite), ferrite, also a piece of cigarette foil, an aluminum stopper and, if possible, coins. Now setup. It all starts with setting the sensor to the frequency. We connect the first coil to the generator with capacitance c1 and look at the frequency (remember, if necessary, you can lower or increase it with additional capacitance). Then we take the second coil and connect it to a generator with capacitance c2 and adjust the frequency one hundred hertz lower than the frequency of the first and it will be RX. Afterwards, we connect the coils to the MD in their places and reduce them to 0, measuring the amplitude at c5. Resistors BG = 100k, DISCRIM = 0, the switch is in color only mode and we begin to adjust the VDI scale. We take a piece of ferrite and pass it over the sensor - if there is no signal, then add capacitance to the TX, if there is one to the PX, until the ferrite is cut out 30-40 kOhm BG. Make sure the sensors are connected correctly by passing the ferrite and copper over the sensor, one signal for copper, double tone for ferrite. Then everything written above will work.
Each of us, when setting up a metal detector, has encountered, or will continue to do so, the need to adjust the metal detector, or rather the coils for it, to the desired frequency. Anyone who has a frequency meter, an inductance meter and an oscilloscope can, in principle, do it without the attachment recommended below. If there are no special devices, we make a simple device that turns the PC into a meter. All you need to assemble it is a connector, 4 resistors per 10 kohm. Jack into your computer's sound card. So, we are looking for a connector, preferably one that matches the one that will later be placed on the body of your MD (coils can be connected directly to our device). I took a two-pair audio-video jack from the TV (these are found on VCRs, game consoles (dandy) and audio recorders). I carefully desoldered it, took a small piece of getinax, drilled holes in it for Jackie, soldered. Next, we move on to the markings - we separated the contact pads from the total mass (what is inside the tulip) and soldered a 10 kohm resistor.
At the other end of the board, I cut out 4 separate spots and soldered the remaining resistor leads to them. Here we have a small fee. In the bins I found two unnecessary wires (left over from some amplifier), on one end there is a jack - on the other there are 2 tulips (stereo jack). The tulips were cut off, tinned, the screens were soldered to the mask, and the central cores were placed on their heels on the board. We sign where which channel is on the board near the connectors (we check the ground with a tester - this is the edge, the first channel is the tip, the second channel is the middle). We connect the finished device to the computer, one jack on line in and the other on line out. The main task then becomes the use of software. I use the SPECLAB, Oscilloscope, audioTester V1.4e program (the programs are located on the website in the section). We connect the coil to the board the way it would be connected to the MD, to the connector leading from the line out and install the program with the generator. For work I use two programs:
1. audioTester V1.4g (generator of any shape, two-beam oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer).
2. SpectraLab V4.32.13 (frequency meter, spectrum analyzer, phase meter).
These programs work up to 44 kHz, but they are more than enough to work with a metal detector. Now let's move on to the setup. This setting is suitable for any MD, including the Terminator we are assembling, but here it will be described in relation to the Volkstrum-Sm circuit. First, we measure the frequency (SpectraLab): on U4B/12.13 - it should be 8192 Hz (if it’s a little different, we write down the value). 1. We install resistor R23 vertically and “bite off” the conductor connecting it to U4/1. Now we fix the coils so that there is no metal about one meter away. We turn on the audioTester program (generator) and connect it to R23, and the multimeter to connector JP4. By changing the frequency of the generator (in the program), we find the resonance at max. voltage on the multimeter. By selecting the exact value of the capacitance installed on the coil (adding small capacitances), we achieve resonance at 8192 Hz (or at the recorded value). We insert the receiving coil into connector JP4 and repeat the settings on it. 2. We restore the R23 gap and connect the coils to their regular places. We connect audioTester (oscilloscope mode) to U1A/1 and move the TX coil to achieve minimum readings. We fix the TX coil and repeat step 1. After several passes, we fix the position of the TX coil. Fill it with epoxy resin and connect the middle pin to the TX cable. We measure the values of the selected capacitances on each coil and replace them, if possible, with single containers with a small TKE. Capacitances are obtained in the region of 0.06 μF. We glue the plastic corners to attach the rod and cut off the excess pieces on the base.
A metal detector is a specific tool. Not every user may need this interesting device, but there are still plenty of people who want to purchase a metal detector or, as some call it, a metal detector. Of course, you can find and purchase a device for yourself, but why, if you have the opportunity to make it yourself, according to the diagram below for the metal detector - Terminator 3.
On the Internet you can find a large number of diagrams and instructions for making a metal detector with your own hands, but below we will present one of the most popular variations of homemade devices of this type.
This version of the metal detector is considered by many to be one of the most popular. The inventors of such a reliable device are developers Yatogan and Radio Destroyer- both users of the md4u.ru forum. On this forum, by the way, you can find a lot more interesting things for those who want to assemble their own metal detector.
It should be said a few words that setting up and assembling this IB device will be very difficult for users who have not done this before. One might say that it is even practically impossible. This may frighten readers, but under no circumstances should they be frightened.
You just need to carefully prepare for the assembly process, which can be done by visiting the well-known forum md4u.ru.
Depth calculated for black soil with a sensor having 240 mm wire. By the way, we can say a few words about the discrimination of this metal detector. The fact is that while many similar devices are able to determine the location of a metal element at a certain depth, but cannot find out what kind of metal it is, Terminator-3 copes with this task. It can detect most metal objects at the maximum detection depth.
To assemble and set up this device you will need to use the following devices:
Of course, if you purchase the entire set of presented devices yourself, you will have to spend money. But you can try to create virtual measuring complex yourself on the basis of a regular personal computer. By the way, you can find a fairly large number of programs for this purpose on the Internet.
The Terminator-3 metal detector is one of the most popular devices of this type. In essence, it is a typical coin detector, which, having undergone some modifications, gained the ability to detect gold, while ignoring other non-ferrous metals.
In addition, even though Terminator-3 is a coin operator, it is also capable of searching for scrap metal, for which you simply have to introduce a special “all metals” mode into the circuit, since initially a circuit is taken that does not have this mode.
The circuit is implemented using non-standard logic as an op-amp. Of course, there is a certain disadvantage, which is that unknown CU of the microcircuits themselves, and the noise level is higher. You can apply domestic logic, but you will have to put up with a greater spread of parameters. It is possible, however, to replace it with a domestic sound generator microcircuit, without damage and without additional problems.
By the way, Terminator-3 in terms of such indicators as depth and accuracy of target identification is comparable to models of branded brands that are in the middle price range. When compared with cheaper branded analogues, Terminator-3 outperforms them in all respects. But for this to happen, you should assemble the metal detector as it should, and not as it turns out.
To begin with, you should pay attention to the nodes indicated in the diagram, since it is by them that you will have to navigate later. This will come in handy during the setup process. When connecting a transmitting coil (TX) to a self-oscillator) it begins to produce current fluctuations. These oscillations come out in the form of a meander from the MC1 microcircuit.
After this, you should move to the receiving coil (RX), which also contains a current induced by the TX and creating a field. According to this field, the coil should be balanced with the TX. In other words, it is necessary to subtract the RX field from the TX field. To do this, you will need a compensation coil (CX). For different sensors it appears differently: in the “RING” CX sensor it is real, in the form of a coil, and in the DD CX sensor it is virtual. It should be connected so that the current in it runs in the opposite direction to the receiving coil. By gradually unwinding from the compensation coil, balancing TX and RX in current is achieved.
The balancing is controlled by an oscilloscope, which allows you to achieve a minimum amplitude for all positions of the handle in turn. Upon reaching a certain point at which the amplitude begins to increase again, it begins act tuning loop, which is made from one of the ends of the compensation coil. Before this, be sure to adjust TX and RX in frequency, while RX is made 100 Hz lower than TX. The coils are tuned to the desired frequency by connecting each of them in turn to the oscilloscope and the instrument's generator.
There is no need to adjust the CX frequency. A situation arises in which the balance is disrupted if a metal object appears under the sensor, As a result, current flows into RX, which from there goes to the pre-amplifier, where it is then amplified and fed into the synchronization detector (SD), which, in turn, detects the phases of the incoming signal and outputs everything to the amplification channels. Everything is amplified in them and then goes to the MC8 comporator, whose task is to compare the signal levels in the channels, after which the comporator gives permission to operate the sound generator.
In principle, almost all balancers work this way, albeit with minor differences. The differences largely relate to the nuances of detuning the metal detector from the ground. Terminator 3 has phase detuning.
In order to check the metal detector board after soldering all the circuit elements, you should carry out a series of procedures that will allow you to determine whether the circuit was soldered correctly.
To do this you need to do the following:
A few words should be said about the low battery indication. It looks like this: the metal detector begins to send frequent signals at regular intervals. In this case, the diode should burn constantly, and the sensitivity drops sharply.
All settings for the frequency of the metal detector should be made with the same cable with which the device will subsequently be used. After the user has made all the necessary frequency settings, he should under no circumstances change the cable length.
Above is a picture that describes the sensitivity of the device. Some information is provided about several materials that can be detected by this metal detector.
In principle, assembling such a metal detector does not seem to be at all difficult. Yes, it may require effort, time and money, but there are a number of advantages that the user who finally assembles this metal detector receives as a bonus.
Terminator-3 is a very strong device when compared to branded metal detector models, and given the fact that it can be made by hand, this makes it even nicer and preferable.
Of course, it will be much more difficult for the user to assemble such a device if he does not have the proper experience. But there are always manuals and instructions for beginner radio amateurs, who can find there a lot of interesting information for subsequent work with electronics.
Hello to all comrades, today we will try to figure out what kind of metal detector is the Terminator? Have you probably heard of such a device? In particular, one of the popular models is the third. A friend of mine, whom we met on the Internet thanks to our hobby, has a “Therma” and this is what he told me about this device.
There are plenty of photos on the Internet, all different modifications:
Regular three:
Terminator M model:
Well, and another photo of two homemade products at once:
The first and most important thing is that this is a homemade metal detector, which means that it is made by ordinary people, or rather by those who are well versed in circuits and electronics. If you are not good at this, then you won’t be able to do it yourself.
They make it according to schemes that are a dime a dozen on the Internet. The most important thing is that there are a lot of nuances here and each “developer” makes the device for himself - changes something, improves it, adapts it. Here is the general diagram - using it you are guaranteed to assemble this MD yourself:
And this is what the board looks like, where everything is already soldered:
“Therma” has several varieties - here we can talk about the “Trio” model, it has been improved, some gadgets have been added to make the search more convenient and comfortable. The Trio already has 2-tone identification and, compared to older models, it is more convenient for them to search.
The Terminator 4 model is already considered obsolete, but those who started with it speak warmly of this model and continue to use it. It was “invented” already in 2007, while the “troika” is already 2009.
Three and four are most often single-tone devices (however, now two-tone models have also begun to be assembled), but the “Trio” is already 2-tone. So if you decide to buy a “thermal”, then it’s better to take a two-tone model. Still, when there is no display that helps in digging, and you have to navigate only by sound, then the more tones, the better. And here, single-tone homemade products, of course, lose out to factory devices, which have several tones by default.
There are also PRO models and a recent new product - 2012. We won’t talk about them here for now, because in price they are already comparable to professional-level devices.
Which is better, Terminator or Garrett Ace 250?
As you can see, this MD is practically in the same price category; the third “term” on thematic forums can be bought for 4-5 thousand rubles. Whereas 250 ICQ costs at least 2 times more.
However, at such a low price in terms of depth, “Thermal” makes Asya, it sees colored targets deeper. Of course, if everything is configured correctly and the operator fumbles.
On the other hand, ICQ’s convenience and information content are an order of magnitude higher, and if you are a complete newbie to coping, then I would advise you to take a factory device. And ICQ is still time-tested - a worthy entry-level device.
Does this MD have a pinpointer?
A pressing question, because now they have become more alert to installing DD coils on them, and without a pin they have to dig huge holes, and even the search technology, when you cross a target, does not help. The answer is that there is no pinpointer, and therefore we recommend purchasing an inexpensive manual pinpointer from this list.
How well does he see small targets?
The design of this MD is such that it sees “small things” just fine and easily copes with all entry-level devices - graters and ICQ. Again, let us remind you that it will be difficult to master this device from the very beginning.
What is this metal detector for - for coins or for war?
Here the answer suggests itself - most often this model is discussed on forums dedicated to war cops (in particular, Reibert), and therefore they use it for this purpose. They dig for shell casings, helmets, rifle bolts and other things of interest to war seekers. However, antique diggers who use these devices place it above the ICQ 250 and the 34 Minelab grater, primarily in terms of detection depth.
Which MDs are “Terminator” most often compared to?
Most often they are compared with devices of the same level - in particular with the Cardinal Profi MD from the Sturmlab office. However, as diggers note, “Thermal” is more balanced, there are fewer glitches (Cardinal often starts if you wave the reel on dewy grass). Well, I also note that the food lasts longer.
In general, after talking with the comrade, I got the impression that the device is actually very worthy, well, it’s not for nothing that it has so many fans and admirers. Plus they are actively improving it, adding more and more new features.
And now I’ve already seen quite “sophisticated” metal detectors with a convenient panel and a pleasant design on sale. And in terms of characteristics, they say that they compete even with Minelab’s mid-range and top-end detectors - 705 grater and Exp. So this MD is worth paying attention to. Well, if you are comfortable with a soldering iron and are tinkering with all sorts of circuits and transistors, then maybe you should try assembling it yourself? Fortunately, the Internet is full of schemes, and there are many thematic forums.
And finally, a video of a cop with Therm-4 - the quality is so-so, but what discoveries and most importantly - a new, lyrical song about diggers. I advise you to watch it even purely because of it. Well, you can clearly see that with this MD it is quite possible to dig for ancient coins.
One gets the feeling that there are simply no other signals, only coin ones) And there are no false ones either, which indicates good settling from the ground and the general setup of the device.
But here’s a test video about the “Trio” model - it’s more fun and understandable:
