Homemade Gauss Meter
If you need to measure the intensity of a magnetic field, for safety or educational purposes, you will need a gauss meter. They are expensive and delicate, so you may not be interested in buying one but may still require its use. You can make your own homemade gauss meter, for less than a commercial one and with very little effort. You will create a circuit using a battery, a voltage regulator and a Hall device. You will need a working knowledge of circuits, however, but once you understand how they work, you can build a meter quickly and inexpensively.
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Things You'll Need
- 9-volt battery clip
- Breadboard
- +5 voltage regulator
- Calibrated Hall device
- Voltmeter
- 9-volt battery
- Rubber band
Instructions
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1
Run the red positive wire of a battery clip through the breadboard and connect it to the input of a +5 voltage regulator. The input is pin 1 on the regulator.
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2
Insert the black negative wire of the clip through the breadboard and connect it to the second pin or the common of the regulator.
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3
Connect the first pin of the Hall device, the +5 input, to the output of the regulator, the third pin. These wires should all be led through the breadboard to hold them in place.
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4
Attach the common or second pin of the Hall to the common of the regulator. The common of the battery clip, regulator and Hall device should all be together now.
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5
Set the voltmeter so its display reads 20Vdc max. The voltmeter will not be attached to the breadboard but should be place near it so it can be wired up to the power.
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6
Connect the positive wire of the voltmeter to the Hall device output, or pin 3.
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7
Attach the negative of the voltmeter to the joined common wires.
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8
Snap a 9-volt battery onto the battery clip connected to the other wires.
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9
Secure the battery in place by putting a rubber band around it and the breadboard and twisting it around until the battery is held firmly in place.
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10
Use the calibration chart included with your Hall device to set and use your gauss meter.
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1
Tips & Warnings
A voltmeter is a useful tool to have when building many different electrical meters.
Use only a calibrated Hall device or your measurements cannot be assumed to be accurate.
