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Common Electromagnetic Disturbances
You have to rule out a number of common reasons that could cause
a compass needle to act erratically.
For instance, if somebody passed the compass holding a strong permanent magnet, or carrying a quantity of
ferrous materials. Or if the compass is lying close to an electrical line and someone switches electrical power on or off. Placing the compass close to any electrical device may also cause the compass to react erratically.
After eliminating these common terrestrial triggers you may be left with a legitimate event to investigate.
UFO sightings are rare events. So unless you plan to stare at your compass for days, weeks, months or years at a time,
you need to automate the process. That's where our UFO Detector comes in. The UFO detector is as sensitive as a compass detector;
in fact it uses an electronic compass as the sensor.
The UFO Detector will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week for over 6 months on one 9V lithium battery.
Circuit Function
The UFO Detector works in the manner described using a standard magnetic compass. The compass however is electronic, allowing
it to be read by another electronic circuit. The electronic compass of choice is a 1490 digital compass sold by Robson Company.
The 1490 Digital Compass sensor is sensitive to tilt. Any tilt greater than 12 degrees will create errors and reduce sensitivity.
A 16F84A microcontroller controls the power and does the monitoring and checking the status of the compass for any anomalies.
When it detects a magnetic anomaly it signals by flashing an LED and beeping.
The UFO Detector may be purchased as a kit with all the components ready to be assembled, or completely assembled, tested and ready to go. The kit is less expensive than the assembled version.
For anyone wanting to build the kit version the directions to do so follows.
UFO Detector Kit Page
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