FIRE ALARM

INTRODUCTION

An automatic fire alarm system is designed to

detect the unwanted presence of fire by
monitoring environmental changes associated
with combustion. In general, a fire alarm system
is either classified as automatic, manually
activated, or both. Automatic fire alarm systems
can be used to notify people to evacuate in the
event of a fire or other emergency, to summon
emergency services, and to prepare the structure
and associated systems to control the spread of
fire and smoke.
 years. They are designed to fulfill two
general requirements: protection of
property and assets and protection of life.
As a result of state and local codes, the
life-safety aspect of fire protection has
become a major factor in the last two
decades. There are a number of reasons
for the substantial increases in the life-
safety form of fire protection during
recent years, foremost of which are 1.
The proliferation of high-rise
construction and the concern for life
safety within these buildings. 2. A
growing awareness of the life-safety
hazard in residential, institutional, and
educational occupancies. 3. Increased
hazards caused by new building
materials and furnishings that create
large amounts of toxic combustion
products (i.e., plastics, synthetic fabrics,
etc.). 4. Vast improvements in smoke
detection and related technology made
possible through quantum advances in
electronic technology. 5. The passing of
the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA),signed into law on July 26, 1990,
providing comprehensive civil rights
protection for individuals with disabilities.
With an effective date of January 26,
1992, these requirements included
detailed accessibility standards for both
new construction and Renovation
toward the goal of equal usability of
buildings for everyone, regardless of
limitations of sight, hearing, and
mobility. This had a significant impact on
fire alarm system signaling devices,
power requirements, and device locations

COMPONENTS USED

RESISTORS

(+5% CARBON, 1/4W)

R1 - 68K

R2 - 470K

A resistor is a passive two-terminal

electrical component that implements
electrical resistance as a circuit element.

The current through a resistor is in direct

proportion to the voltage across the
resistor's terminals. This relationship is
represented by Ohm's law

The ratio of the voltage applied across a

resistor's terminals to the intensity of
current in the circuit is called its
resistance, and this can be assumed to
be a constant (independent of the
voltage) for ordinary resistors working
within their ratings.

Resistors are common elements of

electrical networks and electronic circuits
and are ubiquitous in electronic
equipment. Practical resistors can be
made of various compounds and films, as
well as resistance wire (wire made of a
high-resistivity alloy, such as nickel-
chrome). Resistors are also implemented
within integrated circuits, particularly
analog devices, and can also be
integrated into hybrid and printed
circuits.

The electrical functionality of a resistor is

specified by its resistance: common
commercial resistors are manufactured
over a range of more than nine orders of
magnitude. When specifying that
resistance in an electronic design, the
required precision of the resistance may
require attention to the manufacturing
tolerance of the chosen resistor,
according to its specific application.
The temperature coefficient of the
resistance may also be of concern in
some precision applications. Practical
resistors are also specified as having a
maximum power rating which must
exceed the anticipated power dissipation
of that resistor in a particular circuit: this
is mainly of concern in power electronics
applications. Resistors with higher power
ratings are physically larger and may
require heat sinks. In a high-voltage
circuit, attention must sometimes be paid
to the rated maximum working voltage of
the resistor.

CAPACITORS
 C - 104F

A capacitor (originally known as a

condenser) is a passive two-terminal
electrical component used to store
energy electrostatically in an electric
field. By contrast, batteries store energy
via chemical reactions. The forms of
practical capacitors vary widely, but all
contain at least two electrical conductors
separated by a dielectric (insulator); for
example, one common construction
consists of metal foils separated by a thin
layer of insulating film. Capacitors are
widely used as parts of electrical circuits
in many common electrical devices.

When there is a potential difference

(voltage) across the conductors, a static
electric field develops across the
dielectric, causing positive charge to
collect on one plate and negative charge
on the other plate. Energy is stored in the
electrostatic field. An ideal capacitor is
characterized by a single constant value,
capacitance. This is the ratio of the
electric charge on each conductor to the
potential difference between them. The
SI unit of capacitance is the farad, which
is equal to one coulomb per volt.
The capacitance is greatest when there is
a narrow separation between large areas
of conductor hence capacitor conductors
are often called plates, referring to an
early means of construction. In practice,
the dielectric between the plates passes
a small amount of leakage current and
also has an electric field strength limit,
the breakdown voltage. The conductors
and leads introduce an undesired
inductance and resistance.

Capacitors are widely used in electronic

circuits for blocking direct current while
allowing alternating current to pass. In
analog filter networks, they smooth the
output of power supplies. In resonant
circuits they tune radios to particular
frequencies. In electric power
transmission systems they stabilize
voltage and power flow.

TRANSISTORS

A transistor is a semiconductor device

used to amplify and switch electronic
signals and electrical power. It is
composed of semiconductor material
with at least three terminals for
connection to an external circuit. A
voltage or current applied to one pair of
the transistor's terminals changes the
current through another pair of terminals.
Because the controlled (output) power
can be higher than the controlling (input)
power, a transistor can amplify a signal.
Today, some transistors are packaged
individually, but many more are found
embedded in integrated circuits.

The transistor is the fundamental building

block of modern electronic devices, and
is ubiquitous in modern electronic
systems. Following its development in the
early 1950s, the transistor revolutionized
the field of electronics, and paved the
way for smaller and cheaper radios,
calculators, and computers, among other
things.

NPN(548/547)

NPN is one of the two types of bipolar

transistors, consisting of a layer of P-
doped semiconductor (the "base")
between two N-doped layers. A small
current entering the base is amplified to
produce a large collector and emitter
current. That is, when there is a positive
potential difference measured from the
emitter of an NPN transistor to its base
(i.e., when the base is high relative to the
emitter) as well as positive potential
difference measured from the base to the
collector, the transistor becomes active.
In this "on" state, current flows between
the collector and emitter of the transistor.
Most of the current is carried by electrons
moving from emitter to collector as
minority carriers in the P-type base
region. To allow for greater current and
faster operation, most bipolar transistors
used

PNP(588,1.88)

The other type of BJT is the PNP,

consisting of a layer of N-doped
semiconductor between two layers of P-
doped material. A small current leaving
the base is amplified in the collector
output. That is, a PNP transistor is "on"
when its base is pulled low relative to the
emitter.
 The arrows in the NPN and PNP transistor
symbols are on the emitter legs and point
in the direction of the conventional
current flow when the device is in forward
active mode.

SPEAKER

CELLS

KEY

WORKING

A simple potential divider arrangement using

thermistor is capable of sensing the
temperature (presence of fire) and alerting us
with a warning signal. This is suitable for your
home security systems. Also school students can
do this fire detector circuit as their high school
science fair projects. Here I will explain in detail
about fire alarm circuit wiring with animation/
simulation of fire alarm.
 Working is based on the switching property of
transistor

The thermistor and R1 forms a

potential divider network which drives
the transistor.

The heart of this circuit is a thermistor.

Thermistors are low-cost, easily-available

Temperature sensors widely used for

uncomplicated temperature measurements.

Thermistors are temperature sensitive

resistors. When temperature increases
resistance offered by the thermistor
decreases and vice versa. At normal
 temperature, the resistance of the
thermistor is around 10k.

All resistors vary with temperature, but

the semiconductor materials used for
thermistors are especially sensitive to
temperature.

The transistor is turned ON by the

voltage drop across the resistor R1.

Consider the temperature of the

atmosphere is around 25C, and then the
resistance of thermistor is high so the
voltage across the thermistor is also high
according to the basic ohms law V=IR.

The threshold voltage can be set by

varying the potentiometer (R1).
 At this situation voltage across resistor
R1 is low and it is not sufficient to turn on
the transistor.

As temperature rises, the resistance of

thermistor decreases so that the drop
across the resistor R1 increases which
turns ON the transistor.
 When the transistor is turned ON, the
current from Vcc starts to flow via 6V
buzzer which produces a beep sound.

Diode is used for enabling unidirectional

conduction and the capacitor removes
sudden transients from the thermistor.
Simulation of the fire alarm

We have used a speaker for the simulation of

fire alarm system.
 CONCLUSION

A fire alarm is a device that detects the

presence of fire and atmospheric
changes relating to smoke. In some
cases, a firm alarm is a part of a
complete security system, in addition to
a burglary protection system. The fire
alarm operates to alert people to
evacuate a location in which a fire or
smoke accumulation is present. When
functioning properly, a fire alarm will
sound to notify people of an immediate
fire emergency. Fire alarms can be found
in homes, schools, churches and
businesses, and function as the catalyst
to saving lives. For most fire alarms,
when sounded, a beep, bell or horn noise
is made. This distinct sound exists to
allow the notification to be heard The fire
alarm constructed by this project work is
reliable at low cost
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. www.circuitsgallery.com
2. www.tecandprojects.com
3. www.wikipedia.org
4. www.electronicprojects.com