Pulse Induction Metal Detector PCB Design


I've made a plan, and started work on it.
Proceed with final stabilization of the PCB design:
  1. Grounding and validation:
  • Fix all grounding issues and enforce a strict single star-ground topology at the 12V input only
  • Ensure complete separation of analog, digital, and power return paths with no unintended coupling
  • Rerun full ERC and DRC after grounding corrections and resolve all remaining violations
  1. Component placement:
  • Place the Arduino Nano centrally between the analog front-end (TL072 + LM393) and the power driver section (TC4420 + IRF3205 + coil)
  • Maintain clear physical separation between analog and power domains to minimize electromagnetic coupling
  1. Power integrity:
  • Add bulk capacitors for each power domain:
    • Analog domain: 10µF–47µF low-noise capacitor
    • Digital domain: 10µF–47µF capacitor near Arduino Nano
    • Power domain: 100µF–470µF near coil driver input
  • Ensure each bulk capacitor is placed close to its respective power entry point
  1. Final review:
  • Re-check decoupling placement (100nF at every IC power pin)
  • Verify no routing crosses between analog and power zones
  • Confirm coil driver loop remains minimal and isolated
Only proceed to final Gerber, BOM, and Pick-and-Place generation after all checks pass successfully.
I've made a plan, and started work on it.
Fix grounding and checks
Place MCU between domains
Add bulk capacitors
No schematic yet

Talk to Flux to get started.