What Is Fluxgate Magnetometer?

What if, when you were a kid, you had a compass that could tell you where the magnetic north pole was? That's what a fluxgate magnetometer can do. It measures the orientation and intensity of magnetic flux lines. So if you're trying to find yourself in an unfamiliar part of town, all you have to do is put on your fluxgate magnetometer and look at your phone. The app will give you directions based on where the magnetic north pole is located at that moment in time. They're pretty simple devices, but they can be mighty. They work by measuring the variation of magnetic fields around them. The value of a magnetic field at any given point is not constant, and it fluctuates up and down. By measuring these variations, the magnetometer can determine its exact location. The stronger the riffs, the more accurate the device is. Of course, there's a catch. The variations of a magnetic field are tiny. A typical value might be around 10-9 Tesla. That's a minimal amount. To put things in perspective, Earth's magnetic field is about 50–300 Tesla. It's a tiny thing, but that makes it worthwhile. It's sensitive enough to detect these slight variations. It can be put in the form of something easy to measure, like voltage. Fluxgate magnetometers are based on a principle called saturation, which is the state in which a material can't take in any more magnetic field energy. The design of the fluxgate magnetometer is similar to that of a transformer, with two coils of wire surrounding a ferromagnetic core. An alternating current passes through one loop, producing an alternating magnetic field in the other coil. Measuring the phase and intensity of the alternating current in the secondary is possible. By analyzing any changes in external areas, you can determine the power and orientation of the output. When such changes occur, it feels as though the fluxgate has been opened!