The manufacturer tells you that your new cell phone has a compass inside. What's more, it comes with an application that simulates the old magnetic companion of navigators. But the truth is that inside your smartphone there is no compass. What is used is a sensor of magnetic fields that, naturally, can behave with certain precision like compass .
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But it can also be useful for something much more useful at home: a metal detector.
That is to say: I do not think you use the compass much in your house, but a metal detector never hurts.
There are a number of apps for Android and iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) that use the magnetic sensor to detect metals. The one that I mention here is Metal Detector for Android. The name chosen by Smart Tools for this application is unimaginative, but the app is excellent. It shows the intensity of the magnetic field in micro Teslas (μT) and sounds an alarm, in addition to changing the color, if the value exceeds a pre-established limit in the configuration. The maximum is 200. That's a lot; the terrestrial magnetic field in the north pole is 31 μT. The screen shows the equivalence between Teslas, which is the unit used in the International System , and Gauss , which is the unit used in the CGS system.
But where is the metal detector?
Bringing up the sensor of the smartphone (its position inside the phone can vary, so you have to try it) to a magnetizable metal also increases this value, and that is where it becomes a very useful tool.
What can a metal detector do at home? No, not to find hidden gold, but to know where the wires go inside the walls before turning on the drill. Yes, I tested it in real conditions and detected more than well where metal pipes and copper cables run. Also, depending on the distance, where the beams are. Etc.
But be careful, because not only metals can activate the sensor. Electronic devices too. By the way, if you discover some kind of electronic device inside the walls of your house, it gives you to start worrying : P
The program is in Spanish and is supported by advertising notices that appear above in the interface.
I leave a capture of Metal Detector when I approach the metal frame of a window, here, in the Editor: 83 μT. With an LCD monitor like the one on my desk that number climbs above 100.
This entry was posted in Freeware , Uncategorized by Ariel Torres , and tagged as Android , Metal Detector , Metal Detector , Utilities .
Andrew
Very interesting! I'm going to try everything.
SERGIO
And for the Blackberry? Does the App work?
Ariel Torres
Sergio: as far as I remember the BBs do not have a magnetometer. Someone?
Alexander
then change the title of the blog. Cell phones no, it would be in any case Apple Devices.
July
It seems to me that the sensor of my Galaxy S2 is not very sensitive, it only served to detect heaters, kitchens, gutters and speakers.
Anyway, I'm going to try to calibrate it in the open field - I did it in the yard, but as soon as I got into the house the field increased a lot, and it remains practically constant everywhere, even in the places under which it runs. the gas pipes (galvanized iron).
Ariel Torres
July:
My GSII detected wires and pipes inside the walls. The sensor is on the top left (holding it with the screen towards you).
Luis
Hi Ariel:
- Comment opposed to the entry issue but let's say you had to find a place to do it.
- The fact is that just over a week ago the latest version of the OpenOffice came out, now under the tutelage of the Apache Foundation.
- The questions that come up are those that I think are obvious, right? That is, OpenOffice vs. LibreOffice, what's up? What will happen from here on? Which one wins the arm wrestling? Are they the same project disguised as "fork" or are two projects both with pros and cons that force one to start reading the launch notes and jump between suites over time?
- If there is some info, it will be welcome.
- Greetings.
Ariel Torres
Luis: Yes, sir, I'm going to try it. What happens next is difficult to know. But I think it's good that there are several options :)
Killor
Using a grinder and sticking a small magnet you can measure the wind speed by varying the magnetic field when rotating.
Oscar
Greetings Ariel, this could help me detect the cables in a post-tensioned slab.