INFRARED TOY CAR MOTOR CONTROLLER

T.K. HAREENDRAN

This add-on circuit enables remote switching on/off of batteryoperated toy cars with the help of a TV/ video remote control handset operating at 3040 kHz.. When the circuit is energised from a 6V battery, the decade counter CD4017 (IC2), which is configured as a toggle flip-flop, is immediately reset by the power-onreset combination of capacitor C3 and resistor R6. LED1 connected to pin 3 (Q0) of IC2 via resistor R5 glows to indicate the standby condition. In standby condition, data output pin of the integrated infrared receiver/demodulator (SFH505A or TSOP1738) is at a high level (about 5 volts) and transistor T1 is off (reverse biased). The monostable wired around IC1 is inactive in this condition. When any key on the remote control handset is depressed, the output of the IR receiver momentarily transits through low state and transistor T1 conducts. As a result, the monostable is triggered and a short pulse is applied to the clock input (pin 14) of IC2, which takes Q1 output (pin 2) of IC2 high to switch on motor driver transistor T2 via base bias resistor R7 and the motor starts rotating continously (car starts running). ResistorR8 limits the starting current. When any key on the handset is depressed again, depressed again, the monostable is retriggered to reset decade counter IC2 and the motor is switched off. Standby LED1 glows again. This circuit can be easily fabricated on a general-purpose printed board. After construction, enclose it inside the toy car and connect the supply wires to the battery of the toy car with right polarity. Rewire the DC motor connections and fix the IR receiver module in a suitable location, for example, behind the front glass, and connect its wires to the circuit board using a short 3-core ribbon cable/shielded wire. Note. Since the circuit uses modulated modulated infrared beam for control function, ambient light reflections will not affect the circuit operation. However, fluorescent tubelights with electronic ballasts and CFL lamps may cause malfunctioning of the circuit.

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MOBILE CELLPHONE CHARGER

D. MOHAN KUMAR

C harging of the cellphone battery is a big problem while travelling

as power supply source is not generally accessible. If you keep your cellphone switched on continuously, its battery will go flat within five to six hours, making the cellphone useless. A fully charged battery becomes necessary especially when your distance from the nearest relay station increases. Heres a simple charger that replenishes the cellphone battery within two to three hours.

Basically, the charger is a current-limited voltage source. Generally, cellphone battery packs require 3.6-6V DC and 180-200mA current for charging. These usually contain three NiCd cells, each having 1.2V rating. Current of 100mA is sufficient for charging the cellphone battery at a slow rate. A 12V battery containing eight pen cells gives sufficient current (1.8A) to charge the battery connected across the output terminals. The circuit also monitors the voltage level of the battery. It automatically cuts off the charging process when its output terminal voltage increases above the predetermined voltage level. Timer IC NE555 is used to charge and monitor the voltage level in the battery. Control voltage pin 5 of IC1 is provided with a reference voltage of 5.6V by zener diode ZD1. Threshold pin 6 is supplied with a voltage set by VR1 and trigger pin 2 is supplied with a voltage set by VR2.

When the discharged cellphone battery is connected to the circuit, the voltage given to trigger pin 2 of IC1 is below 1/3Vcc and hence the flip-flop in the IC is switched on to take output pin 3 high. When the battery is fully charged, the output terminal voltage increases the voltage at pin 2 of IC1 above the trigger point threshold. This switches off the flip-flop and the output goes low to terminate the charging process. Threshold pin 6 of IC1 is referenced at 2/3Vcc set by VR1. Transistor T1 is used to enhance the charging current. Value of R3 is critical in providing the required current for charging. With the given value of 39-ohm the charging current is around 180 mA. The circuit can be constructed on a small general-purpose PCB. For calibration of cut-off voltage level, use a variable DC power source. Connect the output terminals of the circuit to the variable power supply set at 7V. Adjust VR1 in the middle position and slowly adjust VR2 until LED1 goes off, indicating low output. LED1 should turn on when the voltage of the variable power supply reduces below 5V. Enclose the circuit in a small plastic case and use suitable connector for connecting to the cellphone battery. Note. At EFY lab, the circuit was tested with a Motorola make cellphone battery rated at 3.6V, 320 mAH. In place of 5.6V zener, a 3.3V zener diode was used. The charging current measured was about 200 mA.The status of LED1 is shown in the table.

MINI UPS SYSTEM

D. MOHAN KUMAR

This circuit provides an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) to operate

12V, 9V and 5V DC-powered instruments at up to 1A current. The backup battery takes up the load without spikes or delay when the mains power gets interrupted. It can also be used as a work bench power supply that provides 12V, 9V and 5V operating voltages. The circuit immediately disconnects the load when the battery voltage reduces to 10.5V to prevent deep discharge of the battery. LED1 indication is provided to show the full charge voltage level of the battery. Miniature white LEDs (LED2 and LED3) are used as emergency lamps during power failure at night. A standard step-down transformer provides 12V of AC, which is rectified by diodes D1 and D2. Capacitor C1 provides ripple-free DC to charge the battery and to the remaining circuit. When the mains power is on, diode D3 gets forward biased to charge the battery. Resistor R1 limits the charging current. Potentiometer VR1 (10k) with transistor T1 acts as the voltage comparator to indicate the voltage level. VR1 is so adjusted that LED1 is in the 'off' mode. when the battery is fully charged, LED1 glows indicating a full voltage level of 12V. When the mains power fails, diode D3 gets reverse biased and D4 gets forward biased so that the battery can automatically take up the load without any delay. When the battery voltage or input voltage falls below 10.5V, a cut-off circuit is used to prevent deep discharging of the battery. Resistor R3, zener diode ZD1 (10.5V) and transistor T2 form the cut-off circuit. When the voltage level is above 10.5V, transistor T2 conducts and its base becomes negative (as set by R3, VR2 and ZD1). But when the voltage reduces below 10.5V, the zener diode stops conduction and the base voltage of transistor T2 becomes positive. It goes into the 'cut-off' mode and prevents the current in the output stage. Preset VR2 (22k) adjusts the voltage below 0.6V to make T2 work if the voltage is above 10.5V. When power from the mains is available, all output voltages-12V, 9V and 5V-are ready to run the load. On the other hand, when the mains power is down, output voltages can run the load only when the battery is fully charged (as indicated by LED1). For the partially charged battery, only 9V and 5V are available. Also, no output is available when the voltage goes below 10.5V. If battery voltage varies between 10.5V and 13V, output at terminal A may also vary between 10.5V and 12V, when the UPS system is in battery mode. Outputs at points B and C provide 9V and 5V, respectively, through regulator ICs (IC1 and IC2), while output A provides 12V through the zener diode. The emergency lamp uses two ultra-bright white LEDs (LED2 and LED3) with current limiting resistors R5 and R6. The lamp can be manually switched 'on 'and 'off'by S1.the circuit is assembled on a general-purpose PCB. There is adequate space between the components to avoid overlapping. heat sinks for transistor T2 and regulator ICs (7809 and 7805) to dissipate heat are used.

The positive and negative rails should be strong enough to handle high current. Before connecting the circuit to the battery and transformer, connect it to a variable power supply. Provide 12V DC and adjust VR1 till LED1 glows. After setting the high voltage level, reduce the voltage to 10.5V and adjust VR2 till the output trips off. After the settings are complete, remove the variable power supply and connect a fully-charged battery to the terminals and see that LED1 is on. After making all the adjustments connect the circuit to the battery and transformer. The battery used in the circuit is a 12V, 4.5Ah UPS battery.

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