You are on page 1of 208

A Compilation of 102

tested Electronic
Construction Projects
and Circuit Ideas for

Professionals and
Enthusiasts

ISBN 978-81-88152-05-6
PUBLISHED BY EFY
ISO 9001:2000 CERTIFIED
Electronics Projects
Vol. 12

EFY Books & Publications

EFY a reputed information house, specialising in electronics and information technology


is

magazines. It also publishes directories and books on several topics. Its current publications are:

(A) CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS


1 . Electronics Projects, VoL 1: A compilation of selected construction projects and circuit ideas published in Electronics For You maga-
zines between 1979 and 1980.

2. Electronics Projects, Vol. 2 to 19 (English version!: Yearly compilations (1981 to 1998) of interesting and useful construction projects
and circuit ideas published in Electronics For You.

3. Electronics Projects, Vol. 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 (with CD): Yearly compilations (1999 to 2003).

4. Electronics Projects, Vol. 16 ( •«<-<»>< “i i: Yearly compilations (1995) of interesting and useful construction projects and circuit ideas
published in Electronics For You.

<B) OTHER BOOKS


1 . U am to Use Microprocessors (with floppy):
a
By K. Padmanabhan and S. Ananthi (fourth enlarged edition). An EFY publication with
floppy disk. Extremely useful for the study of K-bil processors at minimum expense.

2. ABC of Amateur Radio and Citizen Band: Authored by Rajesh Verma.


of practical information, besides theory.
VU2RVM, it deals exhaustively with the subject —giving a lot

3. Batteries: By D.Venkatasubbiah. This publication describes the ins and outs of almost all types of batteries used in electronic appliances.

(C) DIRECTORIES
1. EFY Annual Guide (with CD): Includes Directory of Indian manufacturing and distributing units. Buyers' Guide and Index of Brand
Names, plus lots of other useful information.

2. Technical Education Institutes Directory : Includes course-wise and state/city-wisc listings of technical education institutes in India,
besides the alphabetical main directory offering all the relevant information about them.

(D) MAGAZINES
1 . Electronics For You (with CD
& without CD): In regular publication since 1969. EFY is the natural choice for the entire electronics
fraternity, be it the businessmen, industry professionals or hobbyists. From microcontrollers to DVD
players, from PCB designing software
to UPS systems, all arc covered every month in EFY.

2. Linux For You ((with CD & DVD): Asia's first magazine on Linux. Completely dedicated to the Open Source community. Regular
columns by Open Source evangelists. With columns focused for newbies, power users and developers. LFY is religiously read by IT
implementors andCXOs every month.

3. it. ’ (Information Technology): A monthly magazine and those who want to be. Its readers have two things in common
for 'Techies'
a background related to IT and the thirst to know more. Topics covered boast technical depth .and aim to assist in better usage of IT in
organisations.

4. Facts For You: A monthly magazine on business and economic affairs. It aims to update the top decision makers on key industry trends
through its regular assortment of Market Surveys and other important information.

5. BeneflT: A technology magazine for businessmen explaining how they can benefit from IT.

6. Electronics Bazaar: A monthly B2B


magazine for sourcing electronics components, products and machineries. Ideal for buying decision
makers and influcnccrs from electronics and non-clcctronics industry.

* Registered Post or Courier Delivery for Books and CDs: Rs 40 for first copy and Rs 15 for every additional copy of any book or
directory. Add Rs 50/- on an outside Delhi cheque. Important.

+ Payment should be sent strictly in advance by demand draft/money order in favour of EFY associates Kits ‘n 'Spares.

For retail orders: For magazine subscriptions: For bulk orders:

Kits'n’Spares EFY Enterprises Pvt Ltd Paramount Book Agency


D-88/5, Okhla Industrial Area. D-87/1 Okhla Industrial Area. Phase-1 Arch No. 30 (West Approach). Below
Phase-1. New Delhi 110020 New 110020
Delhi Mahalaxmi Bridge, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai
Phone: 26371661. 26371662 Phone: 26810601-03 400034, Phone: (022) 23541463. 23541871.
E-mail: kits@efyindia.com Fax: (011) 26817563 40497411, 40497474, Fax: 24950392
Website; www.kitsnspares.com E-mail: info@efyindia.com E-mail; circulations@ibhworld.com
ELECTRONICS
PROJECTS
VOL. 12

EFY Enterprises Pvt Ltd


D-87/1 Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-1
New Delhi 110020
© EFY Enterprises Pvt Ltd. 1996
First Published in this Edition, 1996
Second Edition, July 2000
Third Edition, February 2003
Forth Edition January, 2009

All rights reserved. part of this book may be reproduced in any


No
form without the written permission of the publishers.

ISBN 81-88152-05-6

Published by Ramesh Chopra for EFY Enterprises Pvt Ltd,


D-87/1, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-1, New Delhi 110020.
Typeset at EFY Enterprises Pvt Ltd and
Printed at Nutech Photolithographers, B-38, Okhla Industrial Area,
Phase-1, New Delhi 110020
FOREWORD
This volume of Electronics Projects is the twenty second in the
series published by EFY Enterprises Pvt Ltd. It is a compilation
of 25 construction projects and 77 circuit ideas published in

‘Electronics For You' magazine during 1991.

In keeping with the past trend, all relevant modifications, corrections


and additions sent by the readers and authors have been incorporated in

the articles. Queries from readers along with the replies from authors/
EFY have also been published towards the end of relevant articles. It

is a sincere endeavour on our part to make each project as error-free


and comprehensive as possible. However, EFY cannot resume any
responsibility if readers are unable to make a circuit successfully, for
whatever reason.

This collection of a large number of tested circuit ideas and


construction projects in a handy volume would provide all classes
of electronics enthusiasts —be they students, teachers, hobbyists or
professionals — with a valuable source of electronic circuits, which
can be fabricated using readily-available and reasonably-priced
components. These circuits could either be used independently or in

combination with other circuits, described in this and other volumes.


We are sure that this volume, like its predecessors, will generate tre-
mendous interest among its readers.
81

Contents

Section A: Construction Projects

1. Dynamic Display 1

2. An Intercom with Handset 14


3. Build Your Own 30W + 30W Stereo Hi-Fi Double Cassette Recorder 1

4. Multirange Adjustable Timer 29


5. Automatic Brightness Controller for TVs 32
6. A High Impedance Adapter for a Multimeter 36
7. Neo Digital Clock-Part 1 39
8. Neo Digital Clock-Part II 44
9. Boolean Function Emulator 52
10. Built Your Own Two-Stage UHF TV Booster 58
1 1 . Refrigeration Temperature Controller 6
12. Heavy Duty Voltage Stabiliser 64
1 3. Switch Mode Power Supply for Personal Computer 68
14. Composite Electronic Organ 76
1 5. Digital Clock With on-off Timer 85
1 6. Day Date Computer 90
17. Electronic Ignition System for Automobiles 94
1 8. 6-Band Low-Cost Graphic Equal iser 98
19. Make Your Own VHF Antenna Booster 101
20. Resetting Protector for Computers 105
21. Add-on Telephone Devices 108
22. Master-Slave Clock 113
23. Add-on Devices for Double Cassette Recorder 1 19
24. Dynamic Psychedelic Lights 124
25. Digital Channel Selector 128

Section B: Circuit Ideas

1 . Electronic Switch for 3-Band Transistor 1 33


2. Electronic Number Lock 134
3. Three-in-one Circuit 135
4. Match Box Size Radio 136
5. Static Audio Wattmeter 137
6. Variable Switching Power Supply 138
7. Tubelight Without Choke and Starter 1 39
8. Automatic Star-to-delta Converter 140
9. Cassette Copier 142
10. A Precise Timer 143
1 11

1 1. Mains Supply Interruption Indicator 144


1 2. Single Chip Crossover Detector for Line Over-voltage 1 45
1 3. Electronic Car Horn 146
14. Indicator Bell 147
15. Multi-tone Generator 148
16. AM Transmitter 148
17. White/LF Noise Generator 149
18. Indoor Advertising Board 149
1 9. Simple Touch Dimmer Using Triacs 1 5
20. Charging Reminder for Emergency Lights 1 5
21. Ito 0 Pulses from 40 7 Counter
1 1 1 52
22. 5 V
20V Regulated Power Supply
to 1 53
23. Smoke Alarm 154
24. Pulse Generator 155
25. Automatic Voltage Stabiliser 1 55
26. Automatic 2-mode Running Light 157
27. MW Voice Transmitter (Pen Cell sized) 158
28. Low Power Alarm with Automatic Switch-Off 1 59
29. Simple Electronic Sand-glass 159
30. FM Communication System 160
31. Mains Wiring Fault Detector 161
32. Programmable Organ 16
33. 8-Tone Multipurpose Sound Generator 162
34. High/Low Voltage Cut-out 163
35. Digital Stop Watch 163
36. Frequency Measurement on Multimeter 165
37. A Simple Intercom 166
38. Mini Chaser 167
39. Mains Voltage Indicator 167
40. ASCII Keyboard Tester 1 68
41. Pocket Radio Circuit Using ZN4 1
4 169
42. Compact Audio Cassette Duplicator 170
43. Super Simple Interruption Counter 172
44. Harmonic Distortion Meter 173
45. Condenser Lamp Dimmer 174
46. Simple Counter Using Calculator 175
47. Multioutput Regulated Power Supply 175
48. Improved Melody Doorbell 176
49. Voltage-window Comparator Follows Reference Voltage 1 77
50. Low-Cost Digital Code Combination Lock 1 78

5 1 . Seconds Display for Digital Clock ; 178


52. 10-Channel Touch Switch 180
53. Auto Cut for Manual Stabilisers 1 8
1

54. Delay Starter - 181


55. Door Alarm 182
56. Simple ‘JAM’ 183
57. The LED Scanner 185
58. Melody from IC Timer 186
59. Disco Light Project 1 87
60. IC Voltage Regulator 1 87
61. Audio Frequency Oscillator 189
62. Linear High Current Regulator 189
63. Ignition Indicator 191
64. Signal Injector cum Tracer 192
65. Musical AF/IF Checker 193
66. Inverter-based 3-in- 1 Timer 193
67. All-in-one Circuit for Fridge 194
68. Ni-Cd Cell Charger 195
69. Digital Volume Controller 1 96
70. Phase Sequence Change Indicator 197
71 . LML Vespa Flasher 200
72. Dual Trace Generator 200
73. Complementary Lighting Control 20
74. Short-proof Power Supply 202
75. Universal Cell Evaluator 203
76. Overdrain Protector for Lead-acid Accumulators 203
77. Clap Switch 204
Section A:
Construction Projects
Dynamic
display_ K.P. Viswanathan

S everal circuits
using different integrated circuits have
for displays triac connected to it for lighting up the goes below the threshold voltage level
first letter. set by the variable resistor connected to
been published earlier in EFY. This ad- Apart from providing the drive to pin 6, its output also goes to low state
vertising display (mainly for name board) the triac gate, the output of IC1 is also switching off the second bulb. This
uses the popular IC 555. The display connected to the control voltage termi- process continues in sequence and all
has only one mode, i.e. the characters nal pin 5 of IC2 through a delay circuit the bulbs go off one by one. When the
light up one by one and go off one by consisting of a resistor and a capacitor. last bulb goes off, the first bulb is
one from left to right giving a writing This will change both trigger and thresh- switched on as the trigger terminal of
and wiping effect. Each letter is lit up old voltage levels otherwise provided IC1 is pulled below 1/3 Vcc. This
by ordinary 230V AC bulbs controlled by internal voltage divider as 1/3 Vcc makes a continuous loop and the timer
by triacs. LEDs can also be used with and 2/3 Vcc respectively. operates endlessly.
proper driving circuits. When the capacitor gets charged
In the circuit diagram and PCB and exceeds the voltage by twice the Setting
layout, seven ICs are used to display voltage set by the variable resistor Keep all the presets connected to
the word •welcome*. One can increase connected to pin 2 of IC2, its output trigger terminals (pin 2) of ICs at maxi-
or decrease the number of ICs accord- goes to high state and thus the second
ing to the number of letters to be dis- letter is also lit up through the second PARTS LIST
played. triac. This process continues in se-
Sem icond actors:
IC1-IC7 - NE555 timer*
quence from second to third letter and TR1-TR7 - 1-amp, 400PIV triacs
Control circuit so on, lighting up all the letters. D1-D4 - 1N4001 diode*
All ICs, except IC 1 , work as schm itt The output of the last IC is also con- Resistors (all n 4-watt, +5% carbon, unless
triggers. All ICs are connected in nected to the threshold term inal pin 6 of stated otherwise):
cascade. Understanding the first two IC1 through a delay circuit consisting R1-R7 — 330-ohm
stages and how they initiate the op- of a resistor and a capacitor. When the R8-R15 — 4.7-kilohm

eration of the next stage helps in capacitor charge exceeds 2/3 Vcc,
VR1-VR12 — 1 00-kilo hm presets
understanding the operation of com- output of IC1 goes to low state, remov- Capacitors:

plete circuit. ing the necessary drive given


Cl — 0.01(iF ceramic

When
to the
C2-C7 — 47 nF, 16V electrolytic
the supply is switched on, triac gate and thus the first bulb goes C8 — IOOjxF,16V electrolytic
IC1 Ls triggered as its trigger terminal off. C9 - lOOOpJ, 25V electrolytic
pin 2and threshold terminal pin 6 are At the same time, control voltage Miscellaneous:
below 1/3 Vex:. The output at pin 3 of IC2 is also pulled to negative, XI — 230V AC primary to
goes to high state, thus triggering the discharging the capacitor. When it
12V, 500mA secondary

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 11
mum voltage position and to
threshold terminals (pin 6) at
minimum voltage position.
Switch on the power. Only the
first bulb gets lit up. Adjust the

preset connected to the trigger


terminal of IC2 to reduce the
trigger voltage level.
At a critical voltage, IC2 gets
triggered for lighting the second
bulb. In this way all the presets
connected to the second termi-
nal can be adjusted and all the
bulbs switched on one by one.
Switch off the power for a few
seconds and switch on again for
rcchecking the sequence. Most
of the presets have to be read-
justed because even touching
the preset may trigger the IC.
When the output of the last
IC goes to high state, IC1 goes to
low state. So the first bulb is

switched off. Adjust the preset


connected to the threshold ter-

minal pin 6 of IC2 for increasing


the threshold voltage level. At a
critical voltage, the second bulb
also goes off. Thus all the presets
connected to pin 6 can be ad-
justed and all the bulbs go off one
by one. This cycle is repeated
endlessly. A final setting is re-

quired for making the delay


time equal in the sequence.
All precautions mist be taken
against electrical shock as the
circuit works on AC mains.
Power supply taken from 12V,
500mA step-down transformer,
full- wave rectifier and a lOOOpF

filter capacitor is enough for the

given circuit. When more letters


are to be displayed, current rat-
ing of transformer may also be
increased. Triacs of rating
1-amp, 400PIV are used so that

100W, 230V AC bulbs may be


used safely with heatsinks.
I
Stencil-cut letters fixed on
box having separate compart-
ments for each letter are easy to
make. Bulbs fitted on holders in
each compartment light up the
Fig. 3: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 2 . letters.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 13
an Intercom
with Handset Sakthidharan KA
SHUNT
TT he intercom system described
X

here has all the facilities of a commer-


cially available 2-station system. It

has advantages like low voltage op-


eration, ring and ring-back functions,
free from feedback howling and talk-
listen changeover. The sound quality
is superb. It covers wide frequency
range.

The transmitter
The transmitter comprises a con-
denser mic. and an audio amplifier
using IC BEL 1895. It is a low power,
8-pin audio amplifier IC, intended for
use in portable radio receivers. It works
Fig. 1: Amplifier circuit.
on very low voltage, viz, 2.5 V DC
onwards.
S2
The sensitivity of the transmitter is
enhanced by the use of the condenser
mic. If the system is intended for use
in a noisy location, the sensitivity of
the mic. has to be reduced by
increasing the value of R1
The gain of the amplifier can be
adjusted with the help of preset VR/
However, a 100k resistor can be used
in place of VRl
The output of the transmitter is Fig. 2: Piezo ringer circuit.
sent to the receiver of the other response is extented to maximum levels. lecter of T2 are used to drive a
station. The amplifier circuit is shown piezoelectric buzzer placed inside the
in Fig. 1. Ringer circuit other handset.
Two alternate circuits are given for In Fig. 3, the multivibrator com-
The receiver the ringer. One can select either of the prisesTl andT2, which produce audio
An earphone of a stereo head- two, subject to the availability and frequency.The charging and discharg-
phone set is used here as the receiver. economy of the components. ing of C9 make interruptions in the
By selecting this earphone, the prob- Fig. 2 shows the circuit diagram of audio frequency. This is amplified by
lem of feedback howling is almost a conventional multivibrator. The nega- T3 and its output is sent to a small
totally eliminated and the frequency tive-going pulses available at the col- loudspeaker placed in the handset of

14 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
position. Now no power is applied to
any circuit and the incoming line is
S2
connected to the buzzer or loud-
speaker in both stations.
If one wants to call the other station,
SI is set to ‘on’ and S2 to ‘call’ posi-

tion.
This provides power to the ringer
circuit and its output is connected to
the outgoing line. This produces ring-
ing at the other station.
If someone attends the other sta-
tion, he turns SI of his set to ‘on’

Fig. 3: Bird sound ringer circuit. position which stops the ringing and
PARTS LIST Power supply then S2 is set to talk position. The first

Semiconductors: The whole circuit works on 3V person receives these changes in his
IC — BE1 1895 DC. If the distance between two sta- receiver and he too turns S2 to ‘talk’
T1.T2.T4,
T5 — C548/BC148 tions ismore than 30 metres, the volt- position. Now both persons can talk to

T3 — AC 128 (optional) age should be raised to 4.5V or 6V. If each other. At the end of the conversa-
D2 — OA79 6V supply is used, a 56-ohm resistor tion, both sets have to be set to 'off

Resistors: (All 114-watt ±5% carbon, unless should be connected in place of the position. The connection diagram for

stated otherwise): shunt marked ‘X’ in Fig. 1. the intercom is given in Fig. 5.
Rl, R8, R9,
Dry battery recommended. pen-
R13.R14 — 47-kilohm is If
Construction of handset
R2 — 10-kilohm light cells are used, they can be housed
R3 — 330-ohm inside the handset. If separate power An average hobbyist may find it

R4 — 1-ohm supply units are used for each station, difficult to obtain handsets for inter-
R5 — 100-ohm the connection wires between two com projects. This problem is solved
R6, RIO, — 4.7k sta-

R11.R15 — 2.7-kilohm tions can be limited to three. However, by selecting the low-cost and easily

R7, R12 — 22-ldlohm a centralpower supply system can also available students’plastic pencil boxes.
R16 — 1-kilohm be used as shown in Fig. 4(b). These are available in various shapes
VR1 — 220- hm, preset
kilo
and attractive colours. It should have
Capacitors:
— lpF, 10V electrolytic Control switches and operation minimum size of 20cm x 3cm x 6cm.
Cl
C6
C2, C7, — 100pF, 10V electrolytic Two DPDT slide switches arc used Some holes have to be drilled on the
C3.C9.C13 — 10V electrolytic
IOjiF, in each station to select on/off and call/ box for clear sound reproduction. The
C4 — 330pf ceramic talk positions. Normally, switches SI earphone should be placed in such a
C5 — 0.1 ceramic
M-F
way as to get close coupling
C8 — 470pF, 12V electrolytic at both stations are kept in ‘off to the car.
CIO — 330Op O/P I/p
Figs 6 and 7 show the PCB and compo-
Cll — Olp STATION 1 STATION 2
nents layout for the intercom.
I/p O/P
Miscellaneous The PCB, loudspeaker, buzzer,
Condenser 4 - 4
i
switches and battery holder must be
mike — no.1
Earphone — no.1
fixed in the handset by using rubber
Bl, B2 — Piezoelectric buzzers POWER
SUPPLY
POWER based adhesive (Fig. 8). Avoid nuts,
SI, S2 — DPDT s withes
-
SUPPLY
bolts or screws. A 3-core shielded wire
other station. This produces an attrac- should be used to connect the handset
tive bird sound. Fig. 4 (a): Connection diagram of a
with the main lines.
separate power supply.
The ring pulse will come back to Since all parts of the intercom can
the receiver of the calling person so be housed inside the handset, the need
that he can know if someone has at- for a tablesct or speaker box is elimi-
tended the other station. This provi- nated. The handset can either be hung
sion is made simply by connecting the on the wall or kept on a table.
incoming line with the outgoing line
through a diode. This diode should Coiling of cord
have extremely low leakage current The shielded wire emerging from
Otherwise it will cause problems like the handset may be coiled perma-
Fig. 4(b): Connection diagram of central
oscillations, motor-boating etc. power supply. nently for convenience (as in com-

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 15
Fig. 5: Connection diagram.

Fig. 6: Actual size PCB layout for the intercom.

TO PIN 5 Of S2 TO PIN 6 Of S2

T0PIN1OFS2
ro THE GROUND Of
OTHER STATION

Fig. 7: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 6.

mcrcially available systems). An in- about 10 minutes. Then switch off the
digcnous method is explained here, mains and let it cool down. A wet rag
Clean the surface of the cylinderical may be used for cooling. When thor-

heating portion of a 10W soldering oughly cooled, loosen the egrd from
Fig. 8: Handset layout.
iron and apply a thin coat of grease the iron. A sample test with a piece of
waste cord will give exact information adjusting preset VRJ.
over it. Coil the cord closely over it.
Conned the iron to AC mains through about temperature and duration of All joints of connecting wires must

diode BY127 or 1N4007. By applying healing. be soldered to reduce line resistance

the rectified half-wave current to the Note: If the power supply is in-
and transmission losses.

iron, its temperature can be kept within creased above 6V, feedback howling
reasonable limits. Keep it heating for may occur. This can be reduced by

16 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
:

Readers' comments:

The project is very interesting. But ]

IC BEL1895 here. So kindly


can’t find
give the circuit which is based on IC
TDA7205 or TDA2020 or any other
IC.
If I want to use a dynamic mic.
instead of condenser type, kindly tell
S2: SWITCH IN HANOSET
me the changes required.
You have shown both earphone Using IC UM66 in place of bvZ2tsr.
and loudspeaker in handset layout
diagram. Please tell me why two sound IC TDA7205 and TDA2020 are both (a) replace C6 with 470 jaF and C7
producing components are used? Is it high-volt, high -power ICs they are not with 220nF capacitors; (b) volume
possible to use either loudspeaker or suitable for this project. setting for LS and earphone will be
earphone? If a dynamic mic. is used, a 1-tran- different; and (c) a current limiting
ANAND BALLABH sistor preamplifier has to be added. resistor should be connected in
Mehsana A
loudspeaker cannot be used in series with the earphone.
In does *LS’ stand for
Fig. 8, place of an earphone. If done so the But remember, the melody pro-
station 1 or station 2? You have given sound waves from the loudspeaker duced by UM6 6 has now become very
details for only 2-station intercom; will reach the mic. through air caus- popular as it is widely used in door-
can I increase the number of sta- ing unbearable feedback noises. At bells, quartz clocks etc. Imagine the
tions? the same time a loudspeaker is nec- confusion created by the melody of an
A. NAGA BABU essary for producing loud ringing. intercom placed in a room where a
Karapa The circle marked as ‘LS’ in the clock or doorbell having the similar
As power supply the circuit is
for handset layout figure is a small 5cm tune already exists!
3 volts only, we can use a UM66 IC loudspeaker. In both stations there R4 should be read as VR1 wher-
instead of the buzzer. It needs no should be one speaker each. Three or ever mentioned in the text (not in the
extra components for generating music. four wires are necessary for connect- Fig.) of the article.

Then si ze of the PCB can be reduced to ing one station with another. Bulky Finally, improvement of the
for

half m shown here. pradccp G


wiring and complicated switching will project, only earphone and mic. may
be required for increasingthe number be fitted inside the handset. Other
Alappuzha
of stations. parts, viz, switches, battery, loud-
The author , Mr K.A. Sakthidharan, The idea of using IC UM66 for speaker and PCB etc can be housed in
replies ringer does reduce components and a separate box which also acts as a
IC BEL1895 has become very popu- size of the PCB. But as shown Mr in rest for the handset. A larger speaker
not available, an amplifier
lar. If it is Pradeep’s diagram, if outputof UM66 may be used in this case.
circuit usingTBA8 10 can be used with isgiven through the main amplifier
a power supply of 4.5 or 6 volts. Since the following changes should be made:

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 17
Build Your Own
30W+30W
Stereo Hi-Fi
Double Cassette Recorder
T.S. Shankar

everal on cassette
circuits the recording head. AC bias increases ! multiple speaker systems. On the other
players and a few circuits on record- the recording level and greatly in- |
hand, AC bias completely demagnet-
ers have been published in EFY, but creases the S/N ratio. Further, it leaves iscs the tape which is a superior method
|

none of them provide recording qual- the tape in demagnetised condition of erasing.
ity equal to that of professional record- when there is no signal. This reduces I
3. The circuit uses variable moni-
ers. This is because of their simplicity tape hiss to a large extent. I toring system with peak level indica-
and low-cost orientation. With a little 2. The circuit uses AC bias to the |
tor so that the record level can be ad-
more expense you can make yourself a erase head also. In conventional |
justed manually to an exact value the
high quality recorder with double cas- circuits, a resistor in series with the tape is meant for. Too much recording
sette deck facility. erase head is used for erasing. In this level increases distortion and too low
Three factors make this circuit su- process the tape is saturated magneti- recording level increases noise. So an
perior to the other circuits: cally instead of demagnetising. But optimum level has to be chosen which
1. While recording, the circuit saturated tape produces too much is achieved through the peak level
provides AC bias instead of DC bias to hiss which is simply not bearable in indicator.

Fig. 1: Block diagram of the 30 \V + 30W stereo double cassette recorder.

18 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
8 gaU»J

* !i
s
si n
~iH
o •

47»*

81 J
lj?f» 'VSV-
t

AW *• *
a ii*
gjj

« *
^
rar
- yHH
sirs
82? 85
um^
8*i
\ i |
8fls«
Ir
'
^H
h

. ^ +ihts4 tOI*

S5 vw
3*
If! jSf
.-,'t
4 fe ;4 T*!ilS «?

5i 5* is!
P Is I

§14:
§*s=r T3*s

§4 li 8 n
CCO r^IHliWW

or4
•vw
M
9g
si
SIt Usf±
u is
s!
W* 5«

Fig. 2: Circuit diagram for the 30W + 30W stereo double cassette recorder.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 19
:

* PARTS LIST The selected input is fed simul-


taneously to the display amplifiers
Semiconductors: Cl, C75, and power amplifiers. The selected
IC1, IC2 — TBA810S, 7-watt C76 — O.OlpF ceramic disc input goes to volume control pots at
amplifiers C2, C13,
— power amplifier side and record level
IC3, IC4 LA3161 stereo C32, C39,
preamplifiers C61, C64, presets at display amplifier side. The
IC5, IC6 — pPC1230,40W amplifiers C71, C72 — O.lnF ceramic disc inputs of display are connected to
Tl-Tll — BC148B silicon C42, C44, 100k presets during playback and to
transistor* C53, C58,
— — 25V electrolytic 100k pots during recording. These pots
D1-D10 1N4001 silicon diodes C66 lpF,
D11-D14 — 1N5402, 3-amp diodes C3, C7, act as record level control during re-
C15, C26, cording. The presetting of the pots is
Resistors (Ail 1 14-watt, +5% carbon C34, C37, explained later.
unless stated otherwiseJt C38, C47,
Rl. R5, R25, C48 — IOjjT, 25V electrolytic The display amplifier is used not
R47, R49, C40, C43, only to drive the display but also for
R54, R57 — 100-kilohm C52, C54, recording through record/play heads.
R2 — 47-ohm C60 — 47pT, 25V electrolytic
Note that the record level indicator (or
R3 — 27-kilohm C8, C9,
R4, R6, R26 — 100-ohm CIO, C27,
peak level indicator) is a must and
R7.R27 — 56-ohm C28, C30, should not be dispensed with to make
R8.R28 — 1-ohm, 1/2W C57, C62, the circuit simpler or low-cost. The
R9.R29 — 15-ohm, 1W C63, C65,
detailed circuit diagram is shown in
R10-R14, C69, C70 — lOpF, 2.5V electrolytic
R30-R34 — 8.2-kilohm C59, C67 — 220pF, 25V electrolytic Fig. 2.
R15-R19, C41.C45,
R35-R39 — 820-ohm C51.C55 — 0.02pF ceramic disc Recording
R21.R23 — 6.8-kilohm C11.C29 — 0.0047nF ceramic disc
During recording, the outputs of
R22, R24 — 22-kilohm C5.C14,
R4C — 1-kilohm C31, C46, display amplifiers are connected to the
R41-R44 — 1.2-kilohm C56, C74 — 1000nF, 25V electrolytic recording heads through a frequency
R45, R48, C16 — 10000pF, 25V electrolytic pre-emphasis network and bias oscilla-
R52, R55 — 47-kilolira
tor circuit.
R46, R50, Mechanical:
R53, R56 — 150-ohm LI — Detector IFT As stated earlier, the circuit uses
R51, R58 — 390-ohm L2 — Erase head AC bias for recording as well as eras-
R59, R60, L3.L4 — Stereo record/play heads
ing. Hence an oscillator is required to
R61.R62 — 2.2-ohm, W 1/2 L5 — Motor choke
VR1.VR3 — 100-kilohm preset XI — 12-0-1 2V, 5-amp
bias the recording and erasing heads.
VR2.VR4 — 100-kilohm pot. secondary transformer This is a hartley oscillator wired around
VR7.VR8 — 100-kilohm, trimpota transistor BC148B. The tuned secon-
VR5.VR6 — 47-kilohm preset Miscellaneous
dary causes the transistor to oscillate at
LEDs — 11 no*.
Capacitors: SI — 2-pole, 3-way switches frequencies higher than 80 kHz.
C17, C21 — 270pF ceramic disc S2 — 6-pole record-play switch C4 is a 2.2nF tuning capacitor whose
C20, C24 — 220pF ceramic disc S3 — 250V, 2-amp toggle value can be changed to obtain the
C6.C12.C19, switch
C23, C25, C33 — 470pF ceramic disc LSI, LS2 — 4-ohm, 30W speakers specified frequency with any coil used.

C35, C36, C49, Leaf switch — nos.1


The transformer may be any IFT used
C50 — O.OlpF ceramic disc — Tape deck mechanism in radio receivers. The output of bias
C4.C18, — Heatsinks oscillator is mixed with the audio sig-
C22 — 2.2nF ceramic disc
nal from display amplifier and pre-
emphasis network through a 27k resis-
The circuit 2-polc, 3-way switch. This switch se- tor and 220pF capacitors.
The circuit can be divided into lects the input to the power amplifiers The pre-emphasis network com-
seven important parts, viz, playback as well as display amplifiers. prises VR5, R21, R22, C17, C18 and
preamplifier decks power
1 and 2, In one position the output of tape 1 C19 for left channel and VR6, R23,
amplifiers (30W+30W), display am- is selected, in the mid position output R24, C21, C22 and C23 for right
plifiers, peak level indicators, bias of tape 2 is selected and in the third po- channel. These boost the high frequency
oscillator and frequency pre-emphasis sition aux or line-in terminals arc se- components of the audio so as to meet
network (Fig. 1 ). lected. One may use 2-pole, 4-way the requirement of oxide tape. Do not
ICs LA3161 are used as tape pre- switch if mic. jacks are also required alter the values of these components.
amplifiers for both decks. The outputs and 5-way switch if tuner or turntable is Adjustments of VR6 and VR7 are ex-
of the preamplifiers are given to a also used. plained later.

20 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Author's prototype of the stereo double cassette recorder. The recording module of the author's prototype.
Display amplifiers a calibrated deck or any other
The display amplifiers are means. Here is a method for
wired around TBA810.
ICs calibration.
Display amplifiers may be Record a tone of 1 kl Iz on a
wired on ready-made PCBs pre-calibrated cassette deck at
available in the market, so as OdB level. Play that tone in one
to minimise ground loops and of the decks, adjusting VR1
hum. The same amplifiers are and VR3 so that first three
used for recording also and: green LEDs are lit. The cali-

hence only new components bration for playback is over.


or PCB should be used. Calibration for recording is
a bit tedious. But once ad-
Display justed, the presets need not be
It is a 5+5-segment display touched again.
wired around ten BC148B Record a tone of 1kHz and
transistors. Each transistor is P* *spla* adjust the record level control
biased through a diode which causes using more LEDs. pots so that the indicator shows OdB.
the transistors to saturate at different It is necessary to calibrate the dis- Now play back the recorded tone. If the
levels. One may cascade the transistor play properly before it is used for re- indicator shows more or less than OdB,
stages to obtain better resolution by cording. For calibration, one may need turn VR5 and VR6 accordingly and
test once again. By means of this method
of trial and error, one can calibrate it in
four or five trials.

Power amplifiers
Power amplifiers arc wired around
ICspPC1230. It is a single-in-line IC
<>)toaux with 12 pins on one side. It requires a
10U
1W
vcc
vw LI
“UtAJUUU
DYNAMIC
MIKE
-**-470h 1000»i 12V DC
"T* 25V 25V' MOTOR
GND
LEAF
SWITCH
NOTE: LI A MOTOR CHOKE OR 25 TURNS
IS
OF 22 SWG COPPER ON 6mm FERRITE ROD.

Fig. 3: Circuit for microphone recording. Fig. 4: The motor circuit.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
age, power
adequate
supply should be used. Use
a 12-0-1 2 V transformer
with 5-amp continuous
rating. Two diodes are
connected in parallel to
increase the current ca-
pacity of the rectifier. A
filter capacitor of lO.OOOpF
should be used for better
hum rejection. A
0.15-ohm resistor is in-

troduced to limit thesurge


current at the time of power
on.

Construction
Most of the circuit
modules can be assembled
on general-purpose PCBs.
Both preamplifiers should
be wired on a single PCB
and care must be taken to
avoid ground loops. The
record-play switch, pre-
emphasis and bias
circuit
oscillator should be as-
sembled on a single board.
Shielded wires should be
used for connecting head
to record-bias PCB, rec-
ord-bias PCB to preamp
PCB and at places wher-
ever low level signals are
to be transmitted.
It is better to ground
the common point of rec-
ord/play head through one
section of record-play
switch, i.e. during play-
back the common point is
connected to the ground
of preamplifier and dur-
ing recording, the com-
mon point is connected to
the ground of display
amplifier. This removes
ground loops in the circuit
and prevents the circuit
from oscillating. (This is
Fig. 5: Actual-size PCB layout for the cassette recorder. not shown in the circuit
heatsink ofabout 500 gms. The output 30W power into' a 4-ohm load. diagram.) Avoid using too long wires,
is double ended without any output Ground the chassis of both the decks
capacitor. Such configuration is com- Power supply as well as the volume control, record-
mon in most power ICs. It delivers Since amplifiers are of high watt- level control, and transformer bodies.

22 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
shown in Fig. 5. The com-
ponents layout is shown in
Fig. 6. A separate PCB is
used for display module.
The main PCB incorpo-
rates power amplifiers,
preamplifiers, display cum
recording amplifiers, bias
oscillator, frequency pre-
emphasis network and rec/
play switching circuit. The
assembling should be done
as explained here.
The power amplifiers
should be assembled first.

The power ICs must be


soldered directly on the
PCB. After assembling all
the components (power
amp), apply around 6V to
the Voc track and ground.
Connect the speakers and
keep the volume control
at minimum. The output
should be absolutely si-

lent.

The volume control


wiring should be done with
2-core shielded wire at

exactly the same points as


shown in Fig. 7. Other-
wise ground loops will be
formed causing hum and
distortion. Now raise the
volume and apply signal
to the power amplifiers.
Test for the output. The
IC should get slightly
warm.
After testing the power
amplifiers, solder the pre-
amplifier section. The
LA3161 ICs arc delicate
and hence should be sol-
dered in shortest time pos-
sible. After assembling,
connect (temporary con-
nections) the output of
preamp and the input of
power amp through the
Fig. 6: Components layout for the PCB in Fig. 5. volume control Connect
If you want to use microphones for quate power rating in place of LI . the input of the preamp to the record/
recording, the circuit is shown in Fig, 3. play head with two double-core shielded
Fig. 4 shows the motor circuit. For 6V Construction and testing Do not use
wires. the shield as
motor, use a suitable resistor of ade- A suitable PCB for the circuit is common ground for both channels.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 23
The bias oscillator and frequency
pre-emphasis circuits are to be sol-
dered next. The body of the IFT may
be grounded to avoid radiation. Erase
heads are available as AC type and DC
type. If DC type is used, its wires must
be soldered to the tracks provided be-
low R2 and C3 and a 820-ohm resistor
is to be soldered in the place provided.

If AC type erase head is used, these


components may be omitted.
For testing, play some useless re-
cording and short the tracks connected
to jumper J6 as well as that connect-
nend to the centre tap of the IFT. The
record ingshould be completely erased.
If a beeping sound is produced,
reduce the value of C4 until the output
is absolutely noiseless. In case of DC
type of erase heads, the erase current
should be 15 mA for good erasing.
After testing, solder record/play
switch and associated components.
2 POLE 3 WAY SWITCH
(FUNCTION SELECTOR) During recording, the connection of
heads is reversed (not shown in
Fig. 7: The wiring diagram for the circuit. Fig. 2). The ground is also changed
Solder the shields to the point ‘shield’ i bend the heatsinks carefully before sol- from preamplifier to power amplifier

in Fig. 7. dcring. ground to completely avoid ground loops


Now play some music and check The display amplifierscan be tested and oscillation (also not shown in

the output. If it is not proper, refer the by connecting speakers at their out- Fig. 2). Two-core shielded wires should
troubleshooting section given later. (The puts (instead of 15-ohm, 1 W resistors) be used for connecting the record/play
motor should be the given supply.) If and applying input. If distortion is head. The shields are to be soldered to
the working is satisfactory, the display noticed (as rarely it does), increase the the tracks provided.
amplifiers are to be soldered next. For value of R7 (and R27) to 100 ohms. The commonly available rccord/play
TBA810 ICs, no holes are provided The output should then be absolutely switch does not fit into the PCB. For
for heatsinks. Hence it is required to i distortion-free. that reason, a flat-ribbon cable may be

Fig. 8: Actual-size PCB layout for the record level indicator


(display). Fig. 9: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 8.

24 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
used for connecting the switch to the
TABLE I
PCB. In this case, the rccord/play switch
Troubleshooting Check List
may be conveniently fitted to any type
of deck mechanism. But ensure that Troubles Possible Causes
the wire length does not exceed 5 cms. 1. No output Check ihe power supply. Check for voluge at pin 9 of
The record-level control pots may be power IC.
preferably dual pot type for conven- 2. Too much hum Check (he ground connection of volume control. It should be on
ience. A 47k LIN potentiometer may track of pin 7 only.
be used as balance control, but this ef- 3. IC getting loo Check for shorts; if not replace the IC.
fects the display also. hot without
The display module is very easy to signal
assemble as the circuit is very simple. 4. Output is clipped The filler capacitor is faulty.

The first three LEDs are to be green, 5. No output from Touch the inputs of preamp. If there is no load hum, check for
while the last two should preferably be prcjmplifiers voluge (supply). If not, replace the IC
red. The transistors should be soldered 6. Sharp Check the shielding and grounding.
quickly any damage due to
to avoid background
heat. The leads may be held with nose- noise
pliers while soldering, to dissipate the 7. Not recording Check the rccord/play switch and bias oscillator circuit.

heat. The PCB and components layout 8 . Distorted The bias oscillator is not working.
for the record level indicator (display) recording
are shown in Figs 8 and 9 respectively. 9. No erasing The bias oscillator is not working or erase head is faulty.

The tracks arc in line for transistor 10. Hum is produced Connect a 220-ohm resistor in scries with the centre up.
leads and not in triangle as in case of when the balance

most circuits. This is so designed to is turned to one


minimise space consumption. The ter- side completely
-.Land Rare to be connected
minals-*-, It. Poor high Align the record/play head.
to the corresponding points on the frequency
main PCB with a flat ribbon wire not response
more than half a metre long. 12. Insufficient Try different values of R3 to suit your record/play head.
There arc nine jumper connections record
on the PCB. These are to be soldered level in spile of

first before soldering any component. adjustment of


Otherwise it may lead to confusion. presets
The body of tape decks, trans- 13. Sound without Speaker polarity is reversed (one of them).
former, volume and record-level con- depth
trols, record/play switch and heatsinks 14. Sonnd clipped Divide the incoming signal by a 47k and 2.2k resistor divider.

should be earthed properly. and too loud


There are a few large jumpers to be with aux
made. In Fig. 7, points A and X, Band 15. ICsTBA810 Check the ICs. If no fault, replace R9 and R29 by 22-ohm
Y, Land N as well as D and M arc to be getting resistors.

linked. Points E, F, G and H are to be hot


linked to SI (2-pole, 3-way function 16. Only one Compare voltages at different points with the working channel and
selector switch) as shown. channel identify the fault.

A good quality CRGO core trans-


former should be used for power optional tone control. type solder for soldering. The solder-
supply. The diodes, capacitors and the After assembling all the compo- ing should be neat and done quickly.
filter capacitor should be directly sol- nents and making all connections, fix Do not apply too much solder. The
dered to the transformer terminals. Use suggested heatsink to the power ICs polarity of components should be
high-current capacity stranded copper with heatsink compound and provide strictly observed. A list of possible
wires for power supply and speaker proper ventilation. troubles and their causes is shown in

connections. Use more solder for sol- Table I.

dering the high-current tracks. Troubleshooting Good quality speaker systems and

Use RCA sockets and pins for aux If you want to avoid troubleshoot- a graphic equaliser are recommended
and raic inputs. A few tracks are pro- ing, use new and good quality compo- for superb hi-fi reproduction with ex-

vided with C78 and C79 (O.lp) for nents only. Use good quality 60/40 cellent bass.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 25
Readers’ comments: be modified for high speed dubbing There are two erase heads, AC
with excellent recording qualify? How type and DC type in the component
The article captioned ‘Stereo Double can be done?
it layout. Which mechanism would you
Cassette Recorder’ is working well. How can I modify the circuit to suggest to use?
I have a few doubts regarding this use in a separate high power ampli- What is the meaning of ground
circuit.The author has stated in the fier? How to use a 10+ 10 band equal- loops?
article that no suitable record/play iser in the circuit? KISHOR E. SOMWANSHI
switch is available in the market to VEEKY DATTA Nasik
suit the requirement. But27 -pin rec- Malda I am
very thankful to the author
ord/play 8 witches are freely available The me.
article is very useful for for interesting and detailed informa-
in the market which are being used in But there are some doubts which I tion about the construction and
the PCBs of front loaded deck mecha- hope the author will clarify. i
working principle of the circuit. I
nisms. The incorporation of this I have with me an assembled ,
want to know what is high speed
switch will be helpful, if the same has 50W+50W amplifier (24V-0-24V, 3A i . dubbing? Can I do high speed dubbing
been used in the PCB. It would have supply) with a predeck around in this recorder by increasing the
further helped if the PCB could have Thilipe Universal Preamp’ (30V, 1
speed of motors only?
been divided into three parts: Record- 14mA supply). Is 5A current neces- ARUN KUMAR
sary for LA3161 and TBA8 10? If not, Lucknow
|
1

ing/play PCB, Recording level indica-


tor PCB along with IC, and Power am- please give me the modified power The article published in Feb.^l
plifier PCB. supply.
|
was long awaited one. Does the dis-
The above division would have fa- Two condensers are shown with
!
play indicator show standard decibel
use of these PCBs for sin-
cilitated the asterisk (*) in the left bottom of the level? Can I add any equaliser or tone
j

gle and double cassette recorders. ‘component layout’. Nothing is men- I


control? Can I use the circuit given
V.V.V.S.N. MURTY tioned about it. What is its value? i below for this purpose? Can we con-
Bhilai I
How to ground the common point
Q TheICpPC1230hasthecapadtyof of the R/P head?
delivering 40W
on each side. Please It is written in the text to connect

clarify how the wattage per channel the shield of the wire from head to
can be increased up to 40 watts? But in Fig. 7 the head is con-
‘shields’.

PRITPAL SINGH nected from two other points. How


Aurangabad
]
should be modified?
it

I have assembled the circuit and its Recommend a suitable head for

sound, especially recording, is excel- the LA3161 preamp.


|

lent. But during recording, there are ANILRAJ.K.G.


!
Mr Mahesh Gurung’s tone-control circuit.
small disturbances due to ripples in
(

Alwaye
|

the mains. I connected a capacitor Please clarify following doubts: nect any other audio power ampli-
I had assembled the circuit and fier like 40W+40W (IC 7205) instead
(O.lpF, 400V) as shown in the figure,
to reject any ripples. it is performing well. But its record- of using the circuit’s own amplifier?
ing section has some distortion. Is it Only 5 poles of the R/P switch have
because of the IFTused? been utilised, so what is 6th pole meant
Please suggest a circuit for bass for. The R/P has been printed twice!

and treble controls and its connec- MAHESH GURUNG


tions. New Delhi
Mr T. Surendra's modification.
RAJU PAULOSE There were some mistakes in the
How to change DC type of erasing Maryapara circuit. In the component layout
to AC type erasing to avoid hiss in Please clarify the following doubts: (Fig. 6); all electrolytic capacitors
the commercial tape recorder circuit? The VR
connection of the power areshown without any polarity. It
T. SURENDRA amplifier shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 6 may be cumbersome to see polarity
Hyderabad are different. of each capacitor from circuit dia-
The construction article is excel- The connection of the detector is gram (Fig. 2). Therefore, I request
lent and interesting. I have following not shown in Fig. 6. you to publish your component lay-
doubts regarding the circuit: The IC pin numbers are also not out again (Fig.6) with polarity of
Wattage value 30W+30W is RMS shown in Fig. 6. electrolytic capacitors shown.
value or PMPO value? I could not understand the con- RAKESH PUSHKARNA
Can this double cassette recorder nection of heads. New Delhi

26 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS

J Please convey my thanks to the au- ent voltage one should use a resistor anyone wants to have a mono cassette
thor for the construction article. in place of LI Value of the resistor is
. recorder, one preamplifier may be
On page 113, in last paragraph’s given by simply ignored and the function
second last line the variable resistors R = (13-V|n)/I m and P =(13-VjI m selector switch modified accordingly.
should be VR5 and VR6 instead of where R the resistance, V
is the The PCB was designed for front
VR6 and VR7. motor’s rated voltage, I m the motor’s load mechanisms, but it can very well
C6, C25 and oscillator coils are not rated current and P is the power be used with other mechanisms
shown components layout. Which
in dissipated in the resistor in watts. with simple mechanical modifica-
of the two variable resistors are re- The low record level and dis- tions.
cording level controls, VR5 and VR6 torted recording may be due to Power can be raised to 40W+40W
or VR2 and VR4? VR5 and VR6 are several reasons. Firstly, the rec-am- by using 16V, 7A sec. transformer for
presets or manually adjustable po- plifiers may be over driven. One may power supply. I have seen some com-
tentiometers? TBA810 is to be try different values of R3 which may mercial kits of 1230 IC but they
mounted with heatsink or without? be of any value from 0 to 100k. But the seldom work for 40W + 40W as their
If R2 and C3 are omitted (with AC prototype uses 27k resistor. capacitor voltage ratings are inade-
type erase head) as given in the text, The wattage of the amplifiers is quate and heatsinks insufficiently
emitter of the transistor BC148B be- in rms value. Due to obvious reasons, provided. Change the capacitors to
comes open. Once the deck is ad- the circuit was. never tried as a high minimum value of 25V and use a good
justed we a low output re-
will get speed recorder. The high speed can heatsink of 500 gms aluminium.
corded cassette if recorded from a be achieved by dual speed motors, I am happy to know that Mr Suren
-

low-output or old cassette. Please ex- which are not available in the mar- j
dra had successfully attempted the
plain how we can get better recorded ket. Also, merely doubling the speed project. The ci rcui t gi ven by Mr Suren
cassette? How to use the circuit does not solve the problem. The bias dra can be used if the environment is
(using IC LB 1405) of 9 LED peak oscillator frequency is to be doubled noisy. But my prototype worked with-
level indicator in place of transisto- and also the rec-amplifier’s configu- outsuch a circuit. DC type erase head
rised 5 LED indicator? ration must be changed to increase cannot be replaced by AC type, unless
pPC 1230 a 40W amplifier. Can
is their bandwidth to up to 35 kHz. the circuit has bias oscillator facility.
we increase the output of the circuit If the circuit is to be used with The secondary of the bias oscillator
to 40W? separate power amplifier, output circuit can be paralleled to the AC
Please give a circuit for 1kHz fre- from the circuit may be taken from type erase head.
quency at 0 dB. the poles of Sla and Sib and fed to Mr Mahesh's tone control circuit
AZEET KUMAR the power amplifier. In that case, IC5, can very well be used in the main
Patna IC6 and associated components may circuit.

I would request Mr Shankar to be omitted. Without power amplifi- The polarity of eletrolytic ca-
pass on idea for biasing chrome tapes ers the transformer of 750mA rating pacitors i9 not marked in compo-
in addition to the normal ferric oxide would be adequate. nents layout, which I regret. Please
tapes. What modifications will be Two capacitors with asterisks in refer to circuit diagram for the po-
required for using VU meter in place Fig. 6 are meant for optional tone , larities. It is not ‘that’ necessary to
of LEDs. Noise limiter circuit is control. The tracks provided may be reprint the component layout.
lacking in the schematic. utilised for tone control pots. The The display shows the standard
SUDIPTO GHOSE tone control circuit is given below. decibel value, roughly only, as we are
Calcutta 47K interested in ‘0’ decibel level only. Ad-
J In the circuit, what is the speaker dition of an equaliser is suggested
polarity. How to differentiate be- asit would increase the performance
tween AC/DC type of eraser? greatly. The output from the poles of
T.S. Sharrkaran's tone-control circuit.
B. MO MIN function selector switch should be
Meghalaya Shields for the rec/play heads given to the equaliser input and the
may be soldered to the nearest ground output of equaliser to the power am-
The author, Mr T.S. Shankar, replies: track. plifier input. Any type of equaliser

I am
very pleased to see the interest For LA3161 preamp, a head of may be used. The following figure
aken by EFY readers in my article 250Q may be used. shows the equaliser connections.
on Stereo Double Cassette Recorder. In Fig. 6 the directions of ICs on Any other type of amplifier may be
The doubts raised by the readers are the PCB are not given. Please refer used, but the PCB was designed for
clarified here. the circuit diagram for the same. An IC pPC 1230 only.

In Fig. 6 (component layout) at top extra jumper joining the top track of As is clear from the PCB layout,

right comer, the switch S2 is shown J3 and top ground is missing. !


sixth pole of rec/play switch used is

as a rectangular box. Points C, D, M Mr Murty’s idea of dividing the for changing power-amplifier ground

and N, connections are explained on PCB into individual modules is good. to preamplifier ground.

page 118 (Eeb '91). But having a single PCB would be The transistors of Fig. 3 are
For connecting a motor of differ- convenient and easy to assemble. If I
BC149C and BC149B respectively.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 27
TO TO sette can be dubbed or copied to an-
VR1 VR3 other cassette at twice the normal
(VR2) <VR4)
TOVR1 (VR3) speed. This cannot be achieved by
merely doubling motor speed. One
has to increase the bandwidth of all
amplifiers to 36 kHz and change the
TOVR2 (VR4)
bias oscillator frequency to 170 kHz.
This is all complicated and beyond the
scope of the article.
TO POWER The background noise may be due
AMPLIFIER to the use of some power supply. Try
using separate power su pply. Also use
best quality shielded wires for inter-
connections.
Equaliser connection for recording and power amplifier. A R/P head of 250-ohm impedance
would be suitable.
Noise limiters and tape selector cir- ments. Absolute *0’ level cannot be
Besides foilowingcorrections need
cuits are beyond the scope of the ar- obtained and hence no such circuit
to be made:
ticle. However, efforts will be made to can be designed.
The tracks of preamplifier section
include them in one of the future AC and DC type erase heads can
issues of EFY. VU meters may be be differentiated by their head gaps.
of the PCB layout are wrong. Here is

used in place of LED circuits with the


the correct PCB layout.
AC type will have larger gaps
help of the following circuit.

AC and DC type erase heads.


Speaker polarity:
Pin 1 of IC pPC1230 — Negative
Pin 11 of IC pPC1230 — Positive
The volume control connection
Indeed the last line of page 113 shown in Fig. 6 is wrong. Please refer
should read VR5 and VR6. C6 and Fig. 7 for correct connection.
C25 should be soldered directly on The position of LI is at the top
the potentiometers. VR2 and VR4 right of transistor Tl. For IC pin
are rec-level control pots and VR5 identification on PCB, please refer Mr T.S. Shankar's corrections in preamplifier
and VR6 are rec-level presets. No the circuit diagram. Each head of R/ section.

heatsink is required for TBA 810 ICs. P type has four leads which are to be The figure shown in Fig.5 is com-
In case of AC type erase head, only linked to the points shown on PCB ponent side. Pins 6 and 7 of IC3 and
820-ohm resistor is to be omitted not layout through two core shielded wires IC4 (LA3161) are to be interchanged.
R2 and R3. Points C and N are to be per head. The shields should be sol- R45, R48, R52 and R55 are 150S2.
connected (not L and N). dered tothe points marked ‘shields’ R46, R50, R53 and R56 are 47k. C35,
As the gain of display amplifiers is or to the nearest ground track. C36, C49 and C50 are O.OOlpF.
sufficiently high, dubbing can be made The component layout shows both
from old cassettes by raising the rec- AC and DC type erase heads. How-
level control. IC LB 1405 circuit can be ever, only one of them is to be used.
used in place of transistorised circuit Any type of mechanism can be used.
by feeding the input of the circuit The prototype used vertical type
from the output of display amplifier soft touch mechanism which cost me
after attenuating with a 100k trim Rs 425 per deck (in Hyderabad).
pot. Ground loops are formed when-
We
can very well use pPC 1230 for ever a small part of supply voltage or
40W + 40W by using 16V-0-16V, 7- output is fed back to the input due to
amp sec. transformer. No further drop across ground tracks or wires.
modifications are necessary. This results in lot of hum and distor-
4
0’ dB level is only relative level f
tion.
and can only be obtained by calibrat- High speed dubbing is a special
ing the circuit with standard instru- feature by which audio from one cas- I

28 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Multirange Adjustable Tinner
Dinesh Kumar Raheja

An
AM electronic timer is often used timer can be suitably adjusted for a the cascaded counters formed by IC2
for delayed and precise switching in time delay of 10 seconds to 100,000 and IC3. These ICs are wired as dividc-
various industrial as well as domestic seconds (more than 27 hours), in four by-10 and divide-by-9 counters, respec-
equipments. Generally, three methods suitable ranges. Moreover, CMOS ICs tively, So the last output of IC3 goes
are used to construct an electronic are used as counters,which eliminate high at the generation of 90th clock
timer. the requirement of a regulated power pulse, after a time delay, given by the
The first method is to use a supply, reducing the cost of the system equation \

monostable multivibrator, but for large considerably. Td * (0.693 (R1+2VRH2R2) C) x 90 sec.

time delays, the components become where C is the effective capacitance,


bulky, which is its major drawback. Working selected by the range select switch S2.
Thus such a circuit is not useful if The circuit diagram of the com- The delay period can be set in the
longer time delay is required. plete system is shown in Fig. 1. Here following ranges:
The second method is to employ IC1 is used in astable mutivibmtor mode Rang* Delay Period
|

microprocessor for the extremely pre- to generate clock pulses. The time pe- Min. Mm.
and switching. Although a
cise control riod of these clock pulses can be suita-
10 sec !
100 sec
very advanced method, it is extremely bly adjusted with potentiometer VR1. 100 sec 1000 sec
expensive and complicated. The range select switch S2 enables 1000 sec 10,000 sec
The third method which is applied selection of the required time range. 10,000 se e
_
100,000 sec

in this circuit employs anastable mul- 'fhe clock pulses arc fed serially to The instantaneous state of the timer
tivibrator cascaded with counters and
driver circuit for the relay. Oil
XI

CIO- 1N4O01
230V AC PW 230V
The characteristic feature of this 6 0 6V
- -
I<XX*1 AC
250 mA SK.
circuit is its extremely wide range. This 12V
TRANSFORMER
012
1N4001
Cl
0 27m

010
R7 ns R9 1N4001
2200 T1 220U T2 22017; T3
iC547B /!/ BC547B/0 BC547B
/ T4 \
BC547B
7

1N4001 1N4001
1M
52 POT
IC1 IC2
•VR1
TIME 555 CD4017
* 03 D4| D5[ D6| 07 06 09
ADJ.
27 *
12V 47*
n12V ; re
•10OK
IC3
C7 0 C04017
|270u 1 2V

2
C8
470»i
1 — !
i
4
|12V

r-
-0.01 m

Fig. 1: Circuit diagram for multirange adjustable timer.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
PARTS LIST the whole sys-

Semiconductors: tem, after the de-


IC1 —
LMS55 timer lay time is over.
IC2, IC3 —
CD40 17 decade counter The actual
T1-T5 — BC547B transistors
D1-D12 — 1N4001 diodes size PCB lay-
out is shown in
Resistors (all 1 14-watt, +5% carbon,
Fig. 2 with the
unless stated otherwise):
Rl, RIO — 22-kilohm components
R2 — 100-kilohm layout in
R3-R6 - 47-kilohm Fig. 3. As the
R7-R9 — 220-ohm
VR1 — -megohm potentiometer
1
circuit consists

of CMOS ICs,
Capacitors:
Cl — 0.27 pF ceramic disc use of IC sock-
C2 — 0.4 7 pF ceramic disc ets is recom-
C3 — 2.7pF, 12V tantalum mended. Tanta-
C4 — 4.7pF, 12V tantalum lum capacitors
C5 — 27 pF, 12V tantalum
C6 — 47pF, 12V tantalum are preferred to

C7 — 270pF, 12V tantalum gel better accu-


C8 — 470pF, 12V tantalum racy. As the
C9 — 0.01 pF ceramic disc system requires
CIO — IOOOjiF, 12V tantalum very little
Miscellaneous: power, there is
SI — Push-to-on switch
S2 — Single-pole -way rotary
4
no need of us-
^8' 2: layout for multirange adjustable tinier.
switch ing heatsinks for I

RL1 — 6V, 100-ohm relay.


XI — Transformer (TUAEADIUST

is indicated by the LEDs. If the timer is

in the initial one- third stage of the


adjusted delay, the first LED glows. As
soon as the timer reaches the middle
one-third stage, the first LED goes off
and the second LED glows automati-
cally. Progressively, when the two-third
delay time is over the second LED goes
off and the third LED glows, indicating
the timer in final state.
T2 and T3 drive the
Transistors Tl,
LED indicators, while transitors T4
and T5 drive the relay. If the base of T4
is low, it remains the cut-off state,

keeping T5 in saturation, which in turn

keeps the relay on. As soon as the base


of T4 goes high, it saturates and T5
goes into the cut-off state, driving off
the relay.
First, the range and time delay should
be adjusted properly with the help of
potentiometer VR1 and range select
swtich S2. Then switch SI should be
pressed to start the timer. Fig. 3: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 3.

To make power
the system auto either transistors or ICs. The relay and fied to get time delay out of the given
off, a double pole 6V, 100-ohm relay transformer (XI) should be separately range by using different combinations
is used. One pole is used to switch the mounted. of capacitors and inserting more count-
desired load and the other to switch off This circuit can be suitably modi- ers.

30 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
1

Readers’ comments: J
to prevent this, the following modifi- lkW immersion heater using the timer,
i
cation may be done. it is not possible with an ordinary
S3 has be pressed each time
to relay. Because the peak current for
J

before a new operation is started. This 1

lkW heater is approximately 6.15


helps in preventing false timing. '
amperes, it will surely cause damage
The ‘Multi range Adjustable Timer’ proj- Also I want to know what will to the relay contacts. He should use
ect is good. The circuit is work- happen to the relay contacts if the ! the relay whose rated contact current
ing quite well, but I would like to is more than 6.15 amperes (say 10
, load to be controlled is a 1000W
make the following addition to the immension heater. Will the contacts
j

amperes or so). If Mr A.N. Babu does


circuit. |
not wish to use LED indicators, it is
i
be damaged because of excessive cur-
T0C1.C2 not going to affect the working of the
rent flow drawn by the heater?
S.S. MANI :
timer in any case. He can use one ca-
Madras pacitor instead of the parallel combi-
I

i nations of the capacitors, but the de-


'

Please clear my doubts regarding ! lay time will be affected.


I the Multirange Adjustable Timer cir- If Mr A.N. Babu just omits IC2,
i cuit: (a) will the circuit work without the timer will work but all the ranges
! LED indicator, (b) can I omit IC2, and will be reduced to one-tenth of the
S3 4' (c) what if I use only one capacitor in- given values.
PUSHTO-
on stead of the two connected in parallel?
Modification for the multirange A.N. BABU
adjustable timer Rajahmundry
The author, Mr Dinesh Kumar Raheja,
The circuit will indicate a false replies:
!

timing switched off


if it ia and then Mr Mani has suggested a simple but I

started, say within next few seconds very effective modification, using a i

or minutes. This is because of the slow


I

simple push-to-on switch. This modi-


decay of charges from capacitors C fication surely enhances accuracy of
I

through C$ once they are charged. So the timer. Now, if he wishes to control

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 31
1

Automatic Brightness
Controller For TVs
Amrit Bir Tiwana
X you arc making a TV receiver,
f the output of each comparator to avoid A and B) decreases, the voltage level
or already have one, here is a sophisti- any stray pickups. The outputs of the at point B increases.
cated feature you can add to make its comparators are converted into a “se- When the voltage level at the non-

performance comparable to the most quential dot output” by the exclusive - inverting input (point B) exceeds the
advanced television receivers avail- OR gates, al-hl (contained in 1C3 and reference voltage at the non-inverting
able today. IC4). input of (he comparator, its output,
This article describes the functional The outputs of these gates control which is initially high, goes low. When
and constructional details of an auto- bilateral static switches SI - S8 (con- the output of the comparator goes low,
matic TV picture brightness controller, tained in IC5 and IC6), which auto- the output of the corresponding EX-
which ‘secs’ the brightness level of the matically connect one out of the eight ORgate goes high, activating the cor-
mom where it is being operated, and possible resistances between points X responding bilateral statieswitch. This
then, automatically selects one out of and Y (Fig. 4). This resistance in turn is turn connects the corresponding preset
the eight possible TV picture bright- controls the brightness of the picture. between points X and Y, which deter-
ness levels, thus ensuring the viewer a mines the TV picture brightness.

perfectly blended and clear picture Principle oF operation When the output of the next com-
with an optimum level of brightness. Normally a IV set has a panel parator goes low, the output of the cor-
The circuit is compatible with almost mounted brightness control potenti- responding EX-OR gate goes high,
all types of black-and-white or colour ometer. Ihe brightness of the TV pic- while that of the preceeding one goes
TVs. ture has to be kept low under bright op- low. Ihus the next bilateral switch is

erating conditions and vice versa.


PARTS LIST
Circuit description The brightness of the TV picture is
Semiconductors:
The main control circuit of the dependent upon Ihe value of resistance IC1. IC2 - LM324, quad comparator
automatic brightness controller is de- between points X and Y as shown in IC3, IC4 - CD4030, quad EX-OR
scribed in Fig. 1 . Ihe PCB and compo- Fig. 4. Automatic brightness control gate
IC5, IC6 - CD4016, quad bilateral
nents layout are shown in Figs 2 and 3 is achieved by replacing the original
switch
respectively, bight op-amp compara- |
brightness controlling potentiometer IC7 - 7805, 5V regulator
tors (IC1 and 1C2) form the heart of the by a set of eight presets, each of which D1 - 1N4 002 diode
circuit. Resistors R1-R7 along with is set for a particular brightness level.
Resistors (all 1/4W, *5% carbon, unless
presets VRt and VR 2 provides refer- An .DR senses the room brightness
I
staled otherwise):
ence voltage to the non-inverting level and automatically selects the most R1-R7.R16,
input of each comparator. suitable preset (with the help of the R17 • 1-kilohm
and connects R8-R15 • 1.5-kilohm
The inverting inputs of all the circuit given in Fig. 1). it
R18 - 330-ohm
comparators are connected together. between points Y and X thus stabili-
VRI.VR2 - 22-kilohm presot
Presets VR 1 1 and VR 12 along with re- sing the TV picture brightness to a VR3-VR10,
sistors R16 and R17 tap the input suitable level. VR12 100-kilohm preset
VR1 - 47-kilohm preset
voltage. The voltage obtained from this

lap is fed to the inverting inputs of all Working Capacitors:


comparators through the LDR. When the LDR is exposed to light, Cl - IOOOuF, 16V electrolytic
Resistors R8-R15 are connected its resistance changes with the light. As C2, C3 - 0.1 pF ceramic
C4 - 220pF, 10V electrolytic
between the positive supply line and resistance of the LDR ( between points
32 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Figs. 2 and 3: Actual size PCB layout (top) and components layout (bottom) for the automatic brightness controller.

34 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
disconnected from the potentiometer
should be connected to the automatic
PROM TV
r P.CB.
brightness controller.
A small circular piece of transpar-
ent acrylic sheet should be glued
behind the potentiometer’s panel mount-
0RGHTNESS
CONTROL POT. ing hole, using a strong rubber-based
adhesive. The LDR should then be fixed
Fig. 4: Connections between automatic behind the sheet and connected to the
brightness controller and the TV. circuit using a shielded cable. Now the

Fig. 5: Power supply arrangement for the circuit.

activated and another value of resis- circuit should be adjusted, after which,
tance is inserted between points X and the circuit can be enclosed in the IV
Y. Similarly, the other six resistors are cabinet itself.

also selected.
Adjustments
Power supply After the circuit has been success-
The circuit requires a regulated power fully constructed, it should be adjusted
supply of 5V which may be obtained for optimum control at different levels

from the TV circuit itself. ITie circuit of brightness.


shown in Fig. 5 converts the 1 2V power Place the TV set (i.e. LDR) in very
supply obtained from the IV into 5V brightroom conditions and adjust
DC for this purpose. D 1
protects the VR1, VR2. VR1 1 and VR12 such that
circuit from reverse polarity connec- the output of hi just goes high. Now
tion, while D2 serves as a pilot indica- adjust VR3 so that the brightness level
tor when the circuit is working and of the picture obtained is sufficiently
protects IC7 by discharging C4 when low. Now expose the IV to lesser bright

the circuit is switched off. conditions, so that the output of gl goes


high.
Construction Next, adjust VR4for an optimum
The can also be assembled
circuit level of brightness. Similarly, adjust
on a general-purpose PCB. Care presets VR5-VR10 for a suitable level

should be taken while soldering the of brightness. Finally readjust VR1 and
ICs. The use of IC sockets is recom- VR2 for optimum sensitivity. The unit

mended. All connections should be is now ready for use.


made using flat colour-coded multi- Under bright operating conditions,
way ribbon cables. After soldering, the the TV picture brightness will now
circuit should be thoroughly cheeked remain adequately low and as the room
for loose or dry solder joints. brightness decreases the TV picture
brightness will increase in eight steps
Installation to ensure the user a well-blended and
The circuit should be installed in clear picture, automatically.
the TV as shown in Fig. 4. First, the 'Hie complete automatic brightness
brightness control potentiometer controller would ebst less than Rs 100.
should be disconnected and removed
from the front panel. The wires
A High Impedance Adapter
For a Multimeter
R. Shankar

H ere is a project for a high imped-


ance adapter which can be added to a
|
Table shows the specifications of
I

the high impedance adapter. As in the


TABLE
Specifications
I

multimeter to provide the function of a case of DVMs and DMMs, the input
sophisticated voltmeter having an in- impedance (viz, 11 megohms) is the Voltage ranges : 2V, 10V, 50V, 200V,
500V, 1000V AC and
put impedance of 1 1 megohms. 'I'he same for all ranges. This is quite con-
DC-
circuit could be used with any ana- trary to conventional analogue mul- Input impedance : 1 1 megohms on all

logue multimeter having a DC current timeters in which the input impedance ranges

range of 250 pA or less, i'he circuit is directly proportional to the voltage


Accuracy :DC— 1% on all ranges
(excluding that of the AC (501 lz)- 1.5% on all
given here is a complete voltmeter by range selected. It should be noted that meter) ranges
itself except for the indicating portion, this circuit would be superfluous in the AC bandwidth (-3dB) : DC to 30kHz
i.e. the micro-ammctcr. 1000V range for 20k/volt models. Input overload : Up to 1000V DC
protection continuous on all
The circuit docs not interfere with The circuit diagram for the adapter
ranges
the normal operations of the multimc- \
is given in Fig. 1. I’he voltage to be Output short-circuit : Indefinite
ter since it is a separate unit. It can be measured is applied to the dividing protection

connected to the multimeter by its test network comprisingRl through Rll.


probes. j
The voltage range is selected by SI and the corresponding fraction of the

Fig. 1: Circuit diagram of the high impedance adapter for multimeter.

36 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
-

PARTS LIST TABLE II


Semiconductors: R12 • 1-megohm, 1W Meter R14 R1S VRI VR2
IC1 - CA3140, Bi-MOS op-amp R13 • 100-kUohm FSD
T1,T2 • BFW1 1 n -channel FET R14 • 6.8-kilohm 50pA 33k 270k 22k 220k
D1-D4 - 1N4148 silicon switching R15 • 56 -Id] ohm 60pA 27k 270k 22k 100k
diode R16, R17 • 330-ohm, 1/2 W lOOpA 18k 150k 4.7k 100k
D5, D8 4.7V, 400m W zener diode VR1 • 2.2-kilohm variable ISOpA 12k 100k 2.2k 47k
D6,D7 - 3.3V, 400mW zener diode resistor 250pA 6.8k 56k 2.2k 47k
D9, D10 m 1N40O2 silicon rectifier VR2 • 47 -kilohm variable
diode resistor
through the multimeter is directly pro-
Capacitors:
Resistors (all 1/4W, +5% carbon, unless C1.C2 * 0.1 nF ceramic portional to the input voltage, the ac-
stated otherwise): C3.C4 -
100nF, 16V electrolytic tual value for a given input voltage
R1-R4 • » 2 2-megohm, 1/2W, 1% C5, C6 -
470nF, 25V electrolytic being determined by R14, R15, VR1
metal him
and VR2.
R5 • 1.2-megohm, 1/2W, 1% Miscellaneous:
metal him SI • Single-pole, 6-way rotary The values of the above compo-
R6 - 560-kilo km, 1% metal switch nents depend on the lowest current
film S2 • DPDT switch range your multimeter. For the sake
in
R7 - 330-kilo hm, 1% metal S3 - SPST switch
film XI - 230V AC primary to
of convenience, these have been calcu-
R8, R9 - 33-kilo hm,1% metal him 12V-0-12V, 100mA lated and enumerated in Table II.

R10.R11 • 22-kilohm, 1% metal him secondary transformer The voltage at pin 3 of IC1 re-

quired for full scale division (FSD) of


input voltage is applied to IG1 viaR13. meter is practically determined byRl- the multimeter is 2V. This rather high
IC1 is a Bi-MOS op-amp which has an Rll which is 11 megohms. value eliminates the need for an offset
extremely high input impedance of 1.5 The multimeter is included in the eliminating potentiometer. The offset
million megohms ( 1,500*000 times that feedback loop of IC1 via bridge recti- voltage of IC1 (2 mV maxim urn) would
of a 741). So the impedance of the fier comprising D1-D4. The current cause less than 0. 1 per cent error which

Fig. 2: Actual-size PCB layout for the high impedance adapter.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 37
i 4
'if 1

J1

J2
1*
'

< <
: ;

1W

:

r
J
'
i <

2.2M 2 2U 22M
!

22U |
I i.2M
:

560K
||W°« :

33K 33 K
22 K 22K
1/2W 1/2W 1Z2W 1/4W 1/4W 1/4W
V2W 1/2W 1/4W 1/4W 1/4W
. 2V m jr ir
*-• H-w k
j

• 50V

. 200V r
»
/ - J4 S2t>
• 500V jr ,
AC
• iooov ZiK
41*
• St AC •
DC StK
BFW11

100K

E
CA3140
1
4* 1N4148 • j3 +
. G 3300
1N4008 1/2W
&
11 3 3V
400m W
3300 »00,«
1'2W

MV MV
16V

i
Fig. 3: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 2.

is hardly detectable. S2 is used to select leakage current of lOpA at 25°C. multimeters. The test probes are in-

AC or DC voltage to be measured. These chop off input


effectively serted into jumpers Jl and J2, while
In the AC position, S2 increases the transients which exceed +4V, the probes of the multimeter are in-
transconductancc by a factor of 1.11. The power supply is simple and serted into J3 and J4.
This increment is necessary for the straightforward. The combination of
multimeter to show the RMS voltage. zener diodes D5-D8 provides +8V sup- Calibration
In the DC position, R15 and VR2 ply to IC1 while D6 and D7 provide After checking the circuit, adjust
arc removed from the feedback loop +3.3V for the protection circuitry. VR1 and VR2 to their maximum posi-
while diodes D1 and D4 are shorted. tion. Keep SI in 2V position and S2 in
This arrangement is necessary. It is Construction Deposition. Measure its voltage using
otherwise be difficult to determine the The PCB pattern and its compo- a DMM. Now adjust VR1 to give the
polarity of the input voltage due to the nents layout are given in Figs 2 and 3. same reading on the multimeter. DC
presence of the bridge rectifier. The values of R 14, R15, VR1 and VR2 calibration is complete.
The advantage of using a multime- depend upon the value of the lowest For AC calibration, keep SI in

ter in the feedback loop is that the current range in the multimeter. These 500V position and S2 in AC position.
meter reading is virtually unaffected can be selected from Tabic II. Test the AC mains voltage keeping
by stray fields picked up by the wires. Since IC1 has MOS inputs, a low both the DMM and this circuit across
IC1 forces a constant current through profile IC socket is strongly recom- the L and N terminals simultaneously.
the multimeter regardless of induced mended. Do not use soldering flux while Now adjust VR2 to get concurrent
voltages in the feedback loop. C2 soldering pins 2 and 3 of the IC socket readings.
improves the stability and high fre- as the leakage would cause deteriora- This project is now ready to be en-
quency response of the circuit. tion in performance. The same applies closed in a cabinet. The circuit costs
Overload protection circuit con- to FETs T1 and T2. less than Rs 150.
sists of FETs T1 and T2 connected as The inputs and outputs are brought
very low leakage diodes with a reverse out as socketssimilarto those found in

38 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Neo Digital Clock
Parti
Amarjeet Singh Bajwa

A lthough
digital clocks
several circuits for
have already been pub-
features:
1. Displays time (hour, minute and
3. Alarm with auto-snooze (with
different music at every snooze).
lished in BFY earlier, here is a new seconds), calendar (month and date), 4. Very easy to set (very few control

digital clock which is most modem and day on alphanumeric display, con- switches like mode switch).
and has all the qualities generally in- tinuously on different display. 5.Very littleconsumpt ion of power
corporated in Japanese waiches/clocks. 2. Hourly chime with volume con- (due to multiplexing of display).
This neo digital clock has the follow ing trol (hour counter type). 6. Large display of time, so easy to

DECODER.
DRIVER

l\l/l I I

4017
|/l\l l_\l
BLOCK No.j DESCRIPTION

1. DAY DISPLAY
2 DECOoea
DRIVER
3. DAY COUNTER
4. SECTSLfcfcP
DISPLAY

o 8* 00z
5

6
7
CALENDAR
ALARM
DISPLAY
TIME DISPLAY
gAthooe
DRIVER
8 MAIN CLOCK
HARDWARE
9 SLEEP DHTVER
AMO RELAY

L
'IQ'B 7
10.
11.
MULTIPLEXER
HCH
DETECTOR
AND SOUND
DRIVER CIRCUIT
12. A1ARMSOUNO
81 13. OSCILLATOR

10 11
4017
MULTIPLEXER HCH ALARM

T
|

osc 1

Hfr 1: Block diagram of mo digital dock.


ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 39
UNE LINE LINE
30 31 29
O O O

4 x 5mm LED/SEGMENT
0IS
+ WS. * - A/P AWPM DISPLAY
2 . TIME Hi 4 MIN DISPLAY

CAL OP UNfc 23

WS 3
<JP CAL LINE 24- CALfcNDAFVALAHM
01 SPLAY

<JP LINE 2/

SI EEM
OP UNE 28
II 0IS.4
SECONCVSLEEP
°ISPLAV
CATHODE OF SEC SECOND

Fig. 2: Display circuit.

read even at long distances. ‘alarm’, then the input switch has tobe Display circuit
7. Sleep facility to turn any appli- pressed. If three displays are connected The neo digital circuit has five dif-
ance on/off as a switch. I
in this manner to the same circuit, then ferent displays as shown in Fig. 2:
8. Indication of mode during set- by pressing one button time display 1. Time, hour and minute on
ting, c.g. calendar or alarm, seconds or shows time; pressing the second button display 2.
sleep, alarm and hourly chime on/off displays the seconds and by pressing 2. Calendar (month date)/alarm
etc with simple circuit and easily avail- next button, the alarm display shows (hour, minute) on display 3.

able components. ! the alarm time. 3. Seconds/sleep on display 4.


If we now increase the speed of 4. AM/PM on display.
Description pressing the button to about 200 5. Day display.
From the block diagram in Fig. 1, ,
depressions/sec (200 Hz) by some All dp’s of FND500 displays show
the circuit can be easily understood. automatic means, then we will see mode of various displays. The time
Block 1 is the day display which shows that time, seconds and alarm time display consists of 94 LEDs (includ-
day in two letters of English, e.g. are all displayed continuously, with- ing two for colon). Each segment has
Sunday will be displayed as M SU”. AM j
out a flicker. This is the main four LEDs connected in series and all

pulse of IC 7317 (block 8) forces the principle behind this neo digital segments of time display have com-
decade counter (block 3) to count next !
clock.The primary problem in the mon cathode. The AM/PM display
day. Diode ROM
(block 2) decodes designing of the circuit was how to comprises only one FND, which shows
that day and also drives the day dis- make the hourly chime circuit A for “AM" and P for “PM”. The same
play. (HCH) to know that the minutes on the display also indicates whether the alarm
|

As already experienced with previ- time display are zero-zero since the of HCH is on or off.
ous circuits of digital clocks, if we signals of clock ICs are changing rap- For the second display, two FNDs
want to see the display for ‘seconds’ or idly. have been used. Their dp's show the

40 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
'

UNE 1 TO 22
TO ALL DISPLAY

O > Rt -R22— 22 x 6800

TO OP’S OF
SEC DISPLAY
COM. CATHOOE OF TIME
SEC. AND CALENDAR
DISPLAY RESPECTIVELY

TO FIN 27 Of
IC1 MM7317

FI* 3: Main Circuit for neo digital dock.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 41
Main circuit IC3 because pin 7 is connected to pin
The heart of the main 15 (reset) through switch S5(d) (nor-
circuit IC 7317 (Fig. 3).
is mal position). So the multiplexer will
(Details of IC 7317 and IC force IC1 to display time, seconds and
5369 are shown in Fig. 4.) calendar on different displays at high
IC 7317 is a clock IC with speed.
an extra calendar facility. To adjust the clock, it is needed to

Theoutput ofIC73l7(ICl) change the position of switch S5from


from pins 1 to 22 is con- normal to adjust. This will disconnect
nected to the displays. Pin pin 14 ofIC3 from oscillator (a, b) and
35 of this IC is connected connects itto mode switch. It will also
to 1C 5369 (IC2) oscillator connect pin 1 5 of IC3 to pin 1 as well as
which gives 60 llz to ICT.lt switches S2 and S3 (fast and slow set
consits of crystal, trimmer switches) to Vex:. By pressing mode
and other associated com- switch momentarily again and again,
ponents which also stabil- IC3 will count from Q0 to 04, because
ise its oscillation. The fre- the reset pin is connected to Q5 (pin 1)
• qucncy of this oscillator instead of Q3 (pin 7) of IC3.

I
can be adjusted by trimmer When pin 3 of IC3 is high, time
I C4. The PCB
and compo- display shows the time along with
nents layout for the main AM/PM display, so it can be adjusted
mode of display, viz, whether it is show- circuit arc given in Figs 5 and 6 respec- by slow/fast switch. When pin 2 is

ing seconds or sleep. Calendar dis- tively. high, it will force IC1 to display sec-
play consists of four FNDs, the left To display time, seconds and onds which can be adjusted by switches
two showing month and right two show- calendar on different displays con- S2and S3. Similarly when pin 4 ofIC3
ing date. Jheir dp's show the mode of nected in parallel. IC1 is connected is high, calendar can be adjusted.
calendar display, viz, whether it is cal- to a multiplexer comprising IC3 (4017) As already described, pins 1 and 15
endar or alarm. and its oscillator gates a and b of IC4. of IC3 arc connected together, so that
AM/PM display cathode has been Its frequency can be adjusted with a 1- when pin 7 is high it will not reset IC3
connected to the cathode of both lime megohm preset (VR1). but will force transistor T2 to conduct
and calendar display through two di- if the HCH circuit is also connected and IC1 to show sleep on seconds
odes, so that it also shows AM/PM to the same oscillator, the frequency display. Pin 7 of IC3 is also connected
during alarm mode. All three dis- can be adjusted according to the re- to gates c and d ofIC4 which provide
plays (time, seconds and calendar) are quired pitch of sound. Otherwise it indication of sleep on dp of seconds
connected in parallel to IC 7317. should be so high that the display does display. Otherwise, normally it will in-

A current limiting resistor of 680 not flicker. This oscillator is connected dicate “see” on seconds display.
ohms is used for lime display. For both to pin 14 of IC 4017 (IC4) through When pin 10 of IC3 is high, it

calendar and seconds display 680+220- switch S5(c) and forces the decade forces T3 to conduct and IC1 to show
ohm resistor is used because the counter IC 4017 to give high pulses alarm on calendar display because this

current requirement of FND display is number wise at pins 3, 2, 4, 7, 10 and pin has also been connected to input
low as compared to discrete LED 1. respectively. calendar/snooze (pin31)ofICl.Pin 10
display (lime display). FND of seconds When pin 3 is high, transistor T1 of 1C3 is also connected to four gates
display is connected to pins 10 to 22 of conducts, connecting the cathode of of IC4049 (ICS), which will indicate
1C 7317 because only these pins give time display to earth to display the alarm on calendar display. Otherwise it
the signal for seconds. time. When pin 2 of IC3 is high, will indicate only calendar.

In the centre of both the calendar transistor T2 will conduct, connecting mode indicator (display) indi-
All
and time displays, two I .EDs are con- the cathode of seconds display to cates mode only when that display is
nected in series to Vcc to indicate a co- earth. As pin 2 of IC3 is also con- on. Pressing of mode switch again will
lon. The segments of a,b,g,c and f of nected to input seconds (pin 32) of reset IC3 because pin 15 is now

AM/PM display are permanently con- IC1, seconds will be displayed. connected to pin 1 and clock can be
nected to Vcc through a limiting resis- Similarly, when pin 4 of IC3 is high, adjusted once again. When switch S5
tor so that it always show “P”. When it will connect the cathode of calendar is in normal position, it connects the
AM is high, gates e and f will pass the display to earth and force IC1 to mode switch to HCH circuit. So the
current to segment “c” so that the dis- display the calendar signal. Again same switch will set the HCH. If

play will show AM. when pin 7 of IC3 is high, it will reset switch S5 is replaced with a 6-pole, 2-

42 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
f

Fig. 5: Actual-size PCB layout for main circuit of neo digital clock.
dP ALARM <*>0
UNE - 2 TO 28 TO ALL OlSPLAY DISPLAY CALENDER
r
v
-
t rf’OF sleep aPOFscc.

12V OND

10COM
iw

22 * 0600

1C1
MM7317 C
*
^ *'• V| 1 l e*

COM. CATHODE OF TIME.


SECOND CALENDAR
DISPLAY
RESPECTIVELY

357MHz

FTg. 6: Components layout for Use PCB shwon in Fig. 5.

way switch, another set switch can be is connected to earth through 10k resis- to pin 27 of 101 When sleep output is
.

eliminated, e.g. fast/slow set switch tor so that when mode switch is off high and pin 2 of IC3 is also high, high
can be used as alarm off and day set during adjust position, it would remain pulse will go to pin 30 and 32 of ICI.

switch. (The 6-pole, 2-way switch low Since sleep has higher priority, seconds
is at position,
display will show sleep only. D63 and
much longer than a 4-pole, 2-way type
so
D64 diodes are connected to prevent
it has not been used.)
reverse current and R 1 0 is to stop false
1
Fast and slow set switch will h Sleep Display signals.
active onlywhen switch S5 is in adjus
position. So an unauthorised pcrsoi In this circuit (Fig. 3) one AND gate of
1C1 5 is used. Its one input is connected
cannot adjust the clock. Pin 14ofIC

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 43

Part II

r
^
1 he hourly chime (HCH) circuit i
nectcd to input c of IC6, which gives larly C6 will also discharge through
can be divided into two parts: one is a high pulse because capacitor C6 preset VR2. So the circuit will be ready
the detector and timer circuit, while takes some time to charge. So gated for next hourly chime. Input pin 1 of
other is the sound producing circuit. of IC6 will receive low signal from IC6 is also connected to earth through
HCH detector and timer circuit both its inputs. It will give high signal a 10k resistor to stop false signal of
consists of five gates of two ICs for some time (according to the value HCH.
(IC 4001 and IC 4049). Gate a of of 1 -megohm preset VR2) at its output Sound producing circuits are also
IC6 (4001) receives the signal from 1 pin 1 1 of IC6. oftwotypes. Two gates ofIC4081 are
twosides: from ‘g’ segment of minutes I
Now when segment “g” of minutes used in circuit 1 (Fig. 7). Input 1 of
(pin 11 of IC1) and from pin 3 of IC3 is high gate a of ICG will give low gate a of IC7 is connected to output
(multiplexer) through inverter gate a of output which will discharge capacitor of gate d (IC6), while the other input is

IC8 (4049). C5 through a 22k resistor R64. Simi- connected to pin 39 of IC1 (1Hz fre-

FROM PIN 11
OF IC7317

FROM PIN 3
OF IC3 4017

Note: IC3484 1$ being used for HCH then connect pins 2 and
II

6 of IC6 to the ground and avoid the circuit around T4. R65 and
R66
r
SIGNAL
FROM 4.4V
When pin3ofIC3ishigh,i.e.when POINT A
C7
OF IC8
time display is on, gate a of
(ICS) will pass the low signal to input
IC 4049 AND
ALSO
FROM
R67
IK 63V r ON/OFF
SWITCH
IFOR VR4
pin 2 of gate a of 400 1 (IC6). If the “g” SWITCH
C8
Si
segment of minutes 33P
is also low, gate a n ICS
VR3 R68
of IC6 will give high signal at its 100K 10K
CD3464
i*i
output pin 3, which will at once charge
capacitor C5 through diode D8. Vj.
12

Due to the multiplexer, signal of


“g” segments change very rapidly.
Capacitor C5 allows gate b of IC6 to
receive clean high signals, which in re-
sult will give a low signal at pin 4 of CIRCUIT 2

IC6. Output of gate b of IC6 is con- Fig. 7: The hourly chime circuit.

44 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
1

of this 1C is connected tovolume


control switch so that the volume of
HCH can be adjusted as required. C7
will resist DC current (12V) to pass
through IC 3484.

Alarm and sleep circuit


Musical IC 3482 has been used in

this circuit (Fig. 8) so that its tunes arc

different from the HCH circuit. Both


HCH and alarm circuits will receive
4.4 V power supply from IC 7805 (ICl 1).
The duration of tunes and pitch can be
adjusted by preset VR5.
Volume switch also incorporates an
on/off switch, which disconnects the
speaker from both HCH and alarm cir-
cuits. The col lector of SL1 00 transistor
T6 is also connected to AM/PM display
which indicates whether the HCH and
Alarm and sleep circuit.
Fig. 8: alarm arc on or off.
quency). So when d (IC6) is high, a through limiting resistor R65. This tran- Since the multiplexer output has

(1C7) will give 1Hz oscillation at its sislor drives thespeaker through resis- also been connected to snooze input of
outpul which is connected to gate b tor R66. ICl, the alarm output would be high
(1C7) input pin 5, while pin 6 is con- Circuit 1 emits beeps of 0.5-sec only for a millisecond. This is why the
nccted tooscillator of multiplexer. As intervals, while circuit 2 is an hour alarm will sound with auto snooze,
a result, gate b (IC7) will givcoscilla- counter type. IC 3484 has been used such that only six of the 1 2 tunes of IC
lor frequency at its output with 0.5-sec in this circuit. Capacitor C9 and resis- 3482 will be played with each snooze.
intervals. tor R69 are important for its internal The alarm may be stopped with
The output of gate b (IC7) is circuit. The speed and pilch of tunes the alarm-off switch S4, but it will

connected to a SL100 transistor (T4) can be changed by preset VR3. Pin 1 not stop the alarm permanently. So to

Fig. f: Circuit for day counter.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 45
7

Fig. 10: Actual size PCB layout for HCH. alarm and sleep circuit and port of day counter circuit.
FROM PIN 4 OF

22K AlN414«

S6
TOP* 14
OF CU 401

P1N30F
T6
C3
^—wSLIOO
4017
too
100K
10K 1 i N4001
RELAY 10K
1|» IK

t T 83V T7

TO <P OF
AM.T M DISPLAYS T T? •C11
7803
SLlOO
1N4001
FROM PIN27
OFJC1.73I7

TO PIN 28 OF
IC1
7317
Kig. 11: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 10.

46 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Remarks

at

Reaction

display

(SI) switches

fast
slow

both

Press

(S3), or

displays
Indicated

or of
as s
Display
mode
dp
on

so

mode (SI)

repeatedly

switch
Pres#

t)
as

(S5)
of Vad)

switch

Position
(norma

set

Adjustment

if

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 47
TO FIRST DISPLAY TO SECONO DISPLAY
OF DAY OF DAY
Fig. 12: Circuit for day decoder and display.
stop alarm and HCH permanently, Day indicator circuit IC 7317.
volume switch of alarm can be used. This circuit has already been pub- Due to the multiplexer, AM output
Sleep output of IC1 is connected to lished in a previous project, “Alphanu- cannot give clean high, signal. In the
relay through driver transistor SL100 meric Display” (EFY March ’89). So circuit of Fig, 9, gate cof IC 4081 (1C7)
(T7), which can be used as required no detailed description is required is connected to AM output of IC1.
like a switch. To set sleep, see here. But its IC4017 cannot receive Input of gate c (1C7) also earthed through
Table 1. signal directly from AM output of a 10k resistor (R74) to restrict pulse

48 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Fig. 13: Actual size PCD layout for day counter, day decoder and display circuit.

signals. pari of the day indicator circuit is given D21) which is then filtered by capaci-
When the AM output of IC1 is high, in Fig. 10. Its corresponding compo- tor Cl 5.
the output of c (IC7) will also be high, nents layout is shown in Fig. 1 1. The This DC filtered current is regu-
charging capacitor C13 immediately. day decoder and display circuit is given latedby two 7815 regulator ICs be-
Input of gated (IC7) will receive clean, in Fig. 12. The PCB and components cause the peak current consumption of
high signal, also giving a high signal to layout for day counter, day decoder and clock and battery is more than 1 amp.
pin 14 of IC12 through a 8.2k resistor display circuit is shown in Figs 13 and Regulated 15V power supply is further
R76. The output of gate d(IC7) is also 14 respectively. dropped to 1 3 V by diodes D22, D23
connected to inverter gate b (ICS). and D24. This is then used to charge the
So day can be adjusted with the Power supply lead-acid battery through current limit-
help of day set switch (ST) since the The power supply of this circuit ing resistor R85.
output of gate b (IC8) will always be in- (Fig. 15) is somewhat different from The clock receives power supply
verted. Cl 4 is used here to smoot hen that of usual digital clocks. Multiplex- from two sides, one from output of D23
the effect of day set switch S7 so that at ing of display and varying of load re- and other from the battery through diode
a time only one day advances. sults in varying of voltage. AC current D25 and fuse. Since during mains sup-
The PCB layout for the HCH cir- from 1.5-amp, 18V transformer is rec- ply, output voltage at D23 will always
cuit, alarm and sleep circuit as well as tified through bridge rectifier (D18- be more than battery, the clock will

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 49
Fig. 14: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 13.

receivepower supply only from the without any interruption. Dry battery is high.
mains. Otherwise (during main fail- not used here as bade up since current All precaution and care should be
ure) supply will be from battery consumption of day indicator circuit is taken for the long life of lead-acid

XI
230V AC PR
0V-18V, 1.SASEC

Fig. 15: Power supply circuit

50 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
PARTS LIST
Semiconductors: R1-R22 — 680-ohm C3 — 39pF ceramic
IC1 —
7317 R67, R70, R86, C4 — 0-22pF
IC2 — MM5369 -
R23-R28 — 1 -kilohm C13, C5 — 4.7nF, 63V electrolytic
IC3, IC12 — CD4017, decade counter VR1.VR2 — 1-megohm C6 — 47pF, 63V electrolytic
IC4 — CD401 quad 2-input
1 R29, R30 — 10-megohm C11.C7, C9 — luF, 63V electrolytic
NAND gate R31 — 47 kilohm C12.C8 — 33pF electrolytic
IC6 — CD4011, quad 2-input R65, CIO — lOOpF, 16V electrolytic
NOR gate R32-R34 — 1.5- kilohm C14 — 0.22fiF, 100V electrolytic
IC7, IC15 — CD4 081, quad 2-input R74.R71, Cl 5 — 2000jaF, 25V electrolytic
AND gate R68, R63, C16 — 16V electrolytic
lOjiF,
IC5, IC8 — CD4049, hex inverter R35.R73 — 10-kilohm
IC9 — 3484 R36-R56 — 220-ohra
Miscellaneous:
— 3.57MHz
IC10 — 3482 R57 —- 820-ohm XTL
— Puth-to-on twitch
IC11 — 7805, +5V voltage R77-R84, S7.S1-S7
regulator R58-R62 — 1.5-kilohm 35 —4 way • witch
-pole, 2-

IC13, IC14 — 781 5.+ 15V voltage R64 — 22 -kilohm D15, 1, 3, 4 — 7xLTS543/FND500
regulator R66 — 100-ohm, 1W common cathode type
— 94 LED*
T1-T3, T4, T5, R69 — 180-kilohm DIS. 2
— 8 -ohm loudspeaker
T8, T7-T14 — SL100 transistor VR5.VR3 — 100-kilohm LSI
— 12V, 150-ohm relay
D1-D4.D8 — 1N4148 diode VR4 — 10K log with on/off RL1
D5, D9, DIO, Dll, R72 — 330-ohm FI — 0.1 -amp fuse
D12-D17, D26-D62, R75 - 22k F2 — 1.5-amp fuse
D6.D7 —
1N4001. diode R76 — 8.2k F3, F4 — 0,75-amp fuse
D18-D25 — 5402, diode R85 — 15-ohm, 3W XI — 230V AC PRI.
18-0-18V, 1.5A, see.
Resistors: (all mW, ±5% carbon, unless Capacitors: transformer
stated otherwise): Cl — .OlpF ceramic — 12V battery
R87-R109, C2 — lOOOn, 16V electrolytic — LEDs

battery, 'l'his battery may also be used


as emergency, but such that it does not
disturb the clock supply. Indicator and
fuse are also used for the proper
functioning of the circuit. Battery state
indicator can also be used here.
Ibc PCI3 and components layout
*
for the power supply circuit are given in
Figs 16 and 17 respectively.

Assembly
For the day display, all LEDs may
joined together according to segments
first before glueing it to the front
018-021 5402
iCl3 IC14 panel. After glueing all displays,
1A5 all
18V
LEDs should be joined in series with
18VAC
VS Amp
tinned copper wire according to cir-
cuit.
(V
The advantage of this front panel is

LED FUSE that only the front portion of LEDs can


be viewed, besides minimising the scat-
LEO
tering of light. Fabrication of front
VCC 12V panel somewhat
TO CLOCK J? is difficult but die
13V MAINS OR fitter may easily do this job. Ribbon
119V BATTERY
wire should be used for connection of

0.74A
T main PCD to front panel. If the front
D22-D24 5*02
:

FOR panel is earthed, multiplexer noise can


EMERGENCY TO POSITIVE TERMINAL OF BATTERY
be minimised.

Fig. 17: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 16.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 51
Boolean Function Emulator
A. Jeyabal

A
appeared
n article of the same name which
in EFY August ’89 gave the
cuit.The power supply pins 12 and 24
of IC 74154 are connected loearthand
tion in the reduced form, the following
method must be adopted:
circuit and construction details along positive 5 V rail, respectively. (For easy A BCD AC + ABD BCD - 0 (arbitrarily +•

with wiring methods for Boolean understanding it is not shown in the il-
taken)

operations. Boolean functions and utility lustrations.) In the above equation, two vari-
circuit. ables B and D in the second term and
The present article deals with the Reduced Boolean equation one variable each in the third and
full functional capabilities of the cir- To get the circuit for Boolean equa- fourth terms (C and A) respectively

TABLE I

Dathml Input* AND Output. OR Output. EX -OR Output. Truth Tabfc of 104154
Eq*r+m (Pfci No* 24, 21, No. of kiput. No. of fapuft No. of input.
22 and 23) of IC1 (Ptn N mbs)
1 2 3 4 3 4 7 • 9 10 II 13 14 15 14 17

D c
n
B A . 3 4 1

nQD
3 4 2 3 4 Q1 Q2 QJ 04 03 04 Q7
H 0* 010 Qll Q12
till
QU QI4 Q1S

0 0
19
1

2
MWPF

MEX
0
J| 0
0
0
1 0
1
H
n
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
l

1
1

I
i

i
i

i
i

i
0
1

1
1

1
1

0
1
1

HI
I

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1111
1111
1111
1

1
1

3
4
5
0
leu M
i

i
1

0
0
0
1

1
1

0
0
0
0
1 I

1
i

i
i

0
0

0
1
1

1
1

1
1

1
0
1

1
1

0
1
1

0
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
till
till
1

1
1

6 0 0 0 S 0
7
i

i
1

1 1 0
I

I
i

i
iiiillK
i 1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
0
!
1

EX
1

1
J

1 1111
1 1 1 1 1

1
1

1
8
9
i

i
O
0

n
0
0
0
1
0
0
i

t 0
1 1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
i

i
El
i
1 1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

10
II
12
i

i
n
i
1

0
0

0
1
0
0
0
i

t
0

0
1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
I

1
1

1
i

i
i

i
1

1
0
10 11
110
I 1 1

1
1

1
1

13
14
15
i

i
i

i
0
1

1
0
1

1
0
0
1
i

i 0
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
I

I
i

i
i

i
1

1
1111
1

m
1111 npp
1 I 0 1

i
1

W-
r> r>— Note Both Cl ini G2 (Pfa. II and 19) bum be Md km fpotmdk.
The IC b (tabled utea any on* of the pin k Ugh-
Symbol <4 *> -tap*-) <***<>

52 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
:

TABLE 11 PARTS LIST


Required Decimal ‘Q' Output Pin No. Sent {conductor*
Output Value of ofIC 74154 of IC1 - 74LS154, l-of-16
decoder/demulti-
Input IC 74154
plexer
Q15 D1-D70 - IN4 148,diode
D71-D80 - Germanium diode
Q1 5% carbon, un
Resistors (All 114-watt, +
03 less stated otherwise):
09 R1-R5 - 270-ohm
Oil R6 - 300-ohm
R7 - 220-ohm
Q3
Miscellaneous .

07 S1-S2 - Single pole 3-way


08 •witch
09 S3-S6 - SPST .witch
S7-S23.S 2S-S21 - Puah-to-on • witc a
Pujh-to-olfawiich
7+
TABLE 111 are low (i.e. E and F), we can

LED easily connect to the circuit and


3-bit For LED For For Positive it

Indication Indication Logic Output perform Boolean operation of six


Full
Adder ‘Q’ Output of Pin Nos of Pin Nos. of variables. For an instant take the
Outputs IC 74154 IC 74154 IC 74154 equation:
ABCDEF + ACEF ABDEF + BCDEF - 0
Carry Sum Carry Sum Carry Sum Carry Sum
Each term contains variables
0 0 0 Eand F. Use pins 18 and 19 of IC
0 0 1
74154 as inputs E and F. Note that
0 1 0 whenever these pins are used,
0 1 1
jumpers J1 and J2 should be re-
1 0 0 moved. As mentioned earlier, find
1 0 1
the pins to be connected for the rest
1 1 0 of the inputs A, B, C and D. These
l 1 1
will be as shown in Table II. Fig. 1

* k law (earthed)
shows the circuit for this equation.
Both variables E and F must be
output R1
270Q *5V

N* 1: Six-input circuit,
are removed of reduc-
in the process Table I. present in all the terms and both vari-
tion. From Table I find which outputs ables should be low.
of IC 74154 go low for the above Extending the number of inputs ABCDEF + BCDE ABDF BDEF * 0

inputs. (Assume the removed variables The number of inputs can be ex- In theabove equation, variables E
also present in the terms and take the tended (for two more variables) to six and F are not low in all terms and in the
values 0 and For example, the fourth
1 . using pins 18 and 19 of IC 74154 with second and third term variables FandE
term will be ABCD and ABCD.) certain limitations. When any one of are removed. Commutative law of
Table II shows the pins to be con- these pins is held high, the IC is dis- Boolean algebra allows us to rearrange

nected together (anode side of diodes). abled and all Q outputs go high. So in the variables in a term (i.e. ABC.*
The second term comes four times and the equation if each term contains the CBA = BAC and so on).
So find any
the last two terms two times each in extended variables (called E and F) and two sira ilar variables which are low in

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 53
O

TABLE IV all the terms. Here B and D arc low in

System Binary Output Remarks Colour all the terms. The above equation can
Failed Value Pin Nos. of LED thus be written as

of Input of IC74154 AECFBD ECBD AFBD EFBD = 0

D C B A Connect variables B and D to inputs


Nil 0 0 0 0 1 System Alright Green E and F (pins 18 and 19) and other
A 0 0 0 1 2
variables A to A, C to C, E to B and

B 0 0 10 3 Warning Yellow F to D.
CiidD 110 0 14
When consulting Table I, replace
A and D 10 0 1 10
inputs B and D with variables E and F.

C 0 10 0 5
Find output pin numbers to be con-

D 10 0 0 9 nected as usual.

A and B 0 0 11 4 Attention Yellow A word of caution: Once the cir-

A and C 0 10 1 6 cuit is wired, the inputs should not be

A, B and C 0 111 8
interchanged. If the inputs are inter-

A, Band D 10 11 13 Immediate Orange changed the truth table and pin con-
B, C and D 1110 16 Attention nections should be modified accord-

BaodC 0 110 7
ingly.

BaadD 10 10 11 Alarm Red So we have


far assembled single
A, C and D 110 1 15
output circuits. Now let us sec how to

A, B, C and D 1111 17 Tout Red wire multi-output circuits.

Destruction
3-bit full adder, u 2-output circuit
YELLOW YELLOW ORANGE RED A adder has two outputs,
3-bit full
GREEN RED *S one for summed result and an-
1 1 1 1 * 1 + +
other for carry (Fig. 2). The
required output levels and pin
numbers arc summarised in 'Fable
D17-D32
16 X 1N4140 III. Positive logic indication is

selected, i.e. for value ‘ 1* of sum


or carry the LED should be lit.

But IC 74154 cannot source that

much current to drive the LED, al-


though it can sink a maximum of
16mA current.
So the low Q output for thecor-
responding input is chosen, for
which the sum or carry output is
•1\
Fig. 3: System failure annunciator.
If the output required is posi-
READY
YELLOW H3 tive logic, the pins should be con-
2700 *5V
LED
A*A— nected as shown in the last two col-
HEAD '
TA1L umns.
/
RFO IEC// //;
GRfcEM
LED
D33-037 System failure annunciator,
5* 1M146
a multi-output circuit
17 In any complex system or sophis-
IC1 ticated machinery, there is a system
74154
failure annunciator to direct the au-
77
.

thorities as to which part should be at-


FTP F7T tended to when there is a failure or
si breakdown in that system.
L 1
1
Table IV shows pin numbers for
getting one such a system failure an-

Fig. 4: Head or tail game circuit. ;


nunciator. Four parts of a system can

54 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
TABLE V be monitored. Posi-
Input Required *Q’ Output Pin No. of Colour Remarks tive logic is used for
DC BA Output of IC74154 IC74154 of LED inputs. In Fig. 3, TTL
till 0 OIS 17 Yellow Ready compatible outputs
10 10 0 Q10 11 Red Head from lhe sensors
0 101 0 05 6 Red Head
Heid monitoring the system

0 1 10 0 06 7 Gtcei Tail
Xaii
are connected to the

10 0 1 0 09 10 Green TlU
Tail inputs.
It is a fool-proof
method. If any input wire is
04 S7
270Q ,
broken, it responds as a system
BANKER failure because floating inputs
VX BANKER 038-053
l6xlN414a
means logic '1* in TTL family
ICs. In the annunciator, one of the
LEDs must light in all cases. Oth-
erwise a fault in the circuit is in-

6 7 • • 10 II 16 dicated.
iCi
74154
GAME CIRCUITS
Head or tail/electronic toss
In every match, a coin is tossed
to decide which team is to play
first. Here an electronic coin
Fig. 5: Circuit for game of chance.
tosser is described. Fig. 4 shows
the circuit. Two switches SI and S2
Input ‘Q’ Output Pin No. of Winner/Switch arc in the mid position. The yellow
P CD A of 1C 74154 IC741S4 LED lights up to imply that it is ready

0 0 0 0 Q0 1
for tossing.

till Q15
} P1 (S3) First,one player toggles or slides
0 0 10 Q2 one switch, say S2, to one of the two
II 0 1 Q13 P2(S4) positions. Then the second player slides

0 0 II Q3 switch SI. Now cither head or tail

II 0 0 012 P3 (S5) LED lights according to the two switch


0 1 0 0 Q4 positions.

10 II Oil Form a truth table as shown in


All other pins viz. 2, t, 7, 8, 9, 10. 1 1 and 16 are connected to the LED denoted banker. Table V. The first column shows the
possible input levels (according to the
TABLE VII switch positions). The fourth column
Order of Input Input Pin No. of Colour Remarks shows the pin numbers to be connected
held low D C B A 1C74154 of LED together. In the last two columns write

Stiad by 1111 17 Red Pilot for which input the LED should show

Firel A 1110 Orange head or tail (keeping in mind that both


Second R 110 0 Yellow players should have equal chances and
(With A kept none of the switch positions should

low) Optional always show head or tail). Connect the


Third C 10 0 0 LEDs to the respective pins as shown in
(With A, B kept Yellow Fig. 4.

low)

Fonrtb D 0 0 0 0 A game of chance


(With A. B, C kept Green Win Five persons can play this game.
low) One should act as the banker so that

All other ‘Q’ output pins 2. 3, 4. 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 11. 13


four others can bet. The circuit is de-
and 15 are connected to the buzzer or sound
generator.
picted in Fig. 5. A length of wire is

connected to the four switches S3 to S6.


2 x YELLOW R5
LED 2700 *SV

Fig. 6: Code breaking circuit.


TABLE VIU table and pins to be connected. |
switches in one input taken from
No. of switches Total No. of other inputs. Table VIII shows some
connected to Codes Game or code breaking such combinations.
inputs There are 16 switches numbered 0
DC B A through 9 and A through F. One has to UTILITY CIRCUITS
3 3 5 5 225 find the 4-digit code
by pressing the
numbered switches one by one (keep Intruder alarm
3 3 3 7 189
2 2 6 6 144 pressing all the switches previously If you like to protect some small
12 7 6 64 pressed) in the correct sequence. If area from trespasser, you may try the

117 7 49 any switch is pressed in the wrong circuit shown in Fig. 7. Both break-
sequence, a buzzer sounds. In five contact and make-contact type sensing
1 1 4 10 40
chances a player should find the cor- ' circuits are employed here.
1 1 3 11 33
1 1 2 12 24 1
red code or he loses. The gadget is An easily breakable very thin wire

then passed to another player. You runs around the premises which is to be
J 1 1 13 13
protected. This is connected to the cir-
TABLE IX cuit. When the trespasser breaks the
Input ‘Q’ Output Pin No. of Remarks wire, with or without his knowledge,
DC BA of IC 74154 IC 74154 the circuit senses it, sounds the alarm
till 0 17 Sund by state and is latched.
11 10 0 16 Switch S26 pressed A pressure sensitive switch is

0 1 JO 0 7 Switch S29 pressed. Keep concealed under the doormat or some


pressing Switch S26 other place where the culprit may most
0 0 10 0 3 Switch S28 pressed. Keep probably come in contact with it.

pressing Switch S26 and S29 When the culprit presses it, the alarm
0 0 0 0 0 1 Switch S27 also pressed sounds and is latched.
0 0 0 1 0 2 Switch S26 released

10 0 1 0 10 Switch S29 released In TTL ICS, input low means a cur-


rent of tnA flow from that input pin.
1 .6
AD other pins 4, 5, 6,8,9, 11, 13, 14 and 15 •reconnected together and to the alarm circuit.
Up to 0.8V is taken as logic low. So
resistor R6 is chosen (without any resis-
Each player will to have play with one need not set another code as there are
tor or wire connected to it) such that the
switch and he should not allow other 256 codes in it. Out of 43680 (= 4P 16)
voltage drop across it docs not exceed
players to see his switch position. numbers, 256 are codes. Form a truth
0.8 V. In the standby state, input should A
The banker permits the players to tabic as shown in Table VII. The circuit
be high. So R7 may be any value not
bet by closing or opening their switches, is shown in Fig. 6. The orange and exceeding the value of R6 as input high
After the players make a bet, the banker yellow LEDs (optional) intimate the
is from 2.5V to 5V.S24 is to reset the
presses his switch (S7) to see who won progress of code breaking, i.e. num- system.
the bet. The winner is given 5 points. It bers found out correctly in the correct
is the banker’s duty to check whether order. Electronic lock
any player has tried foul play by Those who think that the total number It is not an usual electronic lock but
changing his switch position when S7 of codes are too many may reduce it something different. Here, the four
is pressed. Table VI shows the truth to minimum 13 by adding several switches are pressed one by one in a se-

56 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Push-to-ort
TO SOLENOJO D72-D60
swtatl
OUTPUT TO CIRCUIT 9 x GERMANIUM TO ALARM CIRCUIT
ALARM CIRCUIT

Fig. 8: Circuit for electronic lock.

If any switch is pressed or released changeover switch (16 gadgets can be


in the wrong order, the alarm circuit is controlled with only four switches),
activated and the unit is latched as the knight rider, and action game. q
Fig. 7: Circuit for intruder alarm, D input connected to the output. To
is
qucnce. Keep pressing all the switches power
reset the circuit, switch off the
previously pressed. After all the four and then switch on. Table IX shows the
switches are pressed, release two truth table and pin connections. Fig. 8
switches one by one in a sequence. depicts the circuit.
Now only two correct switches are kept Some of the other ideas an innova-
pressed and the solenoid circuit is
tive hobbyist may try to assemble are
activated to release the latch mecha- wind direction indicator, reprogram-
nism of the lock. mable array logic (RPAL), control

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 57
Build Your O wn
Two-Stage UHF TV Booster
Ambur V. Guruprasad

r
^
1 he ultra high frequency (UHF) consists of two stages. It gives a gain of The impedance of the yagi antenna
booster described in this project 24dB and operates from channel 21 to is 300 ohms balanced. However, the

34 on Band IV, i.e. from 470 MHz to


i

input of the booster is an unbalanced 75


582 MHz. The UHF channels on Band ohms. So, a balun transformer with
IV have a band width of 8 MHz, as well 4:1 ratio is used between the yagi an-
asa5.5MHz difference between audio tenna and booster amplifier.
and video sub-carriers. Choke LI and neon protect the

IS-fcVOv

Author's prototype of UHF booster complete


with cabinet. , Author’s prototype

58 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
transistor from transient surges such as
X2 lightning. Also, coil LI provides a bypass
for unwanted low frequency signals to
get grounded.
TO BOOSTER
The circuit comprises two 2SC2570
transistors (Fig. 1). All the coils used
in the booster, except those used in the
TO TV SET power supply circuit, are made of
24 SWG wire and have 8mm dia.
The output can be taken directly if
Fig. 2: Power supply circuit for UHF TV booster. a coaxial connector and a coaxial

TABLE1 cable of 75 ohms are used. If we want to


take the output through ribbon feeder
Frequency and Audio/Video Carrier Frequencies for Different Channels
wire, the output is again taken through
Channel Frequency VkUn Sound
the balun transformer which is not rec-
N amber in MHz (MHz) (MHz)
ommended.
21 470 - 478 471.25 476.75
The booster works between 9V
22 478 - 486 479.25 484.75
23 486-494 487.25 492.75 and 14V DC. For this, a 0- 18V secon-
24 494-502 495.25 500.75 dary winding is used through a 10k po-
25 502-510 503.25 508.75 tentiometer (VR1) to the booster am-
26 510-518 511.25 516.75
27 518-526 519.25 524.75
plifier in series with 20 turns of 22S WG
28 526-534 527.25 532.75 wire of 8mm dia.
29 534 - 542 535.25 540.75 The AC voltage from the power
30 542 - 550 543.25 548.75
supply unit is fed through the feeder
31 550 - 558 551.25 556.75
32 558 - 566 559.25 564.75
and rectified by diode D1 (1N4007).
33 566 - 574 567.25 572.75 By varying the value of VR1 (Fig. 2),
34 574 - 582 575.25 580.75 the DC voltage is varied, thereby vary-
ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 59
construction, since extra load becomes
#
PARTS LIST
a source of nuisance by serving as an
Sem iconductors: •
inductance or capacitance. So keep all
T1.T2 — 2SC2570 transistor Cll — 15 pF ceramic disc lead lengths as short as possible to
D1 — 1N4 007 diode C7, C14 — IOOjiF, 25V avoid unwanted inductance or capaci-
Resistors (oil 1 14-watt, ±5% carbon, electrolytic
tance.
unless stated otherwise):
R1,R7 — 4.7-kilohm Inductance:
— 2 tarns, 24SWG,
Use a good quality high gain UHF
R2.R6 — 10-kilo Km L1.L3
4mm
antenna. The design of the antenna
R3 — 18-ohm air core
dia.
— 3 turns, 24SWG, will be dependent on the vision and
R4, — 10-ohm L2, L4.L5
4mm dia. sir core
R8.R9 — 1-ohm — 10 turns, 24SWG,
sound carrier frequencies as well as
R5 — 47-ohm L8
4mm dia. air core
channel frequencies given in
RIO — 220-ohm — 20 turns, 20SWG, Table I.
VR1 — 10-kilohm, 1W L7.L8
4mm dia. &u cor* Avoid joints in the feeder wire.
potentiometer
Miscellaneous: Use of coaxial wire is preferred. Use
Capacitors:
— 3.3 pF ceramic disc SI — On/off switch only coaxial feeders so as to minimise
Cl, C9, C16
— 4.7 pF ceramic disc XI — Bahin transforme r
the loss in the cable since the UHF
C2, C3, CIO 4:1 ratio
C4 — 33 pF ceramic disc X2 -0-18V, 500mA signals have a greater loss than VHF.
C5, C12 — 100 pF ceramic secondary
disc
transformer
C6, C8.C13.C15,
C17.C18.C19 — O.OOlfiF ceramic
disc

ing the operations of the transistor. The PCB and components layout
The amplified signals are fed through are given in Figs 3 and 4. Use of a glass
the cable to the TV set by connecting epoxy PCB is recommended for better
capacitors Cl 7 and Cl 8 (0.001 pF) at quality.
each end. Great care should be taken in the

60 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Refrigerator Temperature
Controller
C. Sanjay

A 11 refrigerators are incorporated


with a temperature controller which
I The temperature is easily set
effective.
over awiderangc, viz, 10°Cto30°Cor
j
which sends pressurised freon gas
inside the tubes through a small open-
can be used to adjust its inside tempera- 3°C to 25°C, since the range is adjust- ing. The freon gas becomes cold after
ture. This device is usually compli- able. This increases the reliability and thus being passed through a small
cated and cannot be repaired easily. the wide range of temperature makes opening and absorbs the heat from the
The electronic temperature con- the device more versatile. contents of the refrigerator,
trailer given here is more accurate, The temperature of a refrigerator is The compressor must be switched
cheaper, easily repairable and more controlled by means of a compressor on and off to maintain a constant

xi
230VACPRJ
TO

OFFSET - GNO

F'g. 1: Circuit diagram of refrigerator temperature controller.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 61
PARTS LIST OVER LOAD
PROTECTION

Semiconductors:
IC1 — LM335 zener diode
IC2 — CA3140, Bi-MOS
op-amp (do not use
741)
IC3 — 7812, 12V regulator
D1 — 1N4007 silicon
diode
D2, D3 — 1N4002 silicon
()
diode OVEREOAO
ZI — 5. 1 V 400m W zener
f

diode
T1 — BC148B silicon
transistor
T2 — SL100 silicon
transistor with
heatsink

Resistws (All 1 / 4- watt, ±5%, carbon unless


stated otherwise): Fig. 2: Circuit for overload protection: (a) before connection; and (h) after
R1 — 5.6-kilohxn connection.
R2 — 3.9-kilohm
R3 — 680-ohm
R4 — 18-lulohm
R5 — 2.7-kilohm
R6 — 27-kilohiu
R7 — 10-kilohm
R8 — 120-ohm
R9 — 100-ohm
RIO - 2.2-kilohm
VR1, VR2 — 2.2-kilohm
potentiometer

Capacitors:
Cl, C3, C6 — 10nF, 16V
electrolytic
C2 — 47nF, 12V Fig. 3: Actual-size PCB layout for refrigerator temperature controller.
electrolytic
C4 — 12V
ljiF,
electrolytic
C5 — IOOOjiF, 25V
electrolytic

Miscellaneous:
RL1 — 12V, 100-ohm
relay
XI — Transformer, 230V
AC primary to
12V-0V-12V,
500mA secondary

temperature in the refrigerator. How-


ever, direct switch-on or switch-off of Fig. 4: Components layout for the PCB shown In Fig. 3.

the compressor by a relay is not pos- to be made is the disconnecting of the Ihc current through this zener is
sible without an elaborate circuit to mechanical temperature controlling set to a value of 1 mA. The current is
disconnect the auxiliary winding in- device. almost constant since the circuit uses a
side the compressor. The mechanical regulated supply.
overload protection device must also The circuit The voltage across this zener is
be removed to achieve electronic The temperature is converted into given to the positive input of com-
control of the compressor. voltage by means of zener IC1 (LM335) parator IC2. The negative input is fed
Another alternative is to disconnect which holds its voltage at 2.73 V at 0°C with a variable voltage which can be
the temperature controlling portion (Fig. 1). When the temperature in- varied from 2.76V to 3.07V.
alone and connect this new electronic creases, the zener voltage increases If the voltage is set to 2.78V, then
controller. The only change required linearly by 10mV/°C. the positive input of IC2 will become

62 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
V

higher than the negative input when- switched off. The relay has two con- be so accurate.
ever the voltage of positive input tacts in parallel to handle the current The thin tube attached to the me-
rises above 2.78V. This will happen easily. The supply to this circuit is chanical temperature controller in the
when the temperature around IC1 is given before it reaches the relay con- regrigerator is disconnected along with
5®C. tacts. So the 230V portion of the trans- the control mechanism. The switching
Immediately, the output of IC2 former is connected to the mains di- terminals in the relay box near the
becomes high, driving transistor T1 rectly and not where the refrigerator is compressor are shorted (Fig. 2). The
into saturation, which in turn drives T2 connected. PCB and its power supply can be fitted
into saturation. The relay is activated The output ofICl is brought to the anywhere as its working is not affected
and the compressor starts operation. circuit using a shielded cable to avoid by the ambient temperature.
Before connecting the circuit, as- pickups.
semble the circuit given in Fig. 2 for Adjustments
overload protection. Here S connects Construction Switch on the circuit and connect a
the auxiliary winding to the neutral The components are assembled on multimeter to point A (Fig. 1). Now
when the refrigerator is switched on a veroboard or the PCB layout shown adjust VR2 to show a voltage of 2.8 1

and disconnects after some time. The in Fig. 3. The components layout for ifyou wish thelowerlimittobe8°Cor
relay switches the refrigerator on or the PCB is given in Fig. 4. a voltage of 2.76 V if you wish the lower
off after the connections are made to Ibe connections to LM335 are limit to be 5°C. 'Ibis is the only adjust-
the starter and the overload protection made using shielded wires as ex- ment to be made.
circuits (Fig. 2). Thus the refrigerator plained earlier. 'Ibe IC is placed near The voltage at point B will be about
can be switched on and off without the tubes behind the refrigerator’s 2.98 V when the voltage at point A is at
tampering with the components around freezer compartment. The IC can also 2.76V or about 3.03V when the voltage
the compressor. be made water tight by placing it at point A is 2.8 1 V. Transistor T2 must
When the voltage at the positive inside a small plastic container and be provided with a heatsink.
input falls below 2.78V, the relay is kept inside the freezer. But in this
switched off and the refrigerator is case, the temperature setting may not
Heavy Duty Voltage Stabiliser
R.Shankar
r 1

1 he mains power supply in our parity was chosen to be 2.5 kVA which voltage status, whether it is high (>240V)
country is subject to a lot offluctua- is sufficient for a 1 -tonne airoondi- or low (<200V). Therefore, for most
tions which can considerably shorten tioner. However, it could be changed to purposes an expensive moving iron
the life of valuable equipment such as higher or lower values by merely chang- voltmeter can be avoided, though this
refrigerators and airconditioncrs. There- ing the transformer rating. circuit includes it as an option,
fore, a voltage stabiliser which reduces This circuit has several advantages
the degree of fluctuations is a worth- as compared to commercial units. First, The dreuit
while investment. Though such stabil- it IC based. This ensures an overall
is Fig. 1 shows the circuit diagram of
isers are available from innumerable long-term reliability and stability as the stabiliser. Let us first concentrate
manufacturers, it is one
better to build compared to transistorised circuits. only on the input and output terminals,
for yourself, from the point of view of Second, it features a time depend- XI and the relay contacts,
both economy and reliability. ent hysteresis to avoid vibration of When the input voltage is between
This voltage stabiliser delivers an the relay contacts when the input volt- 200V and 240V, both RL1 and RI^ are
output within the range of 200V to age varies slowly near the trip point. open as shown. Therefore, the input
240V for input voltages in the range of And last, but not the least, it pro- voltage is passed on to the output

170V to 270V. The power handling ca- videsanLED indication of the input without any step up or step down.

WUN TRANSFORMER 01-04

Fig. 1: Circuit diagram of the heavy duty voltage stabiliser.

64 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
PARTS LIST
Semiconductors:
IC1 — 7805 voltage regulator
IC2 — LM339 quad
comparator
T1*T2 — HK100 pnp transistor
D1-D4, D7, D8 — 1N4002 diodea
D5-D6 — 1N4 148 silicon diode*
Resistors (all 1 14W, *5% carbon unless

i S'""
stated otherwise):
Rl, R19-R23 — 1.2-kilohm
R2-R5
R6
R7 R8r

R9, Rll
RIO
R12.R13
— 220-kilohm
— 39-kilohm
— 22-kilohm
— 33-ldlohm
— 6.8-kilohra
— 330-kilohm Fig. 3: Actual size PCB layout for heavy duty voltage stabiliser.
1

iV
R14.R16 — 3.3-kilohm
R15, R17 — 3.9-kilohm The step-up/down transformer forms the upper and lower trip points respec-
R18, R19 — 4.7-kiioKm the heart of any voltage stabiliser, tively. R 1 2, C6 and R 1 3, C7 form time
VR1 — 100-kilohm preset accounting for over 50 per cent of the dependent hysteresis networks. The out-
Capacitors: total cost of manufacture. If the ratings puts of these two comparators are fed
Cl — 2200pF, 25V of this transformer arc compromised, it tocomparators‘c’and‘d ofIC2 which
,

electrolytic
C2 — 10|iF, 25V electrolytic leads to undue heating and power drive the bases of the relay switching
C3-C7 — 2.2 nF 25V electrolytic
p lasses. Therefore, in building this transistors. If the mains voltage ex-
Miscellaneous: project, the transformer should be made ceeds 240V, T1 conducts. Similarly, if

RL1, RL2 — 12V, 25 amp, *60-ohm strictly to the specifications given. the mains voltage becomes less than
relays
The control circuitry slightly un- 200V, T2 conducts. Under normal input
— 300V moving iron is

voltmeter (optional) conventional since it senses the mains conditions, both transistors remain off.
— SPDT switch voltage directly rather than through a Diodes D9 and Dll indicate the input
(optional) transformer. This results in a superior voltage status as ‘high’ or ‘low’
— Pushbutton switch long-term accuracy of the trip points. respectively.
(optional)
— 25-amp fuse with Also, a separate auxiliary transformer The power supply for the control

holder can be omitted. The only minor disad- circuitry is derived from one of the
— Transformer with vantage of this stabiliser is that the con- windings of the main transformer
425VA core capacity
no longer isolated from
trol circuit is itself. The reference voltage of 5V is
with windings
AB - 28V, 12.5-amp the mains. Rut even so. any point of the derived from the unregulated 12V sup-
BC - 12V, 12.5-amp control circuitry, except the live line ply by means of ICl.
CD - 200V, 2.7-amp itself, could be safely touched without Fig. 2 shows the output versus
EF - 12V, 300mA
the risk of a shock. input characteristics of this stabiliser

When the input voltage btoomes The mains voltage is dropped by re- in the no-load condition. The loaded
less than 200V, RL1 closes and hence sistors R2 to R5 before being reclined output voltage may be about 2 V to 3V
the input is fed to tap C of XI. This and filtered. Four 1/4W resistors in lower than the no-load voltage in the

leads to step up of the output voltage. series were found to be better than one high and low regions due to the effec-
Similarly, when the input exceeds 240V, 1W resistor in terms of stability and re- tive series resistance of the transformer.
RL1 remains open while RL2 closes. liability. The rectification is carried out
This leads to step down of the output by diodes D6 and D7, while the filter- Construction
voltage. ing is done by R7, R8, C3, C4 and C5. The PCB pattern for the control
A third order Filter is circuit is shown in Fig. 3 while the

~~A recommended because the components layout is given in Fig. 4.


NO
LOAD 230 / 5011/ ripple at the output No heatsinks arc required for any of
OUTPUT
220
/ of the filter can be made the components. Do not forget the jumper
VOLTAGE
low enough without mak- on the PCB. The wires connecting the
.
ing the Filter too sluggish in relay contacts and the fuse carrier
170 180 so 2
190 200 210 220 230 240 250 260 270
60 27 0 following the input mains should be capable of handling at
-LOW —HIGH »
voltage. The output of this least 15 amps continuously. If the
INPUT VOLTAGE (V)
Filter is fed to comparators relays have two sets of contacts, con-
Fig. 2: Output vs input characteristics. *a’ and ‘b’of JC2 which set nect them in parallel.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
25Amp
12.1000
This completes the calibration.
It *
Next, slowly increase the output of
W * the variac till RL2 closes. The output
of the variac at this stage should be
!

240V. check the output of the


Finally,
stabiliser by sweeping the output of the
variac from 170V to 270V. It should
more or less comply with the graph of
Fig. 2. If the relays operate properly
r~—~ but the output of the stabiliser is er-
ratic, check the transformer and relay
connections.
In some airconditioners high surge
100K
voltage is generated when the current

Fig. 4: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 3. is suddenly interrupted. When RL1
operates, high surge voltage appears
The PCB should be located away Adjustment
across XI and may damage the circuit.
from the transformer since the latter The only component that needs to
To prevent this, in place of winding E-
can get considerably warm during be adjusted is VR1 . But a variac is nec-
F, a separate 12V, 300mA transformer
operation. No part of the circuit should essary to adjust it. Initially, turn VR1
can be used with its primary winding
touch the chassis. (Note that the nega- fully clockwise. Now connect the out-
connected between the junction of FI
put of the variac to the input of the
tive supply line of the circuit
earthed.) Only the earth terminal of the
is not
stabiliser. Adjust the output of the
and RL1 and neutral. A 1 /2 W resistor of

value equal to a fifth of the coil resis-


mains should be connected to the chas- variac to exactly 200V with the help of
tance may be connected in scries with
sis. The moving iron meter as well as a multimeter. At this stage, RL1 is
the coil of RL2 to prevent excessive
switches SI and S2 arc optional and closed and RL2 is open. Now very
heating at high mains voltage.
may be omitted if not required. slowly adjust VR1 just until RL1 opens.
Readers’ comments:

I have some doubts in the circuit cap-


tioned Heavy Duty Voltage Stabil-
iser’ by Mr R.Shankar
Could the author clarify how ne has
designed the main transformer? How
can we get number of turns, core size,
153V 176V 200V 250V 278V
stack height, tongue width, ampere
rating and size of the wire to be used? Minhazuddin's modified circuit.
RAKESH GUPTA
Ambala Cantt
have some queries regarding the
I

Heavy Duty Voltage Stabiliser cir-


cuit. How to get the PCB and trans-
former? The output of the transformer
is not clear. What is the function of

RL1?
ARINJAY JAIN
|

Agra. ,

have assembled the stabiliser


I I

published in EFY. Please convey my


heartfelt thanks to Mr Shankar for
his superb circuit.
The circuit is, however, not work-
ing as automatic stabiliser at 130V
AC. Please let me know about the
number of turns of the transformer
winding with the voltages (AB, BC,
CD and EF etc) and the SWG of wind- T.S. Shankar's modified circuit.

ing wire (for 15A, 300W) by which I


can make an automatic stabiliser for
I regret to inform Mr Banerjee
who are interested in winding their
that the operation down to 130V is not
input voltage between 130V AC and own transformer are advised to go
possible without making the circuit
270V AC. through the 'Simplified Design of
Transformers’ series by Mr S K. Biswas
more complicated. It will increase the
number of relays and transformer taps
published in EFY a few years ago.
1

The author, Mr R.Shankar, replies: in the circuit. But I am unable to offer


Mr Ariqjay Jain is kindly requested
Regarding Mr Rakesh Gupta’s letter, his knowledge of auto the circuit due to lack of space.
to brush up
I thank both the readers for their
I am sorry I cannot offer the physical transformers in order to help him
understand the interest in my article.
details of the main transformer. Those I circuit.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 67
Switch Mode Power Supply
For Personal Computer
P.C. Gupta

T his article describes the design


and construction of a switch mode Power
TABLE I
i
Operating characteristics
The power supply unit described
Voltage Current Regulation
Supply Unit (PSU) for II3M compatible here is capable of providing continuous
(V DC) (Amps)
Personal Computers. operation at over 110W. It is suitable
Nomiaal Mia. Mu. Tolerance
The article has been divided into
5.0 2.3 13.0 ±5%
for IBM compatible PC configuration
four sections. The first section describes -5.0 0.0 0.35 *10% supporting two floppy drives (360kB or
the functional requirements/design ob- 12.0 0.4 3.50 *5% 1 .2MB) and one hard disc drive (20MB).
jectives of the PSU, i.e. input/output -12.0 0.0 0.35 ±10% Various PC configurations demand
currents and voltages, protection fea- differentpower supply requirements
turesand interface connections. The design philosphy and description of the depending upon the add-on cards used
second section gives details of the circuit diagram Step-by-step hardware
. in the expansion slots of the computer.

$v
GND
GND
12V

+5V
GND
GND
12V

SV
5V
5V
*5V
GNO
GND

GND
GND
12V
12V
KEY
PWR

Fig. 1 : Power supply connectors and pin assignments.

fabrication and testing is outlined in the types and number of disc drives used.
The author is a deputy director ia Defence
third section, while the last section gives The latest version of PCs utilising ad-
Research and Development Organisation. A
keen electronics hobbyist and amateur radio ham, mechanical construction details and other vanced low current devices/oomponents
VU2PPP, he has designed a number of electronic precautions to be observed during fab- consume much less power as compared
and measuring instruments.
test
rication and testing of the PSU. to their predecessor. In general, PSU

68 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
AC INPUT SECTION
POWER SECTION OUTPUT SECTION
T l 1
1

AC WAINS FUSE
i i

UNE FULL WAVE


BRIDGE PUSH-PULL OUTPUT
FILTER RECTIFIERS
RECTIFIER CONVERTER
ANO FILTERS

i CONVERTER
I
ORTTER
I

OVER CURRENT [

t
PULSE WIDTH VOLATGE SENSE
MOOULATOR

CONTROL SECTION

Fig. 2 : Block diagram of the PSU.


capable of providing continuous power good signal has a turn-on delay of about driven by converter driver. The power
of over 1 1 OW is adequate up to PC-XT 100ms after the output voltages have converter transformer produces low
configuration. reached their respective levels. voltage switched waveforms on the
The PSU supplies various voltages secondary side which are rectified and
and power good signal' necessary for

Interface connections filterd to produce well regulated ±5V
the operation of PC's system board, Fig. 1 shows the interface connec- and ±12 V DC output voltages.
keyboard and other installable optional tions, and pin assignments of the PSU. The +5V DC output voltage is sensed
cards. It can be operated over an input Two 6-pin connectors (or one 12-pin by control section of the PSU which
voltage range of 190V to 240V AC and connector) arc used for PSU connec- essentially consists of a pulse width
provides four regulated DC output volt- tion to system board of the PC and two modulator (PWM) controller IC. This
ages of +5V, -5V, +12V and -12V. 4-pin connectors are provided for disc P WM produces suitable drive pulses at

Table I shows the current rating drives power connections. about 22kHz for the converter driver.
and regulation requirements of each of Input supply is given through a mains The width of these pulses is controlled
these supply voltages. These outputs connector or directly through a 3-core by the modulator depending upon the
are overvoltage, over current and open mains cable from the rear panel of the output sense voltages and over current
circuit protected. The input portion of PC. An on-off switch is provided on the voltages, thus ensuring correct operat-
PSU is protected by a fuse of suitable rear side panel of the chassis. PSU also ing voltages at the output and provid ing
rating. houses a cooling fan to cool the entire necessary protection to the PSU.
The +5V DC
powers the logic on system. Fig.3 shows the circuit diagram of
the system board, the disc drives and the PSU. The input mains supply is

adapters in the system expansion slots. Circuit description applied to the circuit via an on-off switch
The +12V is used for the system’s dy- 2 shows the block diagram of
Fig. to fuse FI. Resistor R1 limits the inrush
namic memory and disc drive motors. the PSU. The input from mains is first of current. Power converters operating
It is assumed that only one drive is filtered to suppress any spikes/surges directly 'off-line' like this one draw
active at a time. The -5V DC level is entering the power supply circuit. This heavy current when switched on. This
designed for dynamic memory bias is an important part of the circuit and inrush of current causes great stress on
voltage and has a longer decay on power- helps in preventing data loss or errone- input components, switches, rectifiers
off than +5V and +12V outputs. All ous working during power line distur- and capacitors.
four power levels are bussed across the bances. For low power applications, simple
system unit expansion slots. Filtered mains supply is then recti- series resistor is used to limit the initial
fied by a full-wave bridge rectifier to high voltage and high current. Special
Power good signal produce +150V DC for the power con- high current surge rated resistors are
When power supply is turned
the verter section. The input supply is best suited for this application. How-
on, it generates a power good signal switched with the help of this power ever, adequately rated wirewound
which indicates that there is adequate converter and the energy transferred to resistor also serves the purpose and is

power for processing. When the four the output through a high frequency frequently used.
output voltages are above the mini- ferrite transformer. Capacitors Cl, C2, C3 and C4 to-

mum sense levels as given in Tabic I, a The power converter consists of two gether with transformer X 1 form a bal-
TTL compatible high level (2.4V DC externally driven transistors operating anced input line filter. X 1 has two sepa-
to 5V DC) is generated. This power in push-pull configuration. These are rate inductors wound on a single core

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 69
H k W - _i
'
e|i

SB
5tT TTTTPH^r-t- 1

sgs
Oo-
•T• ti
i

ia .4*
<52 l—

Ssf

SJi
HH-

Tmr
5 §£ 88


O

J
<N
. 3
r> T

n «">
«

in *5 A C29
OOlv

Sf
n
mr'\K UUULULt.
-Hf—
1
2 b=
^Tmr^nrm j*
trar*'
.°a

o Z |§
Oz
8*

-8

FlgJ: Circuit diagram for the switch mode PSU.

70 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
1

high inductance is presented to com-


PARTS LIST
mon mode currents. This arrangement
prevents any significant interference
Semiconductors #
— lOOOpF, 16V

IC1 — TL494 pulse width C22, C23 currents from being conducted back to
modulator controller electrolytic the input supply lines.
D1-D4 — IN4007 silicon diode* C13 — 47pF, 16V electrolytic AC mains
D6, D8 — BY399 silicon diode* C14, C25 — 470pF, 16V Filtered lines arc then

D5, D7, electrolytic connected to diodes D1 through D4


D9-D12, C15, C17, C18 — lpF, 25V electrolytic acting as a full-wave rectifier. C5 and
D16, D18, C20, C21 — 2200pF, 16V C6 are the smoothing capacitors. This
D19, D22 — BA157 silicon diodes electrolytic
D13-D15, C16 — InF, polyester, arrangement provides approximately
D17, D24 — 1N4001 diodes
silicon ceramic disc * 150V DC to the power converter trans-
D20, D21 — 20 Amps 20V schottky C26 — lOpF, 16V electrolytic former with respect to the centre point,
diode C27, C28, — 4,7pF, 25V i.e. junction of C5 and C6.
D23 — 1N4148 silicon diode electrolytic
T1,T2,T5 — BC147 silicon C30 — lOOpF, 25V The power converter has been con-
transistor electrolytic figured in half-bridge, push-pull con-
T3, T4 — C3039 transistor figuration. This is the preferred topol-
Inductance:
— 350pH ogy for direct off-line switch mode
Resistors (all 1 /4W, *5% carbon unless LI
stated otherwise): L2 — 3.5pH supplies because it causes reduced volt-
R1 — 2-ohm, 5W L3 — 50pH age stress on switching devices. Switch-
R2.R3 — 220-kilo hrn, 1W L4 — 0.5mH ing transistors T3 and T4 form only one
R4 — 100-ohm, 2W side of the bridge circuit, the remaining
R5, R19, R21 — 22-ohm Miscellaneous:
R6 — 15-ohm Transformers: half beingformed by capacitors C5 and
R7.R8 — 270-ohm. 0.5W XI: 20 turns (bifillar) on C6. The major difference between this
R9, R1 — 4.7-ohm iron powder toroidal and the full-bridge is that the primary
RIO — 100-ohm, 0.5W core Mix-26, Ylw-wht,
of transformer X3 will take only half
R12 — 470-ohm (permeability) p*75,
RI3.R15, R29 — 2 2-kilohm - core size: T-80, supply voltage into consideration, i.e.

R14 — 220-ohm inducts nee=0.8mH 150V DC approximately,


R16, R30 — 1-kilohm • thin hook-up wire, two
T3 and T4 arc power switching tran-
R17, R23 — 220-kilohm colours
R18, R22 — 2.2-ohm X2: 36 turns (single layer)
sistors connected across the input sup-
R20 — 1.5-kilohm on ferrite toroidal core ply, the centre point being connected to
R24.R27, Mix-72, p (permeability) the second end of primary winding of
R28, R33, - 72, core size:
X3. When transistor T4 turns on, half
R34 — 4.7-kilohm FT- 50, inductance* ImH
R25 — 820-ohm #36SWG. the input supply voltage is applied across

R26 — 22-kilohm X3: Primary turos*45, the primary winding of X4 with the
R31.R32 — 15-kilohm #23 SWG sec turns (5V start going positive.
R35 — 47-kilohm winding) =6, centre
After a time duration defined by the
VR1 — 0-kilo hm preset
1 tapped #21 SWG, sec
turns (12V winding) = 14 control circuit of IC1, T4 is turned off.
Capacitors: (center tapped) # 22 As a result of primary and leakage
C1.C2 — O.lpF, 630V polyester SWG, ferrite core, type inductance, current will continue to
C3, C4 — 4.7nF, 2000V E42mmx21 mmxl5mm
flow into the primary winding. The
polyester, ceramic material KP3C
C5, C6 — 330pF, 400V X4: Primary turns =68# junction of T3 and T4 will swing nega-
electrolytic 36SWG sec turns (both tive, and if the energy stored in the
C7 — lpF, 250V electrolytic winding*) -9 each.
primary leakage inductance is suffi-
C8 — InF, ceramic disc #36SWG start winding’s
ciently large, diode D18 will conduct to
C9.C19, turns -2 #36SWG ferrite
C24, C29 — O.OlpF, 400V ceramic core, type E 20mrax clamp any further negative excursion
disc 10mmx5mm material COUCCTOA VOLTAGE WAVEFORM
C10-C12, HP3C.

such that the two windings are in anti- the core and a high permeability mate-
phase. rial may be used without the need for an
When the two windings are con- air gap.
nected in this way, the magnetic field However, for noise which appears
that results from the normal supply on both the lines at the same time with Fig. 4 : The waveforms for collector
currents is cancelled. Hcncc the low respect toground, the two windings are voltage and current at thejunction of T3
frequency line current will not saturate in parallel and in phase. Also, a very and T4.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 71
and return the remaining flyback en- the current will continue to flow in the
ergy to the supply. The voltage at the secondary diodes as a result of forcing 7 : T*1 * soft-start circuit of TL494.

centre of T3 and T4 will eventually action of choke X4-3 and L3. When the lation controller. It incorporates an
return to its orignal central value with a secondary voltage has fallen to zero, adjustable oscillator, a pulse width
damped oscillatory action. diodes D20 and D2 1 share the inductor modulator and an error amplifier. Ad-
After a period defined by the con- current almost equally, acting as fly- ditional functions include over-current
trol circuit, T3 will turn on, making the wheel diodes and clamping the secon- detection, dead time control, a preci-
priraary winding negative. The former dary voltage at zero. sion 5 V reference regulator and control
process will repeat but with primary When the opposite transistor 13 turns logic which allows push-pull operation
current in the opposite direction. The on, similar operations result. Under of the two switching transistors. Fig.5
difference is that at the end of the on steady state conditions, the current will shows the internal diagram of TL494.
period, the junction ofT3 and T4 will increase in X4-3 and L3 during on
go positive, bringing D19 into conduc- period and decrease during off period TL494 control circuit
tion and returning the leakage indue- with a mean value equal to the output Oscillator. The TL494 oscillator

tance energy to the supply line. The current. frequency is controlled by connecting
junction of T3 and T4 will eventually Ignoring losses, the output voltage an external timing circuit consisting of
return to the central voltage with a is given by: a capacitor and resistor to pins 5 and 6.
damped oscillatory motion. The cycle Vout = (Vcc x D)/n The oscillator is set to operate at about
of operations is now complete and will where Vcc is the primary voltage, n is 22 kHz using the component value cal-

continue. This waveform is shown in Np/Ns (with Np being pri-


turns ratio eulated by the following equation :

Fig.4. mary turns and Ns being secondary f = 1/(2 RC)


As C5 and C6 are the main reservoir turns), D is the duty ratio [ton/(ton+ for push-pull operation where R is

capacitors for the input filter, their value I


toff)] with ton the on-time and toff being value of liming resistance R26 and C
is very large. Consequently, the volt- the off time. the value of timing capacitor Cl 6.
age at the junction point of the capaci- Hence by using suitable control Error amplifier. 1116 error ampli-
torsC5andC6 will not change signifi- circuits to adjust the duty ratio, the ficr compares a sample of the 5 V output

cantly during a cycle of operations. output voltage is controlled and main- to a reference and adjusts the pulse
Let us now consider the operation lained at constant value for variations width modulator to maniain a constant
of secondary side of the switching trans- in supply or load. Operation is similar output as shown in Fig. 6
former X3. When T4 turns on, the start for the +12V, -12V and -5V output The internal 5 V reference of TM94
of all the secondary windings (for 5V voltages. (pin 14) is reduced to 2.5 V by R28 and
and 12V) will go positive. For 5V sec- As indicated, output voltage can be R24 and the output voltage is also re-
ondary, D20 will conduct. The current maintained at a contant by controlling duccd to 2.5 V by R33 and R34. To
will flow from X4-3 and L3 into the ca- the duty ratio, i.c on and off times. This increase the stability of the error ampli-
pacitor bank C20 through C23 and is done in the circuit with the help of ficrcircuit,theoutputofcrroramplifier
external load. PWM IC TL494 which forms the heart is fed back to the inverting input through
When T4 turns off, the voltage on of the controller section of PSU.TL494 R35, reducing the AC gain to 10.

all transformer windings will fall, but is a fixed frequency, pulse width modu- Soft-start. To reduce stress on the

72 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
switching transistors at starting, the start-
up surge which occurs as the output
filter capacitor charges, ljiust be redu-
ced. The availibility of the dead time
control makes implementation of a soft-
start circuit relatively simple as shown
in Fig. 7.

The soft-start circuit allows the pulse


width at the output to increase slowly
by applying a negative sloped wave-
form to the dead time control pin 4.
Initially, capacitor C27 forces the dead
time control input to follow the 5V
reference which disables the outputs
(100 percent dead time). As the capaci-
tor charges through R27, the output
pulse width slowly increases until the
control loop takes command.
The soft-start time is generally in
few hundred cycles. With
the range of a

the component values shown, the soft-


start time can be calculated as follows:
Soft-start time = C27 x R27
= 22 msec
This helps to eliminate any false
signals which might be created by the
control circuit as power is applied.
Current limitdrcuit.The PSU has
been designed to operate continuously
at over 110W output load. The con-
verter supply current is monitored by
current transformer X2.
The induced pulses are rectified by
diode D5 and filtered by R14 and C30
to produce a DC voltage proportional
to the converter supply current. Poten-
tial divider formed by resistors R 1 3 and
VR1 produces a voltage of 2.5 V at the
maximum allowed load of 110W.
As the output load current increases,
the converter supply current also in-
creases, inducing more voltage in the
current sense winding of transformer
X2. This reduces the output pulse width,
thus limiting the output load power up
to a predetermined limit. By using a
variable resistance the over-current limit

of the circuit can be set accordingly.


Output driver stages. For push-
pull operation (each output stage con- Fig. 8 : Actual-size PCB layout for the switched mode PSU.
ducting alternately), output control pin modulated signal, gating it to each output able at pins 11 and 8 for push-pull
13 is connected to the internal refer- alternately, thereby making the switch- operation, are connected to driver tran-
ence voltage pin 14, enabling the pulse ing frequency of each output half the sistors T1 and T2. Primary of centre
steering filp-flop. The flip-flop is toggled oscillator frequency. tapped transformer X4 is switched al-
on the trailing edge of the pulse width The outputs of TL494 PWM, avail- ternately by these transistors, produc-

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 73
Fig. 10 : Waveforms to be checked for
testing operation.

The circuit can be constructed on a


glassepoxy or paper phenolic PCB,
though it is advisable to use glass epoxy
sheet for better mechanical strength.
First, wire the AC input section.
Measure the input mains voltage and
connect it to input supply points L, N
and E. Now
measure the output DC
voltage across R2 and R3 with the
help of multimeter. It should read
about 1.4 times the input AC supply
voltage.
Next wire the pulse width modula-
tor section together with power con-
verter driver and ‘power gdod’ signal
generator circuit. For testing this part
of the circuit, an external 12V supply
and an oscilloscope are required. Ap-
ply +1 2V between anode of DIO and
ground to check for the following wave-
forms on the oscilloscope:
1. A saw-tooth waveform on pin 5
of IC1 (Fig. 10(a)).
2. A rectangular pulse waveform
having half the oscillator frequency on
pins 1 1 and 8. These pulses will be non-
overlapping (Fig. 10 (b)).

3. Bipolar pulses at both the


secondary windings of transformer X4
(Fig. 10(c)).
After completing and checking this
portion, wire the remaining circuit.
Transistors T3
and T4 along with
diodes D20 and D21 should be prop-
erly mounted on the heatsink. Diodes
D6 and D8, though in axial package,
should be mounted such that their bod-
Fig- 9 : Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig.8. ies touch the surface of the heatsink and

ing suitable base drive pulses for the Fabrication and testing the leads are not cut too short. This
power transistors T3 and T4. Fig. 8 shows the solder side PCB helps in better heat dissipation from the
TL494 gets its supply voltage from layout for the circuit diagram and diodes.
the 12V output through DIO, C13, R5 Fig. 9 shows the components layout for Connect a 10k preset in place of
andC26. it. VR1 and preadjust its value to about

74 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
.

Precautions
The following precautions should
be observed during fabrication and testing
of the PSU:
1 .Transformer X 1 should be wound
using bifilar windings.
2. Output of current transformer X2
connected to diode D5 should be such
i
that a positive pulse appears when the
current flows into the core through the
leg of capacitor C7.
3. Trans former X3 should be wound
observing correct winding polarities (as
shown by dots in Fig.3).
4. For choke X4 all the windings are
wound in the same direction but
the current is fed from opposite
direction for negative output voltages
as per PCB.
While checking the operation of
5.
the PSU, it is strongly recommended
that an isolation transformer be used on
the mains input side of the PSU or oscil-
Photo I: External view of the PSU chassis.
loscope.
2.2k. After completing the soldering
connect 12V instrument cooling fan to
the 12V output point and keep it near
the board so as to provide sufficient
cooling to all mounted com-
heatsink
ponents. Plug-in the fuse and switch on
the supply.

Cheek all the output voltages and a


high level PG signal. Next check the
supply under light load condition and
gradually increase the load up to its
rated value. Observe the driver pulses
at full load. They should be clean and
free from any instability. Trim the value
of preset for overload condition, meas-
ure its value and replace it with same
value as VII 1
The supply should be tested for a
minimum of four hours at about 70 per
cent of its rated value and for about an
hour at its full rated value.
After checking the operation of the
PSU, connect the output leads and
connectors as per details given in Photo II: Internal view of the PSU chassis.
Fig. 1. Recheck the voltages on each and external views of the PSU chassis. 6. PCB contains unisolatcd mains
pin of all the four connectors and PG The cooling fan is mounted on the top supply voltages. Hence, due care
signal. PSU is now ready for interface cover with its face oriented such that it should be taken while checking its
with the PC. sucks air into the chassis. *ITic exit for operation.
the air is provided on the back cover 7.You must be fully satisfied with
Mechanical details behind the transistor and diode the working of PSU before interfacing
Photos 1 and 2 show the internal heatsinks. it with your PC.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 75
Composite Electronic Organ
Amrit Bir Tiwana

Keeping in view the high costs and functional limitations of most commercially
available electronic musical organs this low cost, yet full featured eleven
,

octave electronic organ has been designed on special requests from readers .

A
lm * wide range of electronic organs frequencies arc limited to just an oc- ally transistorised AFO and a string of
and pianos arc available in the market tave or two. The former types are resistors (which results in rather non-
but most of these arc either too expen- usually based on CMOS LSIs whereas standard notes).
sive or their characteristic operative the latter types consist of a simple usu- The functional and constructional
details of a ‘composite electronic or-
gan’, featuring a perfect balance be-
tween the operative characteristics and
cost, are described here. The piano
uses the chromatic scale and is capable
of working in 0 to 1 0 octaves, with a
tone-semitone of a 12-key keyboard.
Special effects like vibrato and fuzz
have also been incorporated. The pi-
ano has an internal amplifier, which
delivers an output of several hundreds
of milliwatt, and hence is capable of
working independently. In order to
keep battery drain low, the piano is usu-
ally built using easily available CMOS
ICs.The complete organ circuit costs
around Rs 80.

The fundamentals
The organ is based on the chromatic
scale; the modified diatonic with semi-
Fig. 1: Block diagram of composite electronic organ. tones. The scale consists of twelve

76 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Vcc
9V
IC1
CD4093 1

16
m3 9
10K
10
7

6
^riov
5
IC2
3
CD4040 ° SEE
2 7 TABLE IV

13

1?
11
1-1
6

VR14
10K

C5
R18 100,. gs&
10K
R23
12K
IC3
T2
BC109 TBA820M C7
VR16 0 1|I
47K 3hs.

C8
220p
VR15
470K

R12
IK

VR8 vni 2
470K 220K 1SOK

Fig-2: Main circuit diagram of composite electronic organ

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 77
Fig. 3: PCB layout for main circuit.

Fig. 4: Component layout for the PCB layout shown in Fig. 3.

Table I

Note

c
0123456789
16.4 32.7 65.4
Frequencies and Octaves of musical notes

130.8 262.0 0.53K 1.05K 2. IK 4.2K 8.37K


10

16.744K
c# 17.3 34.7 69.3 138.6 277.2 0.56K 1.IK 2.22K 4.44K 8.87K 17.74K
D 18.4 36.7 73.4 146.8 293.7 0.59K 1.1 2K 2.35K 4.7K 9.4K 18.8K
D# 19.5 38.9 77.8 155.6 311.0 0.62K 1.25K 2.49K 4.98K 9.96K 19.9K
E 20.6 41.2 82.4 164.8 329.7 0.66K 1.32K 2.64K 5.28K 10.55K 21. IK

F 21.8 43.7 87.3 174.6 349.3 0.698K 1.4K 2.8K 5.59K 11.18K 22.4K
F# 23.1 46.3 92.5 185.0 370.0 0.74K 1.48K 3.0K 6.0K 11.84k 23.7K
G 24.5 49.0 98.0 196.0 392.0 0.78K 1.6K 3.14K 6.28K 12.55K 25.08K
G# 26.0 51.9 104.0 207.7 415.3 0.83K 1.67K 3.32K 6.64K 13.29K 26.56K
A 27.5 55,0 110.0 220.0 440.0 0.88K 1.76K 3.52K 7.04K 14.08K 28. 2K

A# 29.2 58.3 116.6 233.0 466.2 0.933K 1.87K 3.73K 7.46K 14.92K 29.8K
B 30.9 61.7 123.5 247.0 493.9 0.988K 1.98K 3.95K 7.9K 15.8K 31.6K
• *t • '%• \»* » I «\a li I I «i i rs

liiiliiMitti

f
External view of composite electronic organ.

notes in each octave, seven of which arc


‘flat’ and five ‘sharp’. The ideal, stan-
dard and practical (rounded off) notes
and their frequencies in eleven octaves
arc given in Table I. These frequencies
arc based on 4401 Iz as treble ‘A’. The
frequency increment in each note of an
octave is 0.595 limes, i.e. the note is

1.0595=1.06 times that of the previous


one.
In actual practice, as clear from Table

I, this would mean the use of 132 push-


buttons and several hundreds of liming
resistors to obtain all the notes. But as
shown Table I, the actual frequency
in

of each note in each successive octave is


precisely double. Utilising this fact, the
same note may be produced in the oc-
taves 10 to 0 by dividing the frequency
of the note in the 10th octave by 1, 2, 4,
8. 1 6. 32, 64, 1 28, 256, 5 1 2. and 1 024 re-

spectively. This may be easily done


using a selectable multibit binary counter.
Special effects like tremolo etc may be
effectively gated and synchronised with
the final output frequency.

The circuit
The block diagram of the complete
organ is given in Fig.l The organ con- .

sists of a basic tone generator (AFO), a


vibrato oscillator, a multistage frequency
divider, a signal combiner, a frequency
selector and an audio amplifier.

Internal view of composite electronic organ |


Fin- 5: PCII layout for keyliourd switches.

IELECTRONICS PROJECTS!
4

ICl , a CD 4093, contains four inde-


pendent 2-input schmitt NAND gates.
NAND gate accompanied with the
‘a’,

keyboard resistors and Cl, forms the


AFO. The frequency of the oscillator,
which may be between 16IIz and 32kHz,
is determined by the values of Cl and
Rk, where Rk is the resistor selected by
the keyboard switches SI to SI 2. The
output of this section is fed to the di-
vider IC2, CD4040, the divisions of
which are selected by the 11 -position
switch S14. The 12- stage binary counter
has 12 dividing outputs as shown in
Table II. Only the first 10 stages are
used here. SI 4 is used to select the
functional octaves.
The output of this IC is fed to gates
‘c'and which are used to 'gate in' the
‘d’

vibrato input. The vibrato LF oscillator


is built around gale V and the oscilla-
tive components C2, R15 and VR13.
VR13 is used to control the vibrato
frequency which should preferably lie

in the infrasonic range. S13 is used to


cnablc/disablc the vibrato effect.
The final output is taken through
and fed to the AF amplifier section
through VR14 which serves as the vol-
ume control.The fuzz generator is
built around two low power and low

noise transistors. The circuit, as shown


in Fig. 2 in the dotted lines, is purely
optional. In case itmayis not needed, it

be bypassed by connecting points B


and C. C4 serves as the input coupling
capacitor. The AF section is built around
1C3, a low voltage TBA820 amplifier.
C6 serves as the output coupling ca-
pacitor. R20 and C7 form a zocbcl
network which aids in the stability of
|
the amplifier. This IC in turn drives the
speaker. In order to drive an external
amplifier, the output should be taken
from the wiper of the volume control
pot. If no volume control is needed,
then VR14 may be omitted.
In practice, the notes are played on
the keyboard switches, SI -SI 2 and SI
is used to shift from one octave to the

next. Such slide switches usually have


more than one pole and in such cases
the octave indicator shown in Fig. 7
may be added. (If such slide switch is

PCB layout shown in Fig. 5. not easily available then a rotary type
Fig. 6: Component layout for the

80 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
PARTS LIST may be used instead.)
Sem iconductors: VR8, VR9 — 220-kilohm preset If desired, the active tone control,
1C1 — CD4093P, quad VR10 — 180-Lilohm preset built around an LM387 (Fig. 9), may
2-input schinitt NAND VR11, VR12 — 150- kilohm preset be introduced between points B and A/
gates VR13 — 220-kilohm pot.
1C2 — CD4040, 12-bit binary VR14 — 10-kilohm linear pot. C. VR17 and VR18 are used for bass
ripple counter VR15 — 4 70- kilohm preset and treble control respectively.
IC3 — TBA820M, low voltage VR16 — 4 7 -kilohm preset
amplifier VR17, VR18 — 100- kilohm preset Power supply
1C4 — 7899, 9V voltage
regulator Capacitors: Although designed for 9 volt opera-
IC5 — LM387, Op-amp C1.C12 — OOlpF, ceramic disc tion, the organ can operate from volt-
T1.T2 — BC 109, transistor C2 — lpF, 10V electrolytic ages ranging from 6 to 15 volts, after
D1-D4 — 1N4001, diode C3, C4, CIO — 10|iF, 10V electrolytic
slight modification. Battery operation
D5 — 1N4O07, diode C5 — lOOpF, 10V
electrolytic is preferred for most applications. For
Resistors (all 1/4W, ±5% carbon unless C6 — 470(17, 10V mains operation, the circuit given in
stated otherwise): electrolytic
Fig. 8 may be used.
R1.R2 — 2.2-ldlohm C7 — O.lpF, ceramic disc
R3.R4 — 1.8-kilohm C8 — 220pF, ceramic disc The circuit consists of a full-wave
R5, R6 — 1.5- kilohm C9 — 220pF, 10V rectifier and filter followed by a 3- ter-

R7, R8, — 1.2-kilohm electrolytic minal fixed 7809 regulator chip. LED
R9-R12, R14, Cll — .047pF, ceramic disc monitors the working of the circuit and
R16.R25 — -kilohm
1 C13 — lOOOpF, 16V
R13, R18, electrolytic
R37 helps in speedy discharge of the
R37-R39 — 10 -kilohm C14 — lOOpF. 16V niter capacitor, which may otherwise
R15 — 56-kilohm electrolytic damage of IC7809, when
result in the
R17 — 7 -kilolun
2. C15. C22 — 4.7mF. 16V the power supply is turned off. The cir-
R19 — 33-ohm electrolytic
R20 — 1-ohm C16.C17 — 0.033pF, ceramic disc cuit delivers a precise 9-volt output,

R21 — 1.2-megohm C18, C19 — 3.3nF, ceramic disc ±1%, @350mA. A small aluminium
R22 — 3.9-kilohm C20 — lpF, 16V electrolytic heatsink may be attached to IC4 if
R23, R40, C21 — 10pF, 16V electrolytic necessary.
R41 — 12-kilohm ;

R24 — 47 -kilohm Miscellaneous:


R26-R35 — 680-ohm XI — 220V AC Pri. Construction
R42 — 180-ldlohm 0-12V AC, 350 mA The complete organ is constructed
R43 — -megohm
1 Sec. transformer
ontwoPCBs. One PCB accommodates
R44 — 180-ohm LS — 8-ohm, 1W speaker
VR1.VR2 — 470-kilolun preset S1-S13, S16 — Push-to-on switch the main circuitry while the second
VR3 — 390-kilohm preset S36 contains the keyboard and the tuning
VR4-VR7 — 2 7 0-kilo hm preset S14.S15 — 1-pole, 12-way switch resistors. A PCB keyboard has been
used as the use of pushbuttons (com-
puter types) will increase the cost tre-

mendously and the same are not avail-


able easily. Utmost care should be taken
while soldering the components, espe-
cially the semiconductors. (Beginners
may please refer to the Feb ’90 issue of
EFY.) The use of sockets is mandatory
in case of ICs. The PC Bs and their
corresponding layouts are given in Fig
3, 4, 5 and 6.

The sequence of soldering the com-


ponents should be resistors, presets, ca-
pacitors and semiconductors. All sol-
dering should be done using the 60/40
type of core and a 10-watt soldering
rod. The keyboard PCB should be
nickel or tin-plated.
All inter wiring should be done

4«fM400l
using 8-way ribbon cable. The colour
Fig. 8: Power supply arrangement For the composite electronic organ. code may be followed to facilitate easy
Table II

Frequency divisors in the CD4040 counter (First 10 stages)

Ontpnl Q1 Q2 03 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 09 Q10
Pin No. 9 . 7 6 5 3 2 4 13 12 14
Divisor 2‘ 21 2* 2* 2* 2* V 2* 2* 2">

Divisions 2 4 8 16 32 64 128 256 512 1024

Table III
Preset frequency adjustment table

Preset to VR1 VR2 VR3 VR4 VR5 VR6 VR7 VR8 VR9 VR10 VR11 VR 12
beset
Operative 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
octave
Frequency 16.75K 17.74K 18.8K 19.9K 21. IK 21.4K 23. 7K 25. IK 26. 5K 28.2K 29.8K 31.6K

Tnble IV
Positions or octave selector and corresponding octaves

Position I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X 0


Octave 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 10

Note: K« Kilohertz/Kllohm (In lists)


AU other frequencies nre In hertz In the tables.

with the volume controls. The volume


control may be eliminated if not re-
quired. The PCBs should be mounted
away from the transformer (if used).

,
Testing
After the unit is constructed, it m ust
be tested for proper operation. For this
keep the vibrato enable-disable switch
in disable position and feed in a square-
wave of 100 kHz frequency at the

input of IC2, from a CMOS compatible


source. The output frequencies at the

first 10 outputs and the output of N1


Fig. 9: Active tone controller for the organ. must be tallied with 'Fable II. The
checking and fault finding in future. tamington Road, Bombay 400 007, at output frequencies with respect to
(Let’s hope the other way!). the cost of Rs 85). In case of difficul- ground, starting from Nl, Q1 to Q10
A fine multimeter lead and old tele- ties in etching the PCBs, the readers must equal 100kHz, 50kIIz, 25kHz,
phone coiled cable with a ball point tip may obtain them directly from EFY 12.5kHz, 6.25kHz, 3170Hz, 1587.5Hz,
pen or audiojack... Just any thing can associates. Kits V Spares (46 Nehru 793.75Hz, 396 Hz, 198Hz,99Hz. If all
serve as the probe. Place, 303 Dohil Chambers, New Delhi is well, the unit is ready to set.
The complete circuit should be 100019) or may use othersimilar PCBs
checked after which it may be housed after slight modifications. As shown in Adjustments
in a suitable cabinet. Various cabinets the photographs, the PCD is fixed on After proper assembly and testing,
are available in the market for this the front panel, and the speaker on the th^ organ needs to be set to produce
purpose. (The author used a metallic front frame, alongwith the fuzz and notes of the standard frequencies. Ini-
cabinet which was obtained from Gala vibrato controls. The other switches tiallyVR1 to VR12 should be kept in
Electronics, 20 Kalpana Bldg, 357 may be fixed on the back panel, along the maximum resistance position. Now

82 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
VIOLET

VIOLET
RIBBON CABLE COLOUR CODE USED FOR INTERWIRING
BLACK G*ROUND BLUE
RED POSITIVE SUPPLY
BLACK BROWN
YELLOW OUTPUT (AF) S2
BLUE INPUT VIBRATO
VIOLET KEYBOARO INPUT-OUTPUT (FREQUENCY CONTROL)
ORANGE ACTIVE VIBRATO FREQUENCY CONTROL VR14 U '

WHITE SYNCHRONISED OUTPUT (NON-AMPUFlED) VOLUME


BROWN VIBRATO ENABLE -OISABLE INPUT/OUTPUT

1
* 1
1 1
* *
L * tip
f V
*
MB
** r*
[ft*
1 *
]
f; ** \ * V\
A• .
A \V:i-
^ j
1 j • 1.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Readers’ comments: the described circuit provides a wide Sakthidharan for his keyboard de-
range of octave selection, addition of sign which some readers may find
bass and treble controls is unneces- useful.
The Project was very good sary. As for tin plating, I’ve clearly ex-
Canthe presets for adjusting the The author advised tin
has plained this in my article on PCB
frequency be replaced by suitable plating of the PCB but hasn’t designing published in March’90 is-
resistors? If so, please give their val- explained how an average hobbyist sue of EFY.
ues. Resistors would be more con- can actually do so.
venient as a frequency meter is not SAKTH1DHARAN K.A.
easily accessible to most experiment- P.O.Korattikkara (Kerala) The defrost condition is indicated by
ers. The author, Mr Amrit Bir Tiwana, LED2. Each clock output of 1C 4060 is
SUNISH ISSAC replies:
indicated by LED1 through transistor
Kozhikode The presets can be replaced with re-
T3 Base of T3 (point D) can be concctcd
.

The articledoes not specify the sistors but in that case fine adjust-
to pin6 or 5 of IC2 for lower time output
‘sounds’ produced by the organ. In ments can’t be made. Use of frequency indication. The end of preset time (high
the text it is mentioned as a piano; meter can be avoided by comparing pulse at pin 11) is indicated by LED4.
does it really produce the sound of the sounds with those provided by
a piano? If so, the necessary ‘attack- some commercially available organs.
sustain-decay’ circuits for producing It can produce piano sounds. ASDR
string sounds are not seen in the circuit is neither needed nor that easy
diagram. to implement. Yet the sound produced
Generally, musical instruments are by this organ is as rich as that of most
made abiding the international stan- synthesisers.
dards. But it is painful to see that the There is no dearth of readymade
published TCB’ keyboard pattern is organs complying with the ‘stan-
far from the well-accepted tradi- dards’ but none of these cost less than
tional standards. All the 12 keys from Rs 1500. One can either build a
C to B (one octave) are placed in a synthesiser complying 100% to the
line, without providing white-key po- ‘standrads’ at a ‘standard’ cost or
sitions. Playing music on this key- deviate 10% and pay just one-tenth
board is like typing with a typewriter the amount.
having an unusual keyboard. Bass-treble controls were incor-
VR12 VRl

One- octave keyboard PCB.


On the contrary, the keyboard porated just to facilitate ease of use,
shown in the photograph of the and not having to change octaves too
prototype is quite alright. It is a stan- frequently. As for the keyboard, I still

dard *2 -octave’ keyboard with 14 full recommend the published type. How-
tones and 10 semi-tones.A corrected ever, PCBs for keyboards of the type
‘one-octave* keyboard PCB pattern is shown in my prototype’s photograph
therefore being given here. can be obtained from some kits sup-
Playing music by touching the key- pliers.These can be modified to re-
board with a probe is definitely handi- quirement. Though there is no limit to
caping the genuine talent And as the types of keyboards, I thank Mr

84 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
4

Digital Clock With


on-off Timer
Yusuf I. Motiwala

TT o operate any instrument in a is divided by ICs 3, 4, 5, and 6. ICs 3, IC6 is 1/60 Hz, meaning 1 pulse/min-
particular time duration it is necessary and 5 are 7490 decade counters in ute.

for you to be present during that time. divide-by-ten mode, whereas IC6 is Output of IC6 is given to decade
But using this timer you can control the 7492 divide-by-twelve counter and is in counter 7490 (IC7) which gives BCD
instrument in your absence. In your dividc-bysixmodc. Outputs ofICs3,4, output for each clock pulse. At 10th
radio cassette recorder, suppose you 5 and 6 arc square wave pulses of fre- pulse 7490 resets and output changes
want to record some programme in quencies 1 01 Iz, 1 1 fa, 1 /1 0 Hz, and 1 /60 from 1001 to 0000. When output D1 of
your absence between the time period Hz respectively. The final output from 7490 changes from 0 to 1, negative
8.00 to 8.30, all you have to do is to set
the time in the timer. At 8.00 sharp the
timer will turn on and recording will
start automatically. Similarly, at 8.30
the timer will turn off and recording
will stop.

Construction
For simplification, wc can divide
the construction of an on-off timer into INSTRUMENT to

three different units, namely:


1. The power supply unit Fig. 1: Block diagram for digital clock with on-off timer.
2. The digital clock unit

3. The timer unit

Power supply unit


It consists of 7805 voltage regulator

IC. It gives +5V regulated output.

Digital clock unit


This unit is the heart of the timer. IC
555 is the timer IC which is in astable
mode. It wave output of
gives square
100 Hz. Frequency of this square wave Fig. 2: Regulated power supply for digital clock.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
o o
O <?

70Q

Fig3. Circuit diagram for digital clock unit.

86 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
-

PARTS LIST
Semiconductors:
IC1 — 7805, *5V voltage
regulator
IC2 — 565 timer
IC3-IC5, IC7,
IC9, IC10, IC23 — 7490 decade counter
IC6, IC8 — 7492 divide -by
twelve counter
IC11 — 7408 quad two input
AND gate
IC12-IC15 — 7447 BCD to 7
segment decoder
IC16-IC19 — 74&6 quad XOR
gat*
IC20, IC21 — 7427 three-input
NOR gate
IC22 — 7430 8 -input NAND
gate
Ti — BC 148 transistor
T2 — SL100 transistor
D1-D4 — 1N4002 diodes
Resistors (all 1 /4W, ±5% carbon unless
staled otherwise:):
R1 — 22-kilohm
R2-R5 — 220-ohm
R6-R9 — 270-ohm
R10 — 10-kilohm Fig. 4: PCB Invout for digital clock unit.
Rll — 1-kilohm
R12.R13 — 4.7-k.ilohm
VRl — 00-kilo hm preset
1

Capacitors:
Cl — lOOO^F, 25V
electrolytic
C2, C3 — 0-22 ceramic
^iF

C4 — 10nF, 25V electrolytic


C5 — 0.47|iF, 16V ceramic
C6 — O.OlpF, 16V ceramic
Miscellaneous:
XI — 230V AC Pri
12-0-12V, 1A Sec.
transformer
SI — One pole three way
switch
S2 — Push-to-on switch
RL1.RL2 — 12V, 200-ohm relay
— LEDs
— 8 thumbwheel
switches
DIS1-DIS4 — LTS 312, common
anode type display

transition occurs and pulse of 1/10 minute


frequency is produced which is input Fig. 5: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 4.

pulse for next counter 7492 (IC8) that is of minute output and 1C8 gives tens of pulse it resets and initiates IClOfchich
in dividc-by-six mode. In this counter, minute output and total minute output is 7490 in divide-by ten mode. Here it
output is obtained till five pulses and at is 00 to 59 and then resetting to 00. is necessary that the hour output is up to
sixth pulse counter resets and gives When ICS resets, it gives small spikes 23 only and then it should reset. At
0000 output. Here also, negative tran- and trailing edge of this is used to 24th pulse, output of IC9 and IC10
sition occurs and pulse of frequency 1/ initiate the 109 which is the hour counter. becomes 0010. To reset IC9 and IC10,
60 minute is obtained which is input IC9 is the decode counter which counts C output of IC9 and B output of IC10 is
pulse for next counter. IC7 gives units up to 9 pulses (9 hours) and at 10th given to 1011 (7408) which is 2-input

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Fig. 6: Circuit diagram for the timer unit.

88 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
7

kept at high logic level. Output of


NAND gate is given to IC23 which is
7490 in divide by two mode that acts as
a master slave JK flip-flop in toggle
mode.
When the inputs of EX-OR gates
are not equal, some of the gates will
have high output . Therefore, one of
the NOR gates output becomes zero.
So the output of NAND gate will be
high.
When the on lime is equal to digital
clock time, inputs of all the EX-OR
gates are same and all the EX-OR gates
Fig. 7: PCD layout for the timer unit.
give low output. Therefore, all the
NOR gates give high output and hence
output of NAND gate becomes low. As
the NAND gate output becomes low
from high state, flip-flop changes the
stale and gives a high output. Relays
RL1 and 2 operate through current am-
plifiers. As RL1 operates, it discon-

nects the power supply TW 2, 3,


to 1,

and 4 and connects it to TW 5, 6, 7 and


8. Now inputs of all the EX-OR gates
are not equal. Therefore, output of
NAND gate goes high from low state.
Fig. 8: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 7. As here positive transition occurs, flip-
AND gate. When both the inputs of circuit. flop does not change its state.

AND ga te arc high, gives h igh output


it Now, for off time, same operation
which is given to the reset terminals of Timer unit is performed by TW 5, 6, 7 and 8.

IC9 and 10 (pins 2 and 3) which reset The timer unit compares the time of RL2 is for external connection where
ICs 9 and 10 to 0000 0000. a digital clock with preset on and off we can connect the instrument.
BCD output of all counters (ICs 7, time. Sometimes relays are pre operated.

8, 9 and 10) are given to ICs 12, 13, 14 In the timer unit, there aretwo sets So for putting off the relay, press switch
and 15 respectively. These ICs are of thumbwheel switches. Each set has S2, which is push-to-off switch.
7447, BCD to seven segment decoder ' four thumbwheel switches —
one set for LED 3 indicates that the timer is in

driver. Output of each 7447 is given to on timing and the other for off timing. off position and LED 4 indicates that
7-segment display through current lim- Thumbwheel switches TW 2, 3 1 ,
the timer is in on position.

iting resistor. and 4 are for on timing and TW 5, 6,


All the displays are LTS 312 com- and 8 for off timing,
mon anode display. All the four dis- As shown in the timer unit circuit
plays indicate the time between 00:00 (Fig. 6). each thumbwheel output is

to 23:59 hrs. given to EX-OR gate with digital clock


Switch SIused forsetting the de-
is output, c.g. unit minute output of
sired time. When switch is in position thumbwheel switch is given to EX-OR
A the clock is in normal mode. When gate with unit minute output of digital
switch is in position C, it gives 1Hz clock. ICs 16. 17, 18 and 19 are 7486.
pulse to hour counter IC9. When it is in quod EX-OR IC. Outputs of three EX-
Bposition 1 Hz pulse is given tominute ORgatesaregivento3-inputNORgate
counter IC7. (IC 7427). Outputs of NOR
all the
Two LEDs are placed between hour gates are given to 8-input N AND gate
and minute displays. They are driven (IC 7430). Here only five terminals of
by output of IC4. BCD output from 8-input NAND gate are used. There-
each counter is taken out for timer fore the remaining three terminals are

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Day Date Computer
A. Rajan CBE
With ihc circuit described here one can then 7 should be subtracted
Table II
easily find out the day for any dale from the sum This can be done
.

Switch Year Months Date MSB of


within 1901 to 2000 AD. easily by connecting
This circuit is basically an adder, SO Jan*. Apr. Jul 1, 8. 15. 22, 29 sum (pin 15ofIC2)tocarry-in
built around IC7483 (adder), IC74195 SI A Jan, Ocl 2, 9. 16,23,30 input (pin 13 ofIC2). MSB is
S2 G May 3, 10. 17, 24. 31
sum >7 and hence
(shift register) and IC74147 (priority 1 for 1 is
S3 F Aug. Feb* 4,11,18,25
encoder). IC7445 is used for input and S4 E Feb. Mar. Nov 5. 12. 19, 26
added to the output of sum.
output. S5 D Jim 6. 13, 20. 27 Only 3 bits of output are
S6 C Sep, Dec 7. 14,21,28 taken from the adder. ITicrc-
S7 B
Circuit description fore, output is always less than

1C74147 converts currents input from Note: • stands for leap year or equal to seven.
switches (S0-S7) into their binary equiva-
ferred to the shift register. Hence, next Table IV
lents. Output from IC74147 is given to
input is added with the previous sum. In
the IC7483. LED Day
this way circuit performs serial addi-
1 Sunday
Table
tion. IC7445 decodes the output of shift
1
2 Monday
register. LEDs 1 to 7 indicate the days
3 Tuesday
Year Code from Sunday to Saturday respectively. 4 Wednesday
Before entering the next set of data, the 5 Thursday
1901 1929 1957 1985 G 6 Friday
contents of shift register should be
1902 1930 1958 1986 F 7 Saturday
1903 1931 1959 1987 E made zero, i.e. the LEDs must be in off
1904 1932 I960 1988 C* state. Contents of shift register can be The sum output from adder is trans-
1905 1933 1961 1989 B cleared by pressing reset switch (S9). ferred to parallel in parallel out shift
1906 1934 1962 1990 A
1907 1935 1963 1991 O The switches (S0-S7) correspond- register. The output of shift register is

1908 1936 1964 1992 E* ing to codes for date, month, year are connected to input of the adder and the
1909 1937 1965 1993 D listed in Table II. Their codes arc con- decoder IC7445. Shift register copies
1910 1938 1966 1994 C verted into their binary equivalents by the sum output when clock input goes
1911 1939 1967 1995 B
encoder. from high to low state. This clock input
1912 1940 1968 1996 G*
1913 1941 1969 1997 F Adder adds the binary input from is given using switch S8. The next input
1914 1942 1970 1998 E encoder with the contents of shift regis- data added with previous data input.
is
1915 1943 1971 1999 D ter (initially 0). If the sum exceeds Decoder converts the binary to re-
7, I

1916 1944 1972 2000 B*


1917 1945 1973 2001 A
1918 1946 1974 2002 G Table III

1919 1947 1975 2003 F Year Numerical Month Code Days Code
1920 1948 1976 2004 D* Value
1921 1949 1977 2005 C
1922 1950 1978 2006 B A i Jaa 1 1, 8. 15,22,29 0
1923 1951 1979 2007 A B 7 Feb 4 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 1

1924 1952 1980 2008 F* C 6 Mar 4 3. 10. 17. 24, 31 2


1925 1953 1981 2009 E D 5 Apr 0 4. 11,18, 25 3
1926 1954 1982 2010 D E 4 May 2 5, 12, 19, 25 4
1927 1955 1983 2011 C F 3 Jun 5 6, 13, 20, 27 5
15 2* 1956 158* 1012 G 2 Jul 0 7, 14,21,28 6
Aug 3
Note: stands for Itap year Sep 6
Oct 1

IC7483 adds the given binary input Nov 4

from encoder with the contents of shift Dec 6


Jan* 0
register 74195 (parallel in parallel out
Feb* 3 Note: • stands for leap year
shift register). When enter key is pressed,

the sum output from IC7483 is trans-

90 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Fig. 1: Circuit diagram for dny-dnte com piiter.
spcclivc decimal equivalent and corre- 3-bit output is needed hence input switches and clock input of shift register.

sponding I -ED glows indicating the day. can be selected so as to get the necessary
Priority encoder produces 4-bit BCD output. Principle
for corresponding decimal input but Owing to switch debounce problem, Basically the circuit performs only
actually one's complement of input is in clock input, a switch debounccr using addition and it is possible to find out
generated. In this particular circuit only NAND gate is used between switch S8 day by adding codes for year, month

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 91
'
1971 from Table I. Code for year is D, (i.c. month). Code for the month is
Parts List which is equal to 5 (from Table II). given in Table III. Switch to be pressed
Code for the month January is 1 and for for a particular month is given in 1 able
Sem iconducLors:
IC1 — 74147 priority encoder date 27, 5 (Table
it is II). Sum of all II. Switch corresponding to the month
IC2 — 7483 4-bit binaiy full these codes is equal to 1 1. Since 1 1 is is pressed followed by enter key (558).
adder greater than 7 (total no. of week days), In the same way, date is entered. The
IC3 — 74195 4-bit shift register
We get 4, which in- LED
IC4 — 7445 lof-10 decoder ;
subtract 7 from 11. glowing indicates the day after

IC5 — 7400 quad 2-input NAND dicates that LED4 is glowing which the date has been entered. To enter the
gate stands for Wednesday (Table IV). date 27-01-1971 following seque nee of
switches will be pressed.
Resistors:
R1.R9.R11 — 10K Working For year 1971, code is D (from
R10.R12 — 470 ohms j
To find out the day for any date, Tabic I). To enter D, press switch S5.
codes for year, month and date are Then press enter key 558. Restore switches
Miscellaneous:
entered one by one. S5 and S8 to normal position. For month,
S1-S9 — Push-to-on switches
S10 — One pole, 2-way switch The circuit is reset by pressing the rcfcrTablcII. For January, switch SI is

— LEDs reset switch momentarily. Then find pressed and then enter key, S8 is pressed.
out the code (A-G) for particular year Switches SI and 558 are restored to
and date. Code for year is given in from the Tabic I. Switch in correspond- normal position.
Tabic I. Codes for month and date are ing to the code is pressed, then enter To enter the date 27 refer Table II.
For 27, press
switch S5
and then 558.

Now restore
switches S5
and S8 to
normal posi-
tion.

The LED
correspond-
ing to Wed-
nesday starts
glowing. The
circuit must
be reset be-
f° reentcr'ng
Fig. 2: PCB layout for the day date computer. i

next date.
i Therefore,
,
for the date
27/01/1971,
j

sequence of
1

keys are 555,


! S8, SI, S8,
i S5 and S8.

Note: This
circuit can be
greatly sim-
plified by
using key-
board en-
coder
Fig. 3: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 2. IC74HC922.
given in TableFor example, con-
III. key (558) is pressed. All the switches are 1 Non-availability of this IC is the reason
sidcr a date 27/1/1971. To find the day then restored to normal position. Now I for using IC74147 with switch de-
on this date, find out the code for year i
the circuit is ready to accept next data I
bouncer.

92 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Authors' comment: 74147
PRIORITY
The can be. modified to ac-
circuit SO-S6
FNCOOER

cept date, month and year codes si-
1
DOD3

multaneously rather than serially. But ADDER


MO- M3 7483
such a circuit needs 21 (7 x 3) switches,
three priority encoders (74147) and
74147 LED1
two adders (7483) which increases S7-S13
PRIORITY ADDER DEC006R
the cost. Such a circuit does not re- ENCODER *2 7445
•2 7483
quire switch debouncer or PIPO shift
register. Block diagram for such a -4
scheme i9 shown here. LE07
YO-Y3
A.RAJAN 74147
S14-S20
Coimbatore PRIORITY
ENCODER
43

Block diagram for modified computer circuit.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 93
Electronic Ignition System
for Automobiles
C. Sanjay

r
^
1 he ignition system in a car is simple when you have a 12V battery trouble.
very simple and is known to every- which can supply the current taken by Some of the advantages of this igni-
body. The primary of the ignition coil is the ignition coil, normally about 2.5A. tion system arc:
connected to the battery and when the But when you arc stranded in the 1. Improves engine efficiency due
contact breaker trips the connection, a middle of the road with your car’s bat- to multiple sparks.
voltage of about400V is produced across tery down perhaps you won't know 2. Decreases load on battery.
the primary. This 400V is stepped up to what to do. However, if you use the 3. Starts even when the battery volt-
about 40k V and used to produce a spark 'electronic ignition system’ described age is 8V.
in the spark plug. All this is fairly here you may never get any ignition 4. Fuel efficiency of the engine is

increased.
The electronic ignition system con-
sists of a high voltage generator (about
600V at supply voltage = 1 1 .5 V) which
is triggered by the contact breaker. In
this system the current passing through
the contact breaker is only 12mA, which
increases the life of the contact
breaker. This is another advantage!
When the contact breaker points are
open, a pulse of about 2ms is produced
at the collector of T2 which triggers the

IGNITION IGNITION
SWITCH COIL
'
c i*
Vy a
ELECTRONIC
i

IGNITION il
SYSTEM d r? ^-4 KT
a
— —J
£
B
12V
( fe
BATTERY CONTACT
BREAKER

SPARKPLUGS
Fig- 2: Wiring diagram including electronic ignition system.

94 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Fig. 3: (a) Adding capacitor for extra noise suppression; (b) ignition coil.

multivibrator consisting of 73 and 7*5 . the primary of the ignition coil and the minals A and B should be able to with-
The multivibrator produces pulses of output voltage obtained from it isabout stand 5A min.
2kHz. As the frequency is high, an 60kV. That is why 35kV (minimum
ordinary (3V-0-3V) transformer will value) is provided even when the Construction
withstand up to 9V. 'ITiis multivibrator battery voltage is about 8V. The circuit can be wired on the

Fig. 4: Circuit diugrnm for the electronic ignition system.

switches on transistors T7 and T8 alter- The original wiring system in a car PCB shown. Only two power transis-
nately, thereby switching on transistors is shown in Fig. 1 while the change in tors T5 and T6 arc placed outside the
T4 and 7*6. As T4 and T6 are connected the wiring system is shown in Fig. 2. PCB with heatsinks of 10cm x 10cm x
to the 3V windings of transformer XI, Fig. 3 shows how the0.22pF, 100 V ca- 0.3cm each. The transistors T7 and 73
a secondary voltage of about 600V is pacitor can be connected. This capaci- also need heatsinks of about 2cm x 2cm
produced. (The transformer is 220V to tor will help to suppress interference x 0.3cm. A 10,000pF, 16V capacitor
3V and gives 600V when the 3 V is con- signals caused due to contact break may also be connected across the sup-
nected to 9V AC.) The 600V is fed to switching. The wire connecting the tcr- ply which will help during ignition. If

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 95
1111

HEAT SINKS

4700 1N4I4S
4700

B0 140

A w ^A . •

BCI47
BC147
4'. ‘

r
. « *
Y? 'f
. » ’

WOOD,
12V

•• Components layout for the PCB shown in Pig. 5.

96 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
can be removed (Fig. 3). The wires to If there is a fluctuating voltage, there
PARTS LIST T4 and T6 should be able to withstand will also be a high voltage at the 220V
Semiconductors. minimum 3A. The wires from trans- side of XI. This voltage when con-
Tl, T2 — BD140 transistor former XI should be well insulated. nected to the ignition coil will be stepped
T3, T4, T8 — BC147B transistor Use of heatsink is recommended. up to 60kV. Insulate the HT wire going
T5, T6 — 2N3055 transistor to the distributor carefully, by covering
T7 — BC158B transistor
D1-D4, D6-D8 — 1N4 148 silicon Transformer it with polythene sleeves.
switching diodes Some transformers do not work at
D5 — 1N4002 silicon high frequencies. In such cases, re- Power requirements
rectifier diode
place the core by that used in audio As the circuit consumes power only
Resistors (all l /4W, *5% carbon unless output stage transformers. High volt- for a short period (about 2 ms), each
stated otherwise): age side should have good insulation. lime the contact breaker's contact is
Rl, R6 — 4.7-ohm ’open’, therms value of current will be
R2, R5 — 470-ohm
R3, R4 — 39-kilohm Testing about 2A. The total cost of the circuit is
R7 R9, RIO
t
— 1-kilohm Connect the terminals A, B, C and about Rs 1 00 excluding the cabinet and
R8 — 22-kilohm D to their respective places and earth E heatsinks.
with a short-wire. Now there should not
Capocitots:
C1-C3 — O.OlpF ceramic disc be any secondary voltage on the pri-

C4 — 0.22^, 00V ceramic


1 mary of XI (220V side).
disc When the earth connection to E is

disconnected, a pulse appears at the


Miscellaneous: (

XI — 230V AC primary collector of T2. This pulse can be seen


3V-0-3V, 3A secondary on an oscilloscope. Ifoscilloscpe is not
available, connect a multimeter at the
the capacitor of 0.22pF, 100V is con- baseofT4orT6. A fluctuating DC will
ne?‘ed, the existing bulky condcnsor be seen in the multimeter.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
0

6-Band Low-Cost
Graphic Equaliser
M
J-T-l-ost EFY readers are famibar with
graphic equalisers. A 10-band profes-
nal is attenuated.
late
Arndt Bir Tiwana
pacitors set the frequencies and simu-
an inductor. The circuit can pro-
sional equaliser system was featured in Working vide a boost of +15dB and attenuation
this magazine a few years ago. The circuit (Fig. 2) uses two quad of -15dB.
This low-cost 6-band graphic equal- op-amp LM324 ICs. which by far are Capacitors C2 and C16 provide input
iser is meant for casual audio enthusi- the most common and least expensive and output coupling. Controls VR1
asts. With two ICS. the circuit seems op-amps of their type (and sell at Rs 1 through VR6 work at 50Hz, 150Hz,
quite simple but its operative quality a piece). Each IC has four independent 500Hz, 1500Hz, 5kHz and 15kllz. These
levels are no less if not better than a op-amps, all of which arc used in case frequencies can easily be altered by
professional one’s. The complete sys- of 101. Only three op-amps are used changing the accompanying capacitors.
tem costs around Rs 100, nearly one- from 1C2. Each op-ampand the accom- Cl 5 provides supply decoupling. VR7
eighth the cost of a readymade graphic panying pair of two resistors and ca- is used to adjust the final gain.
equaliser. The high operative quality of
the equaliser is evident from the figures f -W——I
*9

in its specifications table.


Earlier graphic equalisers used LC
tuned coil/inductorcircuitswhich were
rather bulky. Such circuits were prone
to noise pick-up. I”hcsc circuits were
originally based on transistors. Gradu-
ally transistors were replaced by ICs
which worked with inductors. Then came
op-amp simulated inductors which elimi-
nated the need of any coil. It helped in ojtput
constructing a more compact circuit (as
in most commercial designs) around a •
OUTPUT

dozen op-amps. Further improvements


have facilitated the present design around
just two ICs!
Using gyrators for LC simulation
highly reduces cost and size of the
device. As shown in the block sche-
matic (Fig. 1), a gyrator consists of an
op-amp with a rather unconventional
feedback network. At resonance its

impedance drops. With the control in


m id position the gain is unity. When the
gyrator control wiper is shifted towards
the input, the output potential rises to
maintain the input voltage balance and
so the output is boosted. When it is

moved towards the input, the output


potential decreases and the output sig-
Kig. 1: Block diagram for the 6-band low-cost graphic equaliser.

98 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
.

I'ij*. 2: Circuit Tor the 6-l>nii<l low-cost graphic equaliser.

<

In ihc prototype, VR7 was adjusted


PARTS LIST Specifications Table
at mid where it gave excellent
position,
For 6-Uand Ix>w-Cost
results. All the measurements were made
Graphic Equaliser
at this position. A suitable power
Operative voltage : DC or
9 volts
Sem icon d tutors: supply (substitute for batteries) for the
230V AC @50 Hz
IC1.IC2 — LM 324 A, quad op-amp circuit can also be used, which can Nominal input : 200 mV
be accommodated on the main PC 13 Output (Peak to Peak) 4 volts
Control ranges : 50 Hz, 150Hz, 500 Hz.
itself.
Resistors fall l!4W, r5% carbon, unless 1500 Hz. 5 KHz. 15 KHz
slated otherwise): Frequency response (typical)
R1.R2 — 5.1-kilohm Construction 30 Hz 2dB
R3 — 100-kilolun The complete circuit can be as- 40 Hz 4dB
R4-R15 — lfi-kilohm
sembled on the PCF3 shown 100 Hz 11 dB
R16 — 470-kilolun
in Fig. 3.
150 Hz 4 16 dR
R17 - 220-kiIohm Begin by soldering ihe resistors fol- 300 Hz 6 dB
VR1-VR6 — 100-kilolun linear pot. lowed by capacitors. IC sockets arc not 1 kHz 2 dB
VR7 — 500-kilohm preset required, provided adequate care is taken 2 kHz 0 dB
4 kHz -12 «1B
while soldering to prevent the tempera-
Ca/tacilors: 5 kHz -15 dB
Cl — 47pF, 12V electrolytic ture from exceeding 30O‘C. Once the 10 kHz -5 dB
C2.C16 — 2.2pF, 12V electrolytic ICs arc soldered, Ihc potentiometers 15 kHz -4 dB

i

C3 0.1 pF ceramic
and other input and output sockets may Note: These readings were taken
C4 — 0.5pF ceramic

Meco DMM with


in author's
1-megohm
C5 — O.O.’WpF ceramic be soldered. While ribbon cable is used prototype using a

C6 — O.lfipF ceramic for the former, shielded wire is a must


impedance and on a Hewlett Packard digital stor-

C7 — O.OlpF ceramic for the latter.


age oscilloscope.

C8 — r
0.0, »|iF ceramic
Clean the PCB with protective spray A wide variety of commercially avail-
C9 — 0.0033|iF ceramic
CIO — 0.015pF ceramic ! or petrol. Varnish its copper side. To able cabinets can be adapted for this
Cll — 0.001 pF ceramic give a neat finish, use solder pins on the purpose. The choice of sliding or rotary
C12 — 0.005pF ceramic PCH. Keep all wires as short as pos- controls is left to the reader. ITic input
C13 — 330pF ceramic
Note that the PCB designed so and output sockets are mounted on the
C14 — 0.0015pF ceramic
sible. is

C15 - 470pF, 12V as to keep all wiring on one side in hack panel. The PCB may be mounted
electrolytic proper order. using 6mm spacers. A suitable cabinet
If the potentiometers arc of sliding for the stereo version of the circuit is

or plasi ic ly pe then no chassis is needed available @ Rs 75 a piece from Gala

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 99
Fig. 3: PCB layout for the 6-band low-cost graphic equaliser.

Fig. 4; Component layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 3.

Electronics. Bombay. between a preamplifier having an out- an amplifier. The system has a remarka-
The equaliser has to be connected put between 220mV and 3.8 volts and bly excellent signal-to-noise ratio.

100 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Make Your Own VHF
ANTENNA BOOSTER
R. Shankar

M any areas in our country arc


considerable distance from the nearest
TV transmitter. In these areas satisfac-
at Unlike the wideband type,
doesn’t cover both the bands. But un-
narrowband type,
this booster Closely related to the gain
maximum signal handling capacity of
is the

like the this booster the booster. If the gain is high, the
tory TV reception is not possible with- covers all the channels in either of the booster should be able to handle the
out a high gain antenna and/or boaster. two bands instead of just a single chan- i
correspondingly higher output level.
This article gives the construction de- nel. Otherwise cross modulation and inter-
tails of a high quality booster for VIIF The fact that this booster doesn’t modulation would result. 'Hie output
bands. cover both the bands simultaneously handling capacity of this booster is at
Hut first an important fact about should not be a disadvantage because least lOOdUpV (0. IV), which is much
booster. Many people tend to believe most antenna systems do not have that higher than what most TV receivers
improve the quality of the
that boosters wide a bandwidth anyway. In fact the can handle.
signal available from the antenna. sacrifice of the bandwidth means that Last but not the least, this booster is
Nothing is further from the truth. A interfering signals from the unwanted designed for 300 ohms twinlead cable
booster could at the most prevent the band arc kept to a minimum. which is much cheaper than a good
quality of the signal from deteriorating, 'Hie quality of a booster is governed quality coaxial cable.
let alone improve it. A booster is there- by three parameters, namely noise fig-
fore no panacea for an inefficient an- ure, gain and signal handling capabil- The circuit
tenna system. Before attempting to con- ity. I'hc noise figure is the mast impor- Ihc high performance of this booster
struct this booster, the reader is advised tant parameter of all since noamount of is due to the new generation semicon-
to go through the article on Yagi an- gain could compensate for the damage ductors, namely the BF981 MOSFET
tenna design in the December '90 issue done to the signal by the noise gener- and the 2SC2570 bipolar transistor. The
of EFY. ated in the booster. A good boaster former is a gem of a device having a
Boosters arc of two types: wide- should have a noise of less than 3 dB. typical noise figure of only ldB at
band and narrowband. Wideband types This booster has a noise of only 1 .5 dB 200MHz! (In comparison, the lowly
cover the entire VHF range of 47-230 for band I version and 2 dB for the band BF200hasa noise figurcof2.7dBwhilc
MHz including the FM band. On the
j
III version. even the relatively expensive BFR91
other hand, narrowband types cover Contrary to popular belief, the gain has a noise figure of 1.9dB.)The other
only one channel. is not a very important parameter. A transistor used, the fairly well known
Though narrowband boosters are figure of 20 to 30 dB is perfectly ade- 2SC2570, has a very large bandwidth
superior to wideband types as far as quate. In fact gain greater than 40dB I
(5GI Iz.) despite being very cheap. It is
performance is concerned, the fact that could lead to undesirable effects such noisier than the BF981, but since it is
they cannot be used for more than one as cross modulation and intermedia- used only in the second stage, this fact
channel restricts their popularity. For tion. They manifest themselves in sev- is of hardly any consequence.
this reason, invariably all boosters avail- eral ways: (a) A dark band across the shows the circuit diagram of
Fig. 1
able in our country arc of the wideband 1

picture, (b) excessive contrast, (c) buzz- the booster. The power supply unit
type. ing sound in the speaker, (d) complete !
(PSU) for the booster is given in Fig. 5.
The booster given in this article blackout; and (e) swamping of a weak The balanced 300-ohm signal from
falls midway between the two types. signal by the local signal of a different the antenna is stepped up by XI and fed
Actually, two versions arc given, one channel. The gain of this booster is to gate 1 of Tl. Similarly, the ampli-
for band I and the other for band III. I about 30 dB. fied signal at the drain of Tl is stepped

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 101


Tiible 1
PARTS UST
Semiconductors R8, RIO — 82-ohm
Band 1 Band 111
*
Tl — BF981 dual gate
MOSFET Capacitors:
Cl, C2, T2.T4 — BC558B pnp transistor C1.C2, C5,
C5, CIO, T3 — 2SC2570 HF transistor C10.C14,
C14.C15 InF lOOpF Dl, D4, C15 — Ceramic disc (see Table
L3 — 8t, 20SWG D5 — 1N4148 diode
silicon C3 — 100pF, 25V
I)

U lll, 20SWG
D2 — 18V, 400m W diode
rerter electrolytic
LI '
6t, 30SWG 5t, 30SWG
D3 — 4.7V, 400mW rener diode C4.C11 — 22nF ceramic disc
L2 111, 30SWG 7t, 30SWG
D6, D7 — 1N4 002 diode
silicon C6 lOOOpF, 25V
15 12l, 30SWG 8t, 30SWG electrolytic
L6 31. 30SWG 2t, 30SWG
Resistors (ail 1/4W 5%, carbon, unless C7, C8, C9,
L7-L9 5t, 30SWG 3t, 30SWG
stated otherwise): C12, C13,
LIO. Lll 8l. 30SWG 8t, 30SWG
R1.R2, R5, C16 — 1 nF ceramic disc
R7 — 100-kilohm
R3 — 220-kilohm Miscellaneous
down by X2 and fed to T3. The unbal- R4 — 68-kilohm — 5 Baiun core of small size
anced signal at the collector ofT3 is R6, Rll — 1.2-kilohm X4 — 230V AC primary to
converted into a balanced one by X3
R12 — 100-ohm 0V-9V AC, 160mA
R9 — 2.2-kilohm secondary transformer
and fed to the twin lead which connects
the booster and the PSU. Gate '2' of T1
is fed with a DC bias of 4.5V. The cir- The 9V AC power supply which values of some of the components in
cuitry around T2 automatically adjusts also flows through the twin lead cable Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 have been left un-

the bias on gate 'T of T1 so that the is rectified by D6 and D7 to get +1 IV marked. This is because these values
latter’s drain current is held at around 7 and -11V respectively. The negative depend on the version of the booster.
mA. Similarly, T4 maintains the col- power supply is necessary because gate Table I gives the values of components
1 of T1 may have to be biased at a for the two versions.
lector current of T3 at around 9 mA.
This active biasing does away with the negative voltage depending on the L3 and L4 are present only for the

need for source and emitter degenera- specimen. D2 protects the booster against band III version. Together with the ca-

tion resistors which decrease RFslabil- excessive power supply transients. pacitances present at the gate 1 and
ity* You might have noticed that the ! drain terminals of Tl, these inductors

Fig. 1: Circuit diagram for VilF Antenna booster.

102 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


cut from the rest of the booed.
This section is to be used as
an RF shield between the
gate 1 and drain terminals
of Tl. Also a 5mm hole
should be drilled at the point
marked by a *+’ sign on the
main PCB.
First solder all the re-

sistors, capacitors, diodes


and transistors T2, T3 and
T4. Insert T3 and the ce-
ramic capacitors into the
Fig. 2: Actual six* PCB layout for VHF antenna booater.
PCB as much as they would
go without unduly strain-
ing their leads.
Now take two bits of
excess resistor leads which
have been cut off after sol-
dering. Solder them on to
the shield section immedi-
ately below the marker holes
so that the shield section
becomes a two- lead ‘com-
ponent*. Now solder this
‘component’ after inserting
it fully into the holes pro-
vided on the main PCB so
that the copper side faces
the input of the booster.
Fig. 3: Component layout for the PCB shown In Fig. 3.
The shield should be
versions. perpendicular to the PCB. Fix this shield
The power supply is relatively firmly on to the PCB by smearing
straightforward. The RF signal is fed to quickfix along the bottom edge.
the TV via C14 and Cl 5 which block Transformers XI, X2 and X3 are
the 9V AC. Similarly, L3 ad L4 block made by winding enamelled 30SWG
the RF signal from reaching the mains copper wire on balun cores (small size
Fig. 4:Attenuator to decrease signal by
transformer. type). The balun core is held in such
about 12 dB.
a way that the holes are vertical
cu Only one hole is used. The windings
loop
are tightly wound in a single layer.
Leave some gap between different wind-
ings.
Make sure that the windings L8 and
L9 are wound ‘in phase*. This is very
important.
03 L11 After soldering the transformer leads,
loop
coat the windings with insulating var-
Fig. 5: Power supply unit for VHF antenna booster. nish. This protects them against corro-
form bandpass filters for band III. In Construction sion as well as accidental short circuits
their absence, the inductances of XI Fig. 2 shows the PCB pattern and between adjacent L10 and Lll
turns.

and X2 cause the resonant frequency to Fig. 3 the components layout. The PCB are also wound on balun cores the same
fall in band I. Also note that there are should be silver- or tin-plated glass way as XI, X2 and X3.
differences in the number of turns of epoxy type. The rectangular pattern on A word about balun cores: Some
the transformer windings for the two the right hand side of the PCB should be manufacturers use high permeability

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 103


material which is quite lossy at VI IF. '
number is visible from the copper without connecting the antenna and
Therefore,buy samples of different brands side and the longest lead rests on TV leads.
andseethestrengthwithwhichtheyget 1

the pad meant for the drain. Cut the After switching on ihc power sup-
attracted by a magnet. Use the type leads of the MOSFET to the size of the ply, test the voltages across G3 and C6.
*
which is attracted the least.
1

pads. They should be about 10 to 11 volts.


L3 and L4 are made by winding If you have a low leakage soldering Next, check the voltage between the
j

closely 8 and 11 turns respectively of iron, solder the leads by applying the anode of D1 and ground. It should lie

20SWG enamelled copper wire on a iron for not more than half a second at between -2V and +0.3V.
standard pencil. Then they are uniformly a time. Also allow a cooling time of 10 The voltages across R12 and D3
stretched so that the ends go into the seconds between soldcrings. If you do should be about 0.9V and 4.5 V respec-
PCB fully. As previously mentioned, not have a low leakage iron, remove the check all connec-
tively. If they are not,

ts and L4 arc necessary only for the plug of the iron (merely switching it off lions once again. Also exam ine for any

band III version. is not enough) immediately before sol- possible shods/open circuits of the balun
Now coming to the most delicate dering and re-plug it soon afterwards, transformers,
component of all, the BF981 It should . This step is repeated for each of the The booster is now ready for opera-
be the last component to be mounted on leads. tion. Use a good quality twin lead to

the board. While buying it, ask the After soldering thet MOSFET. the connect the antenna to the booster. The
shopkeeper not to put it in a polythene board could be soldered to the input/ booster should not be mounted too close
cover since the static electricity could output terminal strips provided in the to the antenna as instability might re-

'kilT it. A paper cover is perfectly booster box. The optimum distance
suit. is between
alright. one and two metres.
To solder the MOSFET follow this Testing If the gain of the booster is too high,
procedure carefully: First completely Before mounting the booster near Fig.4showsanattcnuatorwhichcanbe
tin meant for the leads of the
the pads the antenna, it is better to do a ‘floor used at the TV input to attenuate the
MOSFET on the PCB. Insert the body test’ to check the DC bias conditions, signalbyabout 12dB.Ifstilllhereisno
of the MOSFET into its hole from the For this, connect the power supply effect,R1 1 can be reduced to 68 ohms
copper side of the PCB so that the type and the booster by short wires, or 47 ohms.
Resetting Protector
For Computers
Amrit Bir Tiwana
This low cost resetting protector, which is compatible with almost
all types of home computers and PCs, ensures complete protection
against faulty or inadvertant resetting of computers
M
.

J.T -lost sophisticated computer pro-


grams include software which ensures
protection against immediate execu-
tion of hasty commands. However* even
the most advanced computer programs
do not offer protection against acciden-
tal operation of the panel mounted reset
switch. 'Phis often leads to incompletely
entered software, improperly closed files,

and results in useless memory accumu-


lation in the hard disc. The need and
utility of a device which can prevent Fig. 1: block schematic of the resetting protector.
instant (accidental or normal) resetting
of the computer is thus quite obvious.
The resetting protector described
here is a low-cost solution to accidental
resetting. When the reset key is pressed
for the first time (may be intentionally)
the unit sounds an alarm. The user can
disengage the alarm by pressing the
same switch again. Thereafter, a panel-
mounted LED will start glowing to
warn the user that the computer will be
reset on the next press.
The unit is built around just two
easily available CMOS ICs and is

compatible with IBM compatible AT/


XT personal computers and a variety of
home computers. A compact PCB, which
can easily be accommodated in the
computer cabinet, has also been in-

cluded to simplify the construction.

Working
The block schematic of the protec-
tor is given in Fig. 1 and the complete
circuit is given in Fig. 2. The circuit is and a CD4093BEquad 2-input schmitt duced between the reset switch and the
based on a CD4022 octal decimal counter NAND gate IC. The circuit is intro- PCs mother board containing the CPU

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 105


:)

(refer Fig. 7). N1 is used as a contact


dcbouncer which prevents multiple
counting when reset switch SI is pressed.
When the reset switch is pressed for
TO CC**PJT£R
the first time, the output of N1 goes RESFT SWITCH

high momentarily, and the output of


1C2 (counter) is incremented by 1 . Output
pin (Q2) of IC2 goes high and the
1

buzzer is activated through the buffer


transistor. When SI is pressed again,
the output Q2 goes low and 03 (pin 3)
goes high, which in turn activates the

bicolour LED flasher built around N2 TO PIEZO TO BiCOlOUP


and N3. VR1 is used to adjust the flash- LED

ing rate. When SI is pressed again, 04


(pin 7) of the counter goes high mo-
Fig. 5: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 4.
mentarily and applies a high pulse to
the reset input of IC2 and resets. should be taken while soldering semi- ready for installation.
Simultaneously, T1 also starts con- conductors. The lead temperature of
ducting and the points A and B are ICs should not exceed 250°C. Sixty PARTS LIST
shorted momentarily and the computer to forty per cent type core may be
Semuxm ductors
is reset. used along with u 10-watt rod for this ICI —CD4093, quad
purpose. After soldering is done, re- 2-input schmitt

Construction check the entire circuit and clean NAND gate

PCB with some and give a


IC2 —CD4022, octal
The complete circuit can be as- the petrol
decimal counter
sembled on a PCB as shown in Fig. 4. coat of varnish to prevent oxidation IC3 —7805, +5V regulator
The PCB should preferably be etched of tracks. Ribbon cable may be used for T1 — BC148B, silicon
transistor
on a glass epoxy board. Extreme care connections. The module is now
T2 — BC147B, silicon
transistor
D1,D2 — 1N4 148, silicon diode
ici D3-D5 — 1N4001, silicon diode
C04093BE
Resistors (ait 1/4W, ±5% carbon unless
R9 stated otherwise
16 1

11 47K
IC2 (?) T3 R1.R4.R6
$
R7. RIO — 100-kilohm
R2 —10-kilohm
C4 _
V R3, R9 —4.7-kilolun
rv
4
.01
— MV
M R5.R11 — -kilohm
1
£rio
?1O0K R8 —390-olun
VR1 —470-kilohm
potentiometer
Capacitors:
computer Cl —2.2 »F, 12V
Fig. 3: Modifications for positive resetting of
electrolytic
C2 —0.68nF ceramic
disc
C3 — l^F, 10V electrolytic
C4 — 0.0 b»F ceramic disc
C5 — 470(j.F, 16V
electrolytic
C6 —0.22nF ceramic disc
Miscellaneous:
XI —230V AC primary
to 9V-0-9V AC,

ill SI —
300mA secondary
transformer
Push-to-on switch
—LEDs
-Bi-colour LED
—Buzzer
Fig. 4 PCB layout for the resetting protector.

106 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Installation
I"he procedure given here must be
followed while installing the circuit.
Remove the top cover of the com-
puter. The reset switch is mounted on
the front panel with one lead connected
to the reset circuitry and the other usu-
ally to the ground. Cut the wires shown
by dotted lines in Fig. 7 and solder them
to points X and Y of the module. Solder
the wires coming from the reset switch
Fig. 6: Power supply arrangement for the resetting protector. to points A and B. Connect the ground
and +5V terminals of the PSU to points
P and Q. Now fix the PCB in a suitable

position. In the prototype, it was fixed


on the power supply board using 12mm
spacer. Now replace the cover and switch
on the com puter. Test the unit by press-
ing the reset switch.

Useful hints
If one terminal of the reset switch is connected to
the positive terminal supply then the circuit may
be modified as shown in Fig. 3. If a separate power
supply is required for the circuit, then the circuit

;
given in Fig. 6 may be used.
The complete circuit would cost around Rs 40.

Fig. 7: Wiring diagram showing how the module is installed in the computer.
Add-On Telephone Devices
K. Sundararajan

H arlier the

ered a luxury item.


telephone was consid-
Now, times have
verts it into an electrical pulse. sponding output pin while remaining
nine outputs are at OV. Pins 13
changed. People have realised the im- Ring detector and counter (ENABLE) and 15 (RESET) arc kept low
portance and necessity of the telephone. The ring counter circuit, as the name and IC2 counts the number of clock
It can be used to perform various func- implies, is used to count the number of pulses. If a positive voltage is applied at
lions other than making and receiving rings. Fig. 1 gives the complete cir- the enable input, the counter will

calls. cuitry for the ring detector and counter, automatically stop counting. If a posi-
This article enables the reader to in- Condensers Cl and C2 connected live voltage is applied at the reset
crease the performance and usefulness across the telephone line block the input, counting will immediately slop
of his telephone by incorporating a normally available DC voltage (-48V). and the counter will be cleared. By
variety of circuits. Five such circuits The resistors R 1 and R2 form a voltage connecting output pins of 1C2 to the
are presented here. The projects de- divider fortransistorTl. When the tele- rotary switch SI, the positive pulse

scribed here can be built and used inde- phone rings, AC voltage of about 75 V from any output can be applied to pin

pendenlly. rms is superimposed on theDCvoltagc 13, to disable the IC2 once the predeter-
When the telephone is in idle condi-
!

across the telephone line. During posi- mined count is reached. To control the
lion (on hook), the full battery voltage ,
tive half cycles of the ringsignal, diode RESET pin of IC2, an IC 555 timer (IC3)
of -48 volts from the telephone ex- D1 is reverse biased and the current is is employed.

change appears across the telephone i


applied to the base of transistor Tl. The output of ringdetcctor circuit is
line. To indicate an incoming call, a Diode D1 also prevents Tl from being fed to pin 2 of IC3. Normally, this
ringing signal of 75 V, 17Hz is sent on reverse biased by grounding its base trigger input at pin 2 of IC3 is high, and

the line. The ringing tone duration is during negative half cycles. Transistor hence the output at pin 3 is low. Gate
0.4 sec on, 0.2 sec off. This ringing I
Tl conducts during each ring and pro- N2 converts this low signal into high
signal needed to operate the bell or
is vides a negative going signal to the ring and thus resets the decade counter IC2.
other devices used in the subscriber's |
counter circuit. To convert this pulse The LED connected to the Q0 output
telephone instrument. '
into a positive going signal, gate N 1 is glows to indicate that IC2 is reset.
Projects included in this article are used. This gate not only inverts the However, when Tl conducts due to the
based on the telephone ring detector signal but also cleans up the signal for presence of the ring signal, pin 2 of IC3
circuit with or without the ring counter IC2, a 4017 decade counter. goes low. This triggers the timer into
circuit. The ring detector circuit detects !
With each clock pulse input, IC2 operation and the output at pin 3 be-
the incoming ring signal and then con- I
places a positive voltage on its corre- comes high, making pin 15 of IC2 low.

108 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Fig. 1: Ring delector and counter circuit.
Gate N1 inverts the output of the ring value of the resistor. IC3 responds to addition to the existing telephone bell.
detector circuit and gives a clock signal the first trigger pulse and ignores sub- For each ring of the telephone, this

to 1C2. Every subsequent ring pulse in- sequent trigger pulses during its liming circuit produces a soft tone.
crements the counter by one until ring- cycle. After the timing cycle, the out- The soft ringer circuit, based on the
ing stops. put at pin 3 goes low and resets IC2. telephone ring detector circuit of Fig.
In this circuit, IC3 is wired as a Output of 102 is cleared back to zero 1, is shown in Fig. 2. Piezo buzzer is

monostable multivibrator. When trig- and the LED turns on. connected at the collector of T2. Tran-
ger (pin 2) grounded, output (pin 3)
is The five add-on circuits are ex- sistor T2 is in cut-off mode when the
goes high for a period determined by plained below, telephone is idle. When the ringing
the values of R6 and 04. The value of signal appears across the telephone line,
the time constant is 0.693 R6 x C4 see. Soft ringer 17 responds and collector current flows
But the actual values obtained from the The normal telephone bell is loo through the piezo buzzer. The piezo
circuit will not be equal to the ideal loud and annoying. One can easily buzzer sounds in tune with the ringing
value derived from the formula be- convert this dull sounding telephone signal.

cause of the tolerance of resistors and ringer into an electronic device which
capacitors. Similarly, a 1 meg preset/ generates a soft, pleasing tone, Delayed musical ringer
potentiometer can be used for correct i
It can also be used as an extra bell in At times, when the telephone user is
fast asleep, the shrill ring of the tele-

phone not only wakes him up but also


forces him sometimes to answer a wrong
number. This circuit (Fig.3) can be set
to intercept the ring signal for a preset
number of pulses before the telephone
actually starts ringing. Ihus, unwanted
calls are avoided. Only genuine call-

ers, who allow the ring to continue


Fig. 2: Soft ringer circuit.
beyond the preset time, can get the call

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 109


O 1 :

^AAr—
R11 f&V PARTS LIST
FS1
14 Sem iconductors:
IC1 —CD40106 hex
IC2 schematic inverter
2/4.0 F IC4
CD 4017
CD 4016 IC2 — CD4017 decade
counter
IC3, IC6 — NE555 timer
1 LS2
IC4 —CD4016 quad SP/ST
bilateral switch
IC5 —UM66 musical IC
IC7 —CD4013 dual flip flop
Transistors
T1.T2, T5, T6,
T8, T9, T1 —2N3904
T3 —BC547
T4 —BC557
T7, T10 —2N3906
Dl, D2, D4-D12 —1N4004 diodes
D3 —3.3V, 400m W zener
Fig. 3: Delayed musical ringing circuit. Resistors (all 1 /4W, +5% carbon unless
stated otherwise):
through. At the end of the time con- 1

R1.R2, R8, R9,


TO
TELEPltONE
stant, the circuit automatically returns LINE
TELEPHONE R14, R15, R17,
to monitoring the telephone for the next NEON
INSTRUMENTS
R18, R34, R35 —1-kilohm
R3, RIO, R13,
call after the preset time.
R33, R36 —47-kilohm
Operation of the circuit will not Fig. 4: Simple visual ringing circuit.
R4, R12, R19, R32 —100-kilohm
affect thenormal working of the tele- Visual indicator R5.R16. R20 —560-ohm
phone. The on/off sequence of the Sometimes the sound of the tele- R6, R22 —See text
musical ringer is determined by bilat- phone bell is too low to be heard, par-
R7 —470-olun
Rll —270-ohm
eral switchIC4 (CD4016). Two out of ticularly when the telephone subscriber R21 —390-ohm
four switches of IC4 are connected in is from the instrument. In
at a distance R23. R38 — 1.5-kilohra
series with each other. Positive voltage such cases, there arc chances of miss- R24, R37 —3-3-kilohm
control pins 13 and 5 close the switches ing an important call. This visual indi-
R25 —22-kilohm
at
R26, R27, R29 —2.2-kilohm
ES 1 and ES2 and DC voltage appears at cator circuit (Fig. 4) lights up a lamp to R28 —10-kilohm
pin 4 of IC4. The clock pulse fed to IC2 indicate an incoming call. This circuit R30.R31 —6.8-kilohm
is also given to pin 13 of IC4 and the will also help those who are awaiting a R39 —15-kilohm
VR1 —360-kilohm (preset)
enable pin of IC2 is connected to pin 5 call at night but do not want to disturb
Capacitors:
of IC4. Thus, whenever the telephone others. Besides, it can help to attract the
Cl, C2, C6-C9
rings, pin 13 becomes high. When the attention of deaf people. C12, C13, C16,
predetermined count is reached, pin 5 The circuit shown in Fig. 4 consists C17 —0.22pP ceramic disc
becomes high and 3.3V supply is con- of a neon lamp and a resistor only. 'Hie
C3.C14.C18 —4.7pF, 16V
electrolytic
nected to IC5(UM66 music generator) circuit is thus very cheap and easy to fix
—25pF, 16V
C4
which generates a pleasant ring. across the telephone line. electrolytic
When the telephone is answered, Under idle condition, the -48 volts C5.C11 —O.OlpF ceramic disc
ESI opens and the musical ring from DC available on the telephone line is CIO —lOpF, 16V
electrolytic
UM66 stops. After the set time, pin 13 not sufficient to ionise the neon gas. C15 —O.lpF disc ceramic
of IC2 goes low and opens ES2. Now When the ring signal of 75V AC at 17 Miscellaneous:
the circuit is ready for intercepting the Hz is superimposed on the line, neon SI —Single pole, 7/1 1 way
ring signal of the next call. gas ionises. The lamp then flashes on rotary switch

Thus, this circuit not only allows and off at the ringing rate. But the main S2 * —On/off switch
S3 —Push-fco-off switches
the telephone to ring only a few, prede- drawback of this circuit is that it is not
S4,S5 —Pu»h-to-on switches
termined times but also plays music. visible from a long distance. RL1-RL5 —9V relay (more than
The important feature of the two Visual indicator circuit using a re- 50fl resistance)

circuits mentioned above is that the lay shown in Fig. 5. This circuit is
is
Piero buzzer — 1 no.
Triac —SC 146 or equivalent
ringing tone is not continuous. Toavoid based on the ring detector circuit of SCR —Any
continuous ringing, the tones are inter- Fig. 1. Under normal condition, with 230V, 60W
rupted in tunc with the normal tele- low output at the base of T1 1, T10 is AC bulb —2 nos.
phone ringing signal. held at cut-off by R38. When the tele-
LSI —8-ohm loudspeaker
no ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
more than 1 sec but less than 3 sec.
When IC6 goes high,
the output of
relay RL1 energises and the bulb starts
glowing. Thus, the lamp will flicker in
response to the ringing signal.
Switch S2 turns the lamp on when
the telephone is not ringing. It applies
positive potential to the relay directly.
Diode D4 provides protection for IC6
when switch S2 is closed.
To keep the lamp glowing till the
conversation is over, value of time con-
Fig. 5: Flashing visual indicator.
stant 0.693 R32 x CIO can be changed.
phone rings, a high signal appears at the dicator for those who are dissatisfied Shown in Fig. 7 is the schematic
base of Til. Hence both Tl 1 and T10 with the performance of the above cir- diagram of another visual indicator using
are driven to saturation and the relay cuit. In this circuit duration of the lamp triac instead of a relay. 'ITiis circuit also
operates. The relay contact in turn glow can be adjusted using IC 555. lights thelamp continuously until the
operates the lamp. During the off pe- 1C6 (IC 555) is connected to oper- telephone is picked by the subscriber.
riod of ring signal, the relay is released ate as a monostable multivibrator and it Normally, when the telephone is not
ringing, the gate of the triac is grounded.
When the ring signal is available on the
telephone line, transistor T6 conducts
and gate N3 converts this low going
pulse into high going pulse. As the triac
gets the supply in its gate, it conducts
and the lamp glows.
nia
Automatic audio attenuator
w/2N3904 16V

"1
±C10
r 1 0*
M" -Leu
S It

telephone
is very difficult to converse on
when the radio or TV arc at
-poi*
!

i high volume. The circuit shown in Fig.


1 '

8 reduces the volume when the tele-


Fig. 6: Visual indicator with adjustable flashing rate. phone rings and after a predetermined

and the lamp goes off. produces pulse ofabout 2.5 seconds du- time it restores the original volume
Thus, whenever the telephone bell The pulse width can be adjusted
ration. level automatically. Circuits shown in

rings, the relay goes on/off and the bulb with the help of preset VR1. Pulse Figs 1 and 8 form the complete auto-
connected to the relay contact flashes. width should be greater than one ring, matic audio attenuator.
The lamp glows for approximately one but should end before the start of the Under normal conditions, output at
second. next ring. As our ring is of 0.4 sec on, pin 13 of IC2 is low. Gate N4 inverts it
Shown in Fig. 6 is another visual in- 0.2 sec off, the output of IC6 should be and high pulse is given to pin 6 of
electronic switch ES3 of 1C4. Thus the
audio signal is brought to its original
volume. When the telephone rings, the
counter (IC2) counts the number of
i rings to reach predetermined count and
opens the electronic switch through gate
N4. Ihe audio signal now passes through
resistor R22 which results in reduced
volume.
The resistor R22 m ust be introduced
between the volume control and the
power amplifier. The value of the resis-
tor may be selected as per one’s wish

,
and need. 'Hie time constant of IC3
Fig. 7: Continuous lighting circuit. should be adjusted such that pin 3 goes

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS in
with Fig. 1 forms the complete circuit

es3
for latching the device. Here the relay
FROM
VOLUME CONTROL coil is energised in response to the
of RAOiorrv TO POWER output at pin 13 of IC2. The positive
ic5i amplifier
going output pulse at pin 1 3 triggers the
1i'6 CD 40106
IC2
SCR and the SCR operates the relay.
CD 4017 Once triggered, SCR remains on after
the trigger pulse removed. The de-
is

vice can be turned off by opening switch

Fig. 8: Automatic audio attenuator circuit,


S3 momentarily and interrupting the
S4
RESET current in SCR.
low after the completion of the call. I PUSH-TOON SWITCH
* 9V

Remote control or electrical devices


The remote control circuit described RL4
Q
here responds to the sound of the tele- t
>
Fsct
i
S5
r
DIO
1M004
phone bell to energise any electrical PUSH-TOON
SWITCH
device. R29
IC2 ?2K /T
The circuits given in Figs 6 and 7, T9
CD 4017 '2N3904
can also be used for this purpose. In-
stead of a bulb, other electrical devices
can be connected.
Fig. 9 along with Fig. 1 forms the
;R30
H31
complete circuit for remote control of B-6K
68K
electrical devices. Under normal con-
ditions, with low output at pin 13 of
Fig. 12:
1 Remote controlled toggle action.
IC2, T8 is held at cut off and relay does vice. After the set time (by IC3), the
1

not operate. When the telephone rings, relay disconnects the electrical device.
i

pin 13 of IC2 becomes high after the The circuit shown in Fig. 1 1 along
The circuit shown in Fig. 12 allows
R23
,
a device to be turned on or off with the
1SK
17 i first telephone call and then be turned
2N3906
« off or on with second call. This cycle is
R2*
3.3K ! repeated with each succeeding call and
RL2
50H the load can be switched on and off any
9V
T8
D8 number of times.
IC2 2N3904
1N4O01
CD 4017 R26 The heart of the circuit is the D flip-
2 2K
22 K i flop (IC CD4013). The clock signal
'
that drives IC CD4013 is taken from

pin 1 3 of IC2. Data available at pin 5 of
the flip-flop is transferred to pin 1,
Fig. 9: Remote control of electrical devices by relay coil.
when the circuit is triggered by the
predetermined number of rings. As this positive going clock pulse. Outputs at
83
high is given to the base of T8, both T7 PUSH-TOOFF pin 2 (Q) and pin 1 (0) are always
SWITCH
and 1^8 are driven to saturation, and the opposite. Since the data input of the IC
SV
relay operates. The relay contact com- is connected to the inverted output (Q),
pletes the electrical circuit of the de- the flip-flop toggles for each clock pulse,
n
RL3
1N4004 which in turn switches transistor T9
RELAY 3X (feOW X 230V AC)
BULBS 500 into conduction or cut-off.
CONTACT
9V
R27 SCR Since the flip flop can assume any
IC2 2.2K
logic state initially, the set and reset
CD 4017
switches are introduced. Set switch S5
forces the circuit to energise the relay
coil while the reset switch S4 turns the
Fig. 11: SCR based remote control
relay off.
Fig. 10: Suggested use of relay contacts. circuit.

112 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


/

Master-Slave Clock
Suresh Batra

I f you happen to reach Bombay available quartz controlled oscillator S3 is for seconds display. Ihe master
VT station by a local train, perhaps you cum divider IC, MM5369. The crystal clock has an additional control for
may not miss a pair of giant clocks used has a resonance frequency of 3.579 reset which activates three signals of
(about 1.5 m dia) mounted symmetri- MHz. It gives an output of 60 Hz after master as well as all slave clocks, viz,
cally across the local platform. These 17 stages of division. The output is fast set, slow set and seconds display
English-made clocks are about a cen- available at pin 1 of 1C1. The pin con- (i .e. pins 34, 33 and 32) simultaneously

tury old and are driven by half-a-min- figuration of the IC is shown in Fig. 9. through diodes D 1 to D3(m aster clock),
ute pulse from their master control. Fine adjustment of the 60Hz frequency D8 to DIO (slave clock) and so on.
Hence, the concept of a master-slave is done with the help of trimmer C3 or When the reset switch (S4) is pressed, it
clock is not anew one. Whenever syn- sometimes by suitably changing the resets all the clocks to either 12.00 AM
chronism among various clocks is re- value of C2. The circuit accepts the or 0000 hrs, depending upon 12-hour or
quired, the idea of master slave is used. supply voltage between 5V and 15V. 24-hour mode of operation. The output
The stability and accuracy achieved is The drain current of the master oscilla- from IC2 is fed to the display (DIS 1 to

that of the master clock. The above- tor circuit is about 4 m A at 1 2 V supply. DIS 4) through limiting resistors of lk
mentioned master clock generally used each. Output for each segment is ca-

a metre long pendulum to generate a Master clock pable of supplying about 11 mA cur-
half-minute pulse. The circuit diagram of the master rent. Limitingresistors R3, R5 and R15,
A more or less similar concept is clock is shown in Fig. 2. The circuit while supplying current to more than
applied for designing a digital master- shown is for driving one slave clock. one segments (depending upon the 12
slave clock. In place of a metre long Many more slave clocks can be con- 24 -hr mode), may be reduced to 560 or
pendulum, a quartz controlled master nected by multiplying the five signal 470 ohms to equalise the glow of the
oscillator is used and instead of 30- points Vcc (A), Vcc (B), reset, 601 Iz segments.
sccond pulse, a more accurate 1 /60- output and ground. These five signals
second pulse is used to drive slave arc terminated in one or two 5-pin ste- Slave clock
clocks. The block schematic diagram reo sockets mounted in the master and The slave clock is identical to the

of the same is shown in Fig. 1 The . slave units as per requirement. master clock. It uses the same IC
complete circuit diagram of master- The clock uses IC LM8361 in a LM8361. Diodes D8 to D10 and resis-
slave clock is shown in Fig. 2. I conventional way. Switches SI and S2 tors R28 to R53 arc identical to Di to
are for fast set and slow set control and D3 and R1 to R26. In slave clock, the
Circuit description
The circuit can be divided into five
parts as is clear from the block sche-

matic.
(i) Quartz controlled master oscilla-
tor

(ii) Master clock


(iii) Slave clock
(iv) Display
(v) Power supply.

Master oscillator
The master oscillator uses an easily Fig. 1: Block schematic of master slave dock.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 113


switch for seconds display is not needed.
More slave units can be connected
in parallel with the master unit. The
five signals, viz, Vcc Vcc{B), 60
(A),
Hz output, reset and ground arc given
to these slave units through parallel
connections. All the components for
these slave units are identical. A 5-pin
stereo socket is used to extend the sig-
nals from master to slave or one slave to
another slave.

Display
Display uses four FND500 devices,
giving 12 mm of LED display. Display
DIS 1, i.e. 10*s of hour, is mounted
upside down to give the dot on the top
left comer which will work as PM indi-
cator in 12-hour mode. However, the
connections of the other segments will «
not be affected. Cathodes of all the
segments are grounded because all the
segments are common-cathode type.
WZIWl

Displays used for master and skive clocks


are identical.

Power supply
The power supply is designed as a I

PARTS LIST
Semiconductors. T
IC1 MM5369 quartz SI
H
controlled oscillator ‘
*U
IC2, IC3 LM8361
D1-D3, D8-D10 1N4148 silicon **«

switching diode
D4-D7 1N4001 silicon rectiHer
diode

Resistors (all 1/4W, ±5% carbon unless sf


-S
stated otherwise):
R1-R25,
R29-R53 — 1-kilohm
R26, R28 — 100-kilohm
R27 — 10-megohm
Au

Capacitors:
Cl 470pF, 25V
electrolytic
l5pF, ceramic disc
gigi
0-22pF trimmer

Miscellaneous: off
XI 230V AC primary
12V-0V-12V AC,
500mA 'secondary tn
fO
transformer
S1-S6 - Push-to-on switches
XL — 3.579 MHz ciystal
oscillator
DIS 1 -DIS 8 — FND 500
9V Battery
Fir.2: Circuit diagram of master slave clock.

IELECTRONICS PROJECTS!
common source for all the master slave
housed in the master unit.
units but is
As the average drain current of each
clock is around 125 mA, the 220V,
12V-0-12V, 500mA transformer will
be adequate for one master and three
slave clocks. In case more clocks are to
be connected, the transformer capacity
must be increased accordingly.
Diodes D4 and D5 are connected as
a full-wave rectifier and Cl is the filter

capacitor. The 9V works as the


battery
back-up during power interruptions. Vcc
(A) is the +12V supply with battery
back-up and Vcc (B) +12V sup- is the
ply without battery back-up. As the dis-
play is connected to Vcc (B), there is
FigJ: PCB layout for the master unit.
no display during power failure.

12-hour/24-hour mode
The display PCB is quite versatile
in design. Fig. 10(a) shows
jumper the
details for 12-hour/24-hour mode and
jumper details for 24-hour mode arc
shown in Fig. 10(b). Master-slave dock
can be used in any mode of operation.
Also, it is possible to display 1ST, GMT
or any other time depending upon the
application.

Assembly
The project become easy to
will
implement if the PCB layouts shown in
Figs 3, 5 and 7 are used. The clock
PCB cither master or slave has to be
connected to the display PCB through
26 flexible wires. While using the
Fig.4: Components layout for the PCB layout shown in Fig 3 .
slave configuration, the components
R28 to R53, D8 to D10 and IC3 have to
be used in place of R1 toR26, D1 toD3
and IC2.

Testing
All the components should be
checked before starting the assembly.
After the assembly is over, first check
the supply voltage and master oscilla-

tor frequency, i.e. 60 Hz output. If

60Hz output is okay, the clock should


display the time. If the display is blink-
ing, use set switches SI and S2 for
constant display. Check the segments
of all the four digits. If any segment is

not glowing, check for the correspond-

FIg.5: PCB layout for the slave unit. ing limiting resistor. Connect the slave

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 115


Flg.6: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig.5.

Flg.7: PCB layout for the display unit.

Fig .8: Components layout for the PCB shown in Flg.7.

clock to the master clock through a 5- kept in separate rooms. Sometimes it

pin stereo socket. The slave clock will may be desired to have a larger display,
display some arbitrary time. Before set- say 90mm for a big hall, and a small
ting the time, press the reset switch, display, say 12mm for a small cabin.
The master as well as the slave clocks For such applications, the discreet LEDs
will either reset to 12.00 AM or 0000 are used. Five LEDs (5mm) are used in
hour, depending upon 12-hr or 24-hr series for horizontal segments and four
Fig.Kk Jumper details for 1^24 hr mode.
mode used. Now the master and the LEDs are used in series for vertical
slave clocks can be used for the desired segments. The practical values for Cabinet
display. Irrespective of the Lime dis- i limiting resistors are: Depending upon the display size,
played on the master-slave clock, the 1

the clocks can be housed in a wooden/


transition of minute display is synchroni- Horizontal segments - 100 ohms acrylic cabinets of desired colour. The
sed. \
Vertical segments - 220 ohms layout is generally not critical.
The master and slave clocks can be Colon (with 2 LEDs) - 470 ohms

116 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Readers’ comments: power failure. The author is requested the commonly available 9V battery
to explain. source has capacity of the order of 100
4. Are PCBs and other components mAH, it may not be possible to obtain
< like the ICs and the FND500 dis- 125 mAeven for an hour. Therefore
The Project is But
very useful .

in absence of 230V AC-supply which


plays of the master-slave clock avail- ) the display of the clock, which draws
DC source is to be used, and what will able in the market? 11 mA per segment, is not supplied
be its voltage and current capacity?
C. SAHAYA RAJ during power interruption. The inter-
Please also tell us about the life of Kanyakumari Dist nal clock circuit of the clock chip and
that DC source and the current drain
The construction project is very the oscillator/divider IC is supplied
of the clock.
useful indeed for factories and offices. with battery current, which
the
AMANDEEP KHOSA I would like to suggest the following amounts to 10- 12 mA and may last for
minor points: about 10 hours. Rechargeable 9V bat-
Bhagu
Diode D6 is not required at all,
1. tery (if available) avoids periodic re-
but it should be placed in series with placement of the battery.
I have made the Master-Slave
battery as under. Moreover, in the Mr Sravan Kumar’s requirement
Clock on a general-purpose PCB. It is
given circuit battery will get over- of an add-on alarm circuit is in fact
working very well. But can I add an
charged through D7. So D6 should be beyond the scope of this article as the
alarm circuit to it?
provided as shown here. If battery i6 clocks are normally meant for use in
SRAVAN KUMAR
required in charge position then 10k various rooms of offices etc.
Hyderabad
resistance should also be provided as As regards Mr Ramjee’s clarifica-
A few months ago wrote a letter to
I
shown. tion about the limitation to number of
EFY with a request to publish a cir-
As slow/fast pushbutton is pro- slave units, the mi ti ng factor can ob-
cuit on master-slave clock. I thought Vc«(B)
1 i

Vcc(A)
my request was left unattended, but viously be the current handling ca-
when I saw the project in November pacity of the transformer, as an aver-
issue I was overwhelmed. EFY does age drain of each display is about 125
fulfill readers’ requests. mA at 12V. The voltage level of oscil-
Though the author claims that there lator IC 5369 is immaterial as these
is no limitation to the number of slave
circuits are current-operative. About
1. xi
units connected to the master unit, OUTPUT 10jiA current is adequate to maintain
T
-O 1

the normal operation of the internal


what is the dB level of 60Hz pulse
vided locally, the reset pushbutton
applied to each slave unit and the clock circuit of 8361. Pin 1 of IC 5369
should be provided locally. is connected through 100k resistor. If
max. capacity of the pulse generator CHANDRAPAL
P.
circuit? This factor may limit the required, this resistor can be reduced
Dhuvaran
number of slaves. to a slightly smaller value.
I found that in 24-hours mode the
Kindly differentiate between the About Mr Raj’s doubts:
clock works properly up to 19 hours
1. Yes, the master clock by itself
master linked to slave via segment
only. On making the jumper connec-
multiplexed circuit and the circuit pub- can be used as an ordinary clock. In
tion (Fig, 10) as shown here, it worked
lished here. offices having more than one room,
properly. the slave clocks can be added with the
R. RAMJEE In this circuit we do not use 12V
Srirangam master clock. The special feature of
While thanking the author for this Master Slave Clock system is that all
wonderful project, I request him to the clocks will show the same time up
clarify the following doubts: to the last second.

Can the master clock be used Pin 38 of IC1 is kept ‘open’ for
2.

alone? If so, what is the function of 12-hour mode, while it is connected to


slave clocks? Vcc (b) for 24-hour mode. Tens-of-
.2. Referring Fig. 2, how to change hour digit of display chip is shown in
the mode of operation (12-hour/24-
and 1Hz points given in Fig.10 (b). Figs 10 (a) and 10 (b> for 12-hour and
Is it possible to show seconds with 24 -hour modes respectively.
hour)? In Fig.10, are the jumper de-
tHis clock 9 Vcc which is a 12V supply,
tails for display ICs, FND500? If so, is 3. (a),

it necessary to give internal connec-


CHANDRA PRAKASH GARG with battery back-up supplies cur-
Jodhpur rent to master oscillator as well as to
tions for all the FNDoOO's used?
3. In Fig.2, Vcdal is the 12V supply internal clock circuits of all theclocks.
with battery back-up and Vcc< b> is the The author, Mr Suresh Batra, The displays of all the clocks, through
replies: pin 23 of clock ICs, get the current
12V supply without battery back-
up. So, during power failure, the master
Regarding Mr Bhagu’s query, infor- through Vcc <b> a 12V supply with- —
mation about DC current drain is al- out battery back-up.
clock section will be functioning prop-
ready given in the article. The current 4. The PCBs for the projects are
erly and the slave section will also be
drain of a clock is about 125 mA at 12 generally supplied by Kits ‘n’ Spares,
displaying. But the author has men-
volts. A 9-volt battery source has been 303 Dohil Chambers, 46 Nehru Place,
tioned that as the display is connected
recommended as a back-up source. As New Delhi 110019, which isanassoci-
to Vcdb) there is no display during

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 117


ate concern of EFY. ICs and display providing one reset i9ensure syn-
to display digit which may also be tried.
chip6 are easily available in the shops chronisation among all the clocks. The seconds display, along with
dealing with electronic components, Mr Garg faced some problem in the hours and minutes display, is
such as Visha Electronics and Vega the assembly for 24-hour mode. How- beyond the scope of this article. In
Kits in Bombay, who advertise almost ever, the circuit given for 24 -hour mode an independent project
fact, this is in
regularly in EFY. is the recommended circuit by the itself which has already appeared in
Mr Chandrapal suggests an alter- manufacturer and it has been tested EFY.
nate way of battery connection. Read- successfully. He has suggested an al-
ers may try the same. The reason for ternate connection for tens-of-hour of

118 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Add-On Devices for

Double Cassette Recorder


IS. Shankar

Jn view of the Double


article ‘ Stereo The main was not provided
circuit input signal to the recording amplifier
Cassette Recorder’ published in Feb with automatic level control (ALC) varies widely in magnitude and manu-
‘91 issue of EFY, it is felt that more because ALC ‘kills* the hi-fi nature of ally tracking the signal level and at-

auxilliary circuits like radio tuner, auto- the recording by introducing too much tenuating it is just not possible.
matic level control and tone control hiss and noise when the audio signal The ALC facility is provided in the

should be included to the main circuit falls below certain level or is com- microphone amplifier (Fig.l) which is

to make it a complete audio system. pletely absent momentarily. Also, it is wired around IC I .A3 161 , a dual ampli-
These add-on circuits are specifi- not advisable to use ALC while record- fier. IC LA3161 is usually used as a
cally designed for stereo double cas- ing from tape to tape or aux. to tape. low-level amplifier by changing the
sette recorders, which can easily be While recording through a micro- feedback elements between the output
added to the main circuit with slight phone, it is almost impossible to adjust and the input.
modifications of the latter. the recording level manually as the The two inputs are connected to two
microphones, dynamic or electret or
even condenser microphones (with
proper biasing), with shielded wires.
Signal from the microphone is ampli-
fied by IC1 and the amplified signal
appears at the output. The output is
attenuated to obtain a constant level
The output of the display amplifier,
which is fed to the display module, is

rectified by diode D1 with limiting


resistor R1 and filtered by Cl to obtain
a DC voltage proportional to the aver-
age signal voltage. R3 and Cl form a
RC network which provides delay for
Flg.1: Microphone amplifier with AGCfALC). the ALC operation. The values of R3

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 119


m

PARTS UST
Semiconductors:
IC1 - LA3161, amplifier
IC2 - |iA741 operational amplifier
T1 - BC147B
T2 - BF194B
T3 • BF195C
T4 - BC195D
T5 . BC149C
D1-D4 • 1N4001
D5 - OA79
Resistors: (AU- 1/4 watt ±5% carbon, unless stated
otherwise):
R1,R6 - 390 -ok
R2.R5, R16 - 100-kilohm
R3 - 8.2-kilohm
R4 • 120-ohm
R7 - 560-ohm
R8RI0.R19 . 1.2-kilohm
Rl 1,R22 - 820-ohm
R12 - 470-kilohm
R13 • 470-ohm
R14 • 330-ktlohm
R15 - 220-ohm
R17 - 100 ohm
R18 • 33-kilokm
R20 - 220-kilohm
R21 - 1.5-kilohm
R23 - 1-kilohm
VR1 - 22-kilohm preset
VR2.VR3 - 100-kilohm poteadomeler
VR4, VR5 - 47-kilohm potentiometer
Capacitors:
Cl • JOOuF, 25V electrolytic
C2 - 0.47pF ceramic disc
C3 - 0.00 lpF ceramic disc
C4,C8,C13,C14 - lOpF, 25V electrolytic
C5 - 47jiF, 25V electrolytic
C6.C17, C18 - lOOOpF. 25V electrolytic
C7 - 4.7pF, 25V electrolytic
C9-C11 - 0.02pF ceramic disc
02, C37 • 0.22 nF ceramic disc
C15, C16, C23,
C24.C26,
C35.C36 - O.OIjiF ceramic disc
09, C20 - O.IpF ceramic disc
C21.C25 - 21 gang (365pF) air capacitor
C22, C27.C28 - 22pF trimmer capacitor
C29 - 470pF, 16V electrolytic
C30, C32, C34 - 2700pF (connected in IFTs)
C31 - 2.2pF, 25V electrolytic
C33 - 0.047pF ceramic disc
Miscellaneous:
Sl(a)-Sl(e) • Waffer type miltiple band
switch
S2 - Posh -to-on switch
XI - 230V AC primary to
12V-0-12V, 500mA
secondary tansformer
LI - MW antenna coil
L2 - SW antenna coil
L3 - Loop aerial
LA • MW oscillator coil

L5 - SW oscillator coil
L6 - Mixer (yellow-IFT)
L7 - In tentage (grcen-IFI)
L8 - Detector (wkile-IFT)
- Telescopic antenna
Flg.2: 2-band Inner for double cassette recorder.

120 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


designed as a 2-band tuner and not as a
2-band radio. D5 and C35 detect the RF
signal and the audio output is further
filtered by R 1 9 and C36. This filtered
signal is fed to a single-stage transistor
amplifier comprising T5, R20, R21,
VR4 and VR5. The amplified signal at
the collector is taken out through VR4
in medium-wave and VR5 in short wave

range. The purpose of VR4 and VR5 is


explained later. The output goes to switch

NOTE; CIRCUIT FOR SECOND CHANNEL IS IDENTICAL
SI of the main circuit to both the left
FiS-3: Active tone control, and right channels.
and Cl may be changed to obtain re- constant level. Fig. 3 gives the circuit for bass and
quired delays. The output is decoupled by capaci- treble control. Unlike circuits already
The voltage across Cl is applied to tor C8 and fed to the function selector published in EFY, the bass and treble
the base of T1 after passing through R2 switch SI of the main circuit. Switch control is achieved by active filters
and C2 filter. Transistor T1 is wired as SI should be a 2-pole, 6-way switch, to wired around the operational amplifier
a voltage- to-current converter which incorporate microphone and tuner fa- (IC2) |iA741. The RC filters form a
allows a current proportional to the cilities.
part of the feedback network for the in-

jS I

Flg.4: PCB layout for microphone amplifier with AGC(ALC) and active
2?
tone control circuits (both the channels).

input voltage at its base. Diode D2 A circuit for 2-band tuner is shown verting amplifier (IC2). The main ad-
forms a variable impedance element, in Fig. 2, which is capable of receiving vantages of this circuit are that the

the impedance being inversely propor- medium-wave and short-wave signals. boost and cut levels are more than that
tional to the current passing through it. This circuit is different from other of passive filters. Also, there is no inter-
It attenuates the signal and keeps it at circuits published in EFY because it is I fcrence of bass on treble or treble on

1N4001

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 121


Fig.6: PCB layout for 2-band tuner.

Fig.7: Components layout for the PCB shown In Fig. 6.


circuit. Similarly, tune to a station on
S W band and adjust VR5 to obtain 0 dB
peak level indicator. After
level in the
adjustment they need not be touched
again.
All the above circuits, including the
main circuit, may be enclosed in a
metal cabinet. For better performance
the cabinet may be connected to ground
along with any other exposed metal
work. This completes the stereo radio
double cassette recorder incorporating
FigJ: Power supply unit for the add-on circuits.
all necessary features.
ba£s, as they arc mixed at the virtual to tap the Vcc from the main circuit as
ground(pin2)oftheoperationalampli- j
it may lead to ground loops, oscilla-
fier. tions or unstable operation. Use of power
The input leads of the circuit should supply circuit shown in Fig. 8 is recom-
be connected to the poles of S 1 and the mended.
output to the power amplifier. The microphone amplifier and tuner
circuits need alignment, which is
Construction and alignment achieved by adjusting 22k preset in
All the circuits presented are quite microphone amplifier and 47k preset in
simple and can be assembled on a gen- tuner circuits, to obtain 0 dB level in
eral-purpose PCB. The ICs should be peak level indicator of the main circuit,
soklered directly on thePCB. Care should For aligning the tuner circuit, tunc to a
be taken, to ensure that the components good station in MW band and adjust
arc not over heated. It is advisable not VR4 to obtain 0 dB level in the main

122 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


:

Readers’ comment: C25) are snown identical, but no pad- ceramic Filters for 455 kHz and 10.7
der capacitors are used. They are MHz required in FM circuits are not
connected in series with the oscillator available in Hyderabad.
In the PCB pattern of the circuit by my section of the gang capacitor to main- Indeed the inclusion of a 360pF ca-
penpal, Mr T.S. Shankar, the connec-
tions of RF or IF transistors are shown as
tain the difference between the fre- pacitor for MW and 3000 pF for SW coil
quency of the incoming signals and is necessary for the circuit.
that of AF transistors.
the oscillator frequency over the full It is advised to use only tone control
Emitter terminal of BF series tran- band. Hence two ceramic capacitors circuit or equaliser circuit at a time,
sistors now available (except CIL make) — 360 pF MW and 2500 pF
for for SW instead of both the circuits with the cir-
is between the other two terminals, — should be used. cuit ofdouble cassette recorder.
i.e.emitter lead is at the centre. MOHDSAJIDM1R The LA3161 ciruit used as play-
If one solders these transistors on Srinagar back amplifier can also be used as mi-
that PCB, the base and emitter termi- I would like to use
a graphic equaliser. crophone amplifier with slight modifi-
nals would get interchanged and the Can I insert it along with the active tone cations.
circuit willnot work. control or should I replace the tone con- When used as mic amplifier, break
The 2700pF condenser connected trol with the graphic equaliser? the R-C. network of 47k resistor and
across the primary windings of detec- K ANNANS. 0.02pF capacitor between pins 2 and 3
tor IFT should be avoided. Also, 0.04pF
Calicut (or plus 6 and 7) in the LA3 161 circuit.
capacitors between IFT terminals have For the active tone control in which Replace head connection with mic con-
been missed. IC pA 741 is used, can we use ANI741 nections.
PRADEEP G. instead? In the active tone control circuit
Alappuzha My circuit using ANI741 docs not ANI741 can be used instead of pA 741.
have successfully constructed the
1
work properly! In fact, any op-amp can be used in place
2-band tuner for double cassette re- VUAYANTSHARMA of 741 if the former is pin-compatible
corder. It is giving high quality audio. with 741 There can be several reasons
Bareilly .

There is no necessity of telescopic for Mr Sharma’s circuit not working


antenna as the lOOp aerial is giving The author, Mr T.S. Shankar, replies properly. He should check his circuit
very good performance. I request the In the PCB pattern (Fig. 6) the holes thoroughly for spoilt components etc.
author to give an FM radio section provided for transistors T2, T3 and T4 1 thank EFY readers for taking inter-

also, employing Philips TEA 5570, TEA


are in a triangular fasion. So there is no est in my article and I am pleased to see
5591 ICs. problem of emitter-base interchange with the wide response from them.
S. RAM KUMAR long-lead transistors. There is no need to
Jagtial eliminate the 2700pF capacitor as sug-
In the 2-band tuner circuit on page gested by Mr Pradeep.
107, the gang capacitors (C21 and I didn’t try any FM circuit as some

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Dynamic Psychedelic Lights
Amrit Bir Tiwana
T
tional
i

his article describes the func-


and constructional details of a
continues to flicker along with the
music. The entire system (excluding
inverting input and an output.
VR6 along with Rl to R3 provide a
VR1 to

four channel dynamic psychedelic light- lamps) can be built at a nominal cost of reference voltage at the non-inverting
ing system. It is capable of driving 24 Rs 200. input of each comparator. An audio
lampsof 100 watts each in tune with the signal is fed at the inverting input of
music fed to the system from a tape Working each comparator, through R4 and
recorder, record player or an electronic 'Hie control circuit, as shown in Fig. VR7. Now' each comparator compares
organ. The system is designed to keep 1, two sections— an input
consists of the input signal voltage with its refer-

thc cost low. signal comparator and a multichannel ence voltage. If the input voltage is less

The system drives 24 lamps com- lamp driver. The input signal com para- than the reference voltage, the output
prising four channels of music con- tor uses an IC I. M239, which contains of the comparator remains high. If the
trolled lamps, eachof which lights upat four independent comparators each of input level exceeds the reference
a preset input (audio) level, and then which has one inverting input, one non- voltage level, the output of the

Fig. 1: Electronic control circuit for the dynamic psychedelic light.

124 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


~V3
corresponding comparator goes low.
This output voltage is fed to the lamp
driver circuitry.
Each lamp driver consists of a CMOS
inverting buffer. The output of the buffer
goes high when the output of the corre-
sponding comparator goes low. When
the output of the comparator goes high,
a moderately filtered voltage V2 is fed
at the gate of the corresponding triac.
Thus, the triac conducts and lights up
the parallel lamp combination connected
Fig. 2:
d

Power supply cum


©
TO CABINET

safety indicator for the dynamic psychedelic light.


to it. Since outputs of the comparators

Fig. 3: PCB layout for the dynamic psychedelic light.

and the buffers change state (high/low) Power supply full-wave rectifier (Dl, D4), filter ca-
rapidly, the lamps seem to flicker. The (
The control circuit requires a well pacitor C2 and 9V regulator IC3. An-
four outputs of IC1 go low in succes- regulated 9V DC power supply for other full-wave rectifier (D2, D3) con-
sion. Hence, the four Lamp channels 1 Cl, a moderately filtered 10V power 1

ncctcd to the same transformer pro-


light up in succession according to the supply for driving the triacs and a 230V |
vidcs a 10V output which is moderately
input level. VR2 to VR5 can be used to AC mains supply for driving the lamps. filtered by Cl The 230V AC supply is
.

adjust the reference voltage of corre- The power supply circuit shown in Fig. taken directly from the mains. Thus,
sponding comparator. VR7 is used to 2 can be used for this purpose. It con- the outputs of 9V DC, 10V DC and
attenuate the input signal. sists of stepdown transformer XI, a 230V AC arc available at VI, V2, V3

TO TO TO
VR4 VR3 VH6
Fig. 4: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 3.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 125


HEATSINK PARTS LIST
Sem icon d uctnrx:
IC1 • LM 239 quad comparator
IC2 - CD4009 CMOS hex
bu ffer/co nverte r
IC3 • 78L09, 9V 100mA voltage
regulator
D1-D4 • 1 N4 002 rectifier diodes
TRIAC 1-
TRIAC4 • ST044 4 A. 4 00 V triacs
,

Resistors (All 114-watt , *6% carbon unless


stated otherwise):
R1-R3, R17 680-ohm
R4 22-kilohm
R5-R8 82-kilohm
TO LAMP 1 TO 24 *
TO FIG 5 TOFIG2
R9-R12 470-kilohm
0-1 - 124 ) R13-R16 82 -ohm
Fig. 5: Component mounting and interconnections on heatsink. R18 100-kUohm
VR1 22-kilohm potentiometer
respectively. The LED indicates the electric connection between the triac. VR2.VR3 2.2-kilohm potentiometer
presence of the mains supply. A safety 1C tabs and the heatsink, VR4 4.7-kilohm potentiometer
VRo. VR6 10-kilohm potentiometer
indicator, built around the neon lamp After assembly, the circuits may be
VR7 47-kilohm potentiometer
and R 18, has been incorporated to in- housed in a suitable cabinet. The Capacators:
dicatc proper earthing of the device. heatsinks are fixed inside the cabinet Cl 50|iF, 16V electrolytic
using plastic washers and screws. Points C2 lOOOpF, 12V electrolytic
C3 0.1 pF ceramic disc
Construction ‘a* and ‘b’ should be connected to any
Miscellaneous:
The PCB and corresponding com- two points on the (metallic) cabinet, XI 230V AC primary to
ponents layout are shown in Figs 3 and Finally, using a continuity tester it should 10V-0-10V AC secondary
transformer
4 respectively. Many components are be ensured that the heatsink and the live
LAMP1-
kept out of the PCB. Wiring between wire (mains) arc not touching the cabi- LAMP24 * 230V, 100 watt lamps
the PCB and the components mounted net anywhere. i
- Neon lamp
on the heatsink should be done with ut- - Heatsink
j

most care. Thick copper wires must be Adjustments and application


used for carrying mains while the re- After the circuit has been succcss- and VR7 arc readjusted so that the

maining connections may be done fully assembled, theparallellampcom- lamps of the four channels light up in

through a colour-coded multiway rib- binalion should be connected to the succession along with the increasing
bon IC2 and their associ-
cable. IC1, output terminals of the circuit using audio input signal level.

ated circuitry may be wired onto the thick 2-way cables of suitable length.
PCB as shown in Fig. 5. Care should be Now the unit can be connected to the Useful hints
taken while soldering IC1 and IC2 as mains. 1 . The system can drive lamps of

excessive heat can lead to their destruc- Once the safety indicator (neon lamp, higher wattage by directly replacing
Use of an IC socket
tion. is recom- indicating that the unit is grounded) the 4A, 4(X)V triacs with higher watt-
mended for IC2. lights up, an audio signal can be fed age triacs. No change in the circuitry is
j

As triacs will dissipate a lot of heat from any tape recorder, record player required. Only the size of the heatsink

during continuous operation, they should or musical organ. Keeping all other needs to be increased.
be provided with an adequate heatsink, controls in their maximum resistance l
2. The system in its present form is

The triacs and IC3 should be mounted position, adjust the overall input sensi- sensitive to the input level. But it can be
as shown in Fig. 5 using mica washers tivity VR7. Adjust VR2 so that
using made sensitive to the audio frequency

for insulation. The wires may be sol- the lamps of the first channel glow and level by connecting suitable active or

dered to the pins of the triacs and IC3 as adjust VR1 and VR6 to make the lamps passive filters at the input of each
shown in Fig. 5. Ribbon cables should flicker with the music. Now increase comparator.
be used for connecting triac gates and the input signal level slightly and adjust 3. Lamps of each channel can be
IC2,and insulated copper wires for the VR3 so that the lamps of the second covered with a coloured celluloid pa-
remaining connections. channel (L7-L12) start glowing and per, to make the effects more sensa-

After assembling the circuit, rcchcck flickering in unison with music. The tional.

it for any dry soldering or shortcircuits. sensitivity of the other two channels is 4. For maximum sensitivity, the unit
j

Usingamullimeteror continuity tester, also set in a similar manner, after ad- should be directly connected to the
it should be ensured that there is no justing VR4 and VR5. Now VR 1, VR6 preamplifier's output. O
126 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
Readers* comment: op-amp of 1C 239 can provide gate extent.
I wish to draw the attention of the bias to triac which will not exceed 10 Mr Dalwadi seems to bespeaking
author of 'Dynamic Psychedelic niA with slight modification in the on the basis of pure theory although
Lights’ to the following: circuit. differences between theory and prac-
KALPESH DALWADI tice are there. False triggering is not
1. The author must be knowing that Bharuch a frequently encountered problem.
triacs can conduct with gate positive IC3 is said to be 78L09, and a However, adding a snubber wrill cer-
as well as negative. Thus the triacs TO220 style package has been shown tainly help, though it will increase the
willremain on even if the output of in Figs 4 and 5. This device is not size of the ciruit.
buffers B1 through B4 is low. To available in such a package. Perhaps The simplification suggested by
avoid this diodes must be introduced the regulator should have been 7809. Mr Dalwadi was tried by us but it
as shown here. Wouldn’t it bo advisable to isolate failed to work in practice. CD4009
IAUO the audio input of this circuit using, (costing Rs 7) guarantees uniform
for example, an audio input trans- triggering by ensuring that the logic
former. This would ensure that the level is either zero or one and nothing
input jack etc are not connected di- in between.
rectly to the mains. 78L09 is the low-current version
K.M. REDDY of the 7809 regulator available in
Bangalore TO220 package. Both have the same
The author, Mr Amrit Bir Tiwana, pin configurations. 78L09 is rated to
Use of diodes with triacs.
replies: give only up to 100mA and costs much
2. Due to fast switching rate of triacs, The wiring of tracks is correct. When less.
it becomes essential to prevent the
logic transitions occur, the (say) 9V No isolation other than the input
triac fromdv/dt triggering. For this,
level will assume low level. In be- resistance and the capacitance al-
snubber circuit must be employed as
tween the voltage level will fall to a ready used needed. The design is
is

level where the triac is not fired. absolutely perfect from the safety point
Since the frequency of audio input of view, provided the wiring is done
will be fairly high, this procedure will properly as instructed.
repeat itself at a high frequency and
thus result in the desired effect. This
has been verified by me and the EFY
lab too. Using or omitting the theo-
retically needed diodes will, as such,
Introduction of snubber circuit.
not make too much of a difference.
3. A simplification can be done by These may, nevertheless, be added to
eliminating buffer IC CD4009. Each make the effect definite to a bit higher

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 127


Digital channel selector
M
A T A any audio am pi i fiers

input channels. Forselecting a channel,


usually a SPOT switch is used in ampli-
have two channels. It allows the user to select be-
tween the two channels by pressing a
push switch. This is best suited for fre-
K. Sundararajan
cither direction, this channel selector
can be used either as input or output.
employed as
Field effect transistors are
fiers. But this causes switching noise quent transfer between the two chan- transmission switches. These switches
due to bouncing of the switch contacts. nels. Each channel has an LED to indi- are operated when corresponding con-
The noise is predominent when echo or cate whether it has been selected or not. trol pin is pulled up to logic high and
reverberation effects arc produced, which switched off when the pin is pulled
is undesirable in audio systems. Circuit operation down to logic low. The switch trans-
Some amplifiers have only one chan- Fig. 1 shows the circuit diagram for m its signals of frequency ranging from
nel. To connect the second channel one the digital channel selector. The heart DC to 40 MI Iz. The switches and their
has to unplug the leads of the first of this circuit is a quad bilateral control pins arc shown below:
channel and plug them into the second switch, IC 4066. This CMOS IC con-
channel. liven this produces switching tains four separate electronic analogue Input/output terminal Control terminal
noise which irritates the user. on/off switches. The on resistance of Pins and 2
1 Pin 13
The circuit presented here elimi- the switch is 50 to 250 ohms and off Pins 3 and 4 Pin 5
Pins 8 and 9 Pin 6
nates the switching noise by adopting resistance is above 50 megohms. As
Pins 10 and 11 Pin 12
electronic switching between the two these switches can transmit signals in

Fig. 1: Circuit diagram for the digital channel selection.

128 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


.

power up, 0 (pin 1) of JK flip-flop


(IC2) canbc either low or high. Outputs
at pin2 (Q) and pin 1 (0) are always op-
posite. I jet us assume that Q is high.

At the first clock pulse, Q goes high


and 0 goes low. Asa result, pin 5 of IC3
goes high which in turn closes the switch
at pins 3 and 4 and selects channel 1

When the output at pin 2 of IC2 is low


and the other switches of IC3 are open,
channel 2 gets disconnected. Under these
conditions, LED of channel 1 starts

glowing to indicate that channel 1 is se-

lected. When SI is pressed again, Q


goes low and Q goes high and channel
2 is selected.
Sockets SKI, SK2 and SK3 accept
the audio signal. As the supply voltage
of IC3 is of single polarity, negative
portion of the audio signal can cause
problems. To overcome this, the CMOS
switch inputs are biased at half of the
supply potential through resistors R8,
R9 and RIO and the potential divider
R6-R7. Thus, maximum swing of the
audio signal is achieved. Values of C2,
C3 and C5 are sufficient for most of the
audio applications. If necessary, these
values can be increased.
Fig. 3: Components layout for the PCB shown in Fig. 2.
Hence, this circuit permits a par-
ticular channel to be selected by switch
CHANNEL 1
channel selector, which is shown within
OW#4£L AUDIO SI With
. this arrangement, a particular
tow StlECTOR amp-jfiep dotted lines at the bottom half of the
*4
channel can be selected a number of
CHANNEL 2 circuit. As both the circuits are identi-
times. The cycle is repeated with each
cal. explanation is given for the top half
Fig. 4: Circuit for selecting input for an succeeding push of switch SI.
of the circuit only.
amplifier.
When switch SI is pressed, the high-
F*OM Applications
PPCAMP, r to-low voltage transition at pin 1 of
OFOUITAA CHANNEL COM AUDIO There are many applications of this
tom SfLtCIOR AMPuriEa gateNl produces a positive going pulse
PEE AMP C channel selector. Some of the simple
at pin 3 of lC2a. Thus gate N1 de-
.

OfMHJO
arrangements in which the channel se-
bounccs pash switch SI and supplies a
Fig. 5: Circuit for selecting any of the lector can be used arc given below.
clean one-shot clock pulse to IC2a, a
musical instrument. As already mentioned this channel
selector can be used to select two chan-
nels of a du.nl channel amplifier (Fig.4).
With this arrangement, any one of the
channels is connected to the amplifier.

If the switch ispushed on again, the


channel Is disconnected and the other
CHANNEL channel is selected simultaneously.
SELECTOR
Preamplifier of musical instruments
Fig. 6: Circuit for selecting any of the effects. can be connected to audio amplifiers
The circuit for channel selector is JK flip-flop. Since both Lhe inputs (J through this channel selector, as shown
shown at the top half of Fig. 1. Rest of and K) of IC2 are high, the flip-flop in Fig. 5.
the portions of IC1, IC2 and IC3 are toggles every time a clock pulse is The channel selector can also be
used to construct another unit of the applied at pin 3 of IC2. Initially, on used to switch on and off the ‘electronic

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 129


PARTS LIST
Semiconductors:
IC1 - 40106 hex schmitt inverter

IC2 - 4027 JK flip-flop

IC3 - 4066 CMOS quad bilateral


switch

Resistitrs (all l ! 4- watt, ±5** carbon,


un/ess stated otherwise):
Rl, R18 - 22-ldlohm
R2. R3,
R6-R15 • 100-kilohm
|
R4, R5,
R16. R17 - 470-ohm

Capacitors:
Cl. C6 - 4.7jiF, 16V tantalum
C2, C3, C5,
C7-C9 - O.luF ceramic disc
C4 - 10|iF, 16V ceramic disc

Miscellaneous:
SI, S2 - Push-to-on switch

- 6 sockets

effect’ of musical instruments such as |


the output of the preamplifier to the - LEDS
electronic guitar, electronic organ, input of the power amplifier. On the
synthesiser etc. Common types of elec- next push of switch SI, the effect is effect and introduces the other.
tronicsound effects arc treble, boost, again connected to the amplifier. For stereo operation, the circuit can
tremolo, fuzz, wah-wah, sustained, re- I his unit can be used to select one be modified as shown in Fig. 7. In such
verberation etc. In this mode, the first of the two effects as depicted in Fig. 6. conditions, the bottom half of the cir-
push of switch SI disconnects the ef- If switch SI is pressed, the channel se- cuit shown in Fig. 1 may be dispensed
fects and the channel selector connects lector automatically disconnects one 1
with.

130 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


:

Section B
Circuit Ideas
Electronic Switch
For 3-Band Transistor
Pramod Kumar
X n the market, 3-band transistor and antenna gang taken from mixture formula.
receivers with rotary type and many stage of transistor receiver circuit. IC CD4017 is wired so as to give
other types of band switches are avail- This electronic version of band switch three counts, viz, QO, Q1 and Q2 se-
able. Here is an interesting band does it perfectly. quentiallyby pushing SI. Each push
switch circuit for 3-band transistor re- The circuit utilises three ICs, a advances one count. Both IC2 and IC3

ANT GANG
1M001
1N4001
GANG
osc
BC147
4 7K 4.7K ANT.
4 8
BC147

IC1 SW1
7
NES5S 3

1N4001

1 5 IC2
CD4017 1N4001
CD4017
0C147
4.7K 4 7K ANT.

BC147

SW? SW2

1N4C01

001m 1N4001

BC147I
4 7K ANT.
4 7K
15 8 13 COLLECTOR »
15 0 13 BC147

BAS€^| J ANTENNA '

EMITTER * OSC GANG


ANT GANG
FROM MIXTURE STAGE Of
TRANSISTOR RFCEIVFR

NOTE: ALL RELAYS - 1000. 9V (TRIPLE POLE)

ceivers. This is the electronic version timer IC 555, and two decade counter arc wired alike. Transistors T1 to T6
of conventional band switch- In this CD4017 ICs. IC1 (555) is wired in are wired in switching mode.
system, a single pushbutton selects the monostable multivibrator mode. By The transistor gets switched on
desired band and LED indicates which pressing pushbutton SI once, the out- when its base receives high logic.
band is in function. put pin 3 ofIClgoeshighforO.ll When it is switched on, the related
To change the band in a common second and then comes back to low, so relays operate and the corresponding
transistor receiver, five connections have that its output generates one full clock band becomes functional. LEDs indi-
to be transferred from one pole to pulse to input pin 14 of IC2 and IC3. cate which band is in function. SI is
another simultaneously. These are High logic time duration is kept for used to select the desired band.
emitter, base, collector, oscillator gang 0.11 second by using time constant Triple-pole and double-touch relays

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 133


are used here. NormaUy-open poles of both counter ICs arc used for medium connections should be made accord-
relays are wired to antenna coils, oscil- wave, Q1 outputs for short wave I and ing to common band switch wiring of
lator coils and gangs. Q2 for short wave 2. 3-band transistor receiver. Wiring
Caution must be taken that Qn out- Emitter, base and collector should will be same but instead of the con-
puts of both IC2 and IC3 are used for be taken from mixture stage of transis- ventional types of band switches, re-
the same band wave. QO outputs of tor receiver circuit. In contrast, all lays are used here for connection.

Readers' Comments:

In the circuit two CD 4017 ICs have


unnecessaarily been used. I made the
circuit using one 555 and 4017 IC.

Inputs for the


three relay
drivingcircuits in the right-hand part
of the circuit can also be taken from
IC2. The simplified circuit is shown
here. If the relays are not energised
properly, omit ail three LEDs.
PRADEEP G.
Alleppey (Kerala)
Simplified circuit diagram.

Electronic Number Lock


S.S. Palanimuragan
he electronic number lock de-
scribed here is an electronic unitop-
erated as a mechanical number lock.
Here three selected numbers are oper-
ated one by one so that the relay con-
nected to the circuit is actuated. When
the relay is actuated, any external unit
connected to it, whether electrical,
electro-mechanical orelectronic, starts
operating. EXTERNAL
Fig. shows the block diagram of
1 UNIT CONNECTION

the electronic number lock. In this sys-


tem, three switching circuits are used
with SCR. Each circuit is switched on
one after another. Each switching
of a pushbutton called
circuit consists
"number", while the other switches
(numbers) arc connected to the "wrong
use of system " circuit. Any three differ-
ent numbers can be selected. Its con-
nections are as shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 *

134 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


.

When the three switching informa- minal gets positive current through
tions are given one by one, the control resistor Rl andSCRl When turns on.
switch circuit turns to ‘on’. Otherwise switch S2 is switched on, SCR2 gate
any switching information may be gets positive current from SCR1 cath-
changed totally, such as first, second ode and SCR2 is turned on.
or third switch, and the circuit turns Finally, when S3 is pressed, SCR3
off. Again press the first digit. gate gets positive current and SCR3 is
Fig. 3 shows the general circuit of turned on. The cathode of SCR3 is
SCR nf 1*1 which CTCtS
forward biasing system. A 12V
battery is connected between anode and At the same time, Tl
positive current.
cathode junctions arc connected to the
cathode of SCR. R1 is load resistor or negative by resistors R3 and R4, which
and T2 are turned on because the base
any load. The gate of T2 gets more positive current via
terminal is con- work as loads for SCR1 and SCR2
nected to anode in series with a push- These resistors also work Tl. Rl is activated by T2. The
respectively.
button switch and a resistor external control connections activate
Rg (for as load for the SCR circuit and a very
gate triggering). and the relay conducts.
small amount of current passes through
To turn on the system, switch Sa is At the same time, the switching op-
the resistors. SCR3 is connected to
switched on so that the anode gets positive may be wrong, i.e. any number
erations
base of Tl in series with resistor R5.
voltage. Pressing pushbutton switch may be changed so that SCR1 gate
The collector and emitter of Tl are
So on provides positive current at the gets more negative current via resis-
connected to collector and base of T2
gate, so that the SCR turns on. Now tor R2. So,SCR1 is turned off, and the
respectively.
next circuit of SCR2 and SCR3 is turned
load current 11 passes through load Rl Relay RL1 connected between
is
Two methods are used to turn off off as anode voltage goes to zero.
its
positive and collector of T2. Theemit-
Also, SCR3 anode voltage goes to zero.
the system: ter of T2 is connected to negative.
At lock working time, switch Si 1 is
1 . Mostly when the anode voltage is The three selected switches Si, S2
switched on, SCR1 gate gets more
switched off, the SCR is also turned off. and S3 are connected at gate terminals
negative current and SCR1 turns to off
2. When the gate has a high nega- of SCR1, SCR2 and SCR3 respec- state. There is no power consumption
tive current, the SCR turns off. This is tively, while other switches are con-
when SCR1 is in off state.
possible only when II is very small. nected between SCR gate and negative
In this circuit, three SCRs are con- 1

in series with resistor R2.


nected in series and the SCR anode and When SI is pressed, SCR1 gate ter-

Three-in-One Circuit
P.P. Chandrapal

owadays most households pos- Under/over voltage protection. VR2. This will result in non-conduc-

sess washing machine, TV, refrigera- This is a simple circuit in which zener tion of transistors T2 and T3 as usual

tor and cooker where under/over diodes D3 and D4 control the over/ and shut off the supply.
voltage protection or timing is
under voltage according to the settings Timer circuit. For this circuit, 1C
required. Here is a circuit with under/ of presets VR1 and VR2. At low sup- 555 is used as a monostable. Its output

over voltage protection and a timing ply, voltage on zener D4 terminal will is controlled by the status of pin 4, i.e.

circuit which can be used for washing be reduced, resulting in non-conduc- when its voltage goes to positive,
machines. By providing an additional tion of transistors T2 and T3. This IC555 functions according to the volt-
switch, it can be used with TVs for grounds pin 4 of IC 555 timer, stopping age condition at pins 2 and 6. When the
under/over voltage protection. More- its output at pin 3. Relay RL will de-en- voltage at pin 2 is 1/3 Vcc, the output
over, this circuit can also be used in ergise and the supply for the gadget will will be atpw3. With 2/3 Vex: at pin 6,
kitchen or elsewhere as a timer. stop. there wifi be no output at pin 3.
This circuit mainly comprises two At high supply, voltage at zener D3 At normal voltage, when supply is
parts: undcr/ovcr voltage protection terminal will increase and transistor turned oh and switch SI kept in ‘on*
circuit and the timer circuit.
Tl will conduct, grounding preset position, an alarm will be beard but

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 135


230VAC PW
TO
12V AC. 500mA StC

supply will not be switched on till charging through R8, VR3 and R9. supply is switched on by pressing
pushbutton S2 is pressed. Now, reset When voltage at pin 6 reaches reset switch S2. Delay timing can be
the circuit by pressing S2 so that pin 2 2# Vcc, there will be no output at adjusted by VR3 as required,
will be grounded. Also, the output at pin 3, while pin 7 is grounded inter- To use this circuit for TV or refrig-
pin 3 is reset, i.e. output supply switched nally and C3 is discharged through re- era tor protection, timing circuits are
on. sistor R9. opened out by providing a switch at

At the same tune, pin 7 stops ground- An alarm will be heard while switch point A as shown. Now output supply
ing internally and capacitor C3 starts SI remains in on position till output remains on till SI is turned off.

Match Box Size Radio


Pradeep G.
L sing the circuit described here,
one can make a very compact MW
radio receiver. This circuit uses two
transistors and some passive compo-
nents ooly. All the components can be
easily placed in a small match box size
cabinet. For compactness, a small pen
torch cell (1.5V) may be used.
LI consists of 100 turns of 40SWG
insulated wire. Wind L2 over LI which
is 10 turns of the same wire. For L3

wind 56SWG (approx.) over ordinary


EFT former without using core and metal
cover. Counting of turns is not neces-
sary. Wind the wire completely over
the former pulley. It may be fixed on ROO (5cm)
the PCB using wax. LI 100 TURNS Of 42 SWG OVER FERRITE
-

12 10 TURNS OF 42 SWG OVER LI


-

After making all connections, switch L3 - WOUND 56 SWG THIN INSULATED WIRE UNIFORMLY
OVER FT* CENTRE CORE
I

oo SI and plug the earphone to your


ear. Now rotate the gang's knob slowly Placing of the unit near mains wiring antenna coil over ferrite rod. This cir-

till you can bear programmes from the is also not necessary. If clear result is cuit will work very well with miniature
local MW station. not obtained, check the connections speakers also.
This circuit does not need an aerial. once again. If they are alright, adjust

136 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


earphone in the circuit Will the au- The author Mr Pradeep G. replies:
Readers' comments: thor kindly help? I am
thankful to all the readers who
NITIN BANERJEE have taken keen interest in my cir-
Port Blai* cuit idea.
The small size radio circuit is very inter- my used 2 X type
Please convey my thanks to Mr In prototype, I
esting and useful for students. How- Pradeep G. for his circuit in EFY MW antenna coil as L 1 . L2 was wound
ever, please clarify: (a) can L3 also be over one of the ends of LI using 40-42
Jan. *91. The author has used single
wound with 40-42 SWG wire like LI RF stage transistor in a very interest- SWG wire. As I have already men-
and L2; (b) should the earphone’s ing way which must be complimented. tioned in the text, very thin 56SWG
resistance be high or low; and (c) can What is the impedance of the recom- enamelled wire was used for L3.
I replace the gang with a condenser to I tested the circuit with an 8-ohm
mended speaker?
catch Vizag station? earphone and an 8-ohm, 5cm speaker.
AMRIT BIR TIWANA
A. NAGA BABU Ambala Cantt The output sound can be increased by
Karapa Instead of LI and L2 if we use me- adding one more transistor in ampli-
Thanks for publishing such a dium wave antenna coils with ferrite fier stage, wired as darlington pair.
wonderful circuit in the perspective
rods, the circuitworks very well. For My prototype was tested successfully at
ofrenewed interest in radio listen-
L3 we can use an I FT of large number a distance of about 15 km from Alleppey
ing—on the backdrop of Gulf War!
I would like to add one more
of turns (Philips I FT) without metal MW station. It has also been tested in
cover. EFY lab.
transistor stage to drive a small
MAHAVIR D. CHHAJED
speaker of 8 ohms in place of the
Pune

Static Audio Wattmeter


Amrit Bir Tiwana
^1^ The IC can operate in dot * 12V TO 22V
his static audio wattmeter indi- play.
cates the output power on a bright, lu- or bar mode of illumination.
minous 10-step LED display. Unlike The LED current drive is regu-
most other electronic power indica- lated and program mable, hence
tors,which only give an approximation the need for several current lim-

of the power level, this meter actually iting resistors is eliminated. A


measures the output power (in watts). simple, unregulated power
With 11 op-amps, (to which the supply is enough for the circuit.
chip is equivalent) the circuit seems to When the audio signal is

be fairly complicated, but all com- fed to the input through series
plexities are reduced to a single chip attenuator VR1, the IC com-
the LM3915 (from National Semicon- pares the input level with the
ductors). In addition to the IC and LEDs, preprogrammed voltage level
the circuit requires just four resistors, in the IC. This programming is

a preset, and a capacitor. done through two external re-


The LM3915 is a monolithic IC that sistors at reference terminals.

is capable of driving 10 LEDs directly, As the input level rises, the bar
providing a 3dB/step analogue dis- graph also moves forward.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 137


.

For +V marked level, the LEDs be any red type, type TIL209 from horizontally except the LEDs which
light up in a particular order, forming Texas Instruments is specifically rec- are soldered at a height of about10mm.
an array. Cl is used to help maintain a ommended. A socket should be used for the IC. The
'
steady display. Although the LEDs can All components should be soldered LM3915 costs about Rs60

Variable Switching Power Supply


Byu Mon Janardhanan

T he circuit given here


pensive variable power supply for me-
is an inex- Therefore, the emitter of TZ is at

and base at zero. As it is in the off state,


5 V T4 operates only in saturation and
off modes, power loss is very low.
cut-

dium power applications. It can be used no voltage is developed across R4 and There is a possibility that the ca-
to provide up to 300 m A. It is variable T3 continues in the off state. pacilor may get charged due to leak-

between 6 V to 13 V. Pin 2 of the IC is grounded through age current, increasing the output

The circuit around IC 555 forms a R5, and its output triggers to Vcc. voltage on load. The lk resistor at the

monostable with a time period of This switches on transistorT5 so that it output is provided to avoid this. The
approximately 0.2ms. The zener diode goes into saturation, while Cl gets current capacity of the circuit can
forms the reference voltage and poten- charged when the voltage across it increase by using a high power
tiometerVRl is used to vary the output reaches 5.6V. transistor instead of SKI 00 or by
voltage. T2 turns on and develops a voltage adding one more SK100 in parallel.

Transistor T1 forms an emitter- across R4. This turns T3 on and volt- (The author used this with an AC128
follower, where the emitter voltage is age at pin 2 becomes more than Vcc/2. transistor and heatsink to drive a stereo

equal to the voltage at the varying point So, the output of the IC goes low after set.)

ofVRl. T2is used to sense theoutput 0.2ms and the capacitor C3 discharges Here 1C 555 is used as a comparator

voltage, while T3 triggers the mon- through load. When the output voltage and also provides some delay to output
ostablc in accordance with the output decreases from 5.6V, T2 goes off, also change. If the output ripple is high,
voltage level. forcing 13 to turn off. This produces a decrease the value of C2 or omit it

When the circuit is switched on, the negative trigger at pin 2 of IC 555. Its altogether,
voltage at T1 is equal to the voltage at output goes high, turning T4 on. This
the centre point of VR1 (say, 5V). process is repeated continuously. As

138 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


A
functions:
choke
It
in a tubelight has two
gives a high ionising
A. John Joseph

voltage to the tube with the help of


starter. After the gas is ionised, starter
goes out of the circuit and a portion of
the mains voltage is dropped across
the choke. The tube requires only
about 60V to 70V to sustain ionisation
of the gas. But a tube can also work
without these costly components. All
that a tube requires is a high starting on 0 47(1 400V DC-UNPOtORISECV
POUSTER
voltage and a low working voltage.
Here is a circuit for the troublesome Flg.l
tubelight and dim incandescent lamp ously. Another advantage of this circuit
which works on voltage as low as 70V After the gas is ionised, the tube is that even a weak or filament-open

AC. It provides enough light intensity gets a pulsating DC of 100Hz ripple tube can be used because ionisation of
without much financial strain. Another frequency (110V DC). Current flow the gas takes place by applying a high
1
important factor is that the choke through the ionised gas depends on the frequency voltage across the tube.
the costliest component in a tube fit- actual requirement of the tube to This effect can be generated by the
ting —can be eliminated. Most of the sustain ionisation. At normal mains application of a voltage at a higher
tubes bum out due to short circuit of the voltage, the series lamp draws very frequency. Two pins at each end should be
spark suppressing condenser inside the little current and gives a dim light. shorted as shown in Fig. 1.
starter. This project does not need In series connection, the low cur- most places, voltage at peak load
In
either of these components. rent drawing component is the control- hours is so low that a 60 or 100W W
This circuit works quite satisfacto- ler of current in that circuit . So here the lamp is not much better than an ordi-
rily from 70V to 270V AC. You need tube draws less current than the series nary lantern. An additional diode to
only a few easily available compo- 60 W or 100W bulb and hence the bright- the bulb holder using 150V bulb can
nents and a basic knowledge of ness of the tube does not vary with rectify this fault (Fig. 2).
tubelight connections. mains power variations. The diode works as a half-wave
The heart of the system is a bridge A choke can also be successfully rectifier. Only one half of a cycle of
rectifier using diodes D1 to D4 and used in place of the bulb. But there is supply allowed to pass through the
is
two capacitors Cl and C2. When con- a possibility of the choke bcing'bumt diode. Here the bulb gets a DC voltage
nected to a tube asshowninFig. 1, the off if continuously used at full mains (MOV) at a ripple frequency of 100HZ.
diodes get nearly 1 10V AC with a 100W voltage.
230V bulb in series. Cl and C2 110V The principle of operation here is

connected on the phase line of the that the bulb has a heating filament

power supply magnify the voltage, which gives out light when current is
giving a high ionising potential of the passed through it. The healing effect
order of 600V DC. This allows the gas of DC is more than that of AC, and
inside the tube to ionise instantane- Fig. 2 even if the mains voltage drops to a

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 139


very low value, this arrangement will mains voltage, the maximum voltage The diode can be connected in any
give sufficient brightness. Even at full 140V.
that a bulb gets will be less than polarity.

I tried the circuit with a condemned


Readers’ Comments:
tubelight and a 60W bulb and it
The idea of lighting a trouble-
worked satisfactorily. The tube will
some tubclight without the choke and
give full light if a 100W bulb is used as
starter was fantastic.
Using a choke in place of the a series load.
IOOW bulb in not
the circuit is
On using 2.2/3. 3pF, 400V electro-
advisable but, if desired, it can be lytic capacitors for Cl and C2 a lot of
used with a slight modification in the flickering and
radio interference is
circuit (see figure). In this case observed. When I used two 3.3pF,
filaments at both the ends of the 400V polyester capacitors the tube-
tubelight should be intact; it will give light started working normally, with-
illumination when switch is closed. out flickering. Even a condemned
* PLEASE ADJUST AS PER REQUIREMENT
The circuit that was shown in Fig.2 TO OBTAIN OPTIMUM ILLUMINATION tubelight can be used in this arrange-
can also be used by replacing the 10V 1
essential. ment, provided at least one of its
bulb with a conventional 230V bulb R.K.DAS filaments is intact.
in series with diode 1N4007. The
Pipe Line Engineer (T&I)
K.H.DINESH
can be used for illumination of
circuit
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd Belgaum (Karnataka)
areas where full brightness is not
Haldia

Automatic Star -fO" GltO

Converter
Biju Mon Janardhanan
^
he armatures of a 3-phase motor a timer to convert the star connection under/over voltage cut-offs. Compara-
are connected as star at the time of into delta after a predetermined time, tors A, 13 and C are used for single

power-on and then converted to delta The timer is adjusted such that it phase prevention and under voltage
when it reaches 3/4 of the full speed, switches over when the motor achieves cut-off while D is used for over voltage
in order to handle more power. Most the required speed. Also, it has low cut-off. (It is assumed that over voltage
converters used areclectro-mechanial power handling switches for on and off will be present in all phases together.)
and have to be manually switched to operations. Each phase is rectified and divided
delta after some time. IC1 and the circuit around it pro- to get 2.25V when there is 230V

Here is a circuit which incorporates vides single phase prevention and between phase and neutral. The di-

140 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


vided voltage is filtered and supplied
to negative terminals of the compara-
tor. A reference voltage is derived
from the circuit supply using a 6.1V
zener diode and a lk preset. The preset
must be adjusted such that it is just

below 2.25V.
Similarly, in order to provide high
voltage cut-off, use the same reference
voltage and a similar voltage divider
but the derived voltage is a little less

than the reference voltage.


Outputs of all comparators are con-
nected to a diode or gate using four
1N4001 diodes and connected to the
base of BC1 48 in order to invert the
voltage leveL SL100 is used as a switch-
ing transistor to switch on the relays.
One switch is placed parallel to a
relay,on pressing which the trans-
former turns on and supply is pro-
vided to the control circuit. In normal
conditions, all four outputs of the
comparators are low. So BC148 is off
and SL100 gets enough base current
through the 470-ohm resistor to drive
the four relays (collector current of
SL100 200 mA). One of these four
is

relays is also energised and N/O con-


tact is connected. But this relay is in

parallel to the on switch, so that even


after releasing the pushbutton, the cir-
cuit remains on.
If there is low voltage at one phase
or it fails, the voltage at the negative
input of the comparator falls below the
level at the positive terminal. The
output of one comparator goes high,
turning T1 on. Now the voltage at the
base of T2 becomes low and de-ener-
gises the relays. Relay RL4 also de-en-
ergises and cuts off the supply to the
control circuit, turning the motor off.
Relays RL1, RL2 and RL3 are to turn
the motor on.
IC2 is wired as a monostable
multivibrator.The supply reaches pin
2 at low voltage, a moment before
charging theO.lpFcapaictor. The 100k
potentiometer and 1000 jiF capacitor
arc the timing elements while transistor
SL 00 and relays are used for switching
1

the motor from star to delta.

When the circuit is switched on,


the monostable gets a negative trigger

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 141


and its output goes high. So* the relay off, the relay de-energises and goes to cut-off and VR1 for over voltage cut-

energises, connecting the motor in star N/O state (normally off connections off as required.
configuration. Both sets of relays are wired as delta type). VR3 is provided to keep transistor
(switch-on and converting )
hav£ a delay. After wiring the circuit, keep VR1 T1 off when output of comparators is
So the motor gets supply only after con- as low as possible and press SI on. low (sometimes because of the irregu-
necting it in star mode. After a speci- Adjust VR4 to get sufficient delay be- larity of the circuit, a low voltage may

fied delay, themonostable switches off fore switching the motor in delta mode. occur at the output).

and remains in that state. When T3 goes Also adjust VR2 to get under voltage

Cassette Copier
P.N. Shajl

H ere is a simple circuit for copy-


ing audio signals from your tape. It tape
The
is
line-out connection
connected to the line-in of
from the
this
secondary of transformer X 1 (2-termi-
nal side) needs two windings. So wind
employs four npn transistors (Fig. 1 ). circuit. A 100k potentiometer should a wire with same thickness and length

LINE IN

Fig. 1

o--*/w
Fig. 2 C17 TO LEFT CHANNEL
0 0039m
Two transistors amplify the incoming be connected to the input of this circuit (from another ITT) on the same core
signals to a proper level, while the third to control the recording leveL The audio and connect that wire serially to the
is used for impedance matching. The signal is amplified by the transistors, previous winding. The joint should be
fourth transistor is used to produce an mixed with the RFsignal and recorded earthed (Fig. 2). The other two ends are
RF signal for biasing to get best clarity on the cassette. connected two channels of the
to the

to the audio signals. XI is an IFT of a For stereo, a second similar circuit recording head. The metal case of the

radio receiver (without capacitor). is required. In the RF oscillator, the IFT must be earthed.

142 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Readers* comments: chromium and metal cassettes be

copied using this circuit?


The circuit is fantastic but while the R.MANOJ
circuit needs 18V supply the skeleton P.O.Pampady West (Kerala)
needs 6V. Please suggest a suitable
arrangement to meet these require- The author P.N.Shaji,
,
replies:

ments and confirm whether BEL 1895 As regards Mr Babu’s letter, I would
IC can be used to replace transistors recommend use of a 9V-0-9V trans-
T1 and T2? former and a 78xx series voltage
Power supply recommended for cassette
A.N.BABU regulator IC, as shown here. How- copier.

Rfyahmundry ever, it is too difficult to use the sug-


capacitor should be removed from the
For the Cassette Copier circuit, gested BEL 1895 IC.
circuit. I used a National AX head in
please specify: (a) which I FT is to be Regarding Mr
Manoj’s doubts, a my copier. With a small adjustment of
used in the circuit; (b) which head is radio receiver’s IFT having black biasing amplitude we can use a Phil-
what is the biasing fre-
to be used; (c) coloured core would be most suitable. ips BT62 head. Biasing frequency of
quency of the circuit; and (d) can If a third IFT is used, the 2700pF this circuit is 75 kHz.

A Precise Timer
V.K. Parmar

T he circuit for a 99-second pre-


settable timer described here is cen-
14-stage ripple-carry binary counter/
divider and oscillator type IC CD40G0B.
by 2
get 1
in D type flip-flop CD4013
PPS (pulse per second) square
to

tered around easily available 32.768kHz The divide-by-2 M output available wave. The 1PPS pulse train is subse-
(2
15
Hz) wrist- watch crystal and CMOS at pin 3 of CD4060B is further divided quenlly subdivided in a chain of two

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 143


:

CD4017 decade counters. The ten de- thumbwheel switches are connected the front panel. Power-on reset circuit
coded outputs available from each to the two input NAND gates of IC has been included so that the timer will
CD4017 are connected to a pair of CD4011. The output of this NAND beep after a selected time at every power-
thumbwheel switches (decimal to deci- gate goes to 0 whenever the count reaches on.
mal) to facilitate time setting up to 99 the value preset by the thumbwheel The powered by four pen-
circuit is
seconds. switches, thus disabling the input light cells. Because of CMOS cir-
Each thumbwheel switch selects clock of the counter chain. It also starts cuitry, the current consumption is
any one output of the corresponding the 'time-up' beeper. The timer can be quite low and batteries last longer.
decade counter and the outputs of the restarted by a pushbutton located on

Readers* comments:

Precise Timer circuit in EFY Feb*91


With this modification the circuit
needs to be corrected. works just as mentioned by the au-
The author has mentioned that thor.

“The output of the NAND gate Cd‘ in M. JAMES VICTOR RAJ


the circuit) goes to ’0‘ whenever the Coimbatore
counter reaches the value preset by
the thumbwheel switches, thus dis- The author, Mr V.K. Parmar, replies
abling the input clock of the counter Please note that the timer has been
chain. It also starts the 'time-up' designed to give a busy signal during
beeper." itsoperation and therefore the extra
When the output of the NAND inverter suggested by Mr James Vic-
tor R^j is not needed. However, the
gate (d) goes to 'O' it disables the clock
and also the beeper according to the changes may be incorporated for modi-
circuit here. Because immediately on fying the unit for normally off and
power-on the output of the NAND time-up indicator beeper.
gate d’ ial, the beeper starts beeping.
When the NAND gate d' goes to 'O'
after preset value, the beeper stops.
Therefore, for the ‘time-up' beeper
the following should be added to the Modification for precise timer circuit.
circuit.

Mains Supply Interruption


Indicator
K.M. Reddy
1 his circuit can be used in appli- with digital clocks working on mains. a minimum.
cations where it is necessary to know An interruption in the mains supply N1 has been wired as an inverter
whether the mains supply has been will cause an LED to flash as a warning with its input connected to the reset
continuous or not. Thi$ circuit will be that the mains supply was interrupted. switch.The reset switch will operate
useful for monitoring mains supplies The circuit is very simple and only when the mains supply is present.
to recording equipment, especially in straightforward as it is based on just N2 and N3 form a simple S-R latch.
the recording of computer software tapes, one CMOS 1C 1C1 contains four NAND One of the inputs of N2 has been
where the slightest interruption in the schmitt iriggcr gates. This IC has connected to the low voltage DC sup-
mains supply will cause an error in the been chosen to keep the current ply derived from the mains. The
data being recorded. It can also be used consumption and component count to output of the latch is connected to the

144 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


oscillator formed by N4.The output of
the oscillator has been connected to an
LED. The LED and IC arc powered off
a 4.5 V supply derived from three 1.5 V
cells.

The oscillator is enabled whenever


the input of N2 is low, i.c. the mains
supply is absent, causing the LED to
flash. The LED continues to flash even
after the mains supply has resumed
until the reset button is pressed.

The circuit may be assembled on


a general-purpose PCD. Care should
be taken while testing the circuit as
many parts of the circuit are at mains
potential. If an audible alarm is de-
sired, the LED can be replaced by a
buzzer after making suitable changes
;
in the value of R6.

Single Chip Crossover Detector


For Line Over-Voltage
J. Jayasankar
H ere is

audible indication
a circuit which can give
when the mains line
or
speaker
a dynamic
across
voltage exceeds a particular level. It is thesame pins, in isJ:

based on dual tone ringer telecom chip which case an p ci


J.J
LS1240 (SGS). output trans- o.47m
0.47m 1CK
25V POT LSI 240
AC voltage can be applied across former is neces-
pinsl and 8 of the chip as shown. A sary for imped-
g Zi > IK
built-in rectifier bridge within the chip ance matching.
provides DC voltage (Vs) across term i- To get dual
nals7and2.The 10pF capacitor filters tone like that of
out ripples.
The voltage V* should not exceed
a telephone ring-
ing, a lOOnF ca-
K!<
14K> VS
FI
j

26V DC which is the maximum guar- pacitor between


anteed rating of the IC. A load of not pins 3 and 2 can
less impedance has to be con-
than Ik be connected. Once oscillations start, activation voltage when the line volt-
nected between pins 5 and 2 for an note that the output will be sustained as age just crosses the expected limit.

audible tone. Hence the load should long as Vs remains above 8.2V. The circuit can also be used as a
be either a piezo-ceramic buzzer The RC combination at the input doorbell.
directly connected across pins 5 and 2 must be set such that the chip develops

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 145


Electronic Oar Horn
Amrit Bir Tiwana
1 his circuit for a modular elec- flexible enough to operate off supply (LM1010) around which the amplifier
tronic horn is primarily designed for voltages ranging from 6V to 18V DC. section is built. Available in a 9-pin
use in cars. It delivers up 10W of
to IC1, an HT88 music synthesiser DIL package, .M 1010 can deliver up
I

musical output power. The hom can ROM, forms the heart of the circuit. to 10W to a 4-ohm speaker. C3 and C8
produce many types of (preselect able) Available in an 18-pin DIL package, act as the input and output coupling ca-
sound effects ranging from simple this 1C is a monolithic LSI chip which, pacitors, respectively. Cl and C9 arc
automatic rise and fall siren sounds in addition to the masked sound effects, the supply decoupling capacitors.
(three types) and dual lone melodies/ contains an on-chip oscillator, a preamp. The horn module can operate off
voltages between 6V and 18V.
When used as a car horn, it may
be directly powered by the 12V
car battery. If used with a scooter
or any other vehicle having an
AC power supply system, a simple
full-wave bridge rectifier filter

network may be used. In some


cases, reverse polarity protec-
tion prevention diode D1 may be
sufficient.
The module should be fitted

at any convenient place, away


from the heat of the engine (in

case it is used in a car). A suit-

able weather-proof speaker should


be used with the unit. It can be
mounted on the top of the car's
bi-tonal sounds to complex bombing envelope etc. A particular tunc can be bonnet. If wired as a reverse hom,
and ringing sounds. accessed by bringing the correspond- wiring should be through the brake
The module can effectively be ing control input at logic 0. R1-D2 switch instead of the main hom switch.
used as a normal doorbell or with an step down the 12V supply to about The complete hom would cost around
alarm clock as well. Modular construc- 3.9V for 1C1. Rs 65.
tion ensures reliable operation and is The output of IC1 is fed to IC2

Readers’ comments: Can Ireplace LM1010 amplifier Electronics, 20 Kalpana Building, 357
The circuit idea for *ElectronicCar circuit with other power amplifiers Lamington Road, Bombay. LM 1010 is
Horn’ in EFY Feb*91 issue by Mr Amrit (eg. TBA810) operating on 12- volt compatible with TDA1010, SG1010
Bir Tiwana is very interesting. But I supply? and TDA1010A. To replace it with a
have a few queries. PRADEEP G. TBA810, the readers may refer to a
What is the significance of X and Y Alleppey UM66 based horn article published in
markings across the output termi- The author, Mr Amrit Bir Tiwana, EFYAug’89 issue (by Mr Pradeep G.).
nals? What is the cost of IC HT88 replies: This would however mean lower vol-
and from where I can obtain this IC? (
HT88 is available for Rs 35 from Gala ume and lesser audibility.

146 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Point X is in fact at the C3-R5 Small weather-proof speakers through most mail order firms that
junction and this is where an* equivalent (cheapest range) are horn, shaped advertise in EFY.

amp should be connected to replace IC2, speakers that cost about Rs 30. These
if so desired. are available in most cities easily and

Indicator
S. Vadlvazagan and
S. Rajmohan

a
locked
ere is

ndicates ‘IN’
a simple circuit which
when the door
and ‘OUT’ when locked
in not
if the
calling bell is pressed. The working of
the circuit is simple.
When the door is not locked, the
supply is through the N/C contact and
the circuit indicates 'IN'. When the
door is locked the relay operates the
N/O contact close and indicates
‘OUT’.
The main connection of this circuit

Fig. 2

is the lock connection (Fig. 1). Two


pieces of flexible flexible metal plates
(from condemned flexible metre tape or
from spectacles cover or two wires
insulated properly) are fixed in the door
framed as shown and the wires
soldered. When the door is locked, the
flexible plates bend inwards and the
circuit is completed via the tongue of
the lock.
To indicate ‘IN’ and ‘OUT, 14 LEDs
are soldered easily on a vero board (as
0, U, T, 1 and N) and mounted outside
the door (Fig. 2). This costs only about
Rs 14 compared to the five 7-segment
displays which cost a lot.

Readers' comments;
The co-author, S. Vadivazagan, replies: section, so that when 'on' is indicated
The indicator Bell Circuits is very good the bell works but when 'out' indication
but can it be ensured that the bell doesn't Mr Naga Babu’s suggestion can appears, the N/C contracts being
work when the user is ‘out’ and that is be accomplished easily by using an- open, the bell doesn’t ring.
rings only when he is ‘in? other set of contracts available in the
A. NAGA BABU relay. The bell connection, instead of
Rajahmundry going directly, can be given via N/C

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 147


Multi-Tone Generator
Kamal Wason

TP he circuit described here gener-

ates eight types of tones which arc


divided by two channels. Each channel
contains four The volume is
tones.
controlled by a 10k on-off volume con- i

trol. I

The heart of the circuit is IC UM356I


which is a tone generator. The output
of the IC is given to transistor BC547 I

for amplification. The amplified sign- 1

als are then passed to the transistor i

BC547. BC547 acts as a driver trans-


istor for another BC547. Selection of
beats done by switches SI and S2.
is

The circuit works on +3V battery.

The cost of the circuit is approx-


imately Rs 50 without speaker and
power supply. The different tones
produced arc bell, ambulance siren, whistle, machine gun sound, jingle,
[
police siren, birds and dual sound.

AM Transmitter
S. Sounderrajan

T
RF
his
transmitter
is a low-cost, good-stability
which uses only one
FET. The heart of this transmitter is a
FET BFW10 which works as a trickier
feedback oscillator. lEe frequency of
the RF signal can be determined by
the oscillator coil LI and variable ca-
pacitor C4.
The audio signal from an amplifier
or any audio device such as cassette i

player, organ, TV etc whose output


impedance is 4 ohms to 16 ohms is fed
to the source of FET.
The amplitude of the RF wave can
be varied by Ik preset VR 1 The fre- .

quency adjustments are made through


the coil and capacitors C4 and C5. The
output of the transmitter is taken through
trimmer C6 to a telescopic or indoor
wire antenna.
Turn the radio receiver to the trans- volume control of audio input device, i sound in the radio receiver as well to
mitter carrier frequency and adjust the VRland C6 achieve better modulation percentage.
to get clear undistorted i

148 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


White/LF Noise Generator
C. Sanjay

1 J very musician today is in need |


IC. The output is thus very ‘noisy’ with of IC2 also loads the output at high
of a noise source, particularly those plenty of white noise. frequencies and reduces them. Thus the
,

who practice with a group or use a syn- The output of 1C 1 is given to alow -
resultant output has a large amount of
thesiser. pass filter which cuts off high frequen- low frequency (LF) noise.
This white noise generator gives cies. Point A is connected to amplifier A small amount of white noise due
i to the IC itself is pro-

duced at the output,


but it can be ignored.
Point R is an artifi-

cial centre point


created for IC1 and
IC2. Point C is con-
nected to the capaci-
tor which reduces the
gain of IC2 at high
frequencies.

|
The power supply
can be taken from a
12-0- 12 V, 100mA
transformer. The
outputs of this gen-
erator must be given
to an amplifier as
I
these arc not sufficient
an output to be fed to an amplifier IC2. The feedback network of IC2 to drive a loudspeaker.
The white noise generated by the 12V includes a 0.15*1 capacitor which re- This circuit costs around Rs 50 ex-
zencr diode is amplified 200 times duces the gain at high frequencies. eluding the power supply,
along with the noise of the ‘noisy’ 741 The 0.00 1 pFcapacitor at the output

Indoor Advertising Board


B. Ravi Prasad
TA his is a simple circuit to display
a one- word or one-sentence
w uh sun pic modifications it can also be aslablc multivibrator is given by
message used for outdoors. T=T1 +T2= 1 .4RC.
for advertising purposes. Although it The main part of the circuit is IC One 74HCT164 IC can accommo-
is not microprocessor based, a 74HCT164, a
it is |
shift register (Fig. 1). It date up to eight characters. If the
moving display which attracts atten- shifts the input data from one pin to length of the word or sentence is more
tion.lt works on a power supply of +5'V next for every clock pulse. The clock than eight characters, cascade con-
and +12V. While the unit has been pulses arc produced by NOT schmitt figuration can be used. Cascade con-
designed as an indoor advertising board, triggered gates. The pulse width of this figuration for two or more ICs is

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 149


shown in Fig. 2. Seven-segment LED
displays or LEDs can be used to
display the advertisement. By con-
necting relays in place of LED block, it

can also be converted into an outdoor


advertising board. Relays are used to
control the series bulbs which arc con-
nected to the mains supply.
By closing switch S 1, the IC is reset

so that it is ready to shift date. Initially


pin 07 is at logic low. This is inverted
by gate Nl, and this logic high is

applied to the input pins. By applying


the clock pulses simultaneously, the
date is shifted from QO toQ7. As long
as the date reaches pin Q7, i.e. logic
high, capacitor Cl charges through
resistor Rl. After some time delay,
gate Nl toggles so that it goes to its

previous state of 0. i.e. logic low.


TABLE I

Number of Date Pins at logic


I lencc, the input at pins A and B is low.
clock pulses input high
By applying the clock pulses, this

No pi"
low date is shifted from QO to Q7, i.e.
0 1

1 t QO the transistor connected to that par-


2 1 Q0.Q1 ticular pin is turned off. Table 1 illus-
3 1 QO, Ql. Q2 trates the switching procedure.
4 1 00.01,02.03
In this manner, advertising is con-
5 1 QO, Ql, Q2, Q3, 04
6 1 Q5
QO, Ql, Q2. Q3. 04, tinuously visible. The series resistance
7 1 OO.Q1,Q2,Q3,Q4,Q5,Q6 Rse should be changed in accordance
8 1 QO,Ql,Q2,Q3 Q4,Q5,Q6, 07
t
with the number of LEDs. Fig. 3 shows
Aftcrsomr linu delay the indoor circuit, while Fig. 4 illus-

1 0 Ql. 02. 03. 04. Q5, 06, Q7 trates how the circuit can be converted
2 0 Q2, Q3, Q4. QS, Q6, Q7
into an outdoor unit. Diodes D1-D7
3 0 03,04.05, 06.07
4 0 04, 05, 06, 07 protect the relays from reverse emf
5 0 Q5, 06, Q7 generated during the operation of the
6 0 06, Q7 relays.
7 0 07
The only major disadvantage is
8 0 Nil
that the unit cannot display various
After seme tin* drlay
advertisements simultaneously as it is
1 1 QO
2 1 00,01 designed for only one advertisement
3 1 QO, 01, Q2 at a time. The width of the clock pulse
• •
continues
• •
may be altered as required.

150 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Simple Touch Dimmer
Using Triacs
R.S, Krishnan

iring a triac could ncvcrbesim- i


and C3 smootben the supply, Intcrfcr- toggles between on and off. When the
pier!The heart of this touchdimmcr is cncc is reduced by the RC snubber, plate is touched for longer periods, the
the S576 which provides an uncompli- Resistors R7 and R8 arc necessary and load (i.c. the lamp) cycles between maxi-
cated and elegant method to fire the provide the touch plate. Thetriac firing mum and minimum power in a period
triac. signal is fed through D3, while R3 and of 6.5 secs. The 50ms lower limit is set

PLATE
The IC is not very sensitive to C4 synchronise the circuit to mains fre- to avoid false triggering by picking up
power glitches and works on the 15V qucncy. interference. The circuit can handle
dropped by R2 and C2. Zener D1 When the touch plate is touched any amoont of non-inductive power if
clamps the voltage at 1 5 V, while D2 briefly for 50-400ms, the lamp or load the amperage of the triac is changed.

Charging Reminder for


Emergency Lights
M.S. Nagra]

mergency light comes to the res- becomes useless. No protection circuit of about 30 seconds when the battery
cue of its user whenever there is power can stop self-discharge of the battery voltage falLs below 5.1V. This kind of
power shut-down. However,
failure or |
and only trickle charging can compcn- discontinuous alarm is not annoying
when the power supply is regular, the !
sate for it. and yet can catch the attention of the
user has a tendency to disregard the Here is a circuit to inform the user user.
need to recharge the batteries of the that the battery has discharged itself Transistors T5 and T6 along with
emergency light. Even when not put to below the safe level. The discharge R7 and C4 form an audio oscillator
use, the battery will discharge itself. characteristics of a dry battery, as sup- for driving a miniature speaker. This
When the battery is kept in the plied by its manufacturer, indicate that oscillator is enabled for a period of
discharged state for a long period, an the battery should not be discharged about second and disabled for 30
1

irreversible chemical reaction takes below a level of 1.7V per cell. This seconds by the output of the as table
place reducing the capacity of the circuit is developed to give an audio multivibrator by transistors
formed
battery so that eventually the battery alarm for about one second after a gap T2 and 13 along with C2,C3,R2,R3,

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 151


R4 and R5. Transistor T1 along with oscillator. battery is negligible.
R1 ,
VR1 and Z1 form level detector to While testing, this alarm circuit was For testing and calibrating the alarm
sense the battery voltage. found to work for a battery voltage as circuit, disconnect it from the charger
When the emergency light is plugged low as 1.3V. When the oscillator is and replace the battery by a variable
into the mains supply, the battery enabled, the current drawn by the DC supply. Adjust preset VR1 such
charger drives a current into the base of circuit is about 25 m A at a battery volt- that the audio oscillator is disabled for
transistor T4 via R6. The saturated age of 4V. As the oscillator is enabled DC supply volt ages of 5. IV and above.
transistor T4 pulls down the base of only for 1 second in every 30 seconds, Reconnect battery and the charger.
transistor T5 and disables the audio the loading effect of this circuit on the The circuit is now ready for use.
.

pulses when pin 6 is low. Gates Cand put of S2 can thus be selected. This The output at pin 4 of IC1 will
|

D form an R-S flip-flop. Capacitor C3 pulse is differentiated by C4, R4 and drive a relay through transistor T1
ensures that any spikes on the gener- diode Dl. The contact of the relay can be used for
ated pulses are removed. Pushbutton The processed pulse is now applied outputing the pulses. Suitable spark
SI gives the start signal. to pin 13ofICl. This will reset the quench may be wired across the con-
IC2 counts trailing edge of the pulses flip-flop and stop the clock generator tact to avoid contact errosion while
at pin 14. Outputs 1 to 9 and carry are taking pin 6 high. It also resets the driving heavy currents.
wired on a 10- way switch S2. The out- counter at pin 15. I

5V to 20V Regulated
Power Supply
Dinakar Shastry
his power supply unit uses 5V is achieved. Switch S2 is employed to variable 5 V to 10V. In second position,
fixed voltage regulator IC 7805. By keep the minimum dissipation in the 18V is used to supply 10V to 15V.
continuously adjusting the potential at IC at low voltage outputs. This is achieved by using a 5V zener in

centre pin of the IC (i.e. ground pin), In the first position of S2a, only scries with the ground pin. In third
a continuously variable output voltage 12V is used to supply a continuously position, 24 V is used to supply 15 V to

230V AC PRI
TO
24V AC. AMP sec.
1

si TRAMSFORMCR

FUSE
i

0
230V
50H?
0

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 153


supply unit so that the latter acts as a This circuit offers very good line
20V.
power heatsink, care should be taken to avoid and load regulation. Due to minimal
The transformer used is input
dissipation, only a small heatsink is
amplifier transformer with 12-6-0-6- direct contact of negative supply with
the body. This is because the body will sufficient.
12 windings. The rating of the trans-
former is 24VA. body ofICis
If the always be at 5 V less potential lhan the

connected to the body of the power ouptut in such eases.

Smoke Alarm
Pradeep G.
TT he circuit shown here can be
used very effectively as a professional
smoke alarm. 1 5 TO +«V
It employs three general-purpose
^

transistors. These transistors can be


easily replaced with their near cquiva- '

lents. The circuit wired around tran- 1

sistors T2 and T3 is the most popular


AF oscillator using a complementary
pair of transistors. But the base bias of
T2 is not directly from positive line.

The base bias resistor is connected to


the collector of the pnp transistor T1 as
shown.
The only precaution to be taken for
this circuit is that the bulb should be
directed towards the LDR. When the
high intensity light from the bulb falls
on the LDR, the conduction of T1 will
be maximum and the circuit will be ;
This circuit will be quiet at high emit sound. When smoke appears
quiet. But when smoke is present be- intensity or very low intensity of between lamp and LDR, the resistance
tween lamp and the LDR, the intensity ;
light. For proper results, adjust the of LDR is decreased along with the
of light decreases and the alarm is distance and position of lamp and voltage at point X and the alarm sounds.
activated. An 8-ohm, 10cm loud- •
LDR. In the absence of smoke, the positive
speaker emits comparatively loud ,
Adjust VR2 slowly where the cir- voltage at point X is high. Adjust VR2
sound. So there is no need of an extra cuit just generates sound so that at low if the alarm does not sound.
amplifier. values of VR2, the circuit docs not
j

the speaker with an actuating relay. place of a speaker. If a relay is used it


Readers* comments: G.D. RAJPATE will energise in presence or absence
Ghaziabad of smoke! It will de-energise only

The Smoke Alarm Circuit is very inter- when smoke appears be-
thick black
The author, Mr Pradeep G, replies: tween lamp and LDR, i.e. LDR should
esting and can be useful in case of a fire.

As transistor T3 (AC 128) is always in be completely darkened.


The author requested to confirm if
ia
the circuit can be revised replacing conduction, a relay cannot be used in

154 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Pulse Generator
D. Deepak
r 1

1 his circuit is used to provide


positive going pulses. The pulse width
varies from 10ps to 100ms at the rate of
20 pulses per sec to 1 pulse per sec,
and adjusted by a -megohm potenti-
l

ometer. Transistors T1 and T2 form a


relaxation oscillator circuitry. The fre-
quency of oscillator depends on Cl and
VR1.
The pulse width is varied by a 47k
potentiometer. Any required pulse
width range is selected by switch SI as
shown below:

Position of Pulse width


SI

1 lOps to lOOps
2 lOOps 1ms to
3 1ms to 10ms
4 10ms to 100ms

Automatic Voltage Stabiliser


Amrit Bir Tiwana

oltage fluctuations in the mains have to operate almost round the I Although automatic voltage sta-

supply lines, which is a very common clock, a manual voltage stabiliser is bilisers are commercially available,
phenomenon, can lead to irreparable practically useless, since it is not pos- most of them, in addition to their high

damage to costly electronic equip- siblc to keep a watch ove. it costs, suffer from drawbacks such as
ment. This necessiates the use of a continuously. An automatic voltage unstable reference voltage and single
device which aids in the stabilisation stabiliser is suitable for such applica- |
step operation (which reduces absolute
of the mains voltaec. As such devices tions. i
toleration limits), thus hampering their

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 155


X2
0-20&-Z20-250V
200T300 W both purpose as unstability occurs on
energisation of the relay. Relay contacts
are used to select the most suitable
trapping of the auto transformer (Fig,

2).The LEDs indicate the inflow of the


mains voltage.
The circuit can be wired onto a
general purpose PCB or vero board. A
suitable low profile socket should be
used for the IC. All external connec-
tion should be made using ribbon cable.
The LEDs should be fitted in suitable
Fig. 2 holders.
precise operation. Most of these are is wired as a comparator (Fig. 1). It is wound
preferable to use a flat
fitted with moving coil type meter9, Zener diode D3 provides a reference transformer in order to reduce the
which require frequent adjustments, and voltage of 5.6V to the inverting input of size. But his would limit the current
give misleading readings. In certain cases bl and non-inverting input of al. The handling capacity.
at low voltages, the control circuitry itself diode is selected for its low temperature Keeping VR1 and VR2 in maxi-
ceases to operate. coefficient and to ensure stability even mum resistance position, apply an
Here is a circuit for a highly at low supply voltages, input of 220V from a variable AC
precise, yet cost-effective automatic The output of al goes high when the voltage source. Now decrease the
voltage stabiliser which can provide an mains input voltage goes low. The output voltage to about 180V and adjust VR1,
output of 220V with an accuracy of of bl goes high when the mains input to activate RL1 so that the LED glows.

about ±8 per cent. The circuit utilises a goes higher than the preset level, Now increase the input voltage to about
solidstate, long life (over 11 years) LED Transistors T1 and T2 are used to drive 280V and adjust VR2 to activate RL2
voltage level meter, which retains the relays RL1 and RL2. VR1 and VR2 and the LED glows again. Now bring
case of interpretation of an analogue acts as potential dividers, and aid in the input voltage to normal (220V) and
display. The circuit provides 2-step setting the voltage limits at which the readjust VR1 and VR2, so that the
control and has a highly stable inbuilt output states of the comparators relays remain de-energised. The output
reference source. The entire circuitry is change. will now remain stable at 220V, +A8 per
built around a single integrated circuit. Separate transformer windings are cent, irrespective of the input voltage
It is very rugged and offers a high degree used to fulfil the power supply require- (limit: 180-280V AC).
of stability. ments, one for obtaining the supply The stabiliser is now ready for use.

The complete circuit is built voltage for the control circuitry and The complete unit, including a cabinet
around a J-FET dual op-amp IC the other for deriving the sample volt- would cost around Rs 180.
TL062 (IC1). Each of the two op-amps age. A common winding is not used for

156 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


:

high reverse emf generated during an 'Orthodox' convention as


de-energisation of relays. chances of a negligible (volt, and
Readers’ comments:*
PRADEEP G. current) reverse EMF damaging
Alleppey hardware is as low as one in a million
Thanks to the author for his circuit for or not even that!
Automatic Voltage Stabiliser.
The author ,
Mr Amrit Bir Tiioana, does no harm using them either
It
In that circuit no reverse biased di- and hardly any by leaving them out.
replies
odes are connected across the relays
to protect the BC147 transistors from Using reverse diodes is essentially

Automatic 2-mode
Running Light
Pramod Kumar
R
new
unning light projects are not
for the electronics hobbyists. But
|

|
to right.
This circuit uses three ICs, two
I output pin Q3, counter
three counts from QO
is reset after

to Q2. Three
an interesting 2-modc running light cir- 555 timer ICs and a decade counter sequential outputs are sufficient for a
|

cuit is presented here, using which the ]


IC 4017. IC1 is used to operate the re- running effect. Outputs QO, Q1 and 02
light moves in two directions alter- j
lay. The output of this IC goes to base are wired to base of T2, T3 and T4re-
natcly. oftransistorTl which is used as a relay spectivcly, so that all transistors turn on
|

Although this circuit is a simple, driver. IC2 is used to provide clock sequentially at each clock pulse at in-

3-channel running light system, it has pulse to input of IC3. The relay is used P ul °f IC3. Transistors are used to switch
an unique feature whereby the light in order to change the direction of run- on Ihe triacs. The cost of this circuit is

changes its direction of running auto- ning lights. under Rs 100.

matically. The light first runs from right At each clock pulse, IC3 starts
j

to left for some time and then from left counting. Since its reset pin is wired to

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 157


MW Voice Transmitter
(Pen Cell Sized)
Narpat Singh Rana
H ere is a circuit for a
wave transmitter which can be assembled
medium ANTENNA

within a MW antenna coil It is so small


that three such transmitters can be
housed in a match box (Fig. 1).

The modulation in this transmit-


ter is purely AM during transmission.
Itworks on any MW
receiver and runs
from 1.5V to 15V or on a single watch
NOTE ANTENNA SHOULD BE Cf METRE LONG
cell. In open area where HT (250V-
1 1

INSULATED WIRE
2 NO PART OF THE CIRCUIT SHOULD BE
440V) lines exist, the range of signal TOUCHED WVCN AC MAINS POWER SUPPLY
reception is more than 500 metres if IS USB}
Fig. 1
power is supplied via a battery dim ina-
tor.The power supply circuit shown in gets electrical sound pulses which it

Fig. 2 may be used to power the trans- applies to the base of the oscillating
mitter. transistor BC148B. Here the sound sig-
Fig. 3:Det*ils or MW antenna coiL
The transition frequency of tran- nal is amplified, modulated on the
sistor BC148B above the
lies MW carrier frequency and transmitted by The total cost of this transmitter is

frequency range. The condenser mic the antenna. around Rs 15.

can be calculated with the help of the If the transmitter frequency inter-
relationship: feres with any local station, connect a
lOpF capacitor in parallel with 470pF.
Readers* comment: There is no need of any ferrite rod
in this transmitter.
The fundamental frequency is not
Ihave gone through all the letters sent by where f is in MHz, L is in jiH, and C is 250 kHz; it is between 900 kHz and
readers in response to my circuit. Here I in pF.
950 kHz without ferrite and every
am giving my general comments. A pocket radio set, which has lesser component inside the antenna coil.
My main aim was to house the sensitivity than the bigger sets, does Only harmonic in the lower frequency
may on 250 kHz.
whole transmitter within a MW an- not give a good range of reception. range lie

One of the readers from Bangalore


tenna coil. That is why I have made Whether the transmitter is pow-
ered with cells or a battery elimina- reported that the same transmitter is
the tank circuit fixed.
giving a range of 1500 metres, i.e. one
Also, with 470pF and MW
antenna tor, or with the power supply given
with the transmitter circuit, a mini- and a half kilometres, on connecting
coil alone, no harmonic other than the
mum of one metre wire antenna con- the antenna with the grounded wire
fundamental frequency exists in the
MW band. I have already conducted nected to the collector of BC148 should of the AC mains.
several experiments on the tank cir- be kept near the AC mains. NARPAT SINGH RANA
Patiala
cuit. The transmitter works very well

The frequency of the transmitter even on a single watch cell.

158 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Low Power Alarm
With Automatic Switch-Off
George Varughese

H
an alarm
ere, a 4060 timer IC
circuit, lliis
is used as
IC also offers
!

automatic switch-off after a fixed time.


When input gets a high going pulse,
the circuit in IC starts oscillating. Value
of resistor R14 determines frequency
of oscillation of the built-in oscillator.
The output frequency shifts about this
frequency after a particular internal
oscillation stops. R1 4 should be cho-
sen according to the frequency required,
minimum value being 10k.
R3, R14 and C3 arc the frequency
determining components of the inter-
nal oscillator. At switch on, pin 3 is their common terminal also varies. Since the unit draws very low qui-
low, diode 1N4 148 is reverse biased Voltage across C4 also affects this. As !
escent current, no power on/off switch
and the internal oscillator oscillates. this voltage is applied to the oscillator ;
is needed. An advantage of using IC
R7-R11 form a voltage divider net- through VRl, oscillation changes 4060 instead of UM scries musical IC
work or, more precisely, a D-A frequency. As soon as pin 3 goes high, is the wide supply range of 4060.

convener. oscillator switches off since diode D1


As counting progresses, voltage of becomes forward biased.

Simple Electronic Sand-glass


George V.

J n this circuit IC 555 is wired in IC3 (pin


shift register 8). Inversion is switch, so that after the lower LEDs
the astable mode such that its fre- done as IC 74164 is positively trig- are when the device is inverted, the
lit

quency can be varied by the 100k po- gered. To make it negative edge trig- switch makes contact with ground and
tentiometer VRl. IC 7490 connected gered like 7490, an inverter is added. logic 0 is loaded. The effect is simu-
as MOD 10 counter divides the fre- Thus when Qd is high after nine latcd by using inverters to drive LEDs
quency by 10. counts, a pulse is provided to IC 74164. on the other side.
After nine clock pulses, a clock This loads a high state in shift register Thus for each clock pulse, as a logic
pulse from Qd is inverted by gate 'a' if SI is open throughout the register. 1 is loaded when SI is open, the corre-
(

(1/6 7404) and fed to clock input of ! SI must be a mercury or toggle sponding inverted LED turns off, sim-
ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 159
ultating the falling effect of sand grains. 32 by connecting another 74164 in can be adjusted for a frequency such
Although 16 LEDs are used here, series with the one used, besides using that lower LEDs are all lit in about 1,3
the number can be easily increased to corresponding inverters as well. VR1 or 5 minutes.

FM Communication System
M.M. Dharmapurikar

A
one that
communication system is
real
works 24 hours a day. In such
OPT OSOLAT OR

a system, the receiver must be 1


'on all
the time so as to catch the signals any
time. But for an ordinary hobbyist,
such a large circuit used for commer-
cial sets exceeds his needs.
Here is a circuit which mutes your
FM receiver when signal is absent and
switches on the speaker automatically,
when signal is received. Using this

circuit, the hissing sound is com-


pletely eliminated because the re-
ceiver speaker is disconnected when When there is no signal, the LED as T1 (SK100) drives the relay which
there is no signal. well as the switch are off and the further operates the speaker. T1 must
The circuit incorporates a simple speaker is disconnected. be provided with a heatsink for safe
light operated switch which turns on The circuit consists of an active operation,
when the tuning indicator LED of the device IC 741 used as a comparator. The LDRiscoupled with the tuning
receiver starts glowing. When a strong The non-inverting pin 3 is given con- LED by taking out the LED from the
signal is caught by the receiver, the slant voltage via R1 and R2. VR1 sets cabinet of the receiver. Alternatively,
LED lights up and the switch turns on. the sensitivity ofthe circuit. Transistor theLDR can be mounted directly on

160 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


-

the LED on the cabinet. In both cases. from receiver power supply. D1 pro- i
receiver via cither the jack pin or by
However the coupling should be per- tects the circuit from back cmf gener- i cutting the speaker leads. Connection
fectly opaque, so that only the light ated by the relay. Cl makes the opera can be made with either external or
from LED falls on the LDR. 1
tion of the relay smoother. The output internal speaker.
The supply voltage can be taken 1

of speaker is taken directly from the

Mains Wiring Fault Detector


Amrit Bir Tiwana

T he circuit described here is for a


low-cost mains wiring fault detector
TABLE
Fault Detection Table
1

which would enable the user to in-


LEDs
Slate of Suit
stantly isolate the fault in the mains D4 D5 1* Number Portable Fault
wiring. When plugged into the mains,
On On Off i All aafe
the unit assumes one of the six Off Off Off 2 Live wire disconnected, fuse blown, power
possible states given in Table I, and failure, switch off

indicates the probable fault against On Off On 3 Live and neutral wires interchanged
On Off Off 4 Ground wire open
the corresponding state number.
Off On Off 5 Neutral wire open
Resistors R1-R3 drop the mains Off On On 6 Live and neutral wires interchanged
AC voltage, and diodes Dl-D3con-
vert this voltage into DC. This voltage
is then used to drive the LEDs, D4-D6.
Capacitors Cl -C3 help in maintaining
a steady glow. A particular combina-
C3 tion of LEDs (i.e. a particular stale)
100m
25V lights up according to the fault in the
mains wiring.
The circuit is quite compact and
may be enclosed in a 3-pin mains plug.
The circuit would cost around Rs 10.

Programmable Organ
Pramod Kumar

M
lator.
ost electronic hobbyists arc fa-
miliar with the audio frequency oscil-
This circuit is actually an
organ.
The circuit uses two timer NE555
ICsanda decade counter ICCD4017.
|
put of IC2, at each
starts counting from
All ten presets are wired between
clock
00
pulse IC2
through 09.
Q
audio frequency oscillator, where the Timers IC1 and IC3 are used in astablc
j
outputs of IC2 and pin 7 of IC3.
frequency can be programmed. Besides multivibrator mode. IC1 provides clock ,
As a result of counting from QO
being interesting, this organ will give pulses to input of decade counter IC2, through Q9, all ten presets function
a new kind of preprogrammed music. while IC3 is used to produce audio fre- one by one and produce an audio
The circuit is capable of producing quency. Frequency depends on the frequency. Frequency depends on the
ten different musical notes. All ten value of presets VR2-VR1 1. When re- resistance position of the cones pood-
notes may be programmed, resulting in sistance position of VR2-VR11 is '
ing preset. All presets may be marked
a melodious repetitive music. The device changed, the frequency also changes. for different resistance positions to •

may be used as a doorbell or a musical AsICl provides clock pulses to in- produce music. The music can be pro-

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 161


1

grammed by keeping all presets at by potentiometer VR1. The output of |


This circuit can be assembled on a
different resistance positions. The speed 1C3 can cither be fed to power ampli- i
veroboard for around Rs 60.
of producing music can be controlled Tier or directly to the speaker. |

8-Tone Multipurpose
Sound Generator
K.S. Umesh

^^[any different types of musical 18-pin DIL CMOS monolithic LSI


TABLE I
projects have been published earlier sound generator. So, an 18-pin IC base
Position of Sound
in EFY but the one described here should be used for the chip. The chip swilchSl
generates eight different types of contains a programmed masked ROM 1 Ride sound
sound fora wide range of applications which produces eight different types of 2 Dracula sound
in toys, as horns for cycle or car etc. sounds (Table I). 3 Game sound
The head of the circuit is HT88. an Since the chip itself contains oscil- 4 2-tonc sound
5 Bombarding-
T1 6 Bomba rdmg-II
7 Machine gun-1
8 Machine gun-1!

lating and selector circuit, a few addi-


tional components are sufficient. A zener
diode drops the voltage to 3.3V be-
tween pins 2 and 1 . The sound output
from pin 4 is amplified by a darlington
pairTl and T2.
The desired sound is selected by
switchSl.SwitchS2isuscd to produce
the selected sound. The oscillating speed
is set by a 47k variable resistor VR1.

162 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


High/Low Voltage Cut-Out
P.S. Shine
^^any such circuits have appeared other winding is used for referencing will be grounded. Thus the base of T2
earlier in EFY, but this is a very simple the voltage fluctuations. This output is again grounded and the relay is

and very sensitive circuit. I


voltage is not regulated. It will be again dc-encrgiscd.
'llic heart of the circuit is the popu-
|
proportional to the input. When the voltage is normal, pin 3
lar IC 555. The over/under voltage is When the voltage is increased, the will be in grounded position, resistor
set by presets VR1 and VR2. XI is a i voltage at pin 6 of IC2 will also in- R4 will turn on transistor T2 and ener-
step-down transformer that steps down crease. As a result, pin 3 of IC2 will go gise the relay.
220V AC to 12V AC. This voltage is high. T1 starts conducting and base of Capacitor C5 acts as a timing ca-
rectified and filtered by Dl. D2 and T2 is grounded. Then the relay is dc- pacitor. By changing the value of C5,
Cl, C2. I
energised and supply to the load is timing can be varied. The cost of the
D1

RL1
9V
2000

T2

One side of the secondary voltage switched off. circuit is less than Rs 50 excluding
reduced to 9V by regulating IC 7809
j

is i
When the voltage is decreased, the power supply,
to give constant voltage to IC2. The |
voltageatpin2is low and pin 7 of IC2

Digital Stop Watch


_ Satheesan K.
1 his circuit of a digital stop watch given by switch SI . I there are no pulses,
uses four 7490 counter ICs. It counts For each switching, the output I
The frequency of astable multivi-
time from one instant to another in changes to high and low states alter- brator is kept at 10 Hz, i.e. 10 pulses/
digital mode and displays it. nalcly. This is used to enable or disable
j
sec. The first shows one-tenth
display
IC 7476 is a J-K flip-flop. Its J and IC 555 which is wired as an astable ,
of a second, the second display shows
K inputs arc given a high level, so that multi vibrator for giving clock pulses to unit seconds, the third displays tens,

the output toggles at each trailing edge the counters. When pin 4 of IC 555 is and the fourth display shows one min-
of clock pulses. Here clock pulses are i
high, it produces pulses. When it is low, ute.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 163


4XLTS312

DIS:
The pulse producedby the multivi- edge for the fourth display and it If R1 =Cl = 33pF, R2 = 15k,
10k,
brator is given to the first counter. counts same time the output of
at the and f = 10 Hz, VR would have a value
1

When count reaches 9 (1001 in


its gate a is inverted (low becomes high). of 1.81 k So . VR1 could be a 4.7k pre-
binary), the second counter starts This is applied to the reset pins of 7490 set.

because it when the


gets a trailing edge ICs so that all counters (except fourth)
,
I If you want to display one-hun-
first display goes from 9 to 0. So it reads reset to zero. The display shows 1.00.0, i
dredth of a second, cascade one more
1 (1.0 sec). When the second display i.e. one minute and zero second. counter section. Display it at the top
count reaches 9, the third display IC 7446 is used to convert BCD and change the frequency to 100 Hz.
counts (10.0 sec). into 7-scgmcnt form. If you want 10-minute cascade, add
When the count of the third display This stop watch is capable of count- one more counter section at the
reaches 6 (59.9 sec on the display), ing up to 9 minutes and 99.9 secs. bottom but do not change the fre-
both the inputs of NANDgateaof IC7 The frequency of astablc multivi- quency (keep it as 101 Iz). Now you can
become high so that its output be- brator is given by count up to 99 minutes and 99.9 secs.
| {

comes low. This appears as a trailing f=


1.44(R1 2(R2 VR1)JC1

Frequency Measurement
on Multimeter
Arun Sehgal
A t

hobbyist faces
one time or another, every
some circuit problems
any suitable output
input frequency reaches or crosses a
indicator when
,
,

TABLE
Electrical Characteristics
1

where he needs a frequency meter. certain selected rate. It uses a charge


t

Such an instrument is quite expensive pump technique and output swings to Supply voltage 6V to 28V
and most hobbyists cannot afford it. ground for a zero frequency input. Supply current 25mA
Differential
Here is a simple circuit using a This device can sink or source
inpul voltage
recently introduced IC with frcquency- 50mA current to operate relays, sole- tachometer 28V
to-voltage conversion. Its output volt- noids or LCDs and also has built-in Op -a m p/co m pa ra to r 28V
Input voltage
age is measured to give an indication hysteresis. Electrical characteristics
range for
of frequency being fed/tested. and pin layout arc given in Table I and tachometer or
The circuit is based on LM2907 or Fig. 1 respectively. op-jmp 0V to t28V
CM2917 frequency-to-vollage converter This IC is extremely easy to use as Hysteresis 30mV
Zener series
designed to operate a relay, lamp or it works on following formula:
resistor 470ft (for LM2917 only)
Vo«. = f1B xVccxVRl x C2
= fx Vccx VR1 x C2 From the equation,
where VR1 is resistance between pin f= 10 kHz or 10V = 10 kHz.
3 and ground, C2 is the capacitor or
between pin 2 and ground and f is the f = 1 kHz or IV = 1 kHz
frequency of the input signal. With reading of 5V, f will be 5 kHz.
As the maximum supply voltage to Similarly, the formula can be adapted
IC is 28V, it can be used for measuring 200 mV, 2V, 10V and
for the range of

frequency at lower end of multimeter 20V generally available on most mul-


DC voltage range. Most multimeters timeters, analogue or digital.
have this range but it can also be used The complete circuit is shown in

for any range less than 28V. Fig. 2. VR1 can be changed to various
For example, if wc want to use values of resistances for various input
this circuit to measure frequency with frequencies. Calibrate it with a fre-
a multimeter on 10V range, wc have quency meter or a known frequency
Vo«i = 10V, Vec = 10V (supply volt- for accurate reading. Accuracy will
IC LM2917N age), C2 = 0.01 pF and VR1 = 10k. depend on multimeter and calibra-

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 165


lion.

Use VR1 of less ihen 10 megohms


and C2 of more than 100 pF for accu-
rate operation. Use of LM2917 with

built-in zener is recommended. TheIC


costs around Rs 45.
This IC can also be used for over-
speed indicator, breaker point dwell
meter, speed switch and hand-held ta-

chometers. Variable reluctance mag-


netic input devices can also be used at

the input. It can be used to drive 20


LED display revolution counters using
two LM3914 or any other suitable dis-

play unit. Output indicating device


can be a relay, an LED or a meter
depending on the application the IC is

being put to.

A Simple Intercom
Pankaj Goel

V arious circuits of 2-line inter-


corns have been published earlier but
A should be turned on. Now, the bell on
intercom B starts sounding. When
l intercom
can talk
13 is

to
switched on, both sides
each other.

this is the simplest as well as very low


cost.
The main component ofthecircuit
is op-amp IC 741 The bell facility is
.

also available. TTic components used


in both intercoms are the same.
The bell facility is obtained by us-
ing two transistors in both sides. Small
condenser microphones generally used
in tape recorders for recording and
8-ohm, 5cm speakers are used.
If one side, say A, wants to talk to
the other side B, the switch of intercom

166 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


The two sets are connected by a though longer wires can be used. small current is used, the battery lasts
single 5-core wire. The ICs should be Ihcse intercom sets can be assembled longer. The cost of intercom without
fitted on 8-pin IC sockets for good in toy telephones or fancy geometry I battery, cabinet and connected wire is

handling. Intercoms separated by a wire boxes. It can be operated with 9V I


about Rs 60.
up to 90 metres has been tested al- battery or battery eliminator. As very I

Mini Chaser
C. Sai\jay

his mini chaser circuit displays ten. When the input changes, the DC 120-ohm resistor is enough. The sup-
a moving light, whose speed varies level at pin 5 changes and the fre- ply can be between 6V and 12V. This
according to the audio input. quency of oscillation also changes, circuit consumes only about 15mA.
The audio input is amplified by IC1 varying the speed at which the LEDs Do not add LEDs in parallel at the
and the output is converted to DC by turn ‘on’ and ‘off. The LEDs can be output of the IC3 as it cannot provide
the 1N4001 diode and the capacitor at mounted on a bright panel and the current. Change in supply voltage
(

its output. This DC is fed to pin 5 arranged in any attractive arrange- will slightly affect the ‘running’ speed
(control voltage) of IC2 whose fre- ment. of the LEDs. So a stable supply must
quency is adjusted by VR2. ,
For extra brightness add two LEDs be provided if the change in speed is

The output of this oscillator is in series. For each LED, a separate not much. Adjust VR1 to give better rc-
giventoa counter 1C which counts to resistance is not needed; a common suits.

Mains Voltage Indicator


K.M. Reddy

X t is often desirable to have an in- amp, as this IC can work on a single


|
reference voltage which is divided by
dication of the mains voltage, espe- power supply. The IC is also inexpen- the potential divider comprising four
|

cially before expensive equipment is sive and easily available. AU op-amps resistors. The mains voltage is stepped
connected. This circuit uses four LEDs in IC1 arc wired as comparators. The down by XI which has a current rating
to indicate the mains voltage. These outputs of the op-amps are connected of 500 mA or more. The mains voltage
LEDs are lit according to the corre- to the LEDs through suitable current is reduced by a potential divider, recti-
sponding mains voltage (Table I). limiting resistors. fiedand fed to the inputs of the op-
The circuit uses LM324 quad op- Zener diode D3 provides a stable amps. This voltage is compared with

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 167


6

xt
LO-
RI 230V AC PRIMARY
100K 0-12V AC SECONDARY
o.sw 12V

Kt
100K
0.5W

-TO
4 7K

R4
9600

R5
seoQ
NO

TABLE I
Mains Voltage LED Indication
> 240V 3, 4, 5,
LED
> 220V 3,4,5
> 200V 3,4
> 180V 3
< 180V no indication

the reference voltage by the op-amps. pose PCB. The circuit is calibrated by be taken while testing the circuit as
The circuit is very simple and can setting VR1. If precision is not required. many portions of it arc at mains
be easily constructed on a general pur- VRlcanbesettoitsccntre. Care should voltage.

ASCII Keyboard Tester


C. Sai^jay
A SCD keyboards are the most ver-
satile interfaces of computers. As data
fault in the keyboard
wrong programs and wrong
will lead to
calcula-
connected to the output of
board (D0-D7 and strobe), can display
the key-

is entered, and the computer is pro- tions. any 8-bit character like 4C, 3D etc di-
grammed using the keyboard, any This ASCII keyboard tester, when rectly through 7-segment displays. The

168 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


two 9368 ICs arc responsible for the To test a keybaord. connect the ingly, swi tch SI should be set in posi-
conversion of the 4-bit binary into a tester and press any key. The tester tion 2 for strobe and 1 for strobe.
hexadecimal character. Thus an 8-bit should display the respective hexadeci- This tester can also be connected to
word is divided and displayed as two mal code. The strob e output of a key- the data pins of an EPROM to check
4-bit words. board may be strobe or strobe. Accord- the data.

Pocket Radio Circuit Using ZN414


T. Surendra

7 a N414
rating an
is an unique IC incorpo-
RF circuit and earphone driver,
It is best suited for pocket radios, both
in size, reception and noise rejection,
|
This IC
as
is

YZ41 4.
also available in the market
A simple receiver circuit is
ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 169
cil cell battery.

To use the circuit as a table re-


ceiver, the output should be connected
to the coupling circuit (Fig. 3), such
that impedance is matched. The im-
pedance provided by the circuit shown
is approximately 8 megohms. The an-

tenna coil used should be of good


quality.

Fi **^
given in Fig. 1.

To make the output more audible shown in Fig. 2 may be employed. The
outdoors, single transistor amplifier as entire circuit operates on a single pen-

Compact Audio Cassette Duplicator


Abhyit Prosad Basu

TThe Circuit of Audio cassette dupli- high frequency component of the sig- Moreover, instead of weak and unstable
cators usually consist of two stages: (i) nal. But in the circuit described here, coil bias oscillators, this circuit em-
a playback amplifier stage, and (ii) a both of the above equalisations are ploys IC 555 oscillator for bias and
recording amplifier stage. provided in the same playback stage by eraser. This oscillator is free from RF
In stage (i), a deemphasis of about means of an LCR network. This is a interference and can deliver higher
25dB is given to the high frequency short cut process which saves at least current than the former. Sothevalueof
component of the signal for cqualisa- two amplifying stages, thus the circuit the blocking resistance in series with
tioa. In stage (ii) a preemphasis of becomes simpler and the noise figure AF amplifier output is much reduced,
about 30dB is given again to the same improves. (from > 33k in common recorders to a

170 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


IK

mere lk) which ailowes a higher cur- The amplifier section of this circuit devices, arc not used here. The input
rent through the recording head at a is builtaround four discrete low noise impedance of the circuit is >300k (or-
comparatively lower voltage. Thus, transistors. Since the maximum rms dinary tape preamps have an input
the need of a high output amplifier is voltage across the recording head will impedance of about 20k), which en-
eliminated, which simplifies the circuit be about 1.2V, hence op-amps, which sures a good reponse at frequencies
further. are comparatively noisier and costlier >10kHz.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 171


.

The input signal from playback head bias level. For optimum performance ity, the amplifier should bemounted
is amplified by Tl. Cl peaks high of the circuit, VR2 and VR3 should be under the playback mechanism and the
frequency response at about 10kHz. correctly adjusted to suit the recording oscillator under the recording mecha-
T2 and T3 form a direct coupled ampli- head and cassette tape used. To keep nism. For carrying the signals, shielded
fier stage. The feedback network from the oscillation stable, a 12.4V regu- wires are used.
the collector of T3 provides equalisa- lated supply is provided for this part of COILS: LI is a 10kHz peaking
tion while T4 forms the recording am- the circuit. coil; 50 turns of 39 SWG copper wire
plifier. This part of the circuit needs an To suppress induced noise, the audio around a ferrite bead used in radio
8V DC supply. IC1 is the bias oscilla- circuit should be perfectly shielded by IFTs. L2 is a bias Reflector Coil Its
tor whose frequency can be varied from earthed metal foils placed under and fabrication is same as LI
30kHz to 60kHz by VR2. VR3 sets the around the PCB used. For better fidel-

recording is possible. The constructor


can find out a compromise which is
specially suitable to himself. For cheap
cassettes it is advised to keep VR2 at
mid and set VR3 only.
position
Costly deck mechanisms should
be avoided. While TN57 deck would
be a good choice, cheaper ‘flat decks’
Readers* comment: with low flutter, mounted with con-
Having gone through the readers ventional glass heads, should be ade-
letters sent to me for my comments, quate. In any case, two separate
I’d first like to point out the two mechanisms and heads would be re-
corrections required in my circuit feedback resistor, keeping SI in quired for the play and recording
diagram: (a) Cl is shown as 0.1 pF normal position. modules.
whereas it should be O.OOlpF, 50V; When the presets are set such that I regret my inability to supply a
and (b) a 0.015nF capacitor should be VR2 offers nil resistance and VR3 PCB design for the circuit. However,
added in series with VR3 to sup- offers the treble response is
lk, the circuit not very complicated
is
press AF loss through the oscillator. and can be constructed over a large
maximum. But non-linear distortion
To record through condendser mic., occurs when the recording level is vero-board.
®hort CIS (O.OlpF) and disconnect high. And when VR2 offers 10k and ABHIJIT PROSAD BASU
C3
(0.22pF) from the collector of Tl. VR3 introduces nil resistance, the Calcutta
Now connect the mic. to C3 as shown. treble is maximum but high-level

Super Simple Interruption Counter


George V. Jr

W. hen there
resistance is
is sufficient light,

low and current passes


LDR monostable
This pulse
mode to give a 100ms pulse.
is used as clock input for
A (pin
ward.
14) of1C3 makes it count up-
Thus three 7490 ICs are cas-
through LDR. The transistor SL100 IC2(7490). IC2 is used as mod 10 counter, caded to gel a count of 999. This
does not get any base drive. However, i.c. output Qa and pin 1 of IC 7490 are number can be increased by cascading
when the beam is cut off, LDR resis- shorted. 7447 decoder is used to regis- 7490 ICs and using corressponding 7447
tance increases and transistor SL100 ter the number of counts. When count decoder ICs to decode the circuit.
starts conducting. The voltage at col- exceeds 9 it goes back to zero, i.e. Qd The 330-ohm at common anode of
lector of the transistor drops. This low of IC2 changes from logic 1 to logic 0. LT542 limits current through it and can
voltage at the collector of the transistor IC 7490 being negative edge triggered be varied to alter the intensity.
SL100 triggers IC 555 connected in andQDofIC2 being connected to input We can change the sensing part of

172 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


COMMON ANOOC TYPE
DISPLAY
CHS: 3 . ITS 542

the circuit so that it can detect interrup- count objects or people by focussing a The 470k pot can be used to adjust
tions of infrared light using IR photo beam of light (infrared beam) on LDR the level at which the circuit is to be
transistor as shown in Fig. 2. (IR photo transistor). Each time the triggered.
This circuit provides a novel way to beam is cut, the count increases by one.

Harmonic Distortion Meter


C. Sanjay

H ere is a description of a simple


harmonic distortion meter that can tell
distortion is more than or equal toO. 1 %.
The amplifier, whose distortion is to be
is a twin-T network and
bootstrapped butfer.
serves as a
The 0 of the filter
you if the specifications of the ampli- measured, m ust be capable of giving an being more than 50, makes it possible
fier you just bought is correct or not! output swing of at least 0.5V. to cutoff the fundamental frequency
This circuit will enable you to measure The harmonic distortion is meas- sharply and the attenuation is more
the total harmonic distortion (THD) of ured by cutting off the fundamental than 50 to 60 dB. Op-amp b'

acts as an
an amplifier at 1 kHz. The value indi- frequency. This is performed by op- amplifier when the the distortion is

cated by this meter is accurate when the amp V. The circuit around op-amp a very low, so that the distortion can be

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 173


measured.
To measure the distortion, connect
the output of the amplifer to the input of
the circuit, and keep the output level at
IV. Now keep SI in position A and
adjust the output of the amplifier so that
the AC voltmeter shows IV. Now
connect a sinewave generator to the
amplifier and change SI to position B.
Switch on S2. Adjust the frequency of
t.'e oscillator so that the meter shows

minimum deviation. Now the distor-


tion is given by voltmeter reading (in
volts) x 100%. When the distortion is
too small, switch off S2 and then adjust
the frequency of the sinewave genera-
tor for minimum deviation. Now the
distortion is given by voltmeter read ing
(V)x 10%. The harmonic distortion of
the generator should be less than .05%.
The amplitude of the signal from the

Condenser Lamp Dimmer


V. Brindavanan

TP hislamp dimmer is very effi- cred to the load or the type of load. The the load is protected from transients.
cient because no power is dissipated in brightness of the lamp can be con- Ll and L2, two in-
In this circuit,
the resistive elements. In SCR lamp many steps. Two lamps, each
trolled in candescent lamps each of 230V, 25W
dimmers the firing angle is controlled of 230V, 25W, can be operated to- are connected in parallel. Cl, C2 and
as a result of which the waveform is dis- gether. If wattage of the load is more, C3 arc chosen, so as to give 1/4, 1/2 and
torted. But it is not so with this circuit, the capacitors need slight adjustments. power to the load. The
3/4 of the total
The load in this case always works with Using suitable values of capacitors any capacitors C4-C7 absorb transient volt-
sine wave irrespective of power deliv- type of load can be controlled. Further, age and protect the lamp. Unlike SCR
lampdimmers this circuit does not need
any triggering circuit. If needed, fuse
of suitable rating can be included in the
l circuit.

S2
1-POLE 4-WAY SWITCH

174 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Simple Counter Using Calculator
Sunish Issac

1 he circuit of a Counter Using


Calculator had appeared in EFY (Elec-
tronic Projects Vol. Though the
I).

circuit was cheaper than most commer-


cially available counters, it was more
complicated than the given circuit. This
circuit dispenses the use of one relay by
using a suitable calculator. All the
components are easily available and
can be assembled even by a beginner.
Two leads are taken from the con-
tacts of the key with *=’ sign. The cal-
culator to be used should be one in The sensitivity can be adjusted by the components.
which pressing *1'* *+’ and = » sign * 100k potentio. The number of objects The same circuit can be modified
gives 1 and each press of equal key that can be counted depend on the number for many other purposes such as twi-

after thatwould result in the increment of digits in the calculator. To set the light, car dipper, LED driven relay
‘1 ‘4*
of the number by T The calculator

.
counter, it is necessary to press etc.

used in the prototype was LED display and ‘ = ’ signs, and only then the leads Note: Memory
function of a calcu-
from the calculator should be connected lator can be used instead of using
*=’
calculator of Texas Instruments. The
two leads taken from the calculator are to the relay. Otherwise, pressing other key. In this case leads are taken from
connected as shown in the figure. keys would be in vain since the key ‘M4’ key and initially ‘ 1* and ‘M4*
When on the LDR the
light falls is in the on position by the relay (SI is are pressed. It was tried in a Sanyo cal-
resistance becomes low and activates provided for disconnecting the con- culator model CX 8136 NE and it worked
the relay (RL1) with the help of tacts). Suitable enclosures may be used well.To find out the number of objects
relay driver transistor T1 (SL100). to mount the LDR, calculatorand other counted, press ‘MRC’ if necessary.

Multioutput Regulated Power Supply


V. Brindavanan

TT he circuit given here plays an used so that the output LM7815C is


of a steady value.
important role when many different not degraded. The LM78I5C can de- Diode D5 protects IC1 from over-
values of output voltages are needed si- liver 1000 mA load current normally. voltage feedback, if any, and D7 by-
multaneously. The circuit is built around The output voltage of the regulator can passes the negative voltage feedback.
the 3-terminal regulator LM7815C and be trimmed around 15 V, if needed, us- Diode D6 discharges capacitor C4 safely
a chain of 1 N5402 diodes. The diodes ing VRL 1N5402 diodes are used for under short-circuit conditions. Capaci-
D8-D21 used here provide simultane- better regulation. tors C2 and C3 improve ripple rejec-
ously 0.75V. 1.5V, 2.25V, 3.0V, 3.75V, Capacitor Cl provides filtered DC tion.
4.5V, 5.25V, 6V, 6.75V, 7.5V, 8.25V, input toLM7815C. The shunt resistor The circuit has complete protection
9V, 9.75 V and 10.5 V. These ouputs, in R5 biases the 1 N5402 series didoes and against overload or short circuit which
addition to 15 V, have comparable cur- so the regulator is normally not loaded. is indicated by the LED2. T1 is switched
rent ratings and load regulation with Each diode can provide 0.75V addi- on to indicate overload whenever the
LM7815G Each output can supply con- tional voltage with respect to ground load current exceeds 2000 mA. The
tinuous load current up to 1200 mA and dissipates approximately 1350 mW. regulation is typically around 1.3 per
individually or in combination. Initially the voltage will be slightly cent at 6 volts for full load current. The
Additional series diode circuit is more but after few seconds it will attain ripple voltage will be less than 5 mV or
ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 175
so. This is valid for all the outputs at lull half loads. Thick wires should be used Diodes D8-D21 should be mounted such
load but the regulation will be better at for all output terminal connections. that they are not overheated.

Improved Melody Doorbell


Chirai\jib Karmakar

G enerally, doorbell circuits using

ICi and operating on AC mains use step


j

down transformer, for louder sound.


Since the circuit has to be kept on all the
time, this warms up the apparatus used
(transformer etc) and wastes some
amount of energy. This circuit operates
on 3V DC battery which gives good
quality sound. When left idle* the power
is electronically shut-off to stop the
drainage of standby current, thus in-
creasing the battery life. Another fea-
ture of the circuit is that the music has
an echo effect which is quite enchant-
ing and pleasing.
The circuit is gated by a thyristor
which acts as an efficient electronic essed signal from pin 1 1 of the IC. The and tone of the melody. Transistor T2
switch. When push switch SI is pressed signal is modulated by R4 and given to warms up during ihe operation but
momentarily, capacitor C4 starts charg- pin 1 2. It is also modulated by C2 and cools down as soon as melody stops; so
ing. Surge current from the speaker R3 and given to pin 9. The output signal no heatsink is required. The suggested
keeps the thyristor on. As soon as a par- from T1 is further amplified by T2 and values of the components are opt imum.
ticular melody stops, the thyristorauto- given to the speaker. The circuit is highly efficient in
matically stops conducting, making the The decay period for the echo stroke energy conservation. The IC may be
current from the battery undetectable. of the melody is determined by R1 and replaced by an UM348X.
Transistor T1 amplifies the proc- Cl. R5 and C3 at pin 15 set the speed

176 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


,

Voltage-Window Comparator Follows


Reference Voltage
M.S. Nagaraj

TP he use of window comparators


arc essential in the test circuits which
perform the ‘GO-NOCiO’ tests for the
various electronic components like re-
sistors, capacitors, zener diodes, tran-
sistors. relays etc. ITic upper and lower
threshold voltages are set for the win-
dow comparators depending upon the
values and tolerances of the compo- 1

nents to be tested. Here is a window


comparator circuit in which the win-
dow width is automatically adjusted to
be a fixed percentage of the input refer-
ence voltage. The circuit receives ref-

erence voltage Vrcf proportional to the


nominal value of the component under
test and produces an upper threshold

voltage V rcf-1 li and lower threshold volt-

age Vref-Lo. 'Hie two threshold volt-


Table I

ages are equally spaced around the ref-


Switch Tolerance Fixed resistor P revet pot
erence voltage. position Rf VR
For example, consider a case of
testing a zener diode having a nominal
1 5% R3 VR1
2 10% K4 VR2
value of 10 volts with a tolerance of
3 20% R5 VR3
five per cent. The reference input is

adjusted to 10 volts and the tolerance


Table 11
where T the percentage tolerance
selection switch is placed in five per is

cent position. The circuit generates upper selected by the switch.


Glowing LED Indication
threshold voltage of 10.5 volts (five per It can be seen from the circuit that
cent more than Vrcf) and lower thresh- LEOl VufJMl > Vrcf-Hi (R2/(R2+Rf+VR)) = T/100. Therefore,
LED2 Vw fojl < V.tf-Lo
(Rf + VR) = (R2( 1 00 - T))/T The values
old voltage of 9.5 volts (five per cent .

LED3 Vrrf-Hl > Vtigial > Vref-Lo


less than Vrcf). The LEDs indicate of resistors, forming the voltage divid-
whether Vsignai, which is proportional op-amp is set by resistors Rl, R2, Rf ers for different positions of switch SI
to the actual zener voltage, is within or and VR. When the values of Rl and R2 areshown in Table I for different toler-
outside the voltage-window. are equal, upper and lower threshold ances. The LED indications for the
Comparators band c form the win- voltages are given by values of Vsignii relative to upper and
dow comparator. Op-amp a forms a Vrcf-Hi = Vrcf (1 + (T/100)) and lower threshold voltages are shown in

non inverting amplifier. The gain of Vref-Lo = Vrcf (1 - (T/100)) Table II.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 177


Low Cost Digital Code
Combination Lock
Kalpesh T. Dalwadi

]\^[any such circuits have been pub- SI is released, output of N2 is held at code can be obtained. Using this code
lished earlier in EFY, one of which logic 1. Logic 1 at the output of N2 in the switches Si toSSthc code lock
employed five 555 ICs. triggers the next latch comprising N3, can be made. The lock would have
This circuit uses only two ICs and it N4 and D2. 100.000 possible combinations!
is easier to construct and understand.il Thus, pressing switches SI to S5 For using it asacarlock.it is recom-
can be used as a car lock or any other one by one activates the relay. This is mended to operate the circuit at a
system for security. indicated by the LED. As soon as the voltage lower than the 12V battery

The circuit uses digital latches con- relay activates, LED starts glowing, j
voltage, so that, even if the battery is
structed using CMOS inverters. This circuit can be used as a car \
discharged by 2 or 3 volts, the relay still
Nl, N2 along with D1 form a latch, code lock by connecting the relay con- |
operates.
When SI is pressed momentarily, out- tacts between the battery and the igni- The circuit can easily be constructed
put of N2 is at logic 1. This makes D1 lion system of the car. on a general-purpose PCB. The circuit
forward biased and feedback is pro- Prepare a matrix of 0 to 9 numbers, would cost around Rs 45 excluding
vided at the input of Nl. Now, even if |
From the matrix any desired 5-digit power supply.

Seconds Display for Digital Clock


V. Ramparkash
c
^ everal circuit ideas have been onds d isplay is selected in the clock IC, The hours and minutes displays are
published in EFT for a 6-digit digital and simultaneously blank minutes and grouped together and driven by dar-
clock. The circuit presented here uses hours displays, the seconds will be dis- lington pair T1 and T2. Darlington pair
the multiplexing technique to display played in the extension display. T4 and T5 drives seconds display. Tran-
seconds already counted in the 5387 After some time, the positive volt- sistor T3 supplies positive voltage to
clock IC. age to seconds may be removed. The seconds input of IC while seconds dis-
It is well known that seconds can be seconds display is blanked out and dis- play is energised, if the battery used is
displayed by IC 5387 by applying posi- plays for hours and minutes arc ener- the maintenance-free type it will keep
tive supply to pin 32. But during sec- gised. The clock will now display hours the clock running as well as the display
onds display, the minutes display and m inutes. This process of alternately on, even in case of power failure. How-
moves over to hours display. So, if we displaying hours and minutes/seconds ever, conventional connection to
can provide a parallel display for sec- is repeated at 60 Hz. At this rale, the IC 5387 can also be used to disable
onds, and energise it only when sec- displays will appear to be always on. display during power failure.

178 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 179
10-Channel Touch Switch
George V. Jr
he circuit described here allows on, it 555 which is in
will trigger IC IC 7445 (decoder) characterised by
the selection of a channel out of 10 monostable mode. This produces 200ms inverted outputs, i.e.forthe BCD input
channels by simply touching a touch pulses at pin 3 of 555. These pulses are corresponding output is inverted. Hence,
plate. By lightly touching the touch given as clock signal to IC 7490, con- inverters are used (i.e. IC 7404) to

plate (base of BC148), the transistor is nected as MOD 10 counter. gel high output corresponding to each
driven into its on state. When the tran- Initially, when the touch plate is touch. This output can be used to drive
sistorisoff.i.e. when the base ofBC 148 touched, output Qa of IC7490 will relays via transistors or analogue
is not being touched, voltage at collec- become high and Qb, Qc. Qd will be switches,
tor will be +5V. When the transistor is low. These outputs are connnected to

volts. of CD40 17 also eliminates


Use
the need for inverters at the output
stage. Transistors can be used at the
outputs of 40 17 IC to drive relays etc.
AMIT KAN DA
Readers* comments: Aurangabad
The author , Mr George V. Jr, replies:
Several letters have been received
The circuit can be further simplified and
giving the same suggestion, which is
made cheaper to build. I have designed
the same circuit using just two ICs. absolutely correct.The reason why I
did not use the 4017 was that I had
This circuit, costing Rs 25 access to TTLs only at that time. I am
approx., works properly from 3 to 18 SknpMi&d switch, thankful to all these readers.

180 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Auto Cut for Manual Stabilisers
Santosh K. Mahapatra

M any circuits have been published


about the auto-cut arrangement in manual
is given by a combination of 4.6V.
400m W zener diode D1 and a 1.6V
sible voltage
are connected
on mains. Points
to the
A and B
reference
stabilisers. These circuits generally LED. 'I’he negative temperature coef- transform cr.Thc reference transformer
use transistors with zener diodes as the ficient of forward biased I.ED cancels
only sensing device. However, these the positive temperature coefficient of
circuits have two main drawbacks. reverse biased zener diode, thereby

12V BRIDGE
RECTIFIER

REF.
TRANSFORMER
0-12V

Fig. 1
©1T Fig. 2
LIVE 6 230V AC
INPUT
6 NEUTRAL

(i) Spurious triggering of the tran- eliminating the error due to tempera- is connected to the sliding contact of
sistor ture etc. Resistor R1 and the output the 7-way switch (Fig. 2).
(ii) Fluctuation in zener reference transistor 1*1 eliminate any false The N/O point of the relay goes to

voltage with temperature. triggering. Diode Dl is used to save the high voltage cutoff indicator which
The circuit described here over- the transistor from the back emf of the is an ordinary neon bulb. Output is

comes these drawbacks. It uses the relay coil RL1 . obtained from the N/C point of the re-

most versatile op-amp IC741 as The preset is adjusted such that the ;
lay.

schmitt trigger. The reference voltage transistor turns on at the highest pos-

Delay Starter
N. Devasaham and
S. Vasanthi

T he systems using compressors


such as airconditioncrs, refrigerators,
switch off,
mediately,
if it is

the compressor
switched on im-
may fail.
the power fails. When power resu-
the
mes, the starter has to be started manu-
freezers etc arc to be cared for properly This is avoided by connecting it through ally. But the presence of an operator
to avoid damage to the compressor due DOL (direct on line) starter. round the clock is not always possible.
to fluctuations in the line voltage. After The DOL starter trips the supply as This problem is overcome by the delay

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
^

r

FROM SUPPLY 230V
n
starter automatically starts.

q I I
* 230V AC is stepped down suitably
by resistor Rl, rectified and filtered

using diode D1 and capacitor Cl . The


charging of capacitor C2 is delayed due
to D3
and R2. Therefore the voltage
across capacitor C2 is low. This low
voltage triggers IC1 a and the output of
ICla goes high. When the output
becomes 8.2V, capacitor C2 starts
charging. The output of ICla stays
high for a period determined by R3
and C4 and then it goes low. This low
voltage triggers IClb. The output of
IClb goes high and triggers the triac.
Fig. l This short circuits the start switch and

TRIAC
1 C5
0.01m
C7~
4
1 IC1 9 “VW A.A A. O.OIn
IC1 . J a
w
mi 400V

<»>
NE556
; — H4
10K
1

1
13
— 100Q

R7 5
4700 <
C3 “k r 04 C6 -±
\U 'T 27m In
63V 63V 63V

starter described here. (Fig. 2), the starter can be started by the starter is started. Now there is no
Fig. 1 shows the wiring diagram pressing the start switch SI. While it is supply to the timer circuit as the volt-
and Fig. 2 the circuit diagram of the not pressed, 230V AC is available age across the starter is OV. The total

delay timer. The delay is set to ap- across SI. This voltage initiates the delay is approximately 4 minutes.
proximately 4 minutes. The circuit is delay timer and after the set delay, the Diode D4 is provided for the immedi-
built around the dual timer 1C 556 and triac which is across the start switch ate discharge of capacitor C4. Capaci-

a triac. SI is swithced on. 230V AC appears tor C7 and resistor R7 form the snub-
As shown in the wiring diagram across the contactor coil K1 and the ber network to protect the triac.

Door Alarm
K.A. Sakthidharan

Door alarms find applications cannot be stopped by simply closing door is open.
where security measures get top prior- the door. In mode (i) the audio alarm and
ity. The alarm described here works in S3 is a normally closed leaf switch. SCR get positive supply only when S3
two modes: A normally open leaf switch (usually is closed. When it is open the SCR
(i) It produces a low beep sound seen with cassette mechanisms) can be stops conducting (Fig. 1 ).

when the door is opened and stops easily converted into a normally closed 1

In mode (ii), switch S3 is used for


when the door is closed. one by bending one of its leaves against '
firing the SCR. Once the SCR is trig-

(ii) It produces a loud alarm when S3 is placed on the door in


the other. gered, it conducts continuously until
j

the door is pushed open. This alarm such a way that it is closed when the '
the power supply is interrupted.
1

Fite-

Fig. 2

Transistor T1 , capacitor C2 and rc- the door without energising the alarm, not critical. It may be replaced by any
R1 provide the delay in
slsior Tiring the Switches SI and S4 should be so other circuit viz, siren, barking dog etc,
SCR. When Switch S2 is pressed placed that they cannot be found out or by a DC bell along with a reveree
momentarily. C2 gets charged and the ;
easily. Automatic battery changeover j
biased diode. The circuit operates at
saturated transistor T1 holds the gate of is provided through diode D3, in case of 6V. It can easily be adapted for 9V or
SCR at ground potential for about 75 mains failure. 12V operation with minor modifica-
seconds giving enough time to close The audio section shown in Fig. 2 is tions.

Simple ‘JAM’
C. Sai\jay

H
that
ere is a simple ‘JAM’
can accommodate upto eight par-
circuit i
ticipants.

ated and uses


The circuit is battery oper-
CMOS ICs only. It is
I

!
very compact and portable. Immedi-
ately after power on, the output of IC2d

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 183


goes low. This enables IC2a operating


as an oscillator. Ijogic ‘one’ is latched
into all the eight latches of IC1 for
about 200ms. Then the output of IC2d
goes high. The oscillator thereafter is

controlled by the output of IC3.


Now, the circuit is ready to accept a
key. As all the outputs of IC1 are high,
the output of IC3 remains low, ena-
bling the oscillator built around IC2a.
When any one of the keys SI to S8 is

pressed, corresponding input pin of IC1


becomes low. This ‘low* input is latched
intoICl making the output of IC3 high.
High output of IC3 disables the oscilla-
tor. The first zero that was latched
stays at the output of IC1 . The LEDs
LED1 to LED8 — indicate the key that

was pressed. At the same time transis-

tor starts conducting and the buzzer is

enabled. The buzzer will keep sound-


ing until the circuit is reset.

Along with the reset switch if one of


the keys SI to S8is pressed, small time
constant of RC circuits at the input pins
of IC1 ensures that all outputs of IC1
arc at logic 'one' after the reset switch is
released. 'Hie efficiency of the circuit
depends on the clock frequency of the
oscillator. With the present value of
clock frequency, the probability of two
keys being pressed within one clock
period is too low. That is why only the
first key will be recognised.
'Phc circuit uses three 1.5V cells.

As consumes only 20mA


the circuit
(when one LED and the buzzer are en-
abled) the batteries have longer life.
The LED Scanner
S. Manoharan
TJL his is a device to illustrate scan-
ning in TV or how the focus of our sight
moves over the lines on a printed page
while reading.
One hundred LEDs arc arranged on
a cardboard in 10x10 matrix form
(Fig 1). The first LED at the top left
comer glows first for nearly 0.1 second.
Then the second LED in the top row
glows. Thus, one by one aU the 100
LEDs glow sequentially, moving from
left and top to bottom covering
to right
the entire area of the board. After the
last LED (i.c. 100th LED), the first

LED again starts glowing. This proc-


ess is repeated again and again. By
adjusting the potentiometer we can so
increase the speed of motion that all

theLEDs appear to glow continuously.


On the LED board (Fig. 1) negative
terminals of all the LEDs in each row
arc connected together and all the 10 Fig. 1

LEO PANEL

Fig. 2

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 185


V

leads (from 10 rows) arc connected to clock for next two stages, viz, horizon- IC 1 is given as clock pulse to pin 1 4 of
the output pins of IC3 and IC4. In the tal shifter and vertical shifter. IC2. IC2 is used as vertical shifter.

same manner (he positive terminals of 1C 1 (CD40 17), a decade counter is


j
The outputs at pins 3,2,4 11 of
all the LEDs in each vertical column j
used as horizontal shifter. Pin 14 is IC2 are inverted by two hex inverters
are connected togethcrand the leads (A the clock input. 'Hie output pulse CD4009 and then fed to the LED board,
to J) are connected to the output pins of appears at pins 3,2,4,7,10,1.5,6,9 and Only one LED out of hundred
IC1. 11 of IC1 (CD401 7) sequentially. The LEDs gets the power of proper polarity
IC 555 is used as the pulse genera- oulcoming signals arc directly given to and glows. The circuit works at 3
tor.Frequency of the pulse generated the vertical columns of the LED board, DC.
from IC 555 can be varied by the poten- i.e. pins 3,2,4 11 arc connected to Vary the potentiometer and
tiometcr. A capacitor of 2p, 16V may A to J respectively. IC1 divides the observe what happens. According
be included in the circuit to increase clock frequency by 10 and the output to your imagination you can improve
the speed rangeslill further. The output pulse appears at pin 1 2. upon this and make it still more inter-

pulse from pin 3 of IC 555 acts as the This output pulse from pin 12 of I
esting.

Melody from IC Timer


Saravanan M. Mallesan

T he 1C 555 type timer has yet


another application as a poor man’s
|
Tone generator frequencies
*A pretly girl is like a melody'
for
is to be repeated can be control led. The
position of the style switch SI deter-

music synthesiser for playing signature mines whether the tunes arc played in-
Count Capucilur Frequency dividually or blended.
tunes of simple songs. Two timers are (II*)
(mF)
needed; one generates the rhythm while When used along with a diode bridge
0 0.042 329 that detects the presence or absence of
the other produces the tone. *

1 0.040 349
Thccircuit shown in the figure plays ringing generator on the telephone line,
i

2 0.038 370
the first 10 notes of A pretty girl is like 3 0.033 440 the circuit can be programmed to play a
a melody . With the control input lead 4 0.038 370 distinct musical signature as a person-
5 0.036 392 alised telephone bell signal. Of course,
of timer returned to Vcc supply, the
6 0.034 415
tune will be recycled automatically. 0.033 440
many different combinations of resis-
7
13ut if a relay or flip flop is connected to 8 0.027 523 tors and capacitors can be used to ob-

this lead, the number of times the tune 9 0.033 440 tain the desired music frequencies.

186 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Disco Light Project
Pramod Kumar
A
jTm. nother interesting light effect cir-
cuit is presented here. Ifgives an effect
timer and IC 4017 as decade counter.
IC 555 works as a clock pulse genera-
its input. All five outputs are wired to
the base of five transistors. The emit-
like a pendulum. This kind oflight ef- tor. Clock pulse is provided to the input ters of all five transistors arc connected
fect is very popular among profes- of IC 4017. All outputs of IC 4017 are to the gates of five triacs. Triacs arc
T AC 1
t o ,g o
D1 TO DIP Jr-
1N4001

BC147

470ft

IC2
IC1 CD4017 1
f4
NE555
sl
1

s5ll

DIO
>10K
f
1

0C147
4700 A
3 3u 0.01
470ft
16V TRIACS
A
<
«
TRIAD 70 5
1

ST44

- i
i

sional light decorators. Hobbyists can I wired so as to give sequential counting


build this project on their own for from Q0 to Q4 at first five clock pulses may
used for switching. This project
domestic use. and then come back from Q4 to Q0 se-
be assembled at the cost of Rs 150.
This circuit uses two ICs, IC 555 as I
quentially at next five clock pulses at

IC Voltage Regulator
Ivan R. Miranda

IX ere is a circuit of a voltage regu- ciplc of window comparators. Op-amps, parator while op-amps IClc and ICld
lator using IC LM339. It uses the prin- ICla and IClb, form one window com- form the second window comparator.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 187


IC 7812 along with diodes D5, D6
and D7 provides 1 4 volts constant out-
put. Pots VR5 and VR6 sense the change
in line voltageand provide the feed-
back. Pots VR1, VR2, VR3 and VR4
are used to set the reference voltages.
Set the pots VR1 and VR2 such that
pins 4 and 7 of IC1 are at 2V and 4V
op-amps ICla
respectively. Outputs of
and IClb and voltages at pins 5 and 6
are given in fable I.

Table I

Voltage at pins Output of Output «r


5 and 6 ICla IClb

> 2V < 4V High High


<2V Low High
>4V High Low

The relay is on only if outputs of


both the comparators are high. All the
pots arc adjusted so that relay RL.l is
off for voltage > 270V or < 200V and
relay RI2 is off for voltage > 240V or
< 160V.
To adjust the pots the following
procedure should be followed.
Keep VR5 and VR6 in mid posi-
tions and connect a variac at the input.
Keep the input voltage at 220 volts and
vary pots VRl, VR2, VR4VR3 and
until both the relays are energised. Now
keep the variac at 200 volts and adjust
VRl such that RLl goes off. Now keep
the variac at 160 volts and adjust VR3
such that RL2 also goes off.
Bring variac above 160 volts and
see that relay RL2 becomes on. In-
crease variac further ( 200V) so that
RLl Now bring variac to
also turns on.
240 volts and adjust VR4 such that RL2
goes off. Finally, keep it at 270V and
adjust VR2 such that RLl goes off.
Bring variac below 270 volts and
check the operation of relays according
to Table II.

188 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


While doing these adjustments, VR5
Table 11
and VR6 may be readjusted to suit the
Relay RL1 Relay RL2 Output Input voltage sequence of relay operation. Tnmpot
presets are recommended instead of
ON OFF (adjust VR4) Buck 240V-270V
normal presets.
ON ON Normal 200V-240V
OFF (adjust VRl) ON Boost 160V-200V
OFF (adjust VR2) OFF (Adjust VR3) Cut-off >270Vor< 160 V

Audio-Frequency Oscillator
Y.R. Sowale

H ere is a simple circuit for sinu-


soidal aud io-frequency oscillator based
i

i
width of this amplifier is kHz
about 47
which can be changed by adjusting R4
Thus, this circuit has a variety of appli-
cat ions and is very useful for hobbyists.
on two pA741C ICs. Circuitry associ-
ated with the amplifier (IC1) is wein-
bridge oscillator. Resonant frequeny of
the circuit is

2n*VRl*Cl
VR1 and VR2 must be ganged. For au-
dio frequency range. Cl =0.1 pF and
VRl=100kpot. You can get the entire
audio band by varying VR1. For sus-
tained oscillations, it is necessary to
keep R3 twice R2 Hence the
in value.
gain of the circuit becomes 1 + R3/R2
= 3. Required amplification is pro-
vided by the AC inverting amplifier
or R5. Both op-amps require dual sup- The AC amplifier using IC2 may be
(IC2). multiplies the input signal by
15 V and -15V.
It
ply, The circuit can be replaced by an integrating amplifier to
20, i.e. we get inverted and amplified
used in inverters where 50Hz frequency get cosine output. This circuit can also
signal at the output. You can change is used. In that case R1 is changed to be used for testing audio equipment.
the gain by varying R4 or R5. Band- 31.8k.

Linear High Current Regulator


V. Brindavanan

T he regulator given here utilises all


the advantages of the operational am-
plifier LM3140. It

impedance, high gain, high


has very high input
CMRR,
low drift and high stability.

perature compensated reference volt-


The tem-

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 189


.

age produced (about 10.2V) using


is

low drift breakdown diodes and is fed


to IC1. The circuit uses low-cost, high
performance npn transistors which makes
it suitable for high-current applications.
The circuit is protected from overloads
and short circuits which is indicated by
an LED.
The circuit can deliver up to 3-
amp load current continuously. I'he
output voltage can be set in the range of
4V to 22V. Fine variation in the output
voltage can also be done using VR3.
The output current, ranging from 350mA
to 3000mA, can be varied by VR l

Any variation in the output volt-


age is sensed by LM3140 and com-
pared with the reference voltage to
produce error signal which in turn
controls the output voltage. Thus, the
output voltage is kept constant irre-

spective of the load connected across


the output terminals.
The bridge rectifier (D1 to D4) feeds
the rectified voltage to filter capacitors
Cl and C2. Diodes D6 and D7 provide
reference voltage of approximately
10.2V which is stepped down using the
attenuator (R5, VR4 and R6) and fed to
LM3140. The temperature coefficients
of the diodes cancel each other.
Transistor T1 supplies a constant
current to D6 and D7. Therefore, the
current through R5, VR4 and R6 is also
constant. The reference input to LM3140
is set by VR4. The output voltages can
be varied continuously by VR2 (coarse
adjustment)^ nd VR3 (fine adjustment).
LM3140 drives the transistor dar-
lington pair comprising 13 and T4 to

increase the output current up to 3A.


Whenever the output current exceeds
the set value, transistor T2 limits the

output current. Transistor T5 is also


switched on along with '17 to indicate
the overload and short circuit.
Capacitors C4 and C5 suppress the
oscillationswhich are generated by the
feedback. The capacitors C4 and C5
are discharged through R13, VR2 and
VR3 whenever the output voltage de-
creases. Diode D8 bypasses the nega-
tive polarity voltages.

190 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


ifa short or overload occurs? front-panel control, a wirewound pot
Readers' comment: <f) Is heatsink to be used, as the can be used.
circuit handles a high current of the VR4 should be set at approximately
order of 3 amps? 3.8 volts with respect to ground. It

Thecircuit is superb, though I have a few LALBOOPATHYJI need not be ganged to VR2.
doubts regarding this circuit: Pathankot D5 is only CMZ 3; D6 is CAZ 5. IV;
The author, Mr V.Brindavanan, re- D7 is CMZ 5.1V.
(a) The output voltage ranges from plies: Once the load current exceeds the
4V to 22V whereas the transformer Since the input capacitors Cl and C2 set value (set by VRl), transistors T2
rating 0 to 18 volts, 3 amps! Can
is
charge up to 25.2 volts, which is the and T5 are switched on to limit the
this transformer deliver the voltage
maximum yalueofthe AC (Vmax).the load current. Whenever the overload
required?
output range as mentioned is is removed or short circuit is released
(b) What type of potentiometers obtained. However, the maximum cur- the circuit returns to normal condi-
are to be used for VR 1 to VR4? tion automatically.
rent rating can’t be expected above 18
(c) VR4 sets the reference voltage
volts (considering AC mains supply of Yes, a higher wattage heatsink is
for LM3140 IC. At what voltage is this
230V AC). to be used for T4 (2N3055), since power
potentiometer to be set? Or is it to be
VRlshould be a 6W wirewound dissipated in the device exceeds 54
ganged with VR2? potentiometer, VR2 and VR3 should watts under the worst conditions.
(d) Diode D5’s printed value was
be 3W wirewound, and VR4 a carbon
not clear. Is it CMZ-3 or CMZ-8?
VR4 can be adjusted to get the
preset.
(e) What is the procedure to reset minimum voltage.To use VR4 as a

Ignition Indicator
Deepak Chandran

TJL he circuit persented here is a simple sulated copper wire (26 to 34


wound on HT
SWG). It
j
ity of the amplifier and VR2 is used for
2-siagc amplifier using transistors is the cable and con-
|
controlling the brightness of the LED.
BC107B and BC548B (or BC148B). nected in the circuit as shown in the i On installing the circuit in the ve-
Coil L consists of 1 00 to 200 turns of in- VRl 1

I
figure. is used to vary the sensitiv- hide, the supply is switched on and

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 191


.

the IT:D will not glow. If the problem is

related to the carburretor then the LED


flickers normally.
For best results, the high tension or

high voltage ignition coil should be


exposed type and not shielded as found
in Hero Honda.
The coil L should be placed near
the HT coil and for the supply of 6V, a
battery should be used.

VR2 is adjusted such that the LED When there is carbon deposit on the
starts glowing. Now the vehicle is plug, the flickering on the LED is very
started and VR 1 is adjusted so that the dim
LED starts flickering. If the LED is not flickering or the
This circuit is very useful for de- flickering is highly erratic then the
tecting starting problems in automo- problem is related to the timer or the
biles. contact breaker. If the HT coil is open,

Signal Injector cum Tracer


Shanavas.l

H ere is a two-in -one


ment incorporating a signal injector
and a signal tracer.
test instru-

If any audio equipment is not work-

ing. an audio signal can be injected at

the volume control using this instru-


ment. If audio signal appears at the

speaker of the set, you can be fairly sure


that there is no trouble in the audio
output stage. Otherwise, the fault lies

in the audio stage itself. Thus, by in-

jecting the signal, the fault ain be traced.


To check the RF stage, an audio
signal can be injected in the RFstagc. If wise the fault lies in the RF stage. The at Ihese frequencies.

the output appears at the speaker, the circuit besides injecting signals at RF, XI is a 3V output transformer used
equipment is working properly, other- IF and AFstagcsam also detect signals in pocket transistor sets.

192 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Musical AF/lF Checker
Mathews G. Kallattu

T.here arc several signal generator has 64-note ROM memory. box. The output jack and switch SI are
circuits but few are reliable. Most of the The oscillator section consists of fitted on the front panel of the box.

circuits arc designed for constant fre- low-noise crystal oscillator. The crys- When switch SI is in position A, we
quency. This circuit produces music tal of ‘455kHz is used for frequency can get the modulated IF signal from
instead of 10kHz oscillation. Music notes control. There is no frequency drift in the jack. When the switch is in position
arc modulated to 455kHz. This modu- the circuit as no tuned circuit is being 13, we get AF signal from the jack. For
lated signal is used for checking and used. Therefore, the IFTs can be aligned alignment of 2-band radio we can re-
VvV
2700
100|<
4.7K iev
10K

^
si
1 POLE *WAY
—VW
.
47K 004m ™4 SWITCH

'T
© T1
BF4948
0 V

390p
1N4148
O.tfi
XL
4S5KHZ 0.01m
IK
1.2K

NOTE: C IS THE INTERNAL CAPACITOR OF FT


I

alignment of IFTs at the time of servic- !


correctly. place the crystal with another crystal
1

ingof audio equipment. The output section of the circuit is producing frequencies of 550kHz,
The main parts of the circuit are the modulator which modulates the AF 1600kHz, 600kHz, 5MHz or 16MHz
j

audio tone generator, RF oscillator and i


and RF signals. The modulated signal and replace the IFT with a small ferrite
modulator. For audio tone generator i
is taped from the output jack. The core traasformcr(oran IFT without the
the musical IC UM66 is used. This IC i
whole setup is enclosed in a small metal tuning capacitor can also be used).

Inverter-based 3-in- 1 Timer


Kalpesh Dalwadi

A timer is almost
without 1C 555 or counter ICs such as
CD4029 or CD4060. The
impossible

circuit pre-
doing the same job.
As shown in the circuit,

alongwithCl.Rl, VR1 and VR2 forms


gate N1
and S2, which arc ganged, arc
tion 2. input at gate N 1 is

hence the output of gate N 1 becomes


in posi-

held low and

sented here uses an inverter instead for a monostable multivibrator. When Si high. This high output charges Cl via

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 193


series combination of Rl, VR1 andVR2. the output can be varied by just remov- 0 to 30 minutes. Thus, one can obtain
At the same time output of gate N2, ing the gang arrangement (because the any desired timing from 0 to 30 min-
which is low, is given to gate N6 and charging and discharging lime will be utes. Use of tantalum capacitors will
the output of gate N6 becomes high. different). Here gates N2 and N5 are surely enhance the accuracy of the cir-
ITie high output triggers the triac ! acting as buffers. cuit but at the same time the cost will

and the power is fed to the load. After a ,


When SI and S2 are in position 3, also rise. Separate on/off switch is not

time period of T = 0.7 x Cl (R 1 + VR1 the input of gate N6 is grounded and so required because stand-by mode con-
f VR2), the output of gate N6 becomes the output of N6 remains h igh as long as sumption is only a few microamperes.
low and the triac stops conducting. Thus the switches are in this position. Hence, In full load condition, the circuit con-

this part of the circuit operates in the triac remains on and the current sumes around 5 to 6 mA current ensur-

monoshot mode. flows continuously through the load. ing a long life for the battery.
When SI and S2 are at position 1, Finally, when SI and S2 are in posi- This kind of time switch can be used
the input of gate N6 is connected to the tion 4, the input of N6 is connected to as a timer for washing machines, heat-
as tabic multivibrator built around gates Vcc as a result of which the output rc- ers and for process control involving
N3 and N4. mams at logic 0. The triac does not short timing etc.

Thus, the load is interruptedat regu- conduct and thus there is no current in The circuit can be easily wired on a
lar intervals. Here VR3 is ganged with . the load. general-purpose PCB. It costs around
VR5, and VR4 is ganged with VR6 to 330k pots are calibrated for 0 to 60 Rs 50, without power supply.
generate a square wave. Duty cycle of seconds and 1 0M pots are calibrated for

All-in-one Circuit for Fridge


P.P. Chandrapal

U
i^erc is an all-in-one circuit fora
fridge having features like time delay
on, under/over voltage protection, auto-
matic time basis defroster, timer circuit
etc.

To switch the fridge on and off IC


555 timer is being used. At normal
voltage, capacitor Cl is charged through
resistor R4 and diode D3. If the supply
fails and resumes immediately, IC 555
Fig.
wiU not be switched on until Cl is dis- 1

charged to 1/3 Vcc through R5. The When the input voltage is above or (above 2/3 Vcc). It results in low output
delayed on time will depend on the below normal, transistor T2 will be cut- at pin 3 of IC 555. which stops the
values of R5 and Cl. off, making pins6and2ofIC555high fridge. At normal voltage, transistor 17

194 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Dl and T1 start conducting. As diode D2 dent high.
amd transistor T2 will not be conducting The defrost condition is indicated by
the fridge remains off. LED2. Each clock output of IC 4060 is
The timer circuit is built around IC indicated by LED1 through transistor
4060 and IC4017. Time period of the T3. Base of T3 (point D) can be con-nected
output pulse available at pin 3 of IC to pin 6 or 5 of IC2 for lower time
4060 depends on the values of C3 and output indication. The end of preset time
will be conducting. Pin6 of IC555 will VR3. It varies from 3 minutes to more (high pulse at pin 11) is indicated by
become loam but pin 2 will remain high than 2 hours. This clock output is fed at LED4.
because capacitor Cl is in charged con- pin 14 of IC4017. At each clock pulse, When the same output appears at pin
dition due to the reverse biasing of 1C4017 starts counting and high output 13 of IC 4017 it stops counting the clock
diode D4. Now Cl starts discharging appears at the output pins. The outputs pulse till the reset switch is pressed.

through R5. When the voltage across Q7 at pin 6, and Q8 at pin 9 are con- Back-up power supply can be
Cl become less than 1/3 VCC, pin 3 of nected to the base of T4 through diodes provided to the timer circuit to maintain
1C555 will go high and will switch on D7 and D8 to double the defrost time. timer cycles during power failure as
the fridge. Similarly, other outputs can be used for shown in Fig. 2.
At low voltage, diode D2 and tran- setting different time periods. R16, R17 By using different output (Q0 Q9, to
sistor T2 are and pins 6 and 1 of
cut-off and LED3 are wired to avoid the false not shown) of IC 4017 or IC 4060, the
1C555 are high. The fridge is switched stopping. Fridge is switched off when timer can be utilised for purposes such
off during this period. At high voltage the voltage at the emitter of T4 is sufli- as delayed and precise switching.

Nl-Cd Cell Charger

T JL his Ni-Cd cell charger can has facilities of standard and fast auto shut-off chargers arc unsuccessful
charge up to eight cells at a time and charging and full-charge indicator. The in India due to frequent interruptions in

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 195


the main supply. off while R5 to R12 limit the current, more than eight cells by using a trans-
The transformer has two separate Comparator IC2 pA741 compares the former and semiconductors of higher
windings of 0-12V on the secondary reference voltage with the monitoring current capacity. ICLM317T should be
side — the first being for the charging voltage. When these are equal LED2 used with a suitable heatsink. For the
circuit and the second for the monitor- starts glowing, indicating full-charge adjustment of VR2, adjust VR1 to read
ingcircuit. ICLM317T variable voltage condition. The monitoring circuit moni- 3V and then connect a fully charged Ni-
regulator is the heart of the circuit which tors only one cell at a time. A multi-way Cd cell in the test cum charge terminal,
selects between the standard and the switch can be used to monitor the other Adjust VR2 till LED 10 just starts glow-
quick charging modes. Diode DIO blocks cells. ing.

the reverse flow of current during mains This circuit can be used for charging Q

Digital Volume Controller


Umesh Kumar Pushkarna
TA he circuit shown here
on the switching action of
is based
transistors.
Volume of a stereo deck can be con-
trolled with the help of a potentiometer
which changes the resistance between
the output of the preamplifier and input

IELECTRONICS PROJECTS!
10K
» -POLE 2-WAY SWITCH

of the amplifier. This can be done with When pin 4 of 1C 4017 goes high, the When desired volume is reached, re-
the help of decade counter IC 4017 corresponding transistor (T2) gets satu- lease the switch.
and some transistors. rated and the input signal is directly fed To reset the counter, switch S2 is

The input is applied at collectors to the output through the collector re- brought to position A.
and the output is taken from emitters of sistance. The time period of the output pulses
the transistors. Depending upon the out- To start with, press switch SI. The can be set, using the formula
put of 1C 40 1 7, the corresponding tran- timer IC (1C 555) will start generating Td= 0.693 (R + 2VR 1 + 2R32) Cl
1

sistor gets saturated. Output from the pulses at equal interval of time which seconds.
emitters is taken through a coupling are fed to IC2. Depending on the output The circuit costs around Rs 60.
capacitor to block the DC components. of IC 4017 the transistor is selected.

Phase Sequence Change Indicator


Biju M.J.O.

Jn electric motors, phase se- phase sequence by a beeper or an LED. 1


base voltage becomes 10V. During
qucnce in 3-phase configuration is very Transistors T1,T2 and '13 are used negative cycle, the diode at the base
important. Change in phase sequence [Q square the 3-phase waveforms. The keeps the reverse voltage below 0.6V.
may cause trouble in machines. Here is resistor value should be such that the It is assumed that if the phase se-
a circuit which indicates the change in transistor gets fully saturated when the qucnce is correct, the red-phase lags

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 197


the yellow-phase by 120°and the green-
phase lags the red-phase by 120°. Any
change from this sequence produces a
beeping sound.
Transistor T4 is not only used for
phase inversion but also to decrement
the slope of the rising and falling
edge (i.e. to decrement the rise time of
the square wave). Output of this
transistor is fed to the clock input of
the flip-flop (IC 7476). Thus, during
every cycle the phase sequence is

checked.
For the clock, squared waveform of
the yellow-phase is used. Other phases
arc inverted during squaring operation
(Fig.2). So at the falling edge, transis-
tor T3 is cut-off and T2 is in saturation.
Collector of T2 is connected to the
input J ofIClaand'KofICIb.Soat the
clock edge we get low at both the in-
puts. Collector of T3 is connected to K
input ofICIa and J of IClb resulting in
high output at the clock pulse. At the
rising edge of the dock we get J low
and K high for ICla. So it gets reset
and gives high at Q. Similarly, when
the J and K inputs of IClb are high the
flip-flop is set. The 0 output of ICla
and Q output of IC lb are O Red and fed
at the base of T5 in order to switch on Fig

Fig.2

198 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


the alarm. In place of the alarm, an changes, both the outputs become low enable and disable. The high frequency
LED can also be used as an indicator. and turn on transistor T5. oscillator produces 3kIIz output and a
As long as the phase sequence is cor- The beeper circuit comprises of a beeping sound in the speaker.
rect, both Q of ICla and Q of IClb are low frequency oscillator and a high fre- If a relay driven circuit is used, the
high and the transistor SKI 00 remaias quency oscillator. The low frequency system can be turned off when the
in off state. oscillator, which oscillates at 10 Hz, phase change occurs.
Whenever the phase sequence makes the high frequency oscillator

3.

Readers’ comment:
Please clarify the following in phase The input voltage to this circuit The circuit uses neutral as the refer-
sequence change indicator circuit: isn’t given anywhere in the descrip- ence line for waveform generation.
tion. What is the allowable input volt- There is no provision in the circuit
Neutral point has been used in
1.
age variation? for indicating a phase failure.
the circuit whereas in most cases the
PRODUCTION ENGINEER Supply voltage to the circuit is 6
neutral point for motors is not used.
volts, and pahee checking inputs are
Does this circuit work without neu- Waves Electronics Pvt Ltd
Kizhakkambalam connected directly to phase through a
tral?
The author, Mr Biju Mon J.O., voltage divider.
2. What indication is given on phase
failure? replies:

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS
,

LML Vespa Flasher


D
AX, eplacementofbumtLML vespa
R.K. Gupta

flasher costs around Rs 1 50. The flasher


can be replaced with the help of the
circuit shown here. It costs around
Rs 70.
The circuit consists of a multivibra-
tor built around transistors T1 and T2.
The time period of the output pulse can
be varied by changing the values of R 1
R2, Cl, and C2. The values shown in
the circuit are chosen to match the
flasher with the flashers available in the
market. Gates of triacs are connected to
the collectors of T1 and T2 through lk i

resistors. I

When transistor Tl starts conduct* bulb2) takes place alternately and the flasher, indicating the colour of wires
ing, triac 1 is triggered and bulbl starts buzzer also sounds in unison with the to be connected, arc shown. The circuit
glowing. This activates the buzzer. When frequency of flashing of the bulbs. In i
works properly at 12V AC only. Only
T2 starts conducting, triac 2 is trig- addition, the pilot lamp indicating the front right and rear right bulbs arc shown
gered, thereby illuminating bulb 2. Thus, flashing of bulbs also glows. in the circuit for simplicity.

the flashing of the bulbs (bulbl and For convenience, connections of the

Dual Trace Generator


Umasankar V.

A single beam CRO


for simultaneous display of two signals
can be used and acts as a self-switching analogue
switch between the two signals to be
two voltage
pins 8 and 1 .
levels (Vcc and GND)
The frequency of switch-
at

using this simple The circuit


circuit. displayed on the CRO. The output of IC ing is decided by the external RC net-
uses one NE555 and two pA741 ICs, 555 is given to the CRO. In order to work. The output frequency of IC 555
besides some passive components. The display the two waveforms at different is independent of the supply voltage
diode (OA79) is used to get 50 per cent positions, a DC shift is given to one of and remains constant over the entire
duty cycle. the waveforms. operating range of voltage, i.e. from 3 V
!

IC 555 is connected in astable mode Output of IC2 switches between to 18V. Therefore, if two independent
time varying signals are fed at pins 1

and 8, the output of IC2 will switch


between the voltage levels at two pins
with constant frequency. The signals
should be within the operating range
and of correct polarity.
OUTPUT One of the signals to be displayed is
TOOK)
given sufficient positive DC shift and
fed at Vcc terminal. The other signal is
fed at the ground terminal (pin 1) of
SIGNAL 2 IC 555 through a buffer. The output of
Fig. 1 IC 555 automatically switches between

200 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Each 741 is connected as a unity- minals should oot be less than 5V.
gain adder in the non-inverting mode, When signal 1 is at positive peak and
to give the required DC shift to one of signal 2 at negative peak, the potential
the waveforms. When
no sig-there is difference should not exceed 18V
nal, two beams will be displayed on the (Rg* 2).
CRO. * The capacitor of 0.01 pF, normally
Since it is a measuring instrument, connected between pins 1 and 5, is not
the circuit will not load the source, Lc. connected to avoid unwanted modula-
minimum current will be drawn from tion of the displayed waveforms. For
displayed on the CRO with tbB given the source. large waveforms, the input signals must
DC shift between them. The tracing The DC shift should be sufficient be attenuated before feeding the cir-

between these levels is Dot vicM* be- for worst conditions of input signals, cuit.
cause the switching frequency H'ecty i.e. when signal 2 is at its positive peak One disadvantage of the circuit is

high com pared to the frequency ofinput and signal 1 is at negative peak, the that the signals cannot be overlapped
signals. potential difference between these ter- on the CRO for comparison.

Complementary Lighting Control


Saravanan M. Mallesan

T his circuit is very uaefbl far stage


lignting, light shows, or cvQb home
creasing the light of the other. The
usual design for such a control unit uses
cuit presented here can perform
function with lesser number of compo-
this

movies. It decreases the light iotemity dual potentiometers, two fader circuits, nents and the two loads track each other
of one lamp while simultaooeittljf in- and is quite complicated. But the cir- accurately without any adjustment.
The gate of SCR1 is driven from a
standard phase-control circuit, based
on an UJT or a diac. To use this circuit
with lamps rated at more than 150 watts,
the value of capacitor Cl, in microfar-
ads, is given by the relation
Cl (1.5 X Toff X I)/E
where Toff is the turn-off time of the
SCR in microseconds, I is the maxi-
mum loed*cuncnt, and E is the voltage
at maximum load current.

Readers' com meat: used with 100W, 230V bulbs. In fact,


D. DEEPAK it is obvious that the circuit can be
Hoskote used with bulbs rating anywhere up
Can I use 100W, 230V bulb instead of to 150W. Itrequires modification only
\ SOW, 230V in this circuit Please sug- The author, Mr Saravanan beyond 150W. Regarding the equiva-
gest an equivalent of SCR C 1 06B as it is M. Mallesan, replies: lent for SCR C106B, an SCR SN104
not available. The published circuit can be readily can be used instead.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 201


Short-Proof Power Supply
R. Shankar

TA completely short-proof
his is a
power supply which gives 3 V, 5 V, 6 V,
most of the time, the power dissipated
during overload condition is negligible,
the output voltage is brought
zero. However,
down
after a second, pin 3 of
to

9V, 12V and 15V output voltages and a thereby protecting the power transistor IC1 again goes low. If the short-circuit
maximum output current of 700 mA. and the load. The LED starts glowing persists, the cycle is repeated.
The unique feature of this circuit is that during overload condition. C2 and R5 delay the switching of
the power dissipated is reduced to a The heart of the circuit is LM723 transistor Tl. Narrow spikes of dura-
negligible level during short-circuit or voltage regulator. A reference voltage lion less than 10 ms are passed through
overload conditions. In conventional of 7.15V appears at the ICs pin 6. This and are limited to 1.8A by
the circuit
power supplies, the maximum rated is lapped and given to the non-inverting RIO, Rll and R12. Regulated 6.6 V is
current continuously flows through the input (pin 5) through R6, R7 and VR1 . supplied to IC1 through transistor T2.
load under overload conditions. This The output voltages can be selected by T3 and T4 are the pass transistors and
may damage the power supply and the switch SI . must be mounted on suitable heatsinks,
load. Under normal conditions, pin 3 of For calibration, set switch SI at 5V

The circuit shown here plays cool’


*
IC1 is low. However, during overload position and adjust VR1 toget5Vatthc
under overload conditions. Whenever condition, the voltage across R1 and R2 output. Now change the position of
the output current exceeds 800mA, the exceeds 0.6V and transistor Tl starts switch SI and check the output voltage,
circuit is turned off and after a second, conducting. This makes pin 2 of IC1 Similarly, calibrate for all positions of
it is turned on automatically. If the negative and triggers the monostable the switch. Now short-circuit the out-
overload condition persists, the circuit multivibrator. Thus, the output of IC1 put. The LED should start glowing (to
is turned off again and the cycle is becomes The voltage at inverting
high. indicate overload) if the circuit is cor-
repeated until the overload is removed, input (pin 4) of IC2 becomes more than rectly assembled.
Since the pass transistor is cut-off the voltage at non-inverting input and

202 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


Universal Cell Evaluator
Amrit Bir Tiwana

T he circuit shown here allows


stant testing of dry cells of any
in-

size.
This portable unit operates oo a 9V
battery. R3 and R2 form the potential
divider and the input is applied across
it.The sensor stages, built around two
op-amps, compare this voltage and the
output is indicated by the LEDs.
LED 1 shows that the battery is fully
charged. An alarm is also provided as mem. one of suitable value, or a variable
an indication. LED2 shows that the The circuit uses two LM3 140 ICs as resistor. A 9 V dry flat battery is used as

battery is not usable and the voltage comparator. Values of R3 and R2 are powersupply for the circuit. As the cur-
level is below normal. LED3 glows to shown for ‘
D ’
sized cells. In case some rent consum ption of the circuit is very
warn the user that the battery is over- other type of battery is to be tested, R3 low, the battery has a very long life,

charged and may damage the equip- and R2 may be substituted by another

Overdrain Protector for


Lead-Acid Accumulators
Brindavanan
TX. be storage batteries like lead-add
accumulators should not be discharged
soluble lead sulphate
plates of the accumulator. This
is formed on the
in-
protection is
V.

provided by disconnect-
ing the load dreuit automatically at
below a certain voltage specified by the creases the internal resistance, thereby preset voltage level. This circuit draws
manufacturer, e.g. a 24 V lead-acid bat- reducing the load voltage and efficiency. approximately 100mA current from the
tery should not be discharged below To overcome such problems, the battery. Therefore, for high capacity
18 V. if drained below 18V, hard in- circuit shown here is very useful. The accumulators, this dreuit is very use-

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS 203


.

from the battery. That is why there is no


indication for the off state.
The circuit must be calibrated be-
fore regular use. The following se-
quence of procedure should be followed
for calibration. For a 24V accumula-
tor, take any DC variable power supply
of 0 - 30 V range (15 V-25V range is also
sufficient) and set the desired voltage
ranging from 16V to 23V (or 9V to 12V
for 12V accumulator). At this voltage,

the circuit disconnects the load from


TO LOAD the accumulator, thus protecting the
CIRCUIT
NOTE IF 12V ACCUMULATOR IS TO BE USED, TAKE THE VALUE accumulator from overdrain.
OF COMPONENTS SHOWN WITHIN BRACKETS
Replace the battery with the vari-
ful. For low capacity batteries, the indi- the relay coil. Resistor R5 limits the able power supply. Observe the polari-
cating circuit is suitable which drains voltage at the base of T3. thereby elimi- ties while connecting the power sup-
less than 8mA current. In place of the nating the necessity of higher wattage ply. Point P is positive and N is nega-
relay, LED is connected for indica-
an transistor or higher wattage heatsink tive as shown in the figure. Adjust
tion of overdrain. Since the LED does forT3. One-watt heatsink is sufficient preset VR1 to get null/zcro position.
not need any driver, the current con- for T3. Diodes D2 and D3 provide pro- Keep switch S2 in position A. Press
sumption The load circuit is
is reduced. tection against voltage transients. Ca- switch SI for a moment and release it.
disconnected from the battery manu- pacitor Cl filters out any spikes pro- By pressing SI the relay will be
ally. The battery is recharged for fur- duced due to the reactive load con- switched on automatically. If not,
ther use. nected to the accumulator. In case the check VR1. If VR1 is correct, check
The circuit is switched on by switch protector is not needed, the load can be the whole circuit again.
S 1 The relay connects the accumulator
. directly connected to the accumulator Now switch on the relay and adjust
to the load circuit. The LED indicates (keeping S2 in position B). preset VR till the relay is switched off.
1

that the battery is connected to the load Whenever the terminal voltage of For exact setting of VR1, trial and error
Zener diode D1 provides the reference the accumulator falls below a certain method can be used. This position of
voltage for the em itter follower transis- preset level, transistor T1 is cut-off and VR1 should not be disturbed. With this
tor T3. Transistor T3 drives the relay the relay disconnects the load circuit. the calibration is over and the circuit is

and maintains approximately 12V for The circuit ensures complete cut-off ready to be used.

Clap Switch
Narpat Singh Kana

T he circuit presented here consists of


silicon transistors. The circuit can be
pulse the state
multivibrator changes,
of the
i.e.
bistable
transistor T3 sistor
In the third stage, a realy driver tran-
BEL 187 is used. For visual indi-
divided into three parts. conducting and T2 turns off.
starts cation an LED is used in parallel with
1 . Audio trigger stage This is basically a single input, nega- the relay.
2. Bistable multivibrator stage tive edge triggered bistable multivibrator. This clap switch can be used for a
Relay operation stage
3. Due to parameter mismatch let at the portable radio. The radio is set at a
In audio trigger stage, with the sound very instant T2 conduct more than T3, particular frequency With the first clap
.

of a clap the condenser microphone after some nano seconds, the stable state the radio will be turned on and with the
(34LOD) triggers transistor Tl. This will be T2 on and T3 off. When the mic. second it will turn off.

gives positive pulse to the bistable gets the clap sound or the sound of a The quiescent current of the circuit
multivibrator based on transistors T2 whistle, a negative going pulse appears in off state is of the order of a few
and T3. With the first positive pulse at the common input of the bistable. It milliampers.
transistor T2 starts conducting and T3 . retards T2, as a result T3 is put in con- The clap switch should be inside the
remains off. With the second positive duction and T2 in off state. radio and care should be taken to insu-

204 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS


late it of the components of the
from rest radio receiver. Keep it away from the use with battery is recommended; AC
radio receiver. The condenser micro- speaker or it will be triggered by its own adaptor should not be used.
phone should be mounted outside the feedback sound. For better performance

Readers’ comments: years ago with a PCB


and components the set’s 4.5V battery.
obtained from Gala Electronics, 2. The switch may be fitted within

Iha ve assembled thecircuit but it worked Bombay. Now that circuit has become the cabinet of the set using insulation or

properly only after the 6V supply was in- very popular. cello tape.

creased to 9 V and the collector and emit- PRADEEP G. 3. The condenser mic. should be
1.
ter of transistor T4
(BEL1 87) were inter- Alappuzha fitted outside the cabinet.
changed. Please clarify why this was so. Q The LED in the clap switch circuit 4. Volume should be kept at such a
Further, when power was supplied gives out very little light. To use the level that only loud sounds can trigger
from a highly regulated AC adaptor, the can I replace the
circuit for a night lamp, the circuit.
clap switch showed unstability at the lk resistor and the LED with a 6V bulb? As regards Mr Pradeep’s comments,
time of switching on/off of tubelights, H.N. NAVEEN the world is vast and every man has got
fans etc. Mysore the right to think freely. It is quite pos-

The author has suggested that the The author, Mr Narpat Singh Rana, sible that more than one person can hit
circuit may be housed inside the cabinet replies: upon the same idea. However, I have
of a pocket transistor but certain fre- Use of AC adaptor is not recommended designed the switch after a long experi-
quencies of sound keep triggering the for the clap switch if malfunction is to be mentation.
switch. Please clarify. avoided. But it can be used with 4.5V We cannot connect a 6V bulb in
AMEET HINGORANI portable transistor sets by following the place of the LED to obtain more light.
Secunderabad procedure given below: The lk resistor may however be re-

The circuit for the clap switch is not a Connect the transistor set at the placed with a 100-ohm resistor to get
new one. I made the same circuit three relay points and power the circuit from some more light from the LED itself.
Top 20 Projects (Out of 102)

• Dynamic Display • Indicator Bell


• Automatic Brightness Controller for TVs • Simple Touch Dimmer Using Triacs
• Heavy Duty Voltage Stabiliser • Automatic Voltage Stabiliser
• Switch Mode Power Supply for Personal • High/Low Voltage Cut-out
Computer • Frequency Measurement on Multimerer
• Composite Electronic Organ • Super Simple Interruption Counter
• Make Your Own VHF Antenna Booster • 10-Channel Touch Switch
• Digital Channel Selector • Disco Light Project
• Tubelight Without Choke and Starter • All-in-one Circuit for Fridge
• Automatic Star-to-delta Converter • Short-proof Power Supply
• Mains Supply Interruption Indicator

EFY Enterprises Pvt Ltd


D-87/1 ,
Okhla Industrial Area, Phase I. New Delhi 110 020; Ph: +91-11-26810601-03
Fax: +91-11-26817563; E-mail: mfo@efYindia.com; Website: www.efyindia.com

You might also like