I an currently looking for a magnetometer circuit which will help detect and provide a dc voltage output which can be recorded with a data logger over long periods of time. The data will be used to predict Aurora in real time and for plotting data graphs.

Has anyone information where I can find such a circuit. I have found one or two which use a compass needle, Ir LED and a phototransistor. Any help with this project would be appreciated.

Ian

 

See if Honeywell hasn't got something above the level of a compass - http://www.magneticsensors.com/

 

You can find used F. W. Bell, Walker, etc. gaussmeters; they'd work well for what you want. But you don't give a budget number, so they may be overpriced for what you want to do. There are companies that make inexpensive (a few hundred dollars) gaussmeters; see here. But I can't find the site that had the gaussmeter I was interested in getting...

If you search the web, you'll probably find some homebrew projects too, such as this one. Also look here.

 

That is gonna cost a pretty penny.

Are you restricted by budget? If not, get the Honeywell digital compass system

if so, here is a compass with .5 deg resolution:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=7915

 

Have you seen these ones?
http://www.dcs.lancs.ac.uk/iono/aurorawatch/detectors/

 

Crikey, does this forum always respond this quickly? Thanks to you all for a nice broad range of replies!

Markd77 - The site you suggested was the one which inspired me. I have just completed the 15V dual power supply pcb this morning. I could not source the activating coil from RS (discontinued product), so I wound one.

Cheers, Any other projects will be most welcome.

Ian in Tamworth. UK.

 

You should put your location in your profile. That way it will show up on your posts in the upper right. It helps get even better advice, because we can tell you where to source parts in your neck of the woods.

And yeah, were kinda quick. Just ask my... nevermind.

 

Another possibility is to suspend a magnet so it is free to rotate and align itself and use a hall sensor like the A1301EUA available from Rapid.
The earth's magnetic field is pretty hard to measure because it is really weak.
Of course this method would also probably detect earthquakes and trucks going past too, anything that would get the magnet swinging.