ELECTRONICS

Simple BFO Metal Detector Using Two 555 Timers and LM386

A worked electronics example, rendered live. Open it in the AI editor and adapt it to your own case.

UPDATED 2026-09-12
EXAMPLESimple BFO Metal Detector Using Two 555 Timers and LM386
Make this diagram your own.

Open it in the AI editor with a prompt pre-filled — keep what works, change what doesn't.

CASE ANALYSIS

Scenario

A hobbyist needs a readable BFO metal detector schematic that shows the two 555 oscillator stages, passive mixer/detector, and LM386 audio output with a clear ground return.

Key decisions

  • Dedicated SEARCH_OUT and REF_OUT nets keep the two 555 oscillator blocks separated before mixing.
  • A diode detector followed by R3/C6 low-pass filter extracts the beat note.
  • Rload represents an 8 ohm speaker so the audio output is a valid two-pin load.

When to reuse this

Use this netlist when drawing BFO-style detector circuits where functional IC blocks and clear net names matter more than internal 555 pin-level detail.

Open this example in the editor →

Tweak it with chat, export PNG/SVG, or fork it for your own use case.