C I R C U I T I D E A S CIR CUIT IDEAS

ADD-ON STEREO CHANNEL SELECTOR

PRABHASH K.P.

RUPANJANA

he add-on circuit presented here is useful for stereo systems. This circuit has provision for connecting stereo outputs from four different sources/channels as inputs and only one of them is selected/ connected to the output at any one time. When power supply is turned on, channel A (A2 and A1) is selected. If no audio is present in channel A, the circuit waits for some time and then selects the next channel (channel B), This search operation continues until it detects audio signal in one of the channels. The inter-channel wait or delay time can be adjusted with the help of preset VR1. If still longer time is needed, one may replace capacitor C1 with a capacitor of higher value. Suppose channel A is connected to a tape recorder and channel B is connected to a radio receiver. If initially

channel A is selected, the audio from the tape recorder will be present at the output. After the tape is played completely, or if there is sufficient pause between consecutive recordings, the circuit automatically switches over to the output from the radio receiver. To manually skip over from one (selected) active channel, simply push the skip switch (S1) momentarily once or more, until the desired channel inputs gets selected. The selected channel (A, B, C, or D) is indicated by the glowing of corresponding LED (LED11, LED12, LED13, or LED14 respectively). IC CD4066 contains four analogue switches. These switches are connected to four separate channels. For stereo operation, two similar CD4066 ICs are used as shown in the circuit. These analogue switches are controlled by IC CD4017 outputs. CD4017 is a 10-bit ring

counter IC. Since only one of its outputs is high at any instant, only one switch will be closed at a time. IC CD4017 is configured as a 4-bit ring counter by connecting the fifth output Q4 (pin 10) to the reset pin. Capacitor C5 in conjunction with resistor R6 forms a power-on-reset circuit for IC2, so that on initial switching on of the power supply, output Q0 (pin 3) is always high. The clock signal to CD4017 is provided by IC1 (NE555) which acts as an astable multivibrator when transistor T1 is in cut-off state. IC5 (KA2281) is used here for not only indicating the audio levels of the selected stereo channel, but also for forward biasing transistor T1. As soon as a specific threshold audio level is detected in a selected channel, pin 7 and/ or pin 10 of IC5 goes low. This low level is coupled to the base of transistor T1, through diode-resistor combination of D2-R1/D3-R22. As a result, transistor T1 conducts and causes output of IC1 to remain low (disabled) as long as the selected channel output exceeds the preset audio threshold level. Presets VR2 and VR3 have been included for adjustment of individual audio threshold levels of left stereo channels, as desired. Once the multivibrator action of IC1 is disabled, output of IC2 does not change further. Hence, search-

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Electronic CardLock System

VIJAY D. SATHE
he circuit presented here can beused as a lock for important electronic/electrical appliances. When card is inserted inside its mechanism, depending upon the position of punched hole on the card, a particular appliance would be switched on. The card is inserted just like a floppy disk inside the disk drive. This card should be rectangular in shape with only one punched hole on it. The circuit uses eight photo-transistors (T1 through T8). When there is no card in the lock, light from incandescent lamp L1 (40watt, 230V) falls on all the photo- transistor detectors. Transistor T8 is used as enable detector for IC1 (74LS244). When light is incident on it, it conducts and its collector voltage goes low. This makes transistor T16 to cut-off, and its collector voltage goes high. This logic high on its collector terminal will inhibit IC1 as long as light is present on photo-transistor T8.

N ILLO . DH A.P.S

IC1 will get enabled only when the card is completely inserted inside the lock mechanism. This arrangement ensures that only the selected appliance is switched on and prevents false operation of the system. You can make these cards using a black, opaque plastic sheet. A small rectangular notch is made on this card to indicate proper direction for insertion

of the card. If an attempt is made to insert the card wrongly, it will not go completely inside the mechanism and the system will not be enabled. When card for any appliance (say appliance 1) is completely inserted in the mechanism, the light will fall only on photo-transistor T1. So only T1 will be on and other photo-transistors will be in off state. When transistor T1 is on, its collector voltage falls, making transistor T9 to cut-off. As a result, collector voltage of transistor T9 as also pin 2 of IC1 go logic high. This causes pin 18 (output Q1) also to go high, switching LED1 on. Simultaneously, output Q1 is connected to pin 1 of IC2 (ULN2003) for driving the relay corresponding to appliance 1. Similarly, if card for appliance 2 is inserted, only output pin 16 (Q2) of IC1 will go highmaking LED2 on while at the same time energising re-

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU n  APRIL '99

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lay for appliance 2 via ULN2003. The same is true for other cases/appliances also. The time during which card is present inside the mechanism, the system generates musical tone. This is

achieved with the help of diodes D1 through D7 which provide a wired-OR connection at their common-cathode junction. When any of the outputs of IC1 is logic high, the common-cathode junction of diodes D1 through D7 also
ELECTRONICS FOR YOU n  APRIL '99

goes logic high, enabling IC3 (UM66) to generate a musical tone. In this circuit IC1 (74LS244) is used as buffer with Schmitt trigger. All outputs (Q1 through Q7) of this IC are connected

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Dual-Channel Digital Volume Control

SHEENA K.
his circuit could be used for replacing your manual volume control in a stereo amplifier. In this circuit, push-to-on switch S1 controls the forward (volume increase) operation of both channels while a similar switch S2 controls reverse (volume decrease) operation of both channels. Here IC1 timer 555 is configured as an astable flip-flop to provide low-freN ILLO . DH A.P.S

quency pulses to up/down clock input pins of pre-setable up/down counter 74LS193 (IC2) via push-to-on switches S1 and S2. To vary the pulse width of pulses from IC1, one may replace timing resistor R1 with a variable resistor. Operation of switch S1 (up) causes the binary output to increment while operation of S2 (down) causes the binary output to decrement. The maxi-

mum count being 15 (all outputs logic 1) and minimum count being 0 (all outputs logic 0), it results in maximum and minimum volume respectively. The active high outputs A, B, C and D of the counter are used for controlling two quad bi-polar analogue switches in each of the two CD4066 ICs (IC3 and IC4). Each of the output bits, when high, short a part of the resistor network comprising series resistors R6 through R9 for one channel and R10 through R13 for the other channel, and thereby control the output of the audio signals being fed to the inputs of stereo amplifier. Push-to-on switch S3 is used for resetting the output of counter to 0000, and thereby turning the volume of both channels to the minimum level.

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU n  AUGUST '99

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IDEAS

Infrared Cordless Headphone

PRADEEP G.

OO SAG G.S.

sing this low-cost project one can reproduce audio from TV without disturbing others. It does not use any wire connection between TV and headphones. In place of a pair of wires, it uses invisible infrared light to transmit audio signals from

TV to headphones. Without using any lens, a range of up to 6 metres is

possible. Range can be extended by using lenses and reflectors with IR sensors comprising transmitters and receivers. IR transmitter uses two-stage transistor amplifier to drive two series-connected IR LEDs. An audio output transformer is used (in reverse) to couple audio output from TV to the IR transmitter. Transistors T1 and T2 amplify the audio signals received from TV through the audio transformer. Lowimpedance output windings (lower

gauge or thicker wires) are used for connection to TV side while high-impedance windings are connected to IR transmitter. This IR transmitter can be powered from a 9-volt mains adapter or battery. Red LED1 in transmitter circuit functions as a zener diode (0.65V) as well as supply-on indicator. IR receiver uses 3-stage transistor amplifier. The first two transistors (T4 and T5) form audio signal amplifier while the third transistor T6 is used to drive a headphone. Adjust potmeter VR2 for max. clarity. Direct photo-transistor towards IR LEDs of transmitter for max. range. A

9-volt battery can be used with receiver for portable operation.

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU n  AUGUST '99

DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER
NARENDRA WADHWANI

his instrument displays the speed of the vehicle in kmph. An opaque disc is mounted on the spindle attached to the front wheel of the vehicle. The disc has ten equidistant holes on its periphery. On one side of the disc an infrared LED is fixed and on the opposite

side of the disc, in line with the IR LED, a phototransistor is mounted. IC LM324 is wired as a comparator. When a hole appears between the IR LED and phototransistor, the phototransistor conducts. Hence the voltage at collector of the phototransistor and in-

verting input of LM324 go low, and thus output of LM324 becomes logic high. So rotation of the speedometer cable results in a pulse (square wave) at the output of LM324. The frequency of this waveform is proportional to the speed. Let N be the number of pulses in time t seconds and numerically equal to the number of kilometres per hour (kmph). For a vehicle such as LML Vespa, with a wheel circumference of 1.38 metres, and number of pulses equal to 10 per revolution, we get the relationship: N pulses = N kmph t = = Nx1000 metres per second 3600x1.38 Nx1000x10 pulses per second 3600x1.38

Therefore, time t in seconds = 0.4968 second. As shown in the timing diagram, at t=0, output of astable flip-flop IC1(a) i.e. 556 goes low and triggers monostable multivibrator IC1(b) i.e. 556. Pulse width of monostable IC1(b) = 0.5068 sec. For IC1(a), t(on) = 0.51 sec. and t(off)= 0.01 sec. The outputs of IC1(a) and IC1(b), and the signal from the transducer section are ANDed. The number of pulses counted during the gating period (0.4968 sec.) is the speed N in kmph (kilometres per hour). At the end of the gating period, output B of monostable IC1(b) goes low and B goes high. The rising edge of B is used to enable the quad D flip-flops IC6 and IC7. At this instant, i.e. at t=0.5068 sec., the number (speed) N will be latched corresponding to the D flip-flops and displayed. At t=0.52 sec., output of astable flip-flop IC1(a)
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Thus the counters are reset and counting begins afresh at t=0.53 sec. up to the time t=0.52+0.2068 sec. However the D flip-flops are not enabled and the previous speed is displayed. The new speed is displayed at t=0.52 + 0.5068 sec. In this way the speed will be updated every 0.52 sec. This speedometer can measure up to 99 kmph with a resolution of 1 kmph. The range can be increased up to 999 kmph by adding another stage consisting of one each of ICs 7490, 74175, 7447 and

The calculations shown above are for LML Vespa and Kinetic Honda. The calculations for using this speedometer for Yamaha, whose circumference of wheel = 1.8353m, can be obtained in a similar fashion. The gating period will simply vary in direct proportion to the wheel diameter. It will be 0.6607 sec. for Yamaha. The same speedometer can be used for other vehicles by making similar calculations. In all the calculations it has been assumed that the speedometer cable makes one revolution for every revolution of the wheel of the vehicles. Note that

goes low and remains low for 0.01 sec. This waveform is inverted and applied to the reset terminals of all counters (active high).

a 7-segment display. The voltage supply required for the operation of the circuit is derived from the vehicle power supply (12V).

on/off periods of the wave-forms have to be precise. High quality multiturn pots and low temperature coefficient components should be used in the timer ICs.

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IC Controlled Emergency Light with Charger

A.P.S. DHILLON

AINA R. R

he circuit shown here is that of the IC controlled emergency light. Its main features are: automatic switching-on of the light on mains failure and battery charger with overcharge protection. When mains is absent, relay RL2 is in deenergised state, feeding battery supply to inverter section via its N/ C contacts and switch S1. The inverter section comprises IC2 (NE555) which is used in stable mode to produce sharp pulses at the rate of 50 Hz for driving the MOSFETs. The output of IC3 is fed to gate of MOSFET (T4) directly while it is applied to MOSFET (T3) gate after inversion by transistor T2. Thus the power amplifier built around MOSFETs T3 and T4 functions in push-pull mode. The output across secondary of transformer X2 can easily drive a 230-volt, 20-watt fluorescent tube. In case light is not required to be on during mains failure, simply flip switch S1 to off position.

Battery overcharge preventer circuit is built around IC1 (LM308). Its non-

inverting pin is held at a reference voltage of approximately 6.9 volts which is obtained using diode D5 (1N4148) and 6.2-volt zener D6. The inverting pin of IC1 is connected to the positive terminal of battery. Thus when mains supply is present, IC1 comparator output is high, unless battery voltage exceeds 6.9 volts. So transistor T1 is normally forward biased, which energises relay RL1. In this state the battery remains on charge via N/O contacts of relay RL1 and current limiting resistor R2. When battery voltage exceeds 6.9 volts (overcharged condition), IC1 output goes low and relay RL1 gets deenergised, and thus stops further charging of battery. MOSFETs T3 and T4 may be mounted on suitable heat sinks.

INFRARED ELECTRONIC SHOOTING GAME

T.K. HAREENDRAN

ust trigger an infrared electronic gun and there goes one invisible bullet hitting the bulls eye, if timed properly. The circuit is very simple, inex-

pensive and easy to construct. The game offers hours of fun and excitement. The target screen consists of a number of LEDs moving rapidly in a circular fashion. All the LEDs are red except onethe real target located in centre of the screen which is green. When a shot is fired by triggering the gun, all LEDs go off except one. If it happens to be the target (green LED) then you have made a hit which is indicated by lighting up of another green LED accompanied by a pleasing musical tone. After a short delay the game restarts automatically. Infrared gun (transmitter) for this electronic game is built around IC1 timer (NE555) wired as an astable multivibra-

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ELECTRONICS PROJECTS Vol. 19

tor with a centre frequency of about 35 kHz. The frequency is determined by the timing components comprising resistors R1 and R2 and capacitor C2. When push-to-on trigger switch S1 is pressed, the astable multivibrator starts modulating the infrared beam with short pulses (See output waveform). The whole circuit can be enclosed in a toy gun for giving it a professional look as illustrated in the figure. The infrared LED has to be fitted with a suitable reflector to ensure good sensitivity. When power switch S2 in the receiver is turned on, astable multivibra-tor wired around IC3 (NE555) generates clock pulses which are fed to clock input (pin 14) of decade counter IC4 (CD4017B). This IC has ten outputs, and each one goes high sequentially on the rising edge of successive clock pulse. As a result, LEDs connected to the output appear to move from one to the other rapidly.

You would notice that only nine outputs are used for driving LEDs. The tenth output (Q9) at pin 11 is connected to reset pin 15. When gun is fired, infrared bursts are received by the integrated infrared module and its output at pin 2 goes low. The resulting falling edge triggers monostable

IC2 and its output (pin 3) goes high. This makes clock enable (CE) pin 13 of IC4 to go high (normally held at a low potential via resistor R8) and it starts counting. When mono pulse ends, and if the last lit LED happens to be the target LED then both inputs of NAND gate N1 become high. As a result, the output of gate N2 also goes high. This in turn switches on transistor T2; thereby the HIT LED lights up and the buzzer also sounds. At the end of the mono pulse period (about 5 sees), decided by resistor R5 and capacitor C5, the mono IC2 is again ready to receive another trigger pulse. Assembly and component layout is not very critical. The circuit may be assembled on a veroboard using IC sockets. A well regulated power supply is required for powering the unit. In place of the IR transmitter it is also possible to make use of the remote control used for TVS or VCPs/VCRs.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS Vol. 19

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Simple Low-Cost Digital Code Lock

A. JEYABAL
RUP ANJA NA

any digital code lock circuits have been published in this magazine. In those circuits a set of switches (conforming to code) are pressed one by one within the specified time to open the lock. In some other circuits, custom-built ICs are used and positive and negative logic pulses are

An essential property of this electronic code lock is that it works in monostable mode, i.e. once triggered, the output becomes high and remains so for a period of time, governed by the timing components, before returing to the quiescent low state. In this circuit, timer IC 555 with 8 pins is used. The

R4, and on releasing these two switches, capacitor C3 starts discharging through resistor R4. Capacitor C3 and resistor R4 are so selected that it takes about five seconds to fully discharge C3. Depressing switches S1 and S8 in unison, within five seconds of releasing the switches SA and SC, pulls pin 2 to ground and IC 555 is triggered. The capacitor C1 starts charging through resistor R1. As a result, the output (pin 3) goes high for five seconds (i.e. the charging time T of the capacitor C1 to the threshold voltage, which is calculated by the relation T=1.1 R1 x C1 seconds). Within these five seconds, switches SA and SC are to be pressed momentarily once again, followed by the depression of last code-switch pair S3-S4.

keyed in sequence as per the code by two switches to open the lock. A low-cost digital code lock circuit is presented in this article. Here the keying-in code is rather unique. Six switches are to be pressed to open the lock, but only two switches at a time. Thus a total of three sets of switches have to be pressed in a particular sequence. (Of these three sets, one set is repeated.) The salient features of this circuit are: 1. Use of 16 switches, which suggests that there is a microprocessor inside. 2. Elimination of power amplifier transistor to energise the relay. 3. Low cost and small PCB size.

IC is inexpensive and easily available. Its pin 2 is the triggering input pin which, when held below 1/3 of the supply voltage, drives the output to high state. The threshold pin 6, when held higher than 2/3 of the supply voltage, drives the output to low state. By applying a low-going pulse to the reset pin 4, the output at pin 3 can be brought to the quiescent low level. Thus the reset pin 4 should be held high for normal operation of the IC. Three sets of switches SA-SC, S1S8 and S3-S4 are pressed, in that order, to open the lock. On pressing the switches SA and SC simultaneously, capacitor C3 charges through the potential divider comprising resistors R3 and

These switches connect the relay to output pin 3 and the relay is energised. The contacts of the relay close and the solenoid pulls in the latch (forming part of a lock) and the lock opens. The remaining switches are connected between reset pin 4 and ground. If any one of these switches is pressed, the IC is reset and the output goes to its quiescent low state. Possibilities of pressing these reset switches are more when a code breaker tries to open the lock. LED D5 indicates the presence of power supply while resistor R5 is a current limiting resistor. The given circuit can be recoded easily by rearranging connections to the switches as desired by the user.

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU n  JULY '99

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IDEAS

LUGGAGE SECURITY SYSTEM

DHURJATI SINHA
EDI DWIV S.C.

alarm sounds, connections to pin 1 and 6 may be made as per the table.
Select 1 Select 2 Sound effect (Pin6) (Pin1) X X Police siren VDD X Fire-engine siren VSS X Ambulance siren - VDD Machine-gun sound Note: X = no connection; - = do not care

hile travelling by a train or bus, we generally lock our luggage using a chain-and-lock arrangement. But, still we are under tension, apprehending that somebody may cut the chain and steal our luggage. Here is a simple circuit to alarm you when somebody tries to cut the chain. Transistor T1 enables supply to the sound generator chip when the base current starts flowing through it. When the wire (thin enameled copper wire of 30 to 40 SWG, used for winding transformers) loop around the chain is broken by somebody, the base of transistor T1, which was earlier tied to positive rail, gets opened. As a result, tran-

sistor T1 gets forward biased to extend the positive supply to the alarm circuit. In idle mode, the power consumption of the circuit is minimum and thus it can be used for hundreds of travel hours. To enable generation of different

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Wiper Speed Controller A

PRADEEP G.
continuously working wiper in a car may prove to be a nuisance, especially when it is not raining heavily. By using the circuit described here one can vary sweeping rate of the wiper from once a second to once in ten seconds. The circuit comprises two timer NE555 ICs, one CD4017 decade counter, one TIP32 driver transistor, a 2N3055 power transistor (or TIP3055) and a few other discrete components. Timer IC1 is configured as a mono- stable multivibrator which produces a pulse when one presses switch S1 momentarily. This pulse acts as a clock pulse

AT Y. K

ARIA

for the decade counter (IC2) which advances by one count on each successive clock pulse or the push of switch S1. Ten presets (VR1 through VR10), set for different values by trial and error, are used at the ten outputs of IC2. But since only one output of IC2 is high at a time, only one preset (at selected output) effectively comes in series with

timing resistors R4 and R5 connected in the circuit of timer IC3 which functions in astable mode. As presets VR1 through VR10 are set for different values, different time periods (or frequencies) for astable multivibrator IC3 can be selected. The output of IC3 is applied to pnp driver transistor T1 (TIP32) for driving the final power transistor T2 (2N3055) which in turn drives the wiper motor at the selected sweep speed. The power supply for the wiper motor as well as the circuit is tapped from the vehicles battery itself. The duration of monostable multivibrator IC1 is set for a nearly one second period.

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU n  MARCH '99

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IDEAS

Charge Monitor for 12V Rechargeable Lead-acid Battery

battery is a vital element of any battery-backed system. In many cases the battery is more expensive than the system it is backing up. Hence we need to adopt all practical measures to conserve battery life. As per manufacturers data sheets, a 12V rechargeable lead-acid battery should be operated within 10.1V and 13.8V. When the battery charges higher than 13.8V it is said to be overcharged, and when it discharges below 10.1V it can be deeply discharged. A single event of overcharge or deep discharge can bring down the charge-holding capacity of a battery by 15 to 20 per cent. It is therefore necessary for all concerned to monitor the charge level of

RUP

ANJA

NA

SIDDHARTH SINGH AND SRINIVAS REDDY PINGLE

their batteries continuously. But, in practice, many of the battery users are unable to do so because of non-availability of reasonably-priced monitoring equipment. The circuit idea presented here will fill this void by providing a circuit for monitoring the charge level of lead-acid batteries continuously. The circuit possesses two vital features: First, it reduces the requirement of human attention by about 85 per cent. Second, it is a highly accurate and sophisticated method. Input from the battery under test is applied to LM3914 IC. This applied voltage is ranked anywhere between 0 and 10, depending upon its magnitude. The lower reference voltage of 10.1V is ranked

0 and the upper voltage of 13.8V is ranked as 10. (Outputs 9 and 10 are logically ORed in this circuit.) This calibration of reference voltages is explained later. IC 74LS147 is a decimal-to-BCD priority encoder which converts the output of LM3914 into its BCD complement. The true BCD is obtained by using the hex inverter 74LS04. This BCD output is displayed as a decimal digit after conversion using IC5 (74LS247), which is a BCD-to-seven-segment decoder/driver. The seven-segment LED display (LTS542) is used because it is easy to read compared to a bar graph or, for that matter, an analogue meter. The charge status of the battery can be quickly calculated from the display. For instance, if the display shows 4, it means that the battery is charged to 40 per cent of its maximum value of 13.8V. The use of digital principles enables us to employ a buzzer that sounds whenever there is an overcharge or deep discharge, or there is a need to conserve battery charge. A buzzer is wired in the circuit such that it sounds whenever battery-charge falls to ten per cent. At this point it is recommended that unnecessary load be switched off and the remaining charge be conserved for more important purposes. Another simple combinational logic

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU n  SEPTEMBER '99

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circuit can also be designed that will sound the buzzer when the display shows 9. Further charging should be stopped at this point in order to prevent overcharge. The circuit is powered by the battery under test, via a voltage regulator IC. The circuit takes about 100 mA for its operation. For calibrating the upper and lower reference levels, a digital multimeter and a variable regulated power supply source are required. For calibrating the lower reference voltage, follow the steps given below: Set the output of power supply source to 10.1V. Connect the power supply source in place of the battery. Now the display will show some reading. At this point vary preset VR2 until the reading on the display just

IDEAS

changes from 1 to 0. The higher reference voltage is calibrated similarly by setting the power supply to 13.8V and varying preset VR1 until reading on the display just changes from 8 to 9. After the calibration is completed, the circuit may be housed in a suitable enclosure. The cost of all the components, including the enclosure, would be around Rs 200.

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU n  SEPTEMBER '99

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Telephone Number Display

BHASKAR BANERJEE
he given circuit, when connected in parallel to a telephone, displays the number dialled from the telephone set using the DTMF mode. This circuit can also show the number dialled from the phone of the called party. This is particularly helpful for receiving any number over the phone lines. The DTMF signalgenerated by the phone on dialling a numberis decoded by DTMF decoder CM8870P1 (IC1), which converts the received DTMF signal into its equivalent BCD number that corresponds to the dialled number. This binary number is stored sequentially in 10 latches each time a number is dialled from the phone. The first number is stored in IC5A (1/2 of CD4508) while the second number is stored in IC5B and so on. The binary output from IC1 for digit 0 as decoded by IC1 is 10102 (=1010), and this cannot be displayed by the seven-segment decoder, IC10. Therefore the binary output of IC1 is passed through a logic-circuit which converts an input of 10102 into 00002 without affecting the inputs 1 through 9. This is accomplished by gates N13 through N15 (IC11) and N1 (IC12). The storing of numbers in respective latches is done by IC2 (4017). The data valid output from pin 15 of IC1 is used to clock IC2. The ten outputs of IC2 are sequentially connected to the store and clear inputs of all the latches, except the last one, where the clear input is tied to ground. When an output pin of IC2 is high, the corresponding latch is cleared of previous data and kept ready for storing new data. Then, on clocking IC2, the same pin becomes low and the data present at the inputs of that latch at that instant gets stored and the next latch is cleared and kept ready. The similar input and output pins of all latches are connected together to
ELECTRONICS FOR YOU n  MAY '99

R. R

AINA

CIRCUIT
form two separate input and output buses. There is only one 7-segment decoder/ driver IC10 for all the ten displays. This not only reduces size and cost but reduces power requirement too. The output from a latch is available only when its disable pins (3 and 15) are brought low. This is done by IC3, IC12 and IC13. IC3 is clocked by an astable multivibrator IC4 (555). IC3 also drives the displays by switching corresponding transistors. When a latch is enabled, its corresponding display is turned on and the content of that latch, after decoding by IC10, gets displayed in the corresponding display. For instance, contents of IC5A are displayed on display DIS1, that of IC5B on DIS2 and so on. The system should be connected to the telephone lines via a DPDT switch (not shown) for manual switching, otherwise any circuit capable of sensing handsets off-hook condition and thereby switching relays, etc. can be used for automatic switching. The power-supply switch can also be replaced then. Such circuits, under different captions, can be found in EFYs back issues. Though this circuit is capable of showing a maxi-

IDEAS

mum of ten digits, one can reduce the display digits as required. For doing this, connect the reset pin of IC2, say, for a 7-digit display, with S6 output at pin 5. The present circuit can be built on a veroboard and housed in a suitable box. The displays are common-cathode type. To make the system compact, small, 7segment displays can be used but with some extra cost. Also, different colour displays can be used for the first three or four digits to separate the exchange code/STD code, etc. The circuit can be suitably adopted for calling-line display.

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU n  MAY '99

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Time Switch
AVNISH PUNDIR

ATA Y. K

RIA

his circuit is especially designed for those who often need to wake up early in the morning. Ordinary alarms in electronic watches are not loud enough and very often they fail to wake up. The switch circuit described here will come handy; it can be used to switch on a TV, radio or tape recorder etc, which will not allow even the laziest amongst us to ignore their sound for too long. Besides, this time switch can also be used to

out having to flip the mode switch (i.e. mode switch can be omitted). Please refer to the back panel diagram of a typical analogue clock and the audio jack, to see how the existing buzzer of the clock is required to be wired to the audio output from the clock. This will ensure that when plug is inserted in the audio jack, the clocks buzzer will remain off and not consume any power

the position of mode switch. At the time of alarm, when point A connected to collector of transistor T1 passes through logic 0 state, the output logic state of both the gates will toggle. Assuming that mode switch is flipped to Mode Off position at poweron-reset (when point D is at logic 1), initially diode D1 would be in blocking state and transistor T2 would be forward biased via resistor R5 and diodes D2 and D3. As a result, the relay is in energised state, which makes output power available at output socket1 and cuts it off from socket-2. At alarm time, the audio signal toggles logic output states of both gates N1 and N2. As a result, point D goes to logic 0 state. Diode D1 conducts, taking the voltage at junction of diodes D1 and D2 to near about 1 volt. Diode D3 ensures that its series combination with

switch on/off any other electric or electronic gadget at any time. What you need is a simple analogue electronic clock with alarm facility and a small circuit to implement the time switch. This time switch has two modes. One is time-on mode and the other is time-off mode. In time-on mode, you set up the alarm in your clock as per normal procedure and at the set time this switch turns on the gadget connected at the output socket-1. In timeoff mode, it turns your gadget off at the set time. The optional output socket-2 is wired in such a way that when you use this socket, the mode changes with-

unnecessarily. The audio alarm output from the clock is coupled to the AF detector built around low-power switching transistor T1. During alarm, the collector of transistor T1 will fluctuate around ground level and Vcc. During absence of audio alarm input, the collector of transistor T1 is held at Vcc potential. The next stage consists of an S-R latch built around NAND gates N1 and N2. Capacitor C2 and resistor R4 are used for power-on-reset. On switching the power supply, gate N2 output will acquire logic 1 and that of gate N1 logic 0. This is the initial state, irrespective of
ELECTRONICS FOR YOU n  MARCH '99

diode D2 puts them in blocking mode. Capacitor C3 meanwhile discharges via resistor R6 and the voltage at base of transistor T2 approaches towards ground level, cutting off transistor T2 and de-energising relay RL1. Now the power at output socket-1 would be cut off while it becomes available in socket-2. If the above operation is repeated with switch S1 in Mode On, the power would initially not be available in socket-1 (but available in socket-2). But after the alarm, the power would become available in socket-1 and not in socket-2.