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ARDUINO

> ₹15,000

3 – 6 Hours

Partial Kit

GPRino

A very low-cost Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) system using an Arduino Mega 2560 and custom analog RF circuitry.

Originally published on Hackaday.io

View original tutorial

Parts You'll Need

This project is sourced from another site, not written by us — this list is our best match of their components against what we stock, not a verified bill of materials. Always check the original blog (linked above) for the actual parts list before buying.

RFID Reader/Writer RC522 SPI S50 with RFID Card and Tag Rs. 190.00
400 Points Mini Solderless Prototype PCB Breadboard High Quality Rs. 89.00
MB102 Adjustable Breadboard Power Supply Module (3.3V & 5V) for Arduino & Raspberry Pi Rs. 139.00
Jumper Wire 10 Pin Male To Male 20cm Rs. 45.00
Jumper Wire 10 Pin Male To Female 20cm Rs. 45.00

Selected: Rs. 0.00

We don't carry yet: Arduino Mega
TFT / Touch LCD
Microcontroller IC (DIP) / Chip
Zigbee / XBee
Inductors / Coils / Ferrite
JTOS-850VW+ VCO
PSA4-5043+ LNA

Browse all components

How It Works

The GPRino is an advanced Ground Penetrating Radar system built around an Arduino Mega 2560 micro-controller and custom RF hardware. At its core, the system utilizes a JTOS-850VW+ Voltage-Controlled Oscillator (VCO) to generate high-frequency radio signals, which are then conditioned using PAT-15+ attenuators and amplified by dual PSA4-5043+ Low Noise Amplifiers (LNAs) to drive custom double-sided FR4 PCB antennas into the ground. These antennas transmit electromagnetic pulses beneath the surface and receive the reflected signals from buried objects or soil layers. The reflected signals are processed and captured by the system, while the Arduino Mega 2560 manages overall timing, control, and user interaction. Users can visualize real-time data and system parameters directly on a 3.2-inch TFT LCD shield equipped with an SD card slot for data logging. To handle the complex data acquisition and post-processing tasks, the hardware integrates with external desktop environments running LabVIEW 2013 and specialized Python scripts, alongside a dedicated RGPR library designed specifically for handling the radar data stream.

Why Build This

Gain hands-on undergraduate-level experience designing and integrating custom analog RF circuitry with digital microcontrollers.

Perform non-destructive subsurface utility engineering to locate buried pipes, rebar, and civil infrastructure.

Build a fully functional low-cost Ground Penetrating Radar system backed by Python, LabVIEW, and Arduino software pipelines.

Real-World Application

Subsurface utility engineering, locating buried pipes, rebar detection, and civil engineering infrastructure inspection.

Skills You'll Learn

RF circuit integration

microcontroller data acquisition

TFT LCD display interfacing

Python data processing

LabVIEW instrumentation control

custom PCB antenna implementation

Safety Precautions

No specific precautions noted for this build — always follow general electronics safety practices.

Technology Tags

ARDUINO

GROUND PENETRATING RADAR

ANALOG

LABVIEW

PYTHON

PCB DESIGN

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run this project using only the Arduino IDE?

No, while the Arduino IDE handles the firmware on the Mega 2560, the system also relies on Python scripts and LabVIEW 2013 for comprehensive data processing and visualization.

What is the purpose of the JTOS-850VW+ and the LNA components?

The JTOS-850VW+ acts as a voltage-controlled oscillator to generate the high-frequency signals, while the PSA4-5043+ LNAs boost weak received signals coming back from the custom PCB antennas.

How is the radar data stored during field use?

Data can be logged directly using the SD card slot integrated into the 3.2-inch TFT LCD shield mounted on the Arduino Mega 2560.

Gallery

This page is part of Kitkraft's Project Hub — a curated collection of electronics & robotics projects gathered from the maker community to help students and hobbyists discover and learn to build. Kitkraft does not claim authorship of the original project, and makes no representation as to the accuracy, completeness or safety of third-party source material. The summary and "How It Works" explanation above are AI-generated, rewritten with reference to the original tutorial — not a reproduction of it. Full credit and a direct link to the original source are provided above. If you're the original creator and have a concern about how your work is represented here, please contact us and we'll address it promptly.

Kitkraft Project Hub — curated from the maker community, credited at the source.

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