Build Your Own Bat Detector with Analog Parts!

In this episode, Mark shows you how to build a bat detector! His design works as a heterodyne receiver that can shift from frequencies in the ultrasonic range to the range which humans can hear. Using an ultrasonic microphone, you can tune the device to the frequency your bats are using for their echolocation. Because different species of bats use different frequencies, you can also potentially identity the species you are listening to as you locate them.
You can build your own detector, using good old-fashioned electronics without the use of microcontrollers or sound processing! Discuss this episode and ask Mark questions on the element14 Community: bit.ly/3XmSa5x
Engage with the element14 presents team on the element14 Community - suggest builds, find project files, and see behind the scenes video: bit.ly/3tmdewv
Visit the element14 Community for more great activities and free hardware: bit.ly/3q6YMpu
Tech Spotlights: bit.ly/3qPrDhM
RoadTest and Reviews: bit.ly/3pV5Bux
Project14: bit.ly/31wbnJY
#0:00 Welcome to element14 presents
#0:28 Overview
#3:00 Components
#4:10 PCB Assembly
#7:46 Inside the Case
#9:11 Putting It All Together
#11:23 Let's Find Some Bats!
#12:16 Give your Feedback
#pcbdesign #bats #makersgonnamake

[@TheElectronicEngineer]

Remember, if you have any questions regarding this build, check out the element 14 community. Ill do my best to answer all.

[@coondogtheman]

You should make that into a kit that can be purchased and built. I would totally buy one of these.

[@johnknight7293]

Many, many years ago there was one and mine still works, though I might replace it now!

[@stevewilliams1054]

I use Blu Tack to hold the components in place while soldering, you then have a choice to cut or not to cut the legs.

[@andywest5773]

Cool device! I live in Austin, TX where there are some massive bat colonies. I can only imagine what this would sound like there.

[@Workshopshed]

From what I know if Texas, it is hard to tell if this comment refers to very large bats or large numbers of bats.

[@jafinch78]

Reads like a neat and super simple design! I'm going to have to watch later and in more detail. I commented below and will comment here as well that the SPU0410LR5H and FG-23629-P16 for the MEMS or Transducer mic were the ones I last read about when reviewing and I ran by dodotronics on the "Intelligent Bat Detector" instructable, when I was working with. Great motivation and inspiration to bring out my project tray related to this! Especially now, seems like a good time to detect and report! 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving and/or Harvest Fest and/or Holiday Season!

[@tseckwr3783]

In some hearing aid designs, high frequency sounds are shifted to low frequencies (where good hearing still exists) using a similar method. Thanks for your hard work and interesting design.

[@JackSpiggle]

What a delightful project and video, thank you for sharing Mark!

[@TheElectronicEngineer]

Your Welcome

[@wherami]

Very interesting. Thank you

[@cheetahkid]

I built one and using surface mount components, I already done on number 5. It becomes popular with people like to listen.

[@cfavreau]

Cool circuit. One thing I would like to see more of in these videos is how to test the circuit out. Too many of my projects end up not working after putting them together and I have a hard time figuring out what went wrong. For this circuit maybe: verify the oscillator operation, verify the mic amplifier, verify the mixer, verify the power supply, verify the sound amplifier... something like that. Thanks for the video.

[@oSc4ryo]

wow nice idea

[@t1d100]

Cool

[@orsonzedd]

Okay Batman, what does it detect?

[@gosdeCarrer]

In the schematics the resistor R15 in the first stage, shouldn't be 470K instead of 470 Ohm? Otherwise the gain is about 2000 in that stage, looks too much to me, but I'm quite newbie. I'm trying to reproduce it in a protoboard and debug with an oscilloscope. Cool project, I have bats in the back garden every evening. Thank you!

[@flamshiz]

would the oscillator make noise itself and mess with the bats trying to echolocate?

[@TheElectronicEngineer]

No, it doesn't... the speaker or headset used will not be able to generate that high frequency sound and the oscillator itself is not powerfull enough to generate that kind of noise

[@LEXMICHDEKAMMERA]

Ja des Kasteel Hoensbroek natuurlijk! Ich hub zo'n dink auch geprobeerd te maken ooit, maar det woor zonger zo'n PCB'tje. Det is natuurlijk mislukt, maar ich gaon het door dit filmke nog ene keer opnuuj proberen! Bedank veur dien meuijte!

[@kapytanhook]

Welke taal is dit lex? Is dit echt?

[@LEXMICHDEKAMMERA]

@@kapytanhook Limburgs dialect. Kasteel Hoensbroek staat in Limburg. In Hoensbroek, niet in Echt.

[@kapytanhook]

@@LEXMICHDEKAMMERA dank, wist niet dat dialect ook geschreven kon worden.

[@donnersm]

Gehr gedoan

[@joesidari252]

Micro changes in air density

[@soulrobotics]

Since the mic seems to be a normal 40Khz... How you can hear 100khz sounds if the mic wavelength is not flat at that frequency. In fact is very narrow to plus minus 3 khz!. How to build somethig that cover the whole spectrum of bat frequencies? Mic is the bottleneck...

[@jafinch78]

I found the best Transducer or MEMS mic were the SPU0410LR5H and FG-23629-P16. This was based on the designer/inventor of the Dodotronic mic and his observations working with and when we commented back and forth on the instructable "Intelligent Bat Detector" comments.

[@ASALADIDULANGA]

Can you give grebber file of this

[@transientaardvark6231]

I don't get how an op-amp is being used to multiply 2 signals together. With no feedback to give it a "gain" it is not even adding them it is just a comparator.

[@bartonstano9327]

With minor modifications you change this to listen to rats, they communicate in the ultrasonic. Scientists are trying to "learn" the rat language.

[@TheElectronicEngineer]

Doubtful but i will ask the scientists at my workplace. They study rat behaviour

[@bartonstano9327]

@@TheElectronicEngineer please ask them and then please post answer. I have owned pet rats and would love to hear them chatter.

[@savosia499]

@@TheElectronicEngineer I'm an animal behaviour postgrad, and I own pet mice. I would be really interested in studying my mice's ultrasonic vocalizations, so I was asking myself: would it be possible to send the signal to a computer in order to register it and analyze waveform etc., instead of just re-emitting it from the speaker? I'm a newbie on electronics but i'm keen to learn about it and i own a soldering station!

[@C2H5OHist]

This is useless. The bats will just get a bat detector detector and give you a fine anyway.

[@TheElectronicEngineer]

Haha😂

[@middleway1885]

Boop

[@popesens_gecko2582]

How the f did i know his name was mark?