ELECTRONICS PROJECTS

Electronic Doorbell with Counter project

Description:

This circuit uses a synthesized sound chip from Holtek, the HT-2811. This reproduces the sound of a "ding-dong" chiming doorbell. Additionally, the circuit includes a CMOS 4026 counter display driver IC to count your visitors.

Circuit Notes:

The Holtek HT-2811 is available from Maplin electronics in the UK, order code BH69A. The operating voltage must remain within 2.4 to 3.3 Vdc and standby current is minimal. The reset switch zeroes the count,and the 7 segment display is a common cathode type. To save power consumption the display can be enabled or disabled with a switch as shown in the above diagram. The count will still be held in memory. The IC pin out for the 4026 is shown in pin order below:

Pin 1 is the clock input.

Pin 2 is the clock enable

Pin 3 is display enable

Pin 4 enables the carry output

Pin 5 is the carry output

Pin 6 is display segment f

Pin 7 is display segment g

Pin 8 is 0 V.

Pin 9 is display segment d

Pin 10 is display segment a

Pin 11 is display segment e

Pin 12 is display segment b

Pin 13 is display segment c

Pin 14 is the2 output

Pin 15 is reset

Pin 16 is +Vcc

The envelope of the chime is set by the 220k, 330k, 3u3 and 4u7 resistors and capacitors. These values are the manufactures default values, but may be adjusted to alter the length and delay of the chime.The combination of the 2k2, 22k and 47u resistor capacitor network has a double function. It provides a debouncing circuit for the bell press and at the same time has a sufficiently long time constant. This ensures that anyone rapidly pressing the doorbell switch, only advances the count once.The 47u capacitor may be increased in size, if needed. Circuit Expansion:The count may be expanded for up to 99 visits by cascading two CMOS 4026 IC's and using an additional 7 segment display. This is achieved by wiring pin 5 ( the 10's output ) of the first CMOS4026 to pin 1 (the clock input) of the second IC.

Electronic Siren project

Description:

An electronic siren made from discrete components

Notes:

The sound produced imitates the rise and fall of an American police siren. When first switched on the 10u capacitors is discharged and both transistors are off. When the push button switch is pressed to 10u capacitor will charge via the 22k resistor. This voltage is applied to the base of the BC108B which will turn on slowly. When the switch is released the capacitor will discharge via the 100k and 47k base resistors and the transistor will slowly turn off. The change in voltage alters the frequency of the siren. The oscillator action is more difficult to work out. As the BC108B transistor switches on its collector voltage falls and so the 2N3702 transistor is switched on. This happens very quickly ( less than 1us). The 22n capacitor will charge very quickly as well. As this capacitor is connected between the collector of the 2N3702 and the base of the BC108B, it soon reaches almost full supply voltage. The charging current for the capacitor is then much reduced and the collector emitter voltage of the 2N3072 is therefore increased; the collector potential will fall. This change in voltage is passed through the 22n capacitor to the base of the BC108B causing it to come out of saturation slightly. As this happens its collector voltage will rise and turn off the 2N3072 transistor more. This continues until both transistors are off. The 22n capacitor will then discharge via the 100k, 22k resistor, the closed push button switch, 9V battery, the speaker and 56 ohm resistor. The discharge time takes around 5-6msec. As soon as the 22n capacitor is discharged, the BC108B transistor will switch on again and the cycle repeats. The difference in voltage at the collector of the BC108B (caused by the charging 10u capacitor) causes the tone of the siren to change. As the 10u capacitor is charged, the tone of the siren will rise, and as it is discharged, it will fall. A 64 ohm loudspeaker may be used in place of the 8 ohm and 56 resistor, and the values of components may be altered to produce different sound effects


Four-in-one burglar alarm project

Description

In this circuit, the alarm will be switched on under the following four different conditions: 1. When light falls on LDR1 (at the entry to the premises). 2. When light falling on LDR2 is obstructed. 3. When door switches are opened or a wire is broken. 4. When a handle is touched. The light dependent resistor LDR1 should be placed in darkness near the door lock or handle etc. If an intruder flashes his torch, its light will fall on LDR1, reducing the voltage drop across it and so also the voltage applied to trigger 1 (pin 6) of IC1. Thus transistor T2 will get forward biased and relay RL1 energise and operate the alarm. Sensitivity of LDR1 can be adjusted by varying preset VR1. LDR2 may be placed on one side of a corridor such that the beam of light from a light source always falls on it. When an intruder passes through the corridor, his shadow falls on LDR2. As a result voltage drop across LDR2 increases and pin 8 of IC1 goes low while output pin 9 of IC1 goes high. Transistor T2 gets switched on and the relay operates to set the alarm. The sensitivity of LDR2 can be adjusted by varying potentiometer VR2. A long but very thin wire may be connected between the points A and B or C and D across a window or a door. This long wire may even be used to lock or tie something. If anyone cuts or breaks this wire, the alarm will be switched on as pin 8 or 6 will go low. In place of the wire between points A and B or C and D door switches can be connected. These switches should be fixed on the door in such a way that when the door is closed the switch gets closed and when the door is open the switch remains open. If the switches or wire, are not used between these points, the points should be shorted. With the help of a wire, connect the touch point (P) with the handle of a door or some other suitable object made of conducting material. When one touches this handle or the other connected object, pin 6 of IC1 goes ‘low’. So the alarm and the relay gets switched on. Remember that the object connected to this touch point should be well insulated from ground. For good touch action, potentiometer VR3 should be properly adjusted. If potentiometer VR3 tapping is held more towards ground, the alarm will get switched on even without touching. In such a situation, the tapping should be raised. But the tapping point should not be raised too much as the touch action would then vanish. When you vary potentiometer VR1, re-adjust the sensitivity of the touch point with the help of potentiometer VR3 properly. If the alarm has a voltage rating of other than 6V (more than 6V), or if it draws a high current (more than 150 mA), connect it through the relay points as shown by the dotted lines. As a burglar alarm, battery backup is necessary for this circuit. Note: Electric sparking in the vicinity of this circuit may cause false triggering of the circuit. To avoid this adjust potentiometer VR3 properly.

Electronic Lock PROJECT

Description

A very simple but highly efficient combination lock circuit is shown in the figure. Any type of on/off switches can be used, varying from commercially available inexpensive types to more sophisticated miniswitches. The switches are assembled according to a 10-digit binary code, already decided by the user. I used a binary code of 0110100111 in my circuit.
The switches are implemented in two different ways. Those designated "Operation" are used in series (S2, S3, S5, S8, S9, and S10). These switches need to be "ON" (binary state "1") to forward-bias the transistor, energize the relay (used in normally open mode), and activate the user's solenoid system to open the lock. If any of these switches aren't set to "1," the solenoid system will not activate.
In the second method, the switches designated as "Failure" are used in parallel (S1, S4, S6, and S7). These switches must be "OFF" (binary state "0") to prevent grounding the transistor's base. Setting any of these switches to "1" grounds the transistor's base, keeping the relay inactive and the solenoid in the locked position.
The sequence of the switches can be changed to have the desired binary code. In other words, adjusting which switches are placed in series and parallel varies the "1's" and "0's" binary number. More than 1000 different combinations exist for the 10-digit binary numbers used in this circuit. However, the total number of switches can be further increased to make it more difficult to guess the combination

Touch Switch PROJECT

This circuit uses a 555 timer as the bases of the touch switch. When the plate is touched the 555 timer is triggered and the output on pin 3 goes high turning on the LED and the buzzer for a certain period of time. The time that the LED and the buzzer is on is based on the values of the capacitor and resistor connected to pin 6 & 7. The 10M resistor on pin 2 causes the the circuit to be very sensitive to the touch.

Cellular Phone calling Detector PROJECT

Flashes a LED when detecting an incoming call
Powered by one 1.5V cell

Circuit diagram:

Parts:

R1____________100K 1/4W ResistorR2______________3K9 1/4W ResistorR3______________1M 1/4W Resistor C1,C2_________100nF 63V Polyester CapacitorsC3____________220µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor D1______________LED Red 10mm. Ultra-bright (see Notes)D2___________1N5819 40V 1A Schottky-barrier Diode (see Notes) Q1____________BC547 45V 100mA NPN Transistor IC1____________7555 or TS555CN CMos Timer IC L1_____________Sensor coil (see Notes) B1_____________1.5V Battery (AA or AAA cell etc.)

Device purpose:
This circuit was designed to detect when a call is incoming in a cellular phone (even when the calling tone of the device is switched-off) by means of a flashing LED.The device must be placed a few centimeters from the cellular phone, so its sensor coil L1 can detect the field emitted by the phone receiver during an incoming call.
Circuit operation:
The signal detected by the sensor coil is amplified by transistor Q1 and drives the monostable input pin of IC1. The IC's output voltage is doubled by C2 & D2 in order to drive the high-efficiency ultra-bright LED at a suitable peak-voltage.

Notes:
Stand-by current drawing is less than 200µA, therefore a power on/off switch is unnecessary.
Sensitivity of this circuit depends on the sensor coil type.
L1 can be made by winding 130 to 150 turns of 0.2 mm. enameled wire on a 5 cm. diameter former (e.g. a can). Remove the coil from the former and wind it with insulating tape, thus obtaining a stand-alone coil.
A commercial 10mH miniature inductor, usually sold in the form of a tiny rectangular plastic box, can be used satisfactorily but with lower sensitivity.
IC1 must be a CMos type: only these devices can safely operate at 1.5V supply or less.
Any Schottky-barrier type diode can be used in place of the 1N5819: the BAT46 type is a very good choice.

Push-bike Light PROJECT
Automatic switch-on when it gets dark
6V or 3V battery operation

Circuit diagram:

Parts:

R1_____________Photo resistor (any type)R2______________22K 1/2W Trimmer Cermet or Carbon typeR3_______________1K 1/4W ResistorR4_______________2K7 1/4W ResistorR5_____________330R 1/4W Resistor (See Notes)R6_______________1R5 1W Resistor (See Notes) D1____________1N4148 75V 150mA Diode Q1_____________BC547 45V 200mA NPN TransistorQ2_____________BD438 45V 4A PNP Transistor LP1____________Filament Lamp(s) (See Notes) SW1_____________SPST Toggle or Slider Switch B1______________6V or 3V Battery (See Notes)
Comments:
This design was primarily intended to allow automatic switch-on of push-bike lights when it gets dark. Obviously, it can be used for any other purpose involving one or more lamps to be switched on and off depending of light intensity.Power can be supplied by any type of battery suitable to be fitted in your bike and having a voltage in the 3 to 6 Volts range.The Photo resistor R1 should be fitted into the box containing the complete circuit, but a hole should be made in a convenient side of the box to allow the light hitting the sensor.Trim R2 until the desired switching threshold is reached. The setup will require some experimenting, but it should not be difficult.
Notes:
In this circuit, the maximum current and voltage delivered to the lamp(s) are limited mainly by R6 (that can't be omitted if a clean and reliable switching is expected). Therefore, the Ohm's Law must be used to calculate the best voltage and current values of the bulbs.
For example: at 6V supply, one or more 6V bulbs having a total current drawing of 500mA can be used, but for a total current drawing of 1A, 4.5V bulbs must be chosen, as the voltage drop across R6 will become 1.5V. In this case, R6 should be a 2W type.
At 3V supply, R6 value can be lowered to 1 or 0.5 Ohm and the operating voltage of the bulbs should be chosen accordingly, by applying the Ohm's Law.Example: Supply voltage = 3V, R6 = 1R, total current drawing 600mA. Choose 2.2V bulbs as the voltage drop caused by R6 will be 0.6V.
At 3V supply, R5 value must be changed to 100R.
Stand-by current is less than 500µA, provided R2 value after trimming is set at about 5K or higher: therefore, the power switch SW1 can be omitted. If R2 value is set below 5K the stand-by current will increase substantially.

Motorcycle Alarm PROJECT

Circuit DIAGRAM:

Notes:

Any number of normally open switches may be used. Fit the mercury switches so that they close when the steering is moved or when the bike is lifted off its side-stand or pushed forward off its centre-stand. Use micro-switches to protect removable panels and the lids of panniers etc. While at least one switch remains closed, the siren will sound. About two minutes after the switches have been opened again, the alarm will reset. How long it takes to switch off depends on the characteristics of the actual components used. But, up to a point, you can adjust the time to suit your requirements by changing the value of C1.The circuit board and switches must be protected from the elements. Dampness or condensation will cause malfunction. Without its terminal blocks, the board is small. Ideally, you should try to find a siren with enough spare space inside to accommodate it. Fit a 1-amp in-line fuse close to the power source. This protects the wiring. Instead of using a key-switch you can use a hidden switch; or you could use the normally closed contacts of a small relay. Wire the relay coil so that it is energized while the ignition is on. Then every time you turn the ignition off, the alarm will set itself.When it's not sounding, the circuit uses virtually no current. This should make it useful in other circumstances. For example, powered by dry batteries and with the relay and siren voltages to suit, it could be fitted inside a computer or anything else that's in danger of being picked up and carried away. The low standby current and automatic reset means that for this sort of application an external on/off switch may not be necessary.The Support Material for this alarm includes a detailed guide to the construction of the circuit-board, a parts list, a complete circuit description and more.

Gate Alarm PROJECT

By Rev. Thomas Scarborough
Cape Town
E-mail scarboro@iafrica.com
Figure 1 represents a cheap and simple Gate Alarm, that is intended to run off a small universal AC-DC power supply.
IC1a is a fast oscillator, and IC1b a slow oscillator, which are combined through IC1c to emit a high pip-pip-pip warning sound when a gate (or window, etc.) is opened. The circuit is intended not so much to sound like a siren or warning device, but rather to give the impression: "You have been noticed." R1 and D1 may be omitted, and the value of R2 perhaps reduced, to make the Gate Alarm sound more like a warning device. VR1 adjusts the frequency of the sound emitted.
IC1d is a timer which causes the Gate Alarm to emit some 20 to 30 further pips after the gate has been closed again, before it falls silent, as if to say: "I'm more clever than a simple on-off device." Piezo disk S1 may be replaced with a LED if desired, the LED being wired in series with a 1K resistor.
Figure 2 shows how an ordinary reed switch may be converted to close (a "normally closed" switch) when the gate is opened. A continuity tester makes the work easy. Note that many reed switches are delicate, and therefore wires which are soldered to the reed switch should not be flexed at all near the switch. Other types of switches, such as microswitches, may also be used.

How Electromagnets Work

Introduction to How Electromagnets Work


­Th­e basic idea behind an electromagnet is extremely simple: By running electric current through a wire, you can create a magnetic field.
By using this simple principle, you can create all sorts of things, including motors, solenoids, read/write heads for hard disks and tape drives, speakers, and so on. In this article, you will learn exactly how electromagnets work. You will also have the chance to try several experiments with an electromagnet that you create yourself!

A Regular Magnet

Before talking about electromagnets, let's talk about normal "permanent" magnets like the ones you have on your refrigerator and that you probably played with as a kid.
You likely know that all magnets have two ends, usually marked "north" and "south," and that magnets attract things made of steel or iron. And you probably know the fundamental law of all magnets: Opposites attract and likes repel. So, if you have two bar magnets with their ends marked "north" and "south," the north end of one magnet will attract the south end of the other. On the other hand, the north end of one magnet will repel the north end of the other (and similarly, south will repel south).
An electromagnet is the same way, except it is "temporary" -- the magnetic field only exists when electric current is flowing.

An Electromagnet

An electromagnet starts with a battery (or some other source of power) and a wire. What a battery produces is electrons.
If you look at a battery, say at a normal D-cell from a flashlight, you can see that there are two ends, one marked plus (+) and the other marked minus (-). Electrons collect at the negative end of the battery, and, if you let them, they will gladly flow to the positive end. The way you "let them" flow is with a wire. If you attach a wire directly between the positive and negative terminals of a D-cell, three things will happen:
Electrons will flow from the negative side of the battery to the positive side as fast as they can.
The battery will drain fairly quickly (in a matter of several minutes). For that reason, it is generally not a good idea to connect the two terminals of a battery to one another directly. Normally, you connect some kind of load in the middle of the wire so the electrons can do useful work. The load might be a motor, a light bulb, a radio or whatever.
A small magnetic field is generated in the wire. It is this small magnetic field that is the basis of an electromagnet.

Magnetic Field


The part about the magnetic field might be a surprise to you, yet this definitely happens in all wires carrying electricity. You can prove it to yourself with the following experiment. You will need:
One AA, C or D-cell battery
A piece of wire (If you have no wire around the house, go buy a spool of insulated thin copper wire down at the local electronics or hardware store. Four-strand telephone wire is perfect -- cut the outer plastic sheath and you will find four perfect wires within.)


Put the compass on the table and, with the wire near the compass, connect the wire between the positive and negative ends of the battery for a few seconds. What you will notice is that the compass needle swings. Initially, the compass will be pointing toward the Earth's north pole (whatever direction that is for you), as shown in the figure on the right. When you connect the wire to the battery, the compass needle swings because the needle is itself a small magnet with a north and south end. Being small, it is sensitive to small magnetic fields. Therefore, the compass is affected by the magnetic field created in the wire by the flow of electrons.


The Coil

The figure below shows the shape of the magnetic field around the wire. In this figure, imagine that you have cut the wire and are looking at it end-on. The green circle in the figure is the cross-section of the wire itself. A circular magnetic field develops around the wire, as shown by the circular lines in the illustration below. The field weakens as you move away from the wire (so the lines are farther apart as they get farther from the wire). You can see that the field is perpendicular to the wire and that the field's direction depends on which direction the current is flowing in the wire. The compass needle aligns itself with this field (perpendicular to the wire). Using the contraption you created in the previous section, if you flip the battery around and repeat the experiment, you will see that the compass needle aligns itself in the opposite direction.

Because the magnetic field around a wire is circular and perpendicular to the wire, an easy way to amplify the wire's magnetic field is to coil the wire, as shown below:

However, the magnet exists only when the current is flowing from the battery. What you have created is an electromagnet! You will find that this magnet is able to pick up small steel things like paper clips, staples and thumb tacks.

Experiments to Try!
­
What is the magnetic power of a single coil wrapped around a nail? Of 10 turns of wire? Of 100 turns? Experiment with different numbers of turns and see what happens. One way to measure and compare a magnet's "strength" is to see how many staples it can pick up.

What difference does voltage make in the strength of an electromagnet? If you hook two batteries in series to get 3 volts, what does that do to the strength of the magnet? (Please do not try any more than 6 volts, and please do not use anything other than flashlight batteries. Please do not try house current coming from the wall in your house, as it can kill you. Please do not try a car battery, as its current can kill you as well.)

What is the difference between an iron and an aluminum core for the magnet? For example, roll up some aluminum foil tightly and use it as the core for your magnet in place of the nail. What happens? What if you use a plastic core, like a pen?
What about solenoids? A solenoid is another form of electromagnet. It is an electromagnetic tube generally used to move a piece of metal linearly. Find a drinking straw or an old pen (remove the ink tube). Also find a small nail (or a straightened paperclip) that will slide inside the tube easily. Wrap 100 turns of wire around the tube. Place the nail or paperclip at one end of the coil and then connect the coil to the battery. Notice how the nail moves? Solenoids are used in all sorts of places, especially locks. If your car has power locks, they may operate using a solenoid. Another common thing to do with a solenoid is to replace the nail with a thin, cylindrical permanent magnet. Then you can move the magnet in and out by changing the direction of the magnetic field in the solenoid. (Please be careful if you try placing a magnet in your solenoid, as the magnet can shoot out.)
How do I know there's really a magnetic field? You can look at a wire's magnetic field using iron filings. Buy some iron filings, or find your own iron filings by running a magnet through playground or beach sand. Put a light dusting of filings on a sheet of paper and place the paper over a magnet. Tap the paper lightly and the filings will align with the magnetic field, letting you see its shape!

How Inductors Work

Introduction to How Inductors Work

An inductor is about as simple as an electronic component can get -- it is simply a coil of wire. It turns out, however, that a coil of wire can do some very interesting things because of the magnetic properties of a coil.

Inductor Basics

In a circuit diagram, an inductor is shown like this:

To understand how an inductor can work in a circuit, this figure is helpful:

What you see here is a battery, a light bulb, a coil of wire around a piece of iron (yellow) and a switch. The coil of wire is an inductor. If you know How Electromagnets Work, you might recognize that the inductor is an electromagnet.
If you were to take the inductor out of this circuit, what you would have is a normal flashlight. You close the switch and the bulb lights up. With the inductor in the circuit as shown, the behavior is completely different.

­The light bulb is a resistor (the resistance creates heat to make the filament in the bulb glow -- see How Light Bulbs Work for details). The wire in the coil has much lower resistance (it's just wire), so what you would expect when you turn on the switch is for the bulb to glow very dimly. Most of the current should follow the low-resistance path through the loop. What happens instead is that when you close the switch, the bulb burns brightly and then gets dimmer. When you open the switch, the bulb burns very brightly and then quickly goes out.
The reason for this strange behavior is the inductor. When current first starts flowing in the coil, the coil wants to build up a magnetic field. While the field is building, the coil inhibits the flow of current. Once the field is built, current can flow normally through the wire. When the switch gets opened, the magnetic field around the coil keeps current flowing in the coil until the field collapses. This current keeps the bulb lit for a period of time even though the switch is open. In other words, an inductor can store energy in its magnetic field, and an inductor tends to resist any change in the amount of current flowing through it.

Henries
The capacity of an inductor is controlled by four factors:
The number of coils - More coils means more inductance.
The material that the coils are wrapped around (the core)
The cross-sectional area of the coil - More area means more inductance.
The length of the coil - A short coil means narrower (or overlapping) coils, which means more inductance.
Putting iron in the core of an inductor gives it much more inductance than air or any non-magnetic core would.
The standard unit of inductance is the henry. The equation for calculating the number of henries in an inductor is:
H = (4 * Pi * #Turns * #Turns * coil Area * mu) / (coil Length * 10,000,000)
­ The area and length of the coil are in meters. The term mu is the permeability of the core. Air has a permeability of 1, while steel might have a permeability of 2,000.

Inductor Application: Traffic Light Sensors

Let's say you take a coil of wire perhaps 6 feet (2 meters) in diameter, containing five or six loops of wire. You cut some grooves in a road and place the coil in the grooves. You attach an inductance meter to the coil and see what the inductance of the coil is.

Now you park a car over the coil and check the inductance again. The inductance will be much larger because of the large steel object positioned in the loop's magnetic field. The car parked over the coil is acting like the core of the inductor, and its presence changes the inductance of the coil. Most traffic light sensors use the loop in this way. The sensor constantly tests the inductance of the loop in the road, and when the inductance rises it knows there is a car waiting!
Usually you use a much smaller coil. One big use of inductors is to team them up with capacitors to create oscillators.