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#238
Originally Posted by juiceme View Post
Magnetometer is allright for compass usage, but unfortunately too unsensitive for locating anything except very strong magnets at close range. (verystrong=neodyme, closerange=20cm)

The "treasure hunters" metal detectors work on different principle; there's a EM coil that's fed with a frequency and another used as pickup, and having metallic objects nearby will affect the mu of the system creating a measurable voltage differential in the coils.
Well, 10cm range would be quite enough for me. As long it works through grass, hay, leaves, water, et cetera. Finding a needle in a haystack...
And about magnetometer sensitivity... How to Turn Your iPhone or iPad into a Metal Detector. I don't expect that Apple used a hyper-sensitive magnetometer in their products.
Best wishes.
 

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