4 ms·

I've been waiting for someone to finally make a consumer stud finder that works and this just might finally happen after this deregulation of the spectrum. The

I've been waiting for someone to finally make a consumer stud finder that works and this just might finally happen after this deregulation of the spectrum. The construction industry would hand over wheelbarrows full of money for a BLE phone-paired puck that located studs and pipes behind drywall. Someone could even sell a "pro" version that combined the data from multiple pucks to render a 3D point cloud of the inside of the wall on the user's phone.

mycall 5y ago
Would this be it? https://blog.vayyar.com/walabot-diy-2-launch https://blog.vayyar.com/walabot-diy-2-launch
- neurodyne 5y ago
  They also seem to have development hardware available https://walabot.com/makers https://walabot.com/makers
acmegeek 5y ago
Would the Walabot fit the bill for you? I bought one when it first came out and seemed pretty good. I haven't messed with it in a couple years though. https://walabot.com/see-through-walls https://walabot.com/see-through-walls This seems like a pretty good review: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/walabot-stud-finder/ https://www.bobvila.com/articles/walabot-stud-finder/
- jpm_sd 5y ago
  I tried one and it's pretty disappointing. Plenty of room for improvement.
hornej 5y ago
This stud finder uses UWB radar (lower frequency) https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-D-Tect-Floor-Scanner-Technology/dp/B005EM93R0/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2780PXCJLCI3H&keywords=bosch+dtect+150&qid=1643776912&sprefix=bosch+dtec%2Caps%2C184&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-D-Tect-Floor-Scanner-Technology...
mNovak 5y ago
As a radar guy I'd love to hear more about this. Stunned that's not a solved problem. To be clear you probably wouldn't get a 3D view of the whole room, just a narrow window like a conventional stud finder.
jpm_sd 5y ago
Yes, this would be incredible.
hedora 5y ago
Most studs have things (like drywall) nailed to them, and the nails are usually made of iron. So, all you need is a high-power rare earth magnet. I use a particularly strong refrigerator magnet. If you want to splurge (or are willing to couple trips to the coffee shop), you could buy one (or two) of these: https://www.homedepot.com/p/C-H-Hanson-Magnetic-Stud-Finder-03040/202563186 https://www.homedepot.com/p/C-H-Hanson-Magnetic-Stud-Finder-... I was tipped off to these by the someone in the construction industry. He buys a few whenever they're in stock, so that he can have them in every toolbox, lose them, etc. Note that, once you find a nail head, you can just leave the magnet hanging in place. If you have two, you can hang both, then use a straightedge or chalk-line to mark the point between the two where you want to make a hole. The fancy radar puck thing can't do that. (Maybe, someday, fancy AR goggles will solve that problem, but we're a long way off from that.)
- jasondclinton 5y ago
  This doesn't work for conduit and plumbing. mmWave radar does.

mycall 5y ago

Would this be it? https://blog.vayyar.com/walabot-diy-2-launch https://blog.vayyar.com/walabot-diy-2-launch

neurodyne 5y ago
They also seem to have development hardware available https://walabot.com/makers https://walabot.com/makers

acmegeek 5y ago

Would the Walabot fit the bill for you? I bought one when it first came out and seemed pretty good. I haven't messed with it in a couple years though. https://walabot.com/see-through-walls https://walabot.com/see-through-walls This seems like a pretty good review: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/walabot-stud-finder/ https://www.bobvila.com/articles/walabot-stud-finder/

jpm_sd 5y ago
I tried one and it's pretty disappointing. Plenty of room for improvement.

hornej 5y ago

This stud finder uses UWB radar (lower frequency) https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-D-Tect-Floor-Scanner-Technology/dp/B005EM93R0/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2780PXCJLCI3H&keywords=bosch+dtect+150&qid=1643776912&sprefix=bosch+dtec%2Caps%2C184&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-D-Tect-Floor-Scanner-Technology...

mNovak 5y ago

As a radar guy I'd love to hear more about this. Stunned that's not a solved problem. To be clear you probably wouldn't get a 3D view of the whole room, just a narrow window like a conventional stud finder.

jpm_sd 5y ago

Yes, this would be incredible.

hedora 5y ago

Most studs have things (like drywall) nailed to them, and the nails are usually made of iron. So, all you need is a high-power rare earth magnet. I use a particularly strong refrigerator magnet. If you want to splurge (or are willing to couple trips to the coffee shop), you could buy one (or two) of these: https://www.homedepot.com/p/C-H-Hanson-Magnetic-Stud-Finder-03040/202563186 https://www.homedepot.com/p/C-H-Hanson-Magnetic-Stud-Finder-... I was tipped off to these by the someone in the construction industry. He buys a few whenever they're in stock, so that he can have them in every toolbox, lose them, etc. Note that, once you find a nail head, you can just leave the magnet hanging in place. If you have two, you can hang both, then use a straightedge or chalk-line to mark the point between the two where you want to make a hole. The fancy radar puck thing can't do that. (Maybe, someday, fancy AR goggles will solve that problem, but we're a long way off from that.)

jasondclinton 5y ago
This doesn't work for conduit and plumbing. mmWave radar does.