circuit
ideas
GLOW PLUG CONTROLLER
 T.A. Babu
I
n diesel engines, the air in the
cylinders is not hot enough to
ignite the fuel under cold condi-
tions. Therefore each cylinder of these
Fig. 1: Glow plug controller
engines is fitted with an electric heater
known as ‘glow plug.’ A control circuit
is necessary to optimise the functioning
of glow plugs. It raises the air tem-
perature inside the engine cylinder for
quick and reliable starting, extended
battery life and reduced diesel con-
sumption.
The glow plug controller (Fig. 1)
uses a simple timer circuit built around
MOSFET T1 for reliability and simplic-
ity. Momentary pushing of switch S2
1 0 4 • m a r c h 2 0 0 8 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
charges capacitor C1 rapidly via resis-
tor R1. When the voltage on capacitor
C1 exceeds the threshold voltage of
the gate (G) of MOSFET T1, it starts
charging reservoir capacitor C2 and
simultaneously energises relay RL1.
MOSFET T1 remains conducting as
long as the voltage on C1 is greater
than the threshold voltage of the MOS-
FET gate.
The ‘on’ time period depends on
the value of capacitor C1 and resistor
R2, which govern the discharge current
of capacitor C2. The component values
given here will produce ‘on’ time of
around 25 seconds. In effect, when you
press switch S2 momentarily, the relay
energises for about 25 seconds and
s.c. dwiv
edi
the glow plug gets the power supply
through its contact.
The red LED (LED1) indicates that
the heating process of glow plugs is
Fig. 2: Pin configurations of bs170
and bc548
‘on.’ When the ‘on’ time is over,
the green LED (LED2) turns on
for a while, followed by a short
beep from the buzzer, which in-
dicates that the engine is ready
for starting. Glow plugs draw a
heavy current, hence high-cur-
rent-rating contacts of an automotive
relay are required.
Assemble the circuit on any gen-
eral-purpose PCB and house in a
suitable case. Connect the glow plug
wire to the relay contact. 12V battery
already available with the vehicle is
used to power the circuit. Connect
the piezobuzzer and LED1 and LED2
through an external connection and
place it at a convenient location for the
driver to operate. 
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
circuit
ideas

Guitar Effect Pedal Power

edi
s.c. dwiv
 Raj K. Gorkhali connecting points as shown in Fig. 2.
The circuit (Fig. 2) can be divided

A
friend of mine plays guitar with into two sections: power supply and
several guitar effect pedals. He signal handling. The power supply regulators. This supply is more than
had a problem with battery section is built around transformer X1, enough for the five effect pedals.
eliminators and cables of the pedals regulators 7805 and 7905, bridge recti- The greater the voltage drop across
cluttering the stage and so he asked fier comprising diodes D1 through D4, the regulator, the lower the output
for help. The solution is simple as de- and a few discrete components. The current potential. Resistors R1 and
scribed here. signal-handling circuit is built around R2 provide a constant load to ensure
A small box is fitted to the rear of two OP27 op-amps (IC3 and IC4). that the regulators keep regulating.
the amplifier providing a 9V output for The power supply of about 9V Capacitors C3 through C8 ensure that
the effect pedal. The amplifier section for the effect pedals is derived from the supplies are as clean as possible. It
gets 9V through step-down transformer X1. MOV1 is a is very important to use proper heat-
a pedal switch metal-oxide varistor that absorbs any sinks for IC1 and IC2. Otherwise, these
(refer Fig. 1). large spike in mains power. could heat up.
This power out- IC 7905 (IC1) is a -5V low-power Working of the circuit is simple.
put and guitar regulator. By using a 3.9V zener diode The input signal stage uses a basic
signal input (ZD1) at its ground terminal, you get differentiation amplifier to accept the
lines are com- -8.9V output. The same technique is incoming signal and a voltage fol-
bined into a also applied to IC 7805 (IC2)—a +5V lower to buffer the output to the power
Fig. 1: A typical guitar
single unit with regulator to get 8.9V. Use good-qual- amplifier. The differential amplifier is
pedal switch multi-way cable ity components and heat-sinks for the built around IC3. It works by effective-
ly looking at the signals
presented to its inputs.
If the input signals are of
different amplitudes, IC3
amplifies the difference
by a factor determined
by R4/R3 (where R4=R6
and R3=R5). If the input
signals have same ampli-
tudes, these are attenuat-
ed by the common-mode
rejection ratio (CMRR) of
the circuit. The value of
CMRR is determined by
the choice of the op-amp
the auxiliary components
used and circuit topolo-
gy. You can use standard
resistors. With the values
shown, you get an overall
gain of unity.
The combination
of resistor R7 and C13
serves as a passive low-
pass filter, progressively
attenuating unwanted
high-frequency signals.
Fig. 2: Pedal power circuit The second op-amp (IC4)

1 0 8 • D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u w w w. e f y m ag . co m

forms a simple voltage follower (its
output follows its input), providing a
low output impedance to drive into the
standard power amplifier.
Assemble the circuit on a general-
purpose PCB and fit it to the rear of an
amplifier. The unit must be compact,
yet robust. So use a very sturdy alu-
minium extrusion for the cabinet in or-
der to neatly house the assembled PCB.
To ensure simple operation, there
are only three connections to the unit.
circuit
ideas
First, mains power is tapped from the
transformer. The second lead carries
the 9V output to the amplifier. The
third is the guitar signal input at the
five-way socket for connection to the
effect pedal. 

w w w. e f y m ag . co m e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0 • 1 0 9

All About
Home Solar Systems
Know the right current controller, inverter and battery combination to get the
most out of your PV solar panel
 P.S. Deodhar
G
oing for home solar power is a
wise decision as solar energy
is not only natural but is free
to us unlike any other source of elec-
trical power. So you will be helping
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
However, home solar power systems
need significant initial investment. So
you have to be careful.
Unfortunately, for unscrupulous
companies, consumer ignorance about
photovoltaic (PV) solar power is often
an opportunity to cheat. In fact, many
vendors are in the solar business to
chase your money with little interest in
the technology, environmental benefits
or your needs. Here is some informa-
tion that will help you fortify yourself
against being shortchanged.
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
PV solar modules convert energy
from the sun into free and non-pol-
luting DC power. Unfortunately, this
power cannot be directly used due to
varying light intensity of the sun over
the day. You need to use a current
controller to convert it into a constant
voltage under all conditions of light.
The only controller type that you
have to buy is the one that harvests the
maximum solar energy from the sun.
This is called maximum peak power
tracking (MPPT) controller. MPPT
helps you to harvest about 30 per cent
more energy from the solar module
than any other type. Solar panels are
expensive and the MPPT controller
costs maximum 10 per cent of the cost
of the panel. Since only an MPPT con-
troller gives 30 per cent more energy
from the same panel, this investment
e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • J a n ua ry 2 0 1 1 • 5 9
Solar Tips
is fully justified.
The sun shines bright during the
day. In India, often there is no electrici-
ty even during the day for many hours.
During daytime, the MPPT controller
can directly feed DC into your inverter
and you can use that AC power for
feeding electric fans, television or com-
puters. For this, you need only a small-
capacity battery. The inverter directly
uses the solar panel output to give you
AC supply. If you are using it for of-
fice, you need power mostly during the
day, except for some time in the early
morning and late evening. A small-size
battery is good enough for this.
However, home users need solar
power at night after the sun has set.
For this, one needs to accumulate all
the available solar energy during the
day and then use it at night. In such
a case, you need a battery with big
enough capacity to accumulate all the
available solar energy from the sun
and deliver it to the inverter at night
feeding your 230V AC loads like lights,
fans, PCs and TVs.
Depending on your energy need at
night, your supplier will recommend
certain battery capacity; its voltage
and ampere-hour (Ah) capacity. Small
home inverters of 300-1500W rating
usually work off one or two 12V lead-
acid batteries depending on the invert-
er power and its input voltage rating.
Electrical power and energy often
confuse people. But it is easy to under-
stand the difference between the two.
Your CFL light, normal bulb, fan and
TV are rated by their power consump-
tion and the unit used is watt (W) or
volt-ampere (VA). You can add all
these to find out how much power you
 Solar Tips
need to operate them. For example,
your three CFL lights (16W×3), a fan
(40W) and a TV (60W) will add up to
150W. This is the minimum power rat-
ing that you need for your inverter. It
is necessary to buy an inverter with at
least 50 per cent or even 100 per cent
more capacity in watts.
However, for finding your energy
needs, you need to multiply the watt
rating of the appliance by the time in
hours you need to use it. For instance,
in the above example, if you need to
run these appliances for five hours,
your energy need is 150W×5h = 750
Wh. So your inverter could be of 225-
300W (continuous) rating but your
energy need is higher.
It is important to remember that
your battery capacity depends on your
energy need. The battery has to be
large enough to accumulate from the
sun and store 750 Wh of energy and
not 150W power as some people often
misunderstand.
6 0 • J a n ua ry 2 0 1 1 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
Your home inverter generally
needs 12V or 24V DC input depending
on what you buy. This is because lead-
acid batteries are often rated at 12V.
For 24V, you need to connect two of
them in series.
Another rating of the battery is
its capacity specified in Ah. A 40Ah
battery means that it can deliver 8A
for five hours, 2A for 20 hours, etc. In
other words, its energy storage capac-
ity is 12V×40 Ah=480 Wh.
So if you need 750 Wh as in the
example given above, you will need
a 12V, 80Ah battery that can store 12x
80=960Wh energy for night use. Even
here, it is essential to buy a battery
with 50 to 60 per cent more capacity
in order to ensure a longer battery life.
Selection criteria is similar to that for a
water tank capacity; buy always more
than what you need.
So for the most economic size of the
solar power system you need, calculate
how many hours you may want to
use each of your appliances and find
energy need of each by multiplying by
its wattage rating. For example, using
a 15W CFL light for four hours will
require 60 Wh of energy. A 40W fan
that you may use all night long—say,
for ten hours—will require 400 Wh of
energy. Add up energy needs of all the
appliances to calculate your energy
need in Wh.
Your PV solar modules are rated
in peak watts. But, in practice, these,
on an average, deliver only 70 to 75
per cent power (over about five hours)
of the solar energy that you get to ac-
cumulate from the sun. Therefore a
panel rated at, say, 100Wp, will give
you 70W for five hours—that is, energy
of 350 Wh (5×0.7×100). So if your en-
ergy need is 700 Wh, your PV module
should be rated at 200Wp. 
The author is ex-chairman, Electronics Commis-
sion, government of India, and a former advisor to
late Rajiv Gandhi
w w w. e f y m ag . co m

INFRARED FIRECRACKER IGNITER
 PRADEEP VASUDEVA
F
irecrackers are normally ignited
by using a matchstick or a
candle. You have to run away
quickly after igniting the fuse of the
firecracker. This method of igniting
firecracker is unsafe, because the dan-
ger of the firecracker bursting before
you reach a safe distance is always
there.
The device described here uses re-
mote control, usually used with TV re-
ceivers or CD players, to burst the fire-
cracker. Thus the firecracker can be ig-
nited from a safe distance using the
circuit described below in conjunction
WWW.EFYMAG.COM
with the remote control.
In the figure shown here, normally
the output of IC1 is low and green
LED2 is ‘on’ and the red LED3 ‘off.’
This indicates that the circuit is
ready for use. When any key on the
remote control is pressed, output pin
3 of IRX1 (IR receiver module
TSOP1738) goes low. This output is
connected to pin 2 of IC1 via LED1
and resistor R4 to trigger the
monostable operation of IC1.
The output of IC1 remains high for
a period equal to 1.1×R2×C2. With the
values of the components given in the
circuit diagram here, the period works
out to 3.5 seconds approximately. This
ELECTRONICS FOR YOU • AUGUST 2007 • 97
CIRCUIT
IDEAS
S.C. DW
IVEDI
activates relay RL1 and red LED3
glows and green LED2 turns off. ‘On’
state of red LED3 indicates that the
firecracker is about to burst.
R7 is a small part of the element of
an electric heater (220V,
1000W), which is kept away
from the electronic circuit
and connected to the relay
contacts through a thick
electric cable. The resistance
value of short length of the
heater element (R7) is 3 to
3.5 ohms. A current of
around 4 amperes flows
through it when connected
to a 12V battery. Flow of 4A
current through R7 for 3.5
seconds makes it red hot,
which ignites the fire-
cracker.
The circuit is powered
by a 12V, 7AH battery. IC2
provides about 9V for the
operation of the circuit. The
circuit should be housed in a metallic
cabinet to prevent it from being dam-
aged by bursting of the firecracker. The
IR receiver and the two LEDs should
be fixed on the front panel of the cabi-
net.
Wiring and relay used in the cir-
cuit should be chosen such that they
are able to carry more than 5 amperes
of current. 
circuit
ideas
Infrared Illuminator
 T.K. Hareendran
I
nfrared (IR) illuminators are
widely used to improve the image-
capturing quality of security cam-
eras fitted in dark zones. Just like our
eyes, cameras also can’t record move-
Fig. 1: Circuit for infrared illuminator
ments in dark.
However, un-
like our eyes,
most of the lat-
est cameras can
capture infra-
red light.
In an IR
Fig. 2: Infrared illuminator Illuminator,
many infrared
IR LEDs are grouped together to throw
good amount of IR light. Typically,
LEDs output at 470 nm (blue region),
525 nm (green region) and 625 nm
(red region). IR LEDs produce longer
wavelengths, 880 nm and 940 nm being
the common ones. Most CCD cameras
are a little more sensitive to 880 nm,
although when these LEDs are used
for security applications, some indi-
viduals can detect a very dim red glow
from them. The 940nm LED radiations
are completely invisible to the eye.
Some of these LEDs are clear, while
others are tinted with pale shades of
1 1 2 • D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
dark gray, blue or even black. They
come in various configurations and
radiation patterns, but 5mm types with
15- to 40-degree patterns are the most
popular.
Typically, IR LEDs run at around
1.3 to 1.7 volts, depending on the
LED current (typically 10 to 30 mA).
However, this may vary with the type
and manufacturer. Practically, IR il-
luminators may have 6 or 60 to 100 or
more LEDs, depending on the output
needed.
The circuit (refer Fig. 1) can be
divided into three parts: ambient light
sensor, relay driver and IR LEDs. The
ambient light sensor is built around
multiturn linear potmeter VR1 and
light-dependent resistor LDR1. The
relay driver section is built around
transistors T1 through T3. The IR LEDs
section is built around LED1 through
LED40.
The light sensor circuit is a simple
transistor switch with the base of the
Darlington pair (formed by T1 and
T2) connected to a voltage divider.
Variable resistor VR1 and the 10mm
encapsulated LDR are used to sense
the ambient light. As light falls on the
surface of LDR1, its resistance changes.
The amount of minimum light needed
edi
s.c. dwiv
to actuate the relay through driver
transistor T3 can be varied by adjust-
ing VR1. Diode 1N4001 eliminates
any back voltage when the relay
de-energises. Switch S1 is the mains
power on/off switch and switch S2 is
added to bypass the ambient light de-
tection function.
Relay RL1 energises only when
the ambient light level falls below a
threshold value set by VR1, i.e., when
it’s dark. Normally-opened (N/O) con-
tacts of the relay ground path to the IR
LEDs (LED1 through LED40) to make
them glow. The blue LED (LED41) in-
dicates the circuit activity. When there
is ambient light and you want to use the
illuminator, switch S2 ‘on.’ All the LEDs
(LED1 through LED40) glow to fulfil
your requirement.
Assemble the circuit on a general-
purpose PCB and enclose in a suitable
cabinet. The IR LEDs assembly is very
important. A set of 40 (5×8) 5mm infra-
red LEDs (IR LED1 through IR LED40)
with independent current-limiting
resistors (R3 through R10) per string
is used. This section is powered by
the input DC supply through the relay
contacts.
w w w. e f y m ag . co m

Mount IR LEDs on the general-pur-
pose PCB board such that these make
three circles. After soldering, carefully
cut the outside of the circuit board in
a round shape and fit it in a suitable
metal/plastic cabinet. If available, add
a suitable reflector sheet for the IR
LED bank. Finally, fit the LDR bank
on top of the enclosure with switches,
indicator-sensitivity-control pot and
power input socket. Fig. 2 shows the
infrared illuminator unit.
circuit
ideas
To make the circuit actuate the re-
lay when the intensity of ambient light
is less than the preset light level, throw
light on LDR1 and then slowly adjust
the potentiometer until LED1 lights up
and the relay energises. 

w w w. e f y m ag . co m e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0 • 1 1 3
circuit
ideas

Inverter for Soldering Iron

 Lovely T.P. pairs T3-T5 and T4-T6 (utilising BC558
and BD140). The outputs from the

H
edi
ere is a simple but inexpen- drivers are fed to transistors T7 and T8 s.c. dwiv
sive inverter for using a small (each 2N3055) connected for push-pull
soldering iron (25W, 35W, operation. Use suitable heat-sinks for
etc) in the absence of mains supply. It transistors T5 through T8.
uses eight transistors and a few resis- A 230V AC primary to 12V-0-12V, respectively.
tors and capacitors. 4.5A secondary transformer (X1) is When you power the circuit using
Transistors T1 and T2 (each BC547) used. The centre-tapped terminal of switch S1, transformer X1 produces
form an astable multivibrator that pro- the secondary of the transformer is 230V AC at its primary terminal. This
duces 50Hz signal. The complementary connected to the battery (12V, 7Ah), voltage can be used to heat your sol-
outputs from the collectors of transis- while the other two terminals of the dering iron.
tors T1 and T2 are fed to pnp Darling- secondary are connected to the collec- Assemble the circuit on a general-
ton driver stages formed by transistor tors of power transistors T7 and T8, purpose PCB and house in a suitable
cabinet. Connect the
battery and trans-
former with suita-
ble current-carrying
wires. On the front
panel of the box, fit
power switch S1 and
a 3-pin socket for con-
necting the soldering
iron.
Note that the rat-
ings of the battery,
transistors T7 and
T8, and transformer
may vary as these all
depend on the load
(soldering iron). 

1 1 6 • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 9 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u w w w. e f y m ag . co m
 CIRCUIT
IDEAS

IR MUSIC TRANSMITTER AND

RECEIVER
 IVEDI
PRADEEP G. 10 metres. S.C. DW
The circuit can be divided into

U
sing this circuit, audio musi-
cal notes can be generated
and heard up to a distance of
Fig. 1: Transmitter circuit
Fig. 2: IR audio receiver circuit
two parts: IR music transmitter and
receiver. The IR music transmitter
works off a 9V battery, while the driver stage (built across the transis-
IR music re- tors T1 and T2) to get the maximum
ceiver works off range.
regulated 9V to Here the red LED (LED1) flickers
12V. according to the musical tones gener-
Fig. 1 shows ated by UM66 IC, indicating modula-
the circuit of tion. IR LED2 and LED3 are infrared
the IR music transmitting LEDs. For maximum
transmitter. It sound transmission these should be
uses popular oriented towards IR phototransistor
melody genera- L14F1 (T3).
tor IC UM66 The IR music receiver uses popu-
(IC1) that can lar op-amp IC µA741 and audio-fre-
continuously quency amplifier IC LM386 along with
generate musi- phototransistor L14F1 and some dis-
cal tones. The crete components (Fig. 2).
output of IC1 is The melody generated by IC UM66
fed to the IR is transmitted through IR LEDs, re-
ceived by phototransistor
T3 and fed to pin 2 of
IC µA741 (IC2). Its gain
can be varied using
potmeter VR1. The output
of IC µA741 is fed to IC
LM386 (IC3) via capaci-
tor C5 and potmeter VR2.
The melody produced
is heard through the
receiver’s loudspeaker.
Potmeter VR2 is used to
control the volume of
loudspeaker LS1 (8-ohm,
1W).
Switching off the
power supply stops
melody generation. 

108 • JANUARY 2007 • ELECTRONICS FOR YOU WWW.EFYMAG.COM

 CIRCUIT
IDEAS
LAPTOP PROTECTOR
 D. MOHAN KUMAR
P
rotect your valuable laptop
against theft using this minia-
ture alarm generator. Fixed in-
side the laptop case, it will sound a
loud alarm when someone tries to take
the laptop. This highly sensitive cir-
cuit uses a homemade tilt switch to
activate the alarm through tilting of
the laptop case.
The circuit uses readily available
components and can be assembled on
a small piece of Vero board or a gen-
eral-purpose PCB. It is powered by a
12V miniature battery used in remote
control devices.
IC TLO71 (IC1) is used as a volt-
age comparator with a potential di-
vider comprising R2 and R3 provid-
ing half supply voltage at the non-in-
verting input (pin 3) of IC1. The in-
verting input receives a higher volt-
122 • OCTOBER 2007 • ELECTRONICS FOR YOU
age through a water-activated tilt
switch only when the probes in the
tilt switch make contact with water.
When the tilt switch is kept in the hori-
zontal position, the inverting input of
IC1 gets a higher voltage than its non-
inverting input and the output remains
low.
IC CD4538 (IC2) is used as a
monostable with timing elements R5
and C1. With the shown values, the
output of IC2 remains low for a pe-
riod of three minutes. CD4538 is a pre-
cision monostable multivibrator free
from false triggering and is more reli-
able than the popular timer IC 555. Its
output becomes high when power is
switched on and it becomes low when
the trigger input (pin 5) gets a low-to-
high transition pulse.
The unit is fixed inside the laptop
case in horizontal position. In this po-
sition, water inside the tilt switch ef-
S.C. DW
IVEDI
fectively shorts the contacts, so the out-
put of IC1 remains low. The alarm gen-
erator remains silent in the standby
mode as trigger pin 5 of IC2 is low.
When someone tries to take the
laptop case, the unit takes the vertical
position and the tilt switch breaks the
electrical contact between the probes.
Immediately the output of IC1 be-
comes high and monostable IC2 is trig-
gered. The low output from IC2 trig-
gers the pnp transistor (T1) and the
buzzer starts beeping.
Assemble the circuit as compactly
as possible so as to make the unit
matchbox size. Make the tilt switch us-
ing a small (2.5cm long and 1cm wide)
plastic bottle with two stainless pins
as contacts. Fill two-third of the bottle
with water such that the contacts never
make electrical path when the tilt
switch is in vertical position. Make the
bottle leakproof with adhesive or wax.
Fix the tilt switch
inside the enclo-
sure of the circuit
in horizontal posi-
tion. Fit the unit in-
side the laptop
case in horizontal
position using ad-
hesive.
Use a minia-
ture buzzer and a
micro switch (S1)
to make the gadget
compact. Keep the
laptop case in hori-
zontal position and
switch on the unit.
Your laptop is now
protected. 
WWW.EFYMAG.COM

Laser-guided Door Opener
 T.K. Hareendran
T
his automatic door opener can
be made using readily available
components. The electromag-
netic relay at the output of this gadget
can be used to control the DC/AC
door-opener motor/solenoid of an
electromechanical door opener as-
sembly, with slight intervention in its
electrical wiring.
A laser diode (LED1) is used here
as the light transmitter. Alternatively,
you can use any available laser pointer.
The combination of resistor R1 and
diode D1 protects the laser diode
from over-current flow. By varying
muliturn trimpot VR1, you can adjust
the sensitivity. (Note that ambient light
reflections may slightly degrade the
performance of this unit.)
Initially, when the laser beam is
falling on photo-transistor T1, it con-
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
ducts to reverse-bias transistor T3 and
the input to the first gate (N1) of IC1
(CD4001) is low. The high output at
pin 3 of gate N1 forward biases the
LED-driver transistor (T4) and the
green standby LED (LED2) lights up
continuously. The rest of the circuit
remains in standby state.
When someone interrupts the
laser beam, photo-transistor T1 stops
conducting and transistor T3 becomes
forward-biased. This makes the output
of gate N1 go low. Thus LED-driver
transistor T4 becomes reverse-biased
and LED2 stops glowing. At the same
time, the low output of gate N1 makes
the output of N2 high. Instantly, this
high level at pin 4 of gate N2 triggers
the monostable multivibrator built
around the remaining two gates of IC1
(N3 and N4). Values of resistor R8 and
capacitor C1 determine the time period
of the monostable.
e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • j a n ua ry 2 0 0 9 • 9 7
circuit
ideas
s.c. dwiv
edi
The second monostable built
around IC2 (CD4538) is enabled by
the high-going pulse at its input pin
12 through the output of gate N4 of
the first monostable when the laser
beam is interrupted. As a result, relay
RL1 energises and the door-opener
motor starts operating. LED3 glows to
indicate that the door-opener motor is
getting the supply. At the same time,
piezobuzzer PZ1 sounds an alert.
Transistor T5, whose base is connected
to Q output (pin 10) of IC2, is used for
driving the relay. Transistor T6, whose
base is connected to Q output of IC2,
is used for driving the intermittent pi-
ezobuzzer. ‘On’ time of relay RL1 can
be adjusted by varying trimpot VR2.
Resistor R9, variable resistor VR2 and
capacitor C3 decide the time period of
the second monostable and through it
circuit
ideas
on time of RL1. totransistor on opposite sides of the relay contacts is the one used in elec-
The circuit works off 12V DC doorframe and align them such that tromechanical door-opener assembly.
power supply. Assemble it on a gen- the light beam from the laser diode If you want to use a DC motor, replace
eral-purpose PCB. After construction, falls on the phototransistor directly. mains AC connection with a DC power
mount the laser diode and the pho- The motor connected to the pole of supply. 

9 8 • j a n ua ry 2 0 0 9 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u w w w. e f y m ag . co m
 CIRCUIT
IDEAS
LED LIGHTING FOR CHRISTMAS
 RAJ K. GORKHALI
U
sing light effects for decora-
tion on festive occasions is a
normal practice. Designers are
coming up with varieties of electronic
circuits to fill the imagination of us-
ers.
Here is an easy-to-assemble circuit
for christmas decoration as shown in
Fig.1. It comprises four transistors,
eighteen LEDs, a few resistors and two
capacitors. Transistors T1 and T2 are
configured as an astable multivibrator,
which means one of the two transis-
tors is always conducting. Thus the
combination produces clock pulses.
The values of time-constants
formed with R6-C2 and R8-C1 pairs
have been selected to produce a low-
frequency clock that is visible to hu-
man eye. The collectors of transistors
Fig.1: LED lighting circuit for Christmas
92 • DECEMBER 2007 • ELECTRONICS FOR YOU
T1 and T2 are connected to driver tran-
sistors T3 and T4. These are used to
light up two rows of LEDs connected
in parallel with alternate clock pulses.
The frequency at which LED1 through
LED9, and LED10 through LED18, al-
ternately light up is about 2 Hz. You
can easily change this frequency by
changing the values of capacitors C2
and C1.
Resistors R2 and R4 are used to set
the current through the LEDs. Red
(LED1 through LED9) and green LEDs
(LED10 through LED18) are used for
simulating christmas decoration effects.
For the brightness variation, you can
change the values of resitors R2 and R4.
Take any general-purpose PCB and
cut it into a star shape. Thereafter, as-
semble the circuit and solder the colour
LEDs onto it such that it looks like a
christmas star.
S.C. DW
IVEDI
Fig.2: Christmas Star
Alternatively, you can design the
PCB in circular shape with a festive
white lacquer finish on component side
and conductor tracks on the other. Place
the control circuit at the centre of the
PCB board, with LEDs mounted along
the outer edge as shown in Fig. 2. Along
this edge, there are three circular tracks:
The middle one is the positive supply,
which goes to the anodes of all LEDs.
The outer track is connected to the cath-
odes of the red LEDs and the inner
tracks are connected to the cathodes of
the green LEDs.
To obtain the best effect with the
combination of red and green LEDs,
mount them alternately on the PCB
board. Exercise care so that you do
not accidentally connect the red and
green LEDs in parallel. The forward
voltage drops of red and green LEDs
are different.
The circuit works off a 3V-9V bat-
tery. It consumes little current, so two/
four AA cells or a 9V battery can easily
power the electronic star. You can also
use a stabilised 3V-9V DC mains adap-
tor in place of the battery. 
WWW.EFYMAG.COM
 CIRCUIT IDEAS

Fig. 2: Circuit diagram of LED-based message display

LED-BASED
MESSAGE DISPLAY
O
I THE
SAN

S.C. DWIVEDI

T
his LED-based message display is
built around readily availble, low-
cost components. It is easy to fabri-
cate and makes use of 3mm red LEDs. A
total of 172 LEDs have been arranged to
display the message “HAPPY NEW YEAR
2004.”
The arrangement of LED1 through
LED11 is used to display ‘H’ as shown in
Fig. 1. The anodes of LED1 through LED11
are connected to point A and the cath-
odes of these LEDs are connected to point
B. Similarly, letter ‘A’ is built using LED12
through LED21. All the anodes of LED12
through LED21 are connected to point A,
while the cathodes of these LEDs are con-
nected to resistor R8 (not shown in the
circuit diagram). Other letters/words can
also be easily arranged to make the re-
quired sentence.
The power supply for the message dis-
play circuit (Fig. 2) comprises a 0-9V, 2A
step-down transformer (X1), bridge recti-
fier comprising diodes D1 through D4,
and a filter capacitor (C1). IC 7806 (IC1)

Fig. 1: LED arrangement for word ‘H’

JANUARY 2004 ELECTRONICS FOR YOU 119

CIRCUIT IDEAS
provides regulated 6V DC to the display
circuit comprising timer 555 (IC2) and
decade counter CD4017 (IC3). The astable
multivibrator built around IC2 produces
1Hz clock at its output pin 3. This output
is connected to clock pin (pin 14) of the
decade counter.
The decade counter can count up to
10. The output of IC3 advances by one
count every second (depending on the
time period of astable multivibrator IC2).
When Q1 output of IC3 goes high, tran-
sistor T1 conducts and the current flows
through LED1 through LED48 via resistors
R7 through R11. Now the word ‘HAPPY’
built around LED1 through LED48 is dis-
played on the LED arrangement board.
Next, when Q2 output of IC3 goes
120 ELECTRONICS FOR YOU JANUARY 2004
high, transistor T2 conducts and the cur-
rent flows through LED49 through LED87
via resistors R12 through R14. Now the
word ‘NEW’ is displayed on the LED ar-
rangement board.
Again, when Q3 output goes high, tran-
sistor T3 conducts and the current flows
through LED88 through LED128 via resis-
tors R15 through R18. Now the word
‘YEAR’ is displayed on the LED arrange-
ment board.
Similarly, when Q4 output goes high,
transistor T4 conducts and the current
flows through LED129 through LED172
via resistors R19 through R22. Now dig-
its ‘2004’ are displayed on the LED ar-
rangement board.
During the entire period when Q5,
Q6, Q7, or Q8 output go high, transistor
T5 conducts and the current flows through
all the LEDs via diodes D9 through D12
and resistors R7 through R22. Now the
complete message “HAPPY NEW YEAR
2004” is displayed on the LED arrange-
ment for four seconds.
Thus, the display board displays
‘HAPPY,’ ‘NEW,’ YEAR’ and ‘2004’ one
after another for one second each. After
that, the message “HAPPY NEW YEAR
2004” is displayed for 4 seconds (because
Q5 through Q8 are connected to resistor
R6 via diodes D5 through D8).
At the next clock input output Q9 goes
high, and IC3 is reset and the display is
turned off for one second. Thereafter the
cycle repeats.
 CIRCUIT
IDEAS
LIGHT FENCE
 D. MOHAN KUMAR
T
he basic problem with most of
standard light sensors is that
they require precise alignment
of light beam to mute the circuit dur-
ing standby mode. The circuit de-
scribed here is so sensitive that it will
detect a moving person at a distance
of few metres in daylight or under
electric lighting without cumbersome
alignment of light beam. It requires vir-
tually no set up, and may be simply
placed within the line-of-sight of al-
most any light source including ambi-
84 • JUNE 2007 • ELECTRONICS FOR YOU
S.C. DW
IVEDI
ent day light or fluorescent electric
light. The beep generated from the cir-
cuit will be loud enough to detect the
entry of a person in the room or the
protected area being guarded.
The circuit uses a voltage compara-
tor and a monostable timer to give the
warning alarm on detecting a moving
person. IC µA741 (IC1) is used as a
voltage comparator with two poten-
tial dividers in its inverting and non-
inverting inputs. Resistors R1 and R2
provide half-supply voltage of 4.5
volts to its inverting input (pin 2).
LDR1 and preset VR1 form another
potential divider to provide a variable
voltage input to the non-inverting in-
put (pin 3).
If VR1 is properly adjusted for the
required light level, the output of IC1
will be high, which drives pnp tran-
sistor T1 out of conduction. This is due
to the high potential at the base of T1.
The emitter voltage of T1 will be high
in this condition, which inhibits
IC2 from oscillation and LED1
from lighting. IC2 is wired as a
monostable timer. R6 and C2 pro-
vide a preset time delay.
As a person crosses the pro-
tected area, his shadow will be
sensed by LDR1 due to change
in the light intensity level
and the voltage at the non-invert-
ing input of IC1 will drop mo-
mentarily. The output of IC1 sud-
denly becomes low, allowing T1
to conduct. This triggers the
monostable (IC2) and the alarm
sounds.
Assemble the circuit on a
common PCB and house in a
plastic case. Keep LDR1 inside a
black tube to increase its sensi-
tivity. Adjust preset VR1
until LED1 turns off at the particular
light level. Keep LDR1 facing
the entrance of the room or the area
to be protected. Sensitivity of the cir-
cuit depends on the proper adjust-
ment of VR1. If VR1 is correctly ad-
justed, the circuit can detect a moving
person from a distance of about three
metres. 
WWW.EFYMAG.COM

liquid level Alarm
 Lovely T.P.
H
ere is a simple circuit for
liquid level alarm. It is built
around two BC547 transistors
(T1 and T2) and two timer 555 ICs (IC1
and IC2). Both IC1 and IC2 are wired
in astable multivibrator mode. Timer
IC1 produces low frequency, while
timer IC2 produces high frequency.
As a result, a beeping tone is generated
when the liquid tank is full.
Initially, when the tank is empty,
transistor T1 does not conduct. Con-
sequently, transistor T2 conducts and
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
pin 4 of IC1 is low. This low voltage
disables IC1 and it does not oscillate.
The low output of IC1 disables IC2
and it does not oscillate. As a result, no
sound is heard from the speaker.
But when the tank gets filled up,
transistor T1 conducts. Consequently,
transistor T2 is cut off and pin 4 of
IC1 becomes high. This high voltage
enables IC1 and it oscillates to produce
low frequencies at pin 3. This low-fre-
quency output enables IC2 and it also
oscillates to produce high frequencies.
As a result, sound is produced from
the speaker. Using preset VR1 you can
circuit
ideas
s.c. dwiv
edi
control the volume of the sound from
the speaker.
The circuit can be powered from a
9V battery or from mains by using a 9V
power adaptor.
Assemble the circuit on a general-
purpose PCB and enclose in a suit-
able cabinet. Install two water-level
probes using metal strips such that one
touches the bottom of the tank and the
other touches the maximum level of
the water in the tank. Interconnect the
sensor and the circuit using a flexible
wire. 
e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • J u ly 2 0 0 9 • 8 5
 CIRCUIT
IDEAS
MAT SWITCH
 D. MOHAN KUMAR
T
his simple circuit produces a
warning beep when somebody
crosses a protected area in your
home or office. The switch, hidden be-
low the floor mat, triggers the alarm
when the person walks over it.
The circuit uses a conductive foam
92 • MAY 2007 • ELECTRONICS FOR YOU
wired around IC NE555 (IC1).
S.C. DW
IVEDI
IC1 outputs a pulse of fifty-seconds
duration with preset values of R4 and
C3. This pulse is applied to the buzzer
through transistor T2. The buzzer
as the switch. It can be two small sounds a warning beep on
pieces of conductive pads usually used unauthorised entry. The pulse dura-
to pack sensitive ICs as antistatic cover. tion can be changed to the desired
Alternatively, you can make the switch value by changing the values of R4 and
by coating conducting carbon ink on C 3 .
two small pieces of a copper-clad Resistor R2 in the circuit makes the
board. trigger pin of IC1 high to prevent false
When the circuit is in standby triggering.
mode, transistor T1 does not conduct, Assemble the circuit on a general-
since its base is purpose PCB and enclose in a plastic
floating. When case. Use a 9V battery to power the
the person circuit. Connect the touchpad switch
walks, the switch with the PCB and hide under the mat
is pressed and at the entrance. The PCB can be
current flows mounted on the nearby wall.
through R1 and Make the switch carefully using
the switch to conducting foam or copper clad coated
provide positive with conducting ink. Place the two
bias to transistor pieces with their conducting surface
T1. Transistor T1 facing each other. Solder carefully a
conducts and its thin copper electric wire and ensure
collector voltage that it makes contact when the two
drops, which plates touch together on pressing. Pro-
acts as a negative vide two 1cm rubber tabs between the
trigger input for plates to avoid touch in the standby
the monostable mode. 
WWW.EFYMAG.COM

MIDNIGHT security light
 D. MOHAN KUMAR
M
ost thefts happen after
midnight hours when peo-
ple enter the second phase
of sleep called ‘paradoxical’ sleep.
Here is an energy-saving circuit that
causes the thieves to abort the theft
attempt by lighting up the possible
sites of intrusion (such as kitchen or
backyard of your house) at around
1:00 am. It automatically resets in the
morning.
The circuit is fully automatic and
uses a CMOS IC CD 4060 to get the
desired time delay. Light-dependent
resistor LDR1 controls reset pin 12 of
IC1 for its automatic action.
During day time, the low resist-
ance of LDR1 makes pin 12 of IC1
‘high,’ so it doesn’t oscillate. After
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
sunset, the high resistance of LDR1
makes pin 12 of IC1 ‘low’ and it starts
oscillating, which is indicated by the
flashing of LED2 connected to pin 7
of IC1. The values of oscillator compo-
nents (resistors R1 and R2 and capaci-
tor C4) are chosen such that output
pin 3 of IC1 goes ‘high’ after seven
hours, i.e., around 1 am. This high
output drives triac 1 (BT136) through
LED1 and R3.
Bulb L1 connected between the
phase line and M2 terminal of triac 1
turns on when the gate of triac 1 gets
the trigger voltage from pin 3 of IC1.
It remains ‘on’ until pin 12 of IC1 be-
comes high again in the morning.
Capacitors C1 and C3 act as power
reserves, so IC1 keeps oscillating even
if there is power interruption for a few
seconds. Capacitor C2 keeps trigger
e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • F e b r ua ry 2 0 0 9 • 9 5
circuit
ideas
edi
s.c. dwiv
pin 12 of IC1 high during day time,
so slight changes in light intensity
don’t affect the circuit. Using preset
VR1 you can adjust the sensitivity of
LDR1.
Power supply to the circuit is de-
rived from a step-down transformer
X1 (230V AC primary to 0-9V, 300mA
secondary), rectified by a full-wave
rectifier comprising diodes D1 through
D4 and filtered by capacitor C1.
Assemble the circuit on a general-
purpose PCB with adequate spacing
between the components. Sleeve the
exposed leads of the components.
Using switch S1 you can turn on the
lamp manually. Enclose the unit in a
plastic case and mount at a location
that allows adequate
daylight.
Caution. Since the
circuit uses 230V AC,
many of its points are
at AC mains voltage. It
could give you lethal
shock if you are not
careful. So if you don’t
know much about work-
ing with line voltages,
do not attempt to con-
struct this circuit. EFY
will not be responsible
for any kind of resulting
loss or damage. 
circuit
ideas
Mini UPS System
 D. Mohan Kumar
T
his circuit provides an uninter-
rupted power supply (UPS)
to operate 12V, 9V and 5V
DC-powered instruments at up to 1A
current. The backup battery takes up
the load without spikes or delay when
the mains power gets interrupted. It
can also be used as a workbench power
supply that provides 12V, 9V and 5V
operating voltages. The circuit im-
mediately disconnects the load when
the battery voltage reduces to 10.5V to
prevent deep discharge of the battery.
LED1 indication is provided to show
the full charge voltage level of the bat-
tery. miniature white LEDs (LED2 and
LED3) are used as emergency lamps
during power failure at night.
A standard step-down trans-
former provides 12V of AC, which
is rectified by diodes D1 and D2. Ca-
pacitor C1 provides ripple-free DC to
charge the battery and to the remain-
ing circuit. When the mains power is
on, diode D3 gets forward biased to
charge the battery. Resistor R1 limits
the charging current. Potentiometer
VR1 (10k) with transistor T1 acts as
the voltage comparator to indicate
the voltage level. VR1 is so adjusted
that LED1 is in the ‘off’ mode. when
the battery is fully charged, LED1
glows indicating a full voltage level
of 12V.
9 4 • N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 9 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
When the mains power fails,
diode D3 gets reverse biased and
D4 gets forward biased so that the
battery can automatically take up
the load without any delay. When
the battery voltage or input voltage
falls below 10.5V, a cut-off circuit is
used to prevent deep discharging of
the battery. Resistor R3, zener diode
ZD1 (10.5V) and transistor T2 form
the cut-off circuit. When the volt-
age level is above 10.5V, transistor
T2 conducts and its base becomes
negative (as set by R3, VR2 and ZD1).
But when the voltage reduces below
10.5V, the zener diode stops conduc-
tion and the base voltage of transis-
tor T2 becomes positive. It goes into
the ‘cut-off’ mode and prevents the
current in the output stage. Preset
VR2 (22k) adjusts the voltage below
0.6V to make T2 work if the voltage
is above 10.5V.
When power from the mains is
available, all output voltages—12V,
9V and 5V—are ready to run the
load. On the other hand, when the
mains power is down, output volt-
ages can run the load only when the
battery is fully charged (as indicated
by LED1). For the partially charged
battery, only 9V and 5V are available.
Also, no output is available when the
voltage goes below 10.5V. If battery
voltage varies between 10.5V and
13V, output at terminal A may also
s.c. dwiv
edi
vary between 10.5V and 12V, when
the UPS system is in battery mode.
Outputs at points B and C provide
9V and 5V, respectively, through regu-
lator ICs (IC1 and IC2), while output
A provides 12V through the zener
diode. The emergency lamp uses two
ultra-bright white LEDs (LED2 and
LED3) with current limiting resistors
R5 and R6. The lamp can be manually
switched ‘on’ and ‘off’ by S1.
the circuit is assembled on a gen-
eral-purpose PCB. There is adequate
space between the components to
avoid overlapping. heat sinks for tran-
sistor T2 and regulator ICs (7809 and
7805) to dissipate heat are used.
The positive and negative rails
should be strong enough to handle
high current. Before connecting the
circuit to the battery and transformer,
connect it to a variable power supply.
Provide 12V DC and adjust VR1 till
LED1 glows. After setting the high
voltage level, reduce the voltage to
10.5V and adjust VR2 till the output
trips off. After the settings are com-
plete, remove the variable power sup-
ply and connect a fully-charged battery
to the terminals and see that LED1 is
on. After making all the adjustments
connect the circuit to the battery and
transformer. The battery used in the
circuit is a 12V, 4.5Ah UPS battery. 
w w w. e f y m ag . co m

MOBILE BUG
 D. MOHAN KUMAR
T
his handy, pocket-size mobile
transmission detector can sense
the presence of an activated
mobile phone from a distance of one-
and-a-half metres. So it can be used to
prevent use of mobile phones in ex-
amination halls, confidential rooms,
etc. It is also useful for detecting the
use of mobile phone for spying and
unauthorised video transmission.
The circuit can detect both the in-
coming and outgoing calls, SMS and
video transmission even if the mobile
phone is kept in the silent mode. The
moment the bug detects RF transmis-
sion signal from an activated mobile
phone, it starts sounding a beep alarm
and the LED blinks. The alarm contin-
ues until the signal transmission ceases.
An ordinary RF detector using
tuned LC circuits is not suitable for
detecting signals in the GHz frequency
band used in mobile phones. The
transmission frequency of mobile
phones ranges from 0.9 to 3 GHz with
a wavelength of 3.3 to 10 cm. So a cir-
cuit detecting gigahertz signals is re-
WWW.EFYMAG.COM
S.C. DW
IVEDI
quired for a mobile bug.
Here the circuit uses a 0.22µF disk
capacitor (C3) to capture the RF signals
from the mobile phone. The lead length
of the capacitor is fixed as 18 mm with
a spacing of 8 mm between the leads to
get the desired frequency. The disk ca-
pacitor along with the leads acts as a
small gigahertz loop antenna to collect
the RF signals from the mobile phone.
Op-amp IC CA3130 (IC1) is used
in the circuit as a current-to-voltage
converter with capacitor C3 connected
between its inverting and non-invert-
ing inputs. It is a CMOS version using
gate-protected p-channel MOSFET
transistors in the input to provide very
high input impedance, very low input
current and very high speed of perfor-
mance. The output CMOS transistor
is capable of swinging the output volt-
age to within 10 mV of either supply
voltage terminal.
Capacitor C3 in conjunction with
the lead inductance acts as a transmis-
sion line that intercepts the signals
from the mobile phone. This capacitor
ELECTRONICS FOR YOU • JANUARY 2008 • 135
CIRCUIT
IDEAS
creates a field, stores energy and trans-
fers the stored energy in the form of
minute current to the inputs of IC1.
This will upset the balanced input of
IC1 and convert the current into the
corresponding output voltage.
Capacitor C4 along with high-value
resistor R1 keeps the non-inverting in-
put stable for easy swing of the out-
put to high state. Resistor R2 provides
the discharge path for capacitor C4.
Feedback resistor R3 makes the invert-
ing input high when the output be-
comes high. Capacitor C5 (47pF) is
connected across ‘strobe’ (pin 8) and
‘null’ inputs (pin 1) of IC1 for phase
compensation and gain control to
optimise the frequency response.
When the mobile phone signal is
detected by C3, the output of IC1 be-
comes high and low alternately ac-
cording to the frequency of the signal
as indicated by LED1. This triggers
monostable timer IC2 through capaci-
tor C7. Capacitor C6 maintains the
base bias of transistor T1 for fast
switching action. The low-value tim-
ing components R6 and C9 produce
very short time delay to avoid audio
nuisance.
Assemble the circuit on a general-
purpose PCB as compact as possible
and enclose in a small box like junk
mobile case. As mentioned earlier, ca-
pacitor C3 should have a lead length
of 18 mm with lead spacing of 8 mm.
Carefully solder the capacitor in stand-
ing position with equal spacing of the
leads. The response can be optimised
by trimming the lead length of C3 for
the desired frequency. You may use a
short telescopic type antenna.
Use the miniature 12V battery of a
remote control and a small buzzer to
make the gadget pocket-size. The unit
will give the warning indication if
someone uses mobile phone within a
radius of 1.5 metres. 
circuit
ideas
Mobile Car Stereo Player
 T.K. Hareendran powerful music player with the help
of a stereo power amplifier. This does
U
sing a mobile phone while away with the need of a sophisticated
driving is dangerous. It is also in-dash car music system.
against the law. However, Most mobile phones have a music
you can use your mobile phone as a player that offers a number of features
including pre-
set/manual
sound equal-
isers. They
have standard
3.5mm stereo
sockets that
allow music
to be played
through stand-
ard stereo
headphones/
sound ampli-
fiers. Nokia
2700 classic is
Fig. 1: Circuit of mobile car stereo player an example.
A car au-
dio amplifier with 3.5mm socket can
be designed and simply connected to
the mobile phone output via a shield-
ed cable with suitable connectors/
jacks (readymade 3.5mm male-to-
male connector cable is a good alter-
Fig. 2: (a) 3.5mm stereo socket and (b) 3.5mm native).
stereo jack Fig. 1 shows the circuit of car ste-
reo player. It is built around popular
single-chip audio power amplifier
TDA1554Q (IC1). The TDA1554Q is
an integrated class-B power amplifier
in a 17-lead single-in-line (SIL) plastic
power package.
IC TDA1554Q contains four 11W
identical amplifiers with differential
Fig. 3: Proposed enclosure input stages (two inverting and two
1 1 8 • O c to b e r 2 0 1 0 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
s.c. dwiv
edi
non-inverting) and can be used for
single-ended or bridge applications.
The gain of each amplifier is fixed at
20 dB. Here it is configured as two 22W
stereo bridge amplifiers.
The amplifier is powered from the
12V car battery through RCA socket
J2. Diode D1 protects against wrong-
polarity connection. LED1 indicates
the power status.
Connect stereo sound signal from
the 3.5mm headset socket of the mo-
bile phone to audio input socket J1.
When you play the music from your
mobile, IC1 amplifies the input. The
output of IC1 is fed to speakers LS1
and LS2 fitted at a suitable place in
your car. Electrolytic capacitor C5
connected between pin 4 of IC1 and
GND improves the supply-voltage
ripple rejection. Components R2 and
C4 connected at mute/standby pin
(pin 14) of IC1 eliminate the switch
on/off plop.
The circuit is quite compact. A
good-quality heat-sink assembly is
crucial for IC1. Fig. 2 shows the stereo
socket and stereo jack.
Assemble the circuit on a general-
purpose PCB and enclose in a suitable
cabinet. Small dimensions of the power
amplifier make it suitable for being en-
closed in a plastic (ABS) case with vent
holes. Signal input socket, speaker out-
put terminals, on/off switch, indicator,
fuse holder and power supply socket
are best located on the front panel of
the enclosure as shown in Fig. 3. 
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
 CIRCUIT
IDEAS
MOBILE SHIELD
 D. MOHAN KUMAR
P
rotect your mobile phone from
unauthorised use or theft using
this simple circuit. It can gener-
ate a loud chirping sound when some-
body attempts to take away the mo-
bile handset. The added feature is that
the circuit also works as a mobile
charger.
The circuit is powered by a
step-down transformer X1 with recti-
fier diodes D1 and D2 and filter ca-
pacitor C1. Regulator IC 7812 (IC1)
along with noise filter capacitors C2
and C3 provides regulated power sup-
ply.
The circuit utilises two NE555
timer ICs: One as a simple astable
multivibrator (IC2) and the second as
a monostable (IC3). The astable
multivibrator has timing resistors R1
and R2 but no timing capacitor as it
works with stray capacitance. Its pins
6 and 2 are directly connected to a pro-
tecting shield made up of 10cm×10cm
copper-clad board.
The inherent stray capacitance of
the circuit is sufficient to given an out-
put frequency of about 25 kHz with
R1 and R2. This arrangement provides
92 • AUGUST 2007 • ELECTRONICS FOR YOU
MALAYAP
greater sensitivity and enables the cir-
cuit with hand capacitance effect. Out-
put pulses from the oscillator are di-
rectly given to trigger pin 2 of the
monostable. The monostable uses a
low-value capacitor C6, resistors R3
and preset VR1 for timing.
The output frequency of the
monostable is adjusted using preset
VR1 such that it is slightly less than
that of the astable. This makes the
circuit standby, when there is no
hand capacitance present. So in the
standby mode, the astable’s output
will be low. This makes the trigger
input of monostable low and output
high.
The warning LED1 and buzzer are
connected such that they become ac-
tive only when the output of the
monostable sinks current. In the
standby state, the LED1 remains ‘off’
and the buzzer is silent. As somebody
tries to take the mobile phone from
the protecting shield, his hand comes
near the shield or makes contact with
the shield, which introduces hand ca-
pacitance in the circuit. As a result, the
astable’s frequency changes, which
makes the trigger pin of the
monostable low and its output oscil-
PASAMY
lates. This produces chirping sound
from the buzzer and also makes the
LED1 blink.
The circuit can also be used as a
mobile charger. It provides output of
6V at 180 mA through regulator IC
7806 (IC4) and resistor R5 for charg-
ing the mobile phone. Diode D3 pro-
tects the output from polarity rever-
sal.
The circuit can be wired on a
common PCB. Enclose it in a suitable
case with provision for charger out-
put leads. Make the protective shield
using 10cm×10cm copper-clad board
or aluminium sheet. Connect it to
the circuit using a 15cm plastic wire.
Leads of all capacitors should be
short.
Adjust VR1 slowly using a plastic
screwdriver until the buzzer stops
sounding. Bring the hand close to the
shield and adjust VR1 until the buzzer
sounds. With trial-and-error proce-
dure, set it for the maximum sensitiv-
ity such that as soon the hand comes
near the shield, the buzzer starts
chirpring and the LED blinks. Instead
of using the copper cladding for shield,
a metallic mobile phone holder can be
used as the shield. 
WWW.EFYMAG.COM
 CIRCUIT
IDEAS
MOTORBIKE ALARM
 T.A. BABU
T
his simple-to-build alarm can
be fitted in bikes to protect
them from being stolen. The
tiny circuit can be hidden anywhere,
without any complicated wiring. Vir-
tually, it suits all bikes as long as they
have a battery. It doesn’t drain out the
battery though as the standby current
is zero.
The hidden switch S1 can be a
small push-to-on switch, or a reed
switch with magnet, or any other simi-
lar simple arrangement. The circuit
is designed around a couple of low-
voltage MOSFETs configured as
monostable timers. Motorbike key S2
is an ignition switch, while switch S3
is a tilt switch.
Motorbike key S2 provides power
supply to the gate of MOSFET T2, when
Fig. 1: Cheap motorbike alarm
116 • OCTOBER 2007 • ELECTRONICS FOR YOU
S.C. DW
IVEDI
turned on. When you turn ignition off
using key S2, you have approximately
15 seconds to get off the bike; this func-
tion is performed by resistor R6 to dis-
charge capacitor C3. Thereafter, if any-
one attempts to get on the bike or move
it, the alarm sounds for approximately
15 seconds and also disconnects the
ignition circuit.
During parking, hidden switch S1
is normally open and does not allow
triggering of MOSFET T1. But when
someone starts the motorbike through
ignition switch S2, MOSFET T2 trig-
gers through diode D1 and
resistor R5. Relay RL1 (12V,
2C/O) energises to activate
the alarm (built around
IC1) as well as to discon-
nect the ignition coil from
the circuit. Disconnection of Fig. 2: Pin configurations of trigger and relay RL1 re-
the ignition coil prevents BT169, BS170 and BC548
generation of spark from the spark plug.
Usually, there is a wire running from
the alternator to the ignition coil, which
has to be routed through one of the N/
C1 contacts of relay RL1 as shown in
Fig. 1. Fig. 2 shows the pin configura-
tions of SCR BT169, MOSFET BS170
and transistor BC548.
Also, on disconnection of the coil,
sound generator IC UM3561 (IC1) gets
power supply through N/O2 contact
of relay RL1. This drives the darlington
pair built around T3 and T4 to pro-
duce the siren sound through loud-
speaker LS1.
To start the vehicle, both hidden
switch S1 and ignition key S2 should
be switched on. Otherwise, the alarm
will start sounding. Switching on S1
triggers SCR1, which, in
turn, triggers MOSFET T1.
MOSFET T1 is configured
to disable MOSFET T2
from functioning. As a re-
sult, MOSFET T2 does not
mains de-energised, alarm
WWW.EFYMAG.COM

deactivated and ignition coil connected
to the circuit. Connection to the igni-
tion coil helps in generation of spark
from the spark plug. Keeping hidden
switch S1 accessible only to the owner
prevents the bike from pillaging.
Tilt switch S3 prevents attempt to
move the vehicle without starting it.
Glass- and metal-bodied versions of
the switch offer bounce-free switching
and quick break action even when
tilted slowly. Unless otherwise stated,
WWW.EFYMAG.COM
the angle by which the switch must be
tilted to ensure the contact operation
(operating angle), must be approxi-
mately 1.5 to 2 times the stated differ-
ential angle. The differential angle is
the measure of the ‘just closed’ posi-
tion to the ‘just open’ position.
The tilt switch has characteristics
like contacts make and break with vi-
bration, return to the open state at rest,
non-position sensitivity, inert gas and
hermetic sealing for protection of con-
ELECTRONICS FOR YOU • OCTOBER 2007 • 117
CIRCUIT
IDEAS
tacts and tin-plated steel housing. If
you find difficulty in getting the tilt
switch, you may replace it with a reed
switch (N/O) and a piece of magnet.
The magnet and the reed switch
should be mounted such that the con-
tacts of the switch close when the bike
stand is lifted up from rest.
EFY note. Make sure that while
driving, the two internal contacts of
the Tilt switch don’t touch each
other. 
circuit
ideas

Multitone Siren s.c. dwiv

edi

 Pradeep G. and small audio amplifier LM386. IC

4060 is used as the multitone genera-

T
his multitone siren is useful for tor. A 100µH inductor is used at the These multifrequency signals are
burglar alarms, reverse horns, input of IC 4060. So it oscillates within mixed and fed to the audio amplifier
etc. It produces five different the range of about 5MHz RF. IC 4060 built around IC LM386.
audio tones and is much more ear- itself divides RF signals into AF and The output of IC2 is fed to the
catching than a single-tone siren. ultrasonic ranges. Audio signals of speaker through capacitor C9. If you
The circuit is built around popular different frequencies are available at want louder sound, use power ampli-
CMOS oscillator-cum-divider IC 4060 pins 1, 2, 3, 13 and 15 of IC 4060 (IC1). fier TBA810 or TDA1010.
Only five out-
puts of IC1 are used
here as the other
five outputs (pins
4 through 7 and 14)
produce ultrasonic
signals, which are
not audible.
Assemble the
circuit on a gen-
eral-purpose PCB
and enclose in a
suitable cabinet.
Regulated 6V-12V
(or a battery) can be
used to power the
circuit. 

1 1 8 • Au g u s t 2 0 0 9 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u w w w. e f y m ag . co m
circuit
ideas

Muscular Stimulator s.c. dwiv

edi

 Ashok K. Doctor attached. It is useful to relieve head-

ache and muscular pain and revive

H
ere is a circuit that stimulates frozen muscles that impair movement. aid in removing cellulitis.
nerves of that part of your Though it provides muscles stimula- The system comprises two units:
body where electrodes are tion and invigoration, it’s mainly an muscular stimulator and timer.
Fig. 1 shows the circuit of the
muscular stimulator. IC 7555 is
wired as an astable multivibrator
to generate about 80Hz pulses.
The output of IC1 is fed to tran-
sistor T1, whose emitter is further
connected to the base of transistor
T2 through R3 and VR1. The col-
lector of transistor T2 is connected
to one end of the secondary wind-
ing of transformer X1. The other
end of the secondary winding of
the transformer is connected to
ground.
When IC1 oscillates, trans-
former X1 is driven by the pulse
frequencies generated to produce
high voltage at its primary termi-
nals. Separate electrodes are con-
nected to each end of the primary
Fig. 1: Muscular stimulator circuit winding of transformer X1. Diode
1N4007 (D1) protects transistor T2
against high-voltage pulses generated
by the transformer.
Using potmeter VR1 you can con-
trol the intensity of current sensing at
the electrodes. The brightness level of
LED1 indicates the amplitude of the
pulses. If you want to increase the in-
tensity level, replace the 1.8-kilo-ohm
resistor with 5.6 kilo-ohms or higher
value up to 10 kilo-ohms.
X1 is a small mains transformer
with 220V primary to 12V, 100/150mA
secondary. It must be reverse connect-
ed, i.e., connect the secondary winding
to the collector of T2 and ground, and
primary winding to the output elec-
trodes. The output voltage is about 60V
but the output current is so small that
there is no threat of electric shock.
Electrodes are made of small, thin-
guage metallic plates measuring about
2.5×2.5 cm2 in size. Use flexible wires
Fig. 2: Timer circuit to solder electrodes and connect to the

9 6 • o c to b e r 2 0 0 8 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u w w w. e f y m ag . co m

output of the device. Before attaching
metal electrodes to the body, wipe
them with a damp cloth. After attach-
ing the electrodes to the body (with the
help of elastic bands on velcro straps),
flip switch S1 to activate the circuit
and rotate the knob of intensity-control
preset VR1 very slowly until you feel a
slight tingling sensation.
Fig. 2 shows the timer circuit. It
uses IC NE555 wired in monostable
mode. Initially, when you press switch
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
S2, the monostable triggers and its out-
put goes high for 10 minutes. Thereaf-
ter, its output goes low to give a beep
sound from the piezobuzzer and lights
up the red LED (LED2) indicating that
stimulation time is over.
Assemble the timer with a separate
switch and a 9V DC battery in the same
cabinet as the stimulator. Tape the elec-
trodes to the skin at opposite ends of
the chosen muscle and rotate VR1 knob
slowly until you sense light itching
e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • o c to b e r 2 0 0 8 • 9 7
circuit
ideas
when the muscular stimulation circuit
is powered on. At the same time, flip
switch S2 to start the timer for counting
the time. At the end of the timing cycle,
the piezobuzzer beeps. Each session
should last about 10 minutes.
Caution: Heart patients and
pregnant women should not use
this device. Also, do not attach elec-
trodes to burns, cuts, wounds or any
injury. Consult your physician before
using this circuit. 

Night Alert
 D. Mohan Kumar
I
dea of this circuit came to me at
midnight when my pet dog started
barking continuously on sensing
a moving shadow, perhaps that of an
intruder. Dogs have a night adaptation
capability to maximise the sensitivity
of vision in low light. They are well
adapted to see moving objects rather
than stationary ones in darkness.
This circuit turns a lamp ‘on’ for
a short duration when the dog barks,
giving an impression that the occu-
pants have been alerted.
The condenser microphone fitted
in the dog’s cage senses barking sound
and generates AC signals, which pass
through DC blocking capacitor C1
to the base of transistor BC549 (T1).
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
circuit
ideas
s.c. dwivedi
capacitor C3 are timing components.
When fully charged, capacitor C3 takes
about two minutes to discharge.
So when sound is produced in front
of the condenser mic, triac1 (BT136)
Transistor T1 along with transistor fires and the bulb (B1) glows for about
T2 amplifies the sound signals and two minutes.
provides current pulses from the col- Assemble the circuit on a general-
lector of T2. purpose PCB and enclose in a plastic
The input trigger pulse is applied cabinet. Power to the circuit can be
to the collector of transistor T3 and derived from a 12V, 500mA step-down
coupled by capacitor C3 to the base of transformer with rectifier and smooth-
transistor T4 causing T4 to cut off. The ing capacitor. Solder the triac ensuring
sufficient spacing
between the pins
to avoid short
circuit. Fix the
unit in the dog’s
cage, with the
lamp inside or
outside as de-
sired. Connect
the microphone
to the circuit us-
ing a short length
of shielded wire.
Enclose the mi-
crophone in a
tube to increase
collector voltage of transistor T4 for- its sensitivity.
ward biases transistor T3 via resistor Caution. Since the circuit uses
R8. Transistor T1 conducts and capaci- 230V AC, many of its points are at AC
tor C3 discharges to keep transistor T4 mains voltage. It could give you le-
cut-off. Transistor T4 remains cut-off thal shock if you are not careful. So if
until capacitor C3 charges enough to you don’t know much about working
enable it to conduct. with line voltages, do not attempt to
When transistor T4 conducts, its col- construct this circuit. EFY will not be
lector voltage goes low to drive transis- responsible for any kind of resulting
tor T3 into cut-off state. Resistor R9 and loss or damage. 
e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 8 • 8 5
circuit
ideas
NUMERIC WATER-LEVEL INDICATOR
 Daniyal Syed
M
ost water-level indicators
for water tanks are based
upon the number of LEDs
that glow to indicate the correspond-
ing level of water in the container.
Here we present a digital version of the
water-level indicator. It uses a 7-seg-
ment display to show the water level
in numeric form from ‘0’ to ‘9.’
The circuit works off 5V regulated
power supply. It is built around prior-
ity encoder IC 74HC147 (IC1), BCD-to-
7-segment decoder IC CD4511 (IC2),
7-segment display LTS543 (DIS1) and a
few discrete components. Due to high
input impedance, IC1 senses water in
the container from its nine input termi-
nals. The inputs are connected to +5V
via 560-kilo-ohm resistors. The ground
1 0 4 • F e b r ua ry 2 0 1 0 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
terminal of the sensor must be kept at
the bottom of the container (tank). IC
74HC147 has nine active-low inputs
and converts the active input into ac-
tive-low BCD output. The input L-9
has the highest priority.
The outputs of IC1 (A, B, C and
D) are fed to IC2 via transistors T1
through T4. This logic inverter is used
to convert the active-low output of IC1
into active-high for IC2. The BCD code
received by IC2 is shown on 7-seg-
ment display LTS543. Resistors R18
through R24 limit the current through
the display.
When the tank is empty, all the
inputs of IC1 remain high. As a result,
its output also remains high, making
all the inputs of IC2 low. Display
LTS543 at this stage shows ‘0,’ which
means the tank is empty. Similarly,
edi
s.c. dwiv
when the water level reaches L-1 posi-
tion, the display shows ‘1,’ and when
the water level reaches L-8 position,
the display shows ‘8.’ Finally, when
the tank is full, all the inputs of IC1
become low and its output goes low
to make all the inputs of IC2 high.
Display LTS543 now shows ‘9,’ which
means the tank is full.
Assemble the circuit on a gen-
eral-purpose PCB and enclose in a
box. Mount 7-segment LTS543 on the
front panel of the box. For sensors L-1
though L-9 and ground, use corrosion-
free conductive-metal (stainless-steel)
strips. 
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
circuit
ideas

PC Multimedia Speakers s.c. dwiv

edi

 T.K. Hareendran
age down to 1.8 volts and minimum
output power of around 450 mW/

T
his circuit of multimedia speak- channel with 4-ohm loudspeaker at 5V limiter and capacitors C1
ers for PCs has single-chip- DC supply input. and C4 act as buffers.
based design, low-voltage pow- An ideal power amplifier can be Working of the cir-
er supply, compatibility with USB simply defined as a circuit that can cuit is simple. Audio
power, easy heat-sinking, low cost, deliver audio power into external loads Fig. 2: Pin signals from the PC au-
high flexibility and wide temperature without generating significant signal configuration dio socket/headphone
of TDA2822M
tolerance. distortion and without consuming socket are fed to the am-
At the heart of the circuit is IC excessive quiescent current. plifier circuit through components R2
TDA2822M. This IC is, in fact, mono- This circuit is powered by 5V DC and C2 (left channel), and R3 and C3
(right channel). Pot-
meter VR1 works as
the volume control-
ler for left (L) chan-
nel and potmeter
VR2 works for right
(R) channel. Pin 7 of
TDA2822M receives
the left-channel
sound signals and
pin 6 receives the
right-channel signals
through VR1 and
RIGHT VR2, respectively.
Amplified signals
for driving the left
and right loudspeak-
ers are available at
pins 1 and 3 of IC1,
respectively. Com-
ponents R5 and C8,
and R6 and C10 form
the traditional zobel
Fig. 1: Circuit for PC multimedia speaker network.
Assemble the cir-
lithic type in 8-lead mini DIP pack- supply available from the USB port cuit on a medium-size, general-purpose
age. It is intended for use as a dual of the PC. When power switch S1 is PCB and enclose in a suitable cabinet.
audio power amplifier in battery-pow- flipped to ‘on’ position, 5V power It is advisable to use a socket for IC
ered sound players. Specifications of supply is extended to the circuit and TDA2822M. The external connections
TDA2822M are low quiescent current, power-indicator red LED1 lights up should be made using suitably screened
low crossover distortion, supply volt- instantly. Resistor R1 is a current surge wires for better result. 

9 0 • au g u s t 2 0 0 8 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u w w w. e f y m ag . co m
circuit
ideas

PC POWER MANAGER s.c. dwiv

edi

 T.K. Hareendran fier comprising diodes D1 through D4,

smoothed by capacitors C1 and C2,

V
ery often we forget to switch and regulated by IC LM7812 (IC1). The To activate the PC manager circuit,
off the connected peripher- regulated 12V DC is used to energise proceed as follows: Press ‘start’ switch
als like monitor, scanner and relay RL1. LED1 works as a power- S1 and hold it in this position for a
printer while switching off our PC. ‘active’ indicator. few minutes. When power-‘active’
This leads to needless energy con- To set up the circuit, first connect indicator LED1 lights up, relay RL1
sumption and possible shortening of the input socket (SOC1) of the circuit energises and the 230V mains power
the life of the peripheral. PCs with to a proper AC mains wall outlet us- supply from SOC1 is fed to output
an ATX switch-mode power supply ing a three-core power cable. Now socket SOC2 through the contacts of
(SMPS) unit are not provided with a connect one end of a standard USB relay RL1.
mains switch outlet. It is therefore not cable to the B-type USB
possible to achieve automatic switch- input socket and the
ing (on/off) of peripheral units with other end of the cable
the computer power switch. to any vacant USB port
Here is a simple circuit that turns (A-type) of the PC. Fi-
the connected peripherals on/off along nally, plug one standard
with your PC. It consists of a regulated four-way switchboard
power supply, a simple USB interface (extension cord) into the
and two electromagnetic relays used as supply output socket
power switches. (SOC2) of the circuit
The power supply for the circuit is and take power from
derived from the AC mains via trans- this switchboard to acti-
former X1. The 15V AC available at vate all loads like moni-
the secondary winding of transformer tor, scanner, printer and
X1 is first rectified by a bridge recti- even your PC. Fig. 2: Wiring diagram for PC power manager

Fig. 1: Circuit of PC power manager

8 4 • J u n e 2 0 0 9 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u w w w. e f y m ag . co m

Now start your computer as usual,
by pressing the power button on the
front panel. When the PC runs, there
will be 5V DC at the USB interface
socket. As a result, relay RL2 energises
via diode D6. The contacts of relay RL2
close switch S1 permanently, and LED2
glows continuously.
Release ‘start’ switch S1. Now your
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
PC manager is ready to use.
When you switch off your PC, relay
RL2 de-energises. As a result, electric
power from the switchboard (to which
all peripherals are connected) is cut off.
Switch S2 works here as an emergency
bypass switch.
Assemble the circuit on a general-
purpose PCB and enclose in a suitable
e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • J u n e 2 0 0 9 • 8 5
circuit
ideas
cabinet. Connect SOC1, SOC2 and USB
socket along with switches S1 and S2
and LEDs (LED1 and LED2) on the
front panel of the cabinet. Refer Fig. 2
for connections.
EFY note. Take care during fab-
rication and testing, as the circuit is
at mains potential and may give you
lethal shock. 
 CIRCUIT
IDEAS
PC TEMPERATURE ALARM

RAJ K. GORKHALI
I
f your PC overheats, it could
damage its expensive components.
Here’s a circuit that warns you of
your PC getting heated.
Today’s computers contain most
of the circuitry on just a few chips
and reduced power consumption is
a byproduct of this LSI and VSLI
approach. Some PCs still have
power supplies that are capable of
supplying around 200W, but few
PCs actually consume power to this
extent.
On the other hand, apart from
some portable and small desktop com-
puters that use the latest micro-power
components, most PCs still consume
significant amount of power and gen-
erate certain amount of heat.
The temperature inside the aver-
age PC starts to rise well above the
ambient temperature soon after it is
switched on. Some of the larger inte-
grated circuits become quite hot and
if the temperature inside the PC rises
Fig. 1: Circuit for PC temperature alarm
92 • SEPTEMBER 2007 • ELECTRONICS FOR YOU
too high, these devices may not be
able to dissipate heat fast enough.
This, in turn, could lead to failure of
devices and eventually of the PC.
Various means to combat overheat-
ing are available, ranging from simple
temperature alarms to devices like
temperature-activated fans to keep the
microprocessor cool.
Here is a temperature alarm that
activates an audio ‘beeper’ if the tem-
perature inside the PC exceeds a pre-
set threshold. This temperature is user-
adjustable and can be anywhere be-
tween 0°C and 100°C.
The unit is in the form of a
small PC expansion card, which you
simply need to plug into any avail-
able slot of the host PC. It is powered
from the PC and consumes only about
12 mA.
The sensor (LM35) used here pro-
vides a substantial amount of on-chip
signal conditioning, including ampli-
fication, level shifting and phase in-
version. As a result, it provides an out-
put of 10 mV per degree centigrade
S.C. DW
IVEDI
rise in temperature. It caters to a tem-
perature measurement range of 0°C to
100°C, which corresponds to 0V to 1V
of voltage.
The voltage-detector stage com-
pares the output voltage of the tem-
perature sensor with the preset refer-
ence voltage. The output of the com-
parator goes high if the output po-
tential from the sensor exceeds the
reference voltage. When this happens,
the voltage comparator enables a low-
frequency oscillator, which, in turn,
activates the audio oscillator. The out-
put of the audio oscillator is connected
to a loudspeaker (LS1), which sounds
a simple ‘beep-beep’ alarm. The ref-
erence voltage determines the tem-
perature at which the alarm is acti-
vated.
Fig. 1 shows the circuit of the PC
temperature alarm and Fig. 2 shows
the pin configuration of sensor LM35.
IC LM35 (IC1) is an easy-to-use
temperature sensor. It is basically a
three-terminal device (two supply
leads plus the output) that operates
WWW.EFYMAG.COM

over a wide supply range of 4 to 20V.
It consumes only 56 µA at 5V and
generates insignificant heat.
IC2 is an operational amplifier used
here as a voltage comparator. VR1 pro-
vides a reference voltage that can be
set anywhere from 0V to approxi-
mately 1V, which matches the output
voltage range of IC1. This reference
voltage is applied to the inverting in-
put of IC2 and the output of IC1 is
coupled to the non-inverting input.
Consequently, the output of IC2 is low
if the output of IC1 is below the refer-
ence voltage, or high if the output of
IC1 exceeds the reference voltage.
The low-frequency oscillator IC3 is
a standard 555 astable multivibrator
circuit. It is gated via the reset input
at pin 4, which holds output pin 3 low
when IC3 is gated ‘off’ (when the out-
put of IC2 is low). This prevents IC4
from oscillating. IC4 is another 555
WWW.EFYMAG.COM
CIRCUIT
IDEAS
astable multivibrator perature will not normally exceed
circuit, gated via its 25oC, the temperature of the interior
reset input. It has an of the computer would be up to 35oC.
operating frequency Unless you have good reason to use a
of approximately 2.5 different threshold temperature, VR1
kHz. should be set for a wiper potential of
When IC3 is acti- 350 mV.
Fig. 2: Pin vated, its output pro- Trial-and-error method can be
details of LM35 vides a square wave used in the absence of test equip-
of 1 Hz. This is used ment to enable VR1, but it would be
to trigger IC4, which gives an audio a bit time-consuming. There is a
output of 2.5 kHz in bursts. It is con- slight complication in that the
nected to loudspeaker LS1 to generate computer’s outer casing must be at
alarm. least partially removed to provide
The alarm circuit can be fitted into access to VR1. Once VR1 has been
any spare expansion slot of the PC, but adjusted, the outer casing must be put
be careful to fit it the right way round. back into place so that the interior of
Before setting VR1 to a suitable thresh- the computer can warm up in the
old temperature, decide what that tem- normal way. You must therefore al-
perature should be. The technical speci- low time for the temperature inside
fication in your computer’s manual the computer to rise back to its nor-
might be of help here. mal operating level each time VR1 is
If we assume that the room tem- readjusted.

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU • SEPTEMBER 2007 • 93
 circuit
ideas
Poor Man’s Hearing Aid
 EFY LAB
T
his miniature stereo preampli-
fier-cum-headphone amplifier
circuit works off a 3V battery
(lithium non-rechargeable coin cell).
Although its performance is not
comparable to that of commercially
available sophisticated hearing aids,
still it can serve the purpose well
for persons with a low degree of
hearing impairment. Its maximum
power output at 1 kHz is around 8
mW, which is adequate for driving
the headphones.
The circuit, as shown in Fig. 1,
is wired around Sanyo’s MSI (me-
dium-scale-integrated) surface-mount
10-pin DIL IC LA4537M, which
measures just 8×6.4×1.5 mm 3 . A
functional block diagram of LA4537M
IC is shown in Fig. 2. Since the MSI’s
pin-to-pin (centre-to-centre) distance
is only 1 mm, the circuit has to be
assembled on a properly designed
PCB using soldering iron with a
pointed bit. Two ICs (LA4537M)
have been cascaded to increase the
overall sensitivity and thereby the
reception range. You can adjust the
volume of the stereo channels indi-
Fig. 1: Circuit for the hearing aid
8 8 • j u n e 2 0 0 8 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
s.c. dwiv
edi
vidually, as per your requirement,
using presets VR1 and VR2, respec-
tively. house it in a thin metallic case, which
With 3V supply voltage, you can then be mounted in the middle of
can afford to use 1/8-watt resistors, a metallic/plastic headband (gener-
while the electrolytic capacitors’ ally used by telephone operators),
voltage rating can be as low as 5V. while the two microphones with
This will allow the assembled circuit their associated earpieces are to be
to occupy very little space. Apart extended using screened wires so
from the usual battery ‘on’/‘off’ that these (microphone-earpiece sets)
switch S1, muting ‘on’/‘off’ switch can be kept closest to the respective
S2 has also been provided. Both S1 earlobes.
and S2 could be PCB-mount slide Caution. Ensure that shielded
switches. microphone wires do not touch
After assembling the main circuit, (short) the shielded earpiece
wires, as
these are con-
nected to dif-
ferent pins
(reference in-
put pin 5 and
ground pins 3
and 8, respec-
tively) of ICs
LA4537M.
You may use
an insulat-
ing sleeve
over each of
the shielded
Fig. 2: Functional diagram of ic la4537m wires. 
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
 circuit
ideas
Portable Lamp Flasher
 T.K. Hareendran
H
ere is a portable, high-power
incandescent electric lamp
flasher. It is basically a dual
flasher (alternating blinker) that can
handle two separate 230V AC loads
(bulbs L1 and L2).
The circuit is fully transistorised
and battery-powered. The free-run-
ning oscillator circuit is realised using
two low-power, low-noise transistors
Fig. 1: Circuit for portable lamp flasher
Fig. 2: Pin configurations of MOC3021, BT136 and
BC550/547
9 2 • j u n e 2 0 0 8 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
T1 and T2. One of the two transistors
is always conducting, while the other
is blocking. Due to regular charging
and discharging of capacitors C1 and
C2, the two transistors alternate be-
tween conduction and non-conduction
states.
The collector of transistor T1 is con-
nected to the base of driver transistor
T4 through current-limiting resistor
R5. Similarly, the collector of transistor
T2 is connected to the base of driver
transistor T3 through limiting
resistor R6. These transistors
are used to trigger Triac1 and
Triac2 (each BT136) through
optotriacs IC1 and IC2, re-
spectively, and switch on the
power supply to external loads
L1 and L2. IC1 and IC2 operate
alternatively at a low frequency
determined by the values of
edi
s.c. dwiv
capacitors C1 and C2.
The oscillator circuit built around
transistors T1 and T2 generates low fre-
quencies. When transistor T3 conducts,
IC1 is enabled to fire Triac1 and bulb
L1 glows. Similarly, when transistor T4
conducts, IC2 is enabled to fire Triac2
and bulb L2 glows.
Connect the power supply line (L)
of mains to bulbs L1 and
L2, and neutral (N) to T1
terminals of Triac1 and
Triac2. You can also con-
nect neutral (N) line of
the external 230V mains
supply to both loads
(bulbs L1 and L2) as a
common line and then
route supply line (L) to
respective loads (bulbs
L1 and L2).
The circuit works off
only 3 volts. Since current
consumption is fairly low,
two AA-type cells are
sufficient to power the cir-
cuit. Assemble the circuit
on a general-purpose PCB and enclose in
a suitable plastic cabinet with integrated
AA-size pen-light cell holder. Drill holes
for mounting the ‘on’/‘off’ switch and
power switching terminals. Also connect
two bulb holders for bulbs L1 and L2.
Refer Fig. 2 for pin configurations.
EFY note. While assembling, test-
ing or repairing, take care to avoid the
lethal electric shock. 
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
 PRECISION AMPLIFIER
WITH DIGITAL CONTROL
T
his circuit is similar to the pre-
ceding circuit of the attenuator.
Gain of up to 100 can be achieved
in this configuration, which is useful for
signal conditioning of low output of trans-
ducers in millivolt range.
The gain selection resistors R3 to R6
can be selected by the user and
can be anywhere from 1 kilo-ohm to 1
meg-ohm. Trimpots can be used for ob-
taining any value of gain required by the
user. The resistor values shown in the
circuit are for decade gains suitable for
an autoranging DPM.
Resistor R1 and capacitor C1 reduce
ripple in the input and also snub tran-
sients. Zeners Z1 and Z2 limit the input
to ±4.7V, while the input current is lim-
ited by resistor R1. Capacitors C2 and
C3 are the power supply decoupling ca-
pacitors.
Op-amp IC1 is used to increase the
input impedance so that very low inputs
are not loaded on measurement. The user
can terminate the inputs with resistance
ELECTRONICS PROJECTS Vol. 22
of his choice (such as 10 meg-ohm or 1 trimpot between pins 1 and 8, and con-
meg-ohm) to avoid floating of the inputs necting wiper to +5V supply rails. For
when no measurement is being made. better performance, use ICL7650 (not pin-
compatible) in place of OP07 and use ±7.5V
Truth Table (Control Input vs Gain) instead of ±5V supply.
X,Y (On-switch (2) (1) Gain Eight steps for gain or attenuation
Pair) B A (Av.) can be added by using two CD4051 and
X0,Y0 0 0 1/10 pin 6 inhibit on CD4051/52. More steps
X1,Y1 0 1 1 can be added by cascading many CD4051,
X2,Y2 1 0 10
X3,Y3 1 1 100
or CD4052, or CD4053 ICs, as pin 6 works
like a chip select.
IC5 is used as an inverting buffer to Some extended applications of this cir-
restore polarity of the input while IC4 is cuit are given below.
used as buffer at the output of CD4052, 1. Error correction in transducer am-
because loading it by resistance of value plifiers by correcting gain.
less than 1 meg-ohm will cause an error. 2. Autoranging in DMM.
An alternative is to make R9=R10=1 meg- 3. Sensor selection or input type se-
ohm and do away with IC4, though this lection in process control.
may not be an ideal method. 4. Digitally preset power supplies or
Gains greater than 100 may not be electronic loads.
practical because even at gain value of 5. Programmable precision mV or mA
100 itself, a 100μV offset will work out to sources.
be around 10 mV at the output (100μV x 6. PC or microcontroller or micropro-
100). This can be trimmed using the offset cessor based instruments.
null option in the OP07, connecting a 7. Data loggers and scanners.
 REGULADOR DE CORRIENTE

- Esquema eléctrico + Topográfico.

- Pistas

- Componentes
- Soldaduras.

- Terminado componentes.

CARLOS DAMIAN LOPEZ HERRERO

circuit
ideas
Remote-operated Master Switch
 D. Mohan Kumar
G
enerally, a bedside master
switch is used to switch
on lamps both indoors and
outdoors when there is a threat of
intruder. This circuit can be used to
activate the master switch from the
bed without searching for the switch
in darkness. It can be activated by the
TV remote handset. The security lamps
glow for three minutes and then turn
off. The circuit is sensitive and can be
activated from a distance of up to 25
metres.
IR receiver module TSOP 1738
(IRX1) is used to sense the pulsed
38kHz IR rays from the TV remote
handset. The IR receiver module has
a PIN photodiode and a preamplifier
enclosed in an IR filter epoxy case. Its
open-collector output is 5 volts at 5mA
current in the standby mode.
In the standby mode, no IR rays
from the remote handset fall on the IR
receiver, so its output pin 3 remains
high and LED1 doesn’t glow. Through
resistor R2, the base of transistor T1
remains high and it does not conduct.
As a result, the voltage at pin 3 of IC
CA3130 (IC1) remains low. The poten-
8 8 • a p r i l 2 0 0 9 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
tial divider comprising resistors R4 and
R5 maintains half of 5.1V at pin 2 of
IC1. In brief, the voltage at pin 2 of IC1
is higher than at pin 3 and its output
remains low. LED2 remains ‘off’ and
transistor T2 does not conduct. Relay
RL1 remains de-energised and, as a re-
sult, security lamps (both indoors and
outdoors) remain switched off.
When you press any key of the
remote TV handset, IR rays fall on the
receiver (IRX1) and its output goes low.
LED1 flashes in sync with pulsation of
the IR rays. At the same time, transis-
tor T1 (BC558) conducts to take pin 3 of
IC1 high. IC1 is used as a comparator
with timer action.
When transistor T1 conducts, pin 3
of IC1 gets a higher voltage than pin 2
making the output of IC1 high. Mean-
while, capacitor C4 charges to full
voltage and keeps pin 3 high for a few
minutes even after T1 is non-conduct-
ing. Resistor R3 provides discharge
path for capacitor C4, which decides
the time period for which the output of
comparator IC1 should remain high.
The high output of IC1 energises re-
lay RL1 through relay-driver transistor
T2. Thus the load, i.e., security lamps,
turn on for three to four minutes. LED2
edi
s.c. dwiv
glows to indicate activation of the
relay as well as switching ‘on’ of the
security lights. Connect a single-pole,
single-throw ‘on’/‘off’ switch (MS) to
activate the security lamps manually
when required.
Zener diode ZD1 provides 5.1V DC
for safe operation of the IR receiver
and associated circuit. Power for the
circuit is derived from a step-down
transformer (X1) and a bridge recti-
fier comprising diodes D1 through D4.
Smoothing capacitor C1 removes rip-
ples, if any, from the power supply.
Assemble the circuit on a general-
purpose PCB and enclose in a suitable
cabinet. Drill holes on the front panel
for mounting the IR sensor and LEDs.
Connect the master switch between the
normally-open (N/O) contact and pole
of relay RL1 so that the master switch
can be used when needed. The relay
contacts rating should be more than
4A. Mount the unit near the master
switch using minimal wiring. 
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
circuit
ideas
Security System Switcher
T.K. Hareendran

A
n audio signal can be used as
a form of input to control any
security system. For example,
an automatic security camera can be
configured to respond to a knock on
the door. The circuit described here
allows the security system to automati-
Fig. 1: Security system switcher
+5V ADAPTOR
FOR POWER
CONNECTOR
SUPPLY
Fig. 2: Proposed cabinet
cally switch on when a master switch
is in on state. It uses a transducer to
detect intruders and a 5V regulated
DC power supply provides power to
the circuit.
As shown in Fig. 1, a condenser
microphone is connected to the input
1 4 0 • J a n ua ry 2 0 1 0 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
of small signal preamplifier built
around transistor T1. Biasing resistor
R1 determines to a large extent the
microphone sensitivity. A microphone
usually has an internal FET which
requires a bias voltage to operate. The
sound picked up by the microphone
is amplified and fed to input pin 2 of
IC1 (LMC555) wired in monostable
configuration.
IC2 (CD4538B) is a dual,
FOR
SECURITY precision monostable mul-
GADGET
tivibrator with independent
trigger and reset controls. The
output of IC1 is connected to
the first trigger input pin 4 of
IC2(A) through switch S1. If
an intruder opens or breaks
the door, IC1 is triggered by
sound signals; the timer out-
put pin 3 of IC1 goes high and
enables first monostable multi
vibrator IC2(A). IC2(A) pro-
vides a time period of around
5 to 125 seconds, which is adjusted
with preset VR1.
Another monostable multivibrator
IC2(B) also provides a time period of
around 25 to 600 seconds, which is
adjusted with preset VR2. The output
of IC2(B) is used to energise relay RL1.
edi
s.c. dwiv
Indicator LED1 is provided to display
the relay activity. Any AC/DC oper-
ated security gadget is activated or
deactivated through a security switch.
Thus, the security switch of the gadget
is connected in the n/o contacts of
the relay. you can also operate high-
power beacons, sirens or hooters in
place of the security switch for any
AC/DC operated security gadget.
Assemble the circuit on a gen-
eral-purpose PCB and enclose it in
a cabinet as shown in Fig. 2 along
with 5V adaptor for powering the
circuit. Connect the security switch
according to the circuit diagram and
use appropriate AC/DC power sup-
ply required to operate the security
gadget.
Warning! All relevant electrical
safety precautions should be taken
when connecting mains power supply
to the relay contacts. With the help
of single pole double throw (SPDT)
switch S1, internal or external trig-
ger input (active high signal) can be
selected. 
w w w. e f y m ag . co m

SEISMIC SENSOR
 D. MOHAN KUMAR
T
his circuit simulates a seismic
sensor to detect vibrations/
sounds. It is very sensitive and
can detect vibrations caused by the
movement of animals or human be-
ings. So it can be used to monitor pro-
tected areas to restrict entry of un-
wanted persons or animals.
The circuit uses readily available
components and the design is straight-
forward. A standard piezo sensor is
used to detect vibrations/sounds due
to pressure changes. The piezo element
acts as a small capacitor having a ca-
pacitance of a few nanofarads. Like a
capacitor, it can store charge when a
potential is applied to its terminals. It
discharges through VR1, when it is dis-
turbed.
In the circuit, IC TLO71 (IC1) is
wired as a differential amplifier with
WWW.EFYMAG.COM
both its inverting and non-inverting
inputs tied to the negative rail through
a resistive network comprising R1, R2
and R3. Under idle conditions (as ad-
justed by VR1), both the inputs receive
almost equal voltages, which keeps the
output low.
TLO71 is a low-noise JFET input
op-amp with low input bias and off-
set current. The BIFET technology pro-
vides fast slew rates. Capacitor C1 is
provided in the circuit to keep the
differential input of IC1 for better per-
formance.
When the piezo element is dis-
turbed (by even a slight movement), it
discharges the stored charge. This al-
ters the voltage level at the inputs of
IC1 and the output momentarily
swings high as indicated by green
LED1. This high output is used to trig-
ger switching transistor T1, which trig-
gers monostable IC2. The timing pe-
ELECTRONICS FOR YOU • NOVEMBER 2007 • 95
CIRCUIT
IDEAS
S.C. DW
IVEDI
riod of IC2 is determined by R7 and
C5. With the shown values, it will be
around two minutes. The high output
from IC2 activates T2 and the buzzer
starts beeping along with red light in-
dication from LED2.
Assemble the circuit on a common
PCB and enclose in a suitable cabinet.
Connect the piezo element to the PCB
using single-core shielded wire. En-
close the piezo element inside a rust-
proof, small aluminium box. The piezo
element should be firmly glued to the
enclosure facing the fine side towards
the case. Fix the sensor assembly on
the back side of a ceramic tile or gran-
ite tile with good adhesive. Fix the tile
(or bury it in the earth) near the en-
trance with the sensor assembly fac-
ing downwards. Whenever a pressure
change develops near the sensor, the
circuit will be activated. 
circuit
ideas
Short-Circuit Protection in
DC Low-Voltage Systems
 Pratik Panchal
M
any a times you need to cuit. Here is a circuit to derive the addi-
power an adjoining acces- tional power supply from the main cir-
sory circuit from the power cuit. The main circuit is protected from
supply used in the main module cir- any damage due to short-circuit in the
additional power supply
circuit by cutting off the
derived supply voltage.
The derived supply volt-
age restores automatically
when shorting is removed.
An LED is used to indicate
whether short-circuit exists
or not. Author’s prototype
of short-circuit protection
module is shown in Fig. 1.
In the main power sup-
Fig. 1: Prototype of short-circuit protection in DC low-voltage
ply circuit, 230V AC is
systems stepped down by trans-
former X1 (230V
AC primary to
0-9V, 300mA
secondary), rec-
tified by a full-
wave rectifier
comprising di-
odes D1 through
D4, filtered by
capacitor C1
and regulated
by IC 7805 to
give regulated
5V (O/P1).
Transis-
tors SK100 and
BC547 are used
to derive the
secondary out-
put of around
5V (O/P2) from
the main 5V
Fig. 2: Circuit diagram of short-circuit protection supply (O/P1).
1 0 0 • O c to b e r 2 0 0 9 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
s.c. dwiv
edi
Working of the circuit is simple. When
the 5V DC output from regulator IC
7805 is available, transistor BC547
conducts through resistors R1 and R3
and LED1. As a result, transistor SK100
conducts and short-circuit protected 5V
DC output appears across O/P2 termi-
nals. The green LED (LED2) glows to
indicate the same, while the red LED
(LED1) remains off due to the presence
of the same voltage at both of its ends.
When O/P2 terminals short, BC547
cuts off due to grounding of its base.
As a result, SK100 is also cut-off. Thus
during short-circuit, the green LED
(LED2) turns off and the red LED
(LED1) glows. Capacitors C2 and C3
across the main 5V output (O/P1) ab-
sorb the voltage fluctuations occurring
due to short-circuit in O/P2, ensuring
disturbance-free O/P1. The design of
the circuit is based on the relationship
given below:
RB = (HFE X Vs)/(1.3 X IL)
where,
RB = Base resistances of transistors
of SK100 and BC547
HFE = 200 for SK100 and 350 for
BC547
Switching Voltage Vs = 5V
1.3 = Safety factor
IL = Collector-emitter current of
transistors
Assemble the circuit on a gen-
eral-purpose PCB and enclose in a
suitable cabinet. Connect O/P1 and
O/P2 terminals on the front panel of
the cabinet. Also connect the mains
power cord to feed 230V AC to the
transformer. Connect LED1 and LED2
for visual indication. 
w w w. e f y m ag . co m

SHUTTER GUARD

D. MOHAN KUMAR
T
his sensitive vibration sensor is
exclusively made for shops to
protect against burglary. It will
detect any mechanical or acoustic vi-
bration in its vicinity when somebody
tries to break the shutter and immedi-
ately switch on a lamp and sound a
warning alarm. A 15-minute time de-
lay after switch-on allows sufficient
time for the shop owner to close the
shutter.
The front end of the circuit has a
timer built around the popular binary
counter IC CD4060 (IC1) to provide
15-minute time delay for the remain-
ing circuitry to turn on. Resistors R3
and R4 and capacitor C2 will make
Q9 output high after 15 minutes. Di-
ode D1 inhibits the clock input (pin
11) to keep the output high till the
power is switched off. Blinking LED1
indicates the oscillation of IC1.
The high output from IC1 is used
WWW.EFYMAG.COM
to enable reset pin 4 of IC2 so that it
can function freely. Transistor T1 am-
plifies the piezo-sensor signal and trig-
gers monostable IC2. The base of tran-
sistor T1 is biased using a standard
piezo element that acts as a small ca-
pacitor and flexes freely in response
to mechanical vibrations so that the
output of IC2 is high till the prefixed
time period.
In the standby mode, the alarm cir-
cuit built around IC3 remains dormant
as it does not get current. Timing com-
ponents R8 and C6 make the output
of IC2 high for a period of three min-
utes.
When any mechanical vibration
(caused by even a slight movement)
disturbs the piezo element, trigger pin
2 of IC2 momentarily changes its state
and the output of IC2 goes high. This
triggers triac 1 and the alarm circuit
activates. Triac BT136 completes the
lamp circuit by activating its gate
through resistor R9. IC UM3561 (IC4)
ELECTRONICS FOR YOU • SEPTEMBER 2007 • 97
CIRCUIT
IDEAS
S.C. DW
IVEDI
generates a tone simulating the police
siren with R11 as its oscillation-
controlling resistor. Zener diode ZD1
provides stable 3.1V DC for the tone-
generating IC.
Assemble the circuit on a general-
purpose PCB and enclose in a suit-
able, shockproof case. Connect the
piezo element to the circuit by using
a single-core shielded wire. Glue a
circular rubber washer on the fine
side of the piezo element and fix
it on the shutter frame with the
washer facing the frame so that the
piezo element is flexible to sense
the vibrations. Fix the lamp and
the speaker on the outer side and
the remaining parts inside the case.
Since triac is used in the circuit, most
points in the PCB will be at mains
lethal potential. So it is advised not
to touch any part of the circuit while
testing.

 SIMPLE INTERCOM CIRCUIT
T
he circuit of a two-position in-
tercom is presented here. This
circuit is very simple yet it functions
quite satisfactorily. The circuit does not
involve any complicated switching. The
switches S1/S2 must be fixed in such a way
that when the handset is resting on the cra-
dle, the switch is OFF and when it is taken
off the cradle, the switch turns on.
Both the sets used are identical in
construction. When one set (say, party 1) is
switched on, the other set’s (party 2’s) bell
the two sets. Only three wires are required
to connect the two sets if separate battery
is used in each set. However, if the battery
is common for the two sets, it requires four
wires for interconnections.
The circuit can be easily assembled on

energises. When
party 2 turns on
his own set, his
bell automati-
cally stops and
he can talk to
party 1 via his
microphone.
One can sub-
stitute the BEL
1895 IC based
amplifier and
bell circuit with
any other low
power amplifier
and bell circuit. The a general-purpose PCB. Intercom cases are
block diagram clari- also available in the market which may be
fies the connection of used for giving it a professional outlook.

 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS Vol. 22

circuit
ideas
Skin Response Meter
 D. Mohan Kumar
H
uman skin offers
some resistance to
current and voltage.
This resistance changes with
the emotional state of the
body. The circuit proposed
here measures changes in
your skin resistance following
changes in your mental state.
In the relaxed state, the
resistance offered by the skin
is as high as 2 mega-ohms
or more, which reduces to
500 kilo-ohms or less when
the emotional stress is too high. The
reduction in skin resistance is related to
increased blood flow and permeability
followed by the physiological changes
during high stress. This increases the
electrical conductivity of the skin.
This circuit is useful to monitor the
skin’s response to relaxation techniques.
It is very sensitive and shows response
during a sudden moment of stress. Even
a deep sigh will give response in the
circuit.
The circuit uses a sensitive amplifier
to sense variations in the skin resistance.
IC CA3140 (IC1) is designed as a resist-
ance-to-voltage converter that outputs
varying voltage based on the skin’s con-
ductivity. It is wired as an inverting am-
plifier to generate constant current to skin
in order to measure the skin resistance.
IC CA3140 is a 4.5MHz BiMOS op-
erational amplifier with MOSFET inputs
and bipolar output. The gate-protected
inputs have high impedance and can
sense current as low as 10 pA. This de-
vice is ideal to sense small currents in
low-input-current applications.
The inverting input (pin 2) of IC1
is connected to ground (through preset
VR1) and one of the touch plates, while
the non-inverting input (pin 3) is ground-
ed directly. The output from IC1 passes
through current-limiting resistor R1 to the
second touch plate. R1 act as a feedback
8 8 • J u n e 2 0 0 9 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
resistor along with the skin when the
touch plates make contact with the skin.
So the gain of IC1 depends on the feed-
back provided by R1 and the skin.
In the inverting mode of IC1, a posi-
tive input voltage to its pin 2 through the
feedback network makes its output low.
If the skin offers very high resistance in
the relaxed state, input voltage to pin 2
reduces and the output remains high.
Thus the gain of IC1 varies depending
on the current passing through the skin,
which, in turn, depends on the skin re-
sponse and emotional state.
In the standby state, touch plates
are free. As there is no feedback to IC1,
it gives a high output (around 6 volts),
which is indicated by shifting of the
meter to right side.
When the touch plates are shorted by
the skin, the feedback circuit completes
and the output voltage reduces to 4 volts
or less depending on the resistance of
the skin. Since the feedback network has
a fixed resistor (R1) and VR1 is set to a
fixed resistance value, the current flowing
through it depends only on the resistance
of the skin. The output from IC1 is dis-
played on a sensitive moving coil meter
(VU meter). By varying preset VR2, you
can adjust the sensitivity of the meter.
For easy visual observation, an LED
display is also included. IC LM3915 (IC2)
is used to give a logarithmic display
through LED indications. It can sink
s.c. dwiv
edi
current from pin 18 to pin 10
with each increment of 125
millivolts at its input pin 5.
Using VR3 you can adjust the
input voltage of IC2, while
using VR4 you can control the
brightness of the LEDs.
In practice, the circuit pro-
vides both meter reading and
LED indications. If the LED
display is not needed, IC2 can
be omitted.
Assemble the circuit on
a general-purpose PCB and
enclose in a suitable cabinet with touch
pads glued on the top, 5-10 mm apart.
Touch pads can be any type of conduct-
ing plates, such as aluminium or copper
plates, having dimensions of 1×1 cm2.
The moving coil meter can be a small
VU meter with 1-kilo-ohm coil resistance
and 0-10 digit reading.
After assembling the circuit, adjust
the presets such that IC1 outputs around
6 volts. None of the LEDs (LED1 through
LED3) glows in this position with the
touch plates open.
Now gently touch the touch plates
with your middle finger. Maintain the
finger still allowing one minute to bond
with the pads and keep your body
relaxed. Adjust VR3 until the green
LED (LED1) lights up and the meter
shows full deflection. Adjust VR2 to get
maximum deflection of the meter. This
indicates normal resistance of the skin,
provided the body is fully relaxed.
If you are stressed or have ill feel-
ing, skin resistance decreases and the
blue LED lights up followed by the red
LED along with a deflection of the meter
towards the lower side. In short, the red
LED and zero meter reading indicate
you are stressed, and the green LED and
high meter reading indicate you are re-
laxed. Practise some relaxation technique
and observe how much your body is
relaxed. 
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
circuit
ideas
Smart Hearing Aid
Devrishi Khanna and
Rohit Modi
N
ormally, hearing aid circuits
consume battery power
continuously once they are
switched on. The circuit given here
saves battery power by switching
on the sound amplifier section only
when sound is detected. The sensi-
tivity of the detection section and the
‘on’ time duration of the sound am-
plifier circuit can be set by the user.
Also the circuit uses only a single
condenser mic for sound detection
and amplification.
As is clear from the above, this
hearing aid consists of a condenser
microphone, earphone, and sound
detection and amplification sections.
The sound detection section employs
a quad op-amp IC LM324 (IC1(A)) and
a timer NE555 (IC2). The sound signal
received at the mic is pre-amplified
by transistor BC549 (T1). The voltage
at its collector is fed to the inverting
terminal (pin 2) of op-amp IC1(A),
8 8 • M a r c h 2 0 0 9 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
which is used as a comparator. The
reference voltage (Vref) at the non-
inverting terminal (pin 3) of IC1(A)
is set using preset VR1. The preset is
also used to control the sensitivity of
the sound signals received by the cir-
cuit. The output from pin 1 of IC1(A)
is fed to the trigger input (pin 2) of
timer NE555, which is configured in
monostable mode.
When sufficient sound signal
strength is detected at the base of tran-
sistor T1, the pulsating voltage at its
collector exceeds the reference voltage
at pin 3. As a result, output pin 1 of
IC1(A) goes low. The low output from
IC1(A) triggers the NE555 timer and its
output goes high for a preset duration.
R4 and C2 are the timing components
for setting the time duration. The high
output of the timer is directly used as
the power source for the sound ampli-
fier section.
The sound amplifier section is built
around transistors T2 through T5. The
last amplifier stage T5 (pnp transistor
BC558) drives the earphone. The sound
sani the
o
signal received from the mic is fed to
the non-inverting pin of the second
op-amp of IC1(B) which is wired in
unity follower configuration. The unity
follower mode resolves the problem
of impedance mismatch which would
have occured if the output of the mic
is fed directly to amplifier stage. The
output from pin 7 of IC1(B) is fed to the
base of transistor T2. The weak signal
received at transistor stage T2 is further
amplified by transistors T3, T4 and T5.
An earphone to listen to the sound is
connected between the collector of T5
and ground. It is recommended to use
a mono earphone with volume control
attached.
With 9V DC supply, when sound is
detected through the mic, the amplifier
section is automatically triggered and
the current consumption of the circuit
is about 96 mA. When the amplifier cir-
cuit is ‘off,’ the circuit draws a current
of about 6 mA only, thus saving con-
siderable amount of battery power. 
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
 circuit
ideas
Smart Vibration Sensor
 T.K. Hareendran
I
n this vibration sensor alarm cir-
cuit, initially, when power switch
S1 is flipped to ‘on’ position, power
indicator LED1 lights up immediately.
IC LM555 (IC1), wired as a simple latch
circuit with control input, is powered
and R-C components R4 and C5 con-
nected at its reset pin 4 force the latch
to standby mode (with inactive low
output). The circuit is driven into sleep
mode.
As soon as vibration is detected,
MOSFET T1 is fired by the positive-
8 8 • a p r i l 2 0 0 8 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
going pulse output from the vibra-
tion sensing mechanism built around
piezo-ceramic wafer and associated
components. As a result, control input
pins 2 and 6 of IC1 latch are grounded.
Output pin 3 of IC1 now goes high.
The positive supply from output pin 3
of IC1 is extended to three-tone siren
generator UM3561 (IC2) through R5,
D1 and R6. Components R6 and ZD1
stabilise the input power supply of IC2
to around 3.3V. Output signals from
IC2 are amplified by Darlington-pair
transistors T2 and T3 to produce alert
tone (police siren sound) via loud-
s.c. dwiv
edi
speaker LS1.
Reset switch S1 can be used to
switch off the alarm sound by resetting
the latch circuit. For safety, use key-lock
type switches for S1 and S2. A relay can
also be connected at the output socket
(SOC1) of the circuit to energise high-
power beacons, emergency sirens and
fence electrification units.
The circuit works off 9V DC. A
compact PP3-/6F22-type alkaline
battery can be used to power the
circuit. 
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
circuit
ideas
Solar Panel based Charger
and Small LED Lamp
 P.V. Vinod Kumar Thekkumuri
Y
ou can save on your electric-
ity bills by switching to alter-
native sources of power. The
photovoltaic module or solar panel
Fig. 1: Circuit of solar panel based charger
Fig. 2: LED lamp circuit
described here is capable of deliver-
ing a power of 5 watts. At full sun-
light, the solar panel outputs 16.5V.
It can deliver a current of 300-350
mA. Using it you can charge three
8 0 • M ay 2 0 0 9 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
types of batteries: lead acid, Ni-Cd
and Li-ion. The lead-acid batteries
are commonly used in emergency
lamps and UPS.
The working of the circuit is sim-
ple. The output of the solar panel is
fed via diode 1N5402 (D1), which
acts as a polarity guard and pro-
tects the solar panel. An ammeter
is connected in series between
diode D1 and fuse to measure the
current flowing during charging
of the batteries. As shown in Fig.
1, we have used an analogue mul-
timeter in 500mA range. Diode
D2 is used for protection against
reverse polarity in case of wrong
connection of the lead-acid battery.
When you connect wrong polarity,
the fuse will blow up.
For charging a lead-acid bat-
tery, shift switch S1 to ‘on’ posi-
tion and use connector ‘A.’ After
you connect the battery, charging
starts from the solar panel via diode
D1, multimeter and fuse. Note that
pulsating DC is the best for charging
lead-acid batteries. If you use this cir-
edi
s.c. dwiv
cuit for charging a lead-acid battery,
replace it with a normal pulsating DC
charger once a week. Keep checking
the water level of the lead-
acid battery. Pure DC voltage
normally leads to deposition
of sulphur on the plates of
lead-acid batteries.
For charging Ni-Cd cells,
shift switches S1 and S3 to
‘on’ position and use con-
nector ‘B.’ Regulator IC 7806
(IC1) is wired as a constant-
current source and its output
is taken from the middle ter-
minal (normally grounded).
Using this circuit, a constant
current goes to Ni-Cd cell for
charging. A total of four 1.2V
cells are used here. Resistor
R2 limits the charging cur-
rent.
For charging Li-ion battery
(used in mobile phones), shift switches
S1 and S2 to ‘on’ position and use con-
nector ‘C.’ Regulator IC 7805 (IC2) pro-
vides 5V for charging the Li-ion bat-
tery. Using this circuit, you can charge
a 3.6V Li-ion cell very easily. Resistor
R3 limits the charging current.
Fig. 2 shows the circuit for a small
LED-based lamp. It is simple and low-
cost. Six 10mm white LEDs (LED2
through LED7) are used here. Just
connect them in parallel and drive
directly by a 3.6V DC source. You can
use either pencil-type Ni-Cd batteries
or rechargeable batteries as the power
source.
Assemble the circuit on a general-
purpose PCB and enclose in a small box.
Mount RCA socket on the front panel of
the box and wire RCA plug with cable
for connecting the battery and LED-
based lamp to the charger. 
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
 Song Number Display
H
ere’s a circuit to display the song
number in an audio system for
quick reference to songs. It also
serves the purpose of an extra visual indi-
cator in modern audio systems.
When the power is switched on, the
power-on-reset circuit comprising 3.3k
resistor R20 and 1µF, 25V capacitor C6
resets the counters, showing ‘00’ in the dis-
play. One can also reset the display to zero
at any time by pressing reset switch S1.
When the first song starts playing, the
output pins of IC1 (KA2281) go low and
capacitor C5 starts charging. This forward
biases transistor T1 and hence the input
to IC3 at pin 1 goes to high state. As a
Prabhash K.P.
result, the output of the counter goes to
the next state, showing 01 on the display.
The counter remains in this state until the
song is completed.
During the time gap before the next song
starts playing, capacitor C5 discharges. After
discharging of capacitor C5, the input to IC3
becomes low again. When the song starts,
the process described above is repeated and
the display shows 02. You can adjust VR3 to
change the time gap setting. This must be set
such that the circuit doesn’t respond to short
gaps, if any, within a song and responds only
to long gaps between different songs.
Transistor T2 helps in gap-delay ad-
justment. The intensity of LED11 dimin-
ishes when a song is completed and the
counter is ready to accept the next pulse.
Connect the input to the preamp
output or equaliser output of the audio
system. Adjust VR1 and VR2 to get the
correct audio-level indication. If you are
already using KA2281 for audio-level
indication, just connect diodes D1 and D2
as shown in this circuit.
Note that the counter counts the songs
by detecting the gaps. Therefore any long
gap within a song may cause false trig-
gering and the display will also be incre-
mented. However, as this is very unlikely
to happen, the circuit shows the correct
song number almost all the time.
ELECTRONICS PROJECTS Vol. 24 167

SPY EAR
 T.K. HAREENDRAN
W
hat binoculars do to im-
prove your vision, this
personal sound enhancer
circuit does for listening. This light-
weight gadget produces an adjustable
gain on sounds picked up from the
built-in high-sensitivity condenser
microphone. So you can hear what you
have been missing. With a 6V (4×1.5V)
battery, it produces good results.
As shown in Fig. 1, a small signal
amplifier is built around transistor
BC547 (T1). Transistor T1 and the relat-
Fig. 1: Circuit for spy ear
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
s.c. dwiv
edi
ed components amplify the
sound signals picked up by
the condenser microphone
(MIC). The amplified signal
from the preamplifier stage
is fed to input pin 3 of IC
LM386N (IC1) through Fig. 2: Compact unit of spy ear
capacitor C2 (100nF) and
volume control VR1 (10-kilo-ohm log).
A decoupling network comprising re-
sistor R5 and capacitor C3 provides the R6-C4 network is used to RF-decouple
preamplifier block with a clean supply positive-supply pin 6 and R8-C7 is an
voltage.
Audio amplifier IC LM386N (IC1)
circuit
ideas
is designed for operation
with power supplies in
the 4-15V DC range. It
is housed in a standard
8-pin DIL package, con-
sumes very small quies-
cent current and is ideal
for battery-powered
portable applications.
The processed out-
put signal from capaci-
tor C2 goes to one end
of volume control VR1.
The wiper is taken to pin 3 of LM386N
audio output amplifier. Note that the
optional Zobel network that ensures
high frequency stability when feeding
an inductive headphone load.
Capacitor C6 (22µF, 16V) wired
between pin 7 and ground gives ad-
ditional ripple rejection. The output of
LM386N power amplifier can safely
drive a standard 32-ohm monophonic
headphone/earphone.
Assemble the circuit on a small
general-purpose PCB and house in
a suitable metallic enclosure with an
integrated battery holder and head-
phone/earphone socket as shown in
Fig. 2. Fit the on/off switch (S1), vol-
ume control (VR1) and power indicator
(LED1) on the enclosure. Finally, fit the
condenser microphone (MIC) on the
front side of the enclosure and link it to
the input of the preamplifier via a short
length of the shielded wire. 
e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • A p r i l 2 0 1 0 • 9 3
circuit
ideas
Telephone call recorder
 Alizishaan Khatri
T
oday telephone has become
an integral part of our lives.
It is the most widely used
communication device in the world.
Owing to its immense popularity and
Fig. 1: Call recorder circuit
Fig. 2: Pin configuration of stereo jack
Fig. 3: RJ connector
widespread use, there arises a need for
call recording devices, which find ap-
plication in call centres, stock broking
firms, police, offices, homes, etc.
Here we are describing a call re-
corder that uses very few components.
But in order to understand its working,
one must first have the basic knowl-
9 4 • D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 9 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
edge of standard telephone wiring and
a stereo plug.
In India, landline telephones pri-
marily use RJ11 wiring, which has
two wires—tip and ring. While tip is
the positive wire, ring is the negative
one. And together they complete the
telephone circuit. In a telephone line,
voltage between tip and ring is around
48V DC when handset is on the cradle
(idle line). In order to ring the phone
for an incoming call, a 20Hz AC cur-
rent of around 90V is superimposed
over the DC voltage already present in
the idle line.
The negative wire from the phone
line goes to IN1, while the posi-
tive wire goes to
IN2. Further, the
negative wire from
OUT1 and the posi-
tive wire from OUT2
are connected to the
phone. All the resis-
tors used are 0.25W
carbon film resistors
and all the capaci-
tors used are rated for 250V or more.
The negative terminal of ‘To AUX IN’
is connected to pin 1 of the stereo jack
while the positive terminal is con-
nected to pins 2 and 3 of the stereo
jack. This stereo jack, in turn, is con-
nected to the AUX IN of any recording
device, such as computer, audio cas-
edi
s.c. dwiv
sette player, CD player, DVD player,
etc. Here we shall be connecting it to
a computer.
When a call comes in, around 90V
AC current at 20Hz is superimposed
over the DC voltage already present in
the idle line. This current is converted
into DC by the diodes and fed to resis-
tor R1, which reduces its magnitude
and feeds it to LED1. The current is
further reduced in magnitude by the
resistor R2 and fed to the right and
left channels of the stereo jack, which
are connected to the AUX IN port of a
computer.
Any audio recording software,
such as AVS audio recorder (available
at: http://www.avs4you.com/AVS-
Audio-Recorder.aspx), Audacity audio
recorder (http://audacity.sourceforge.
net/), or audio recorder (http://www.
audio-tool.net/audio_recorder_for
_free.html), can be used to record the
call. When a call comes in, one needs
to launch the audio recording software
and start recording.
For phone recording, simply con-
nect the stereo jack to the AUX IN
port of the PC. Install the audacity
audio recorder (different versions are
available for free for different op-
erating systems at http://audacity.
sourceforge.net/) on your PC. Run
the executable audacity file. In the
main window, you will find a drop-
down box in the top right corner.
From this box, select the AUX option.
Now you are ready to record any call.
As soon as a call comes in, press the
record button found in the audacity
main window and then pick up the
telephone receiver and answer the
call. Press the stop button once the
call ends. Now go to the file menu and
select the ‘Export as WAV’ option and
save the file in a desired location.
You may change the value of resis-
w w w. e f y m ag . co m

tor R2 if you want to change the output
volume. you can use a variable resistor
in series with R2 to vary the volume of
the output. The recorded audio clip can
be edited using different options in the
audacity software.
You can assemble the circuit on a
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
general-purpose PCB and enclose it in
a small cabinet. Use an RJ11 connec-
tor and stereo jack for connecting the
telephone set and computer (for call
recording). Telephone cords can be
used to connect to the phone line and
the circuit. Use of a shielded cable is
e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 9 • 9 5
circuit
ideas
recommended to reduce disturbances
in the recording. These can also be
reduced by increasing the value of R2
to about 15 kilo-ohms.
EFY note. Audacity recording
software is included in this month’s
EFY-CD under ‘utilities’ section. 
 CIRCUIT IDEAS
TELEPHONE RECEIVER
S.K. ROUSHON
T
his simple telephone receiver with-
out a dialling section can be con-
nected in parallel to a telephone line.
It can be easily assembled on a small vero
board or a PCB. A geometry box made in
the shape of a telephone receiver will be
an excellent cabinet for it. No external
power supply is needed, which makes the
circuit handy.
The ringer section comprises R1, C1,
and a buzzer. If your telephone has a
loud ringer, this circuit can be avoided. A
ELECTRONICS FOR YOU SEPTEMBER 2003
S.C.
DWIV
EDI
bridge rectifier consisting of diodes D1
through D4 protects the circuit from any
polarity change in the telephone line. PNP
transistor MPS-A92 (T1) is the main inter-
face transistor. The output of T1 is regu-
lated by zener diode ZD and capacitor C2
to get 6.8V for powering the amplifier
section. This power is also used to bias
the transmitter section.
The transmitter section comprises tran-
sistor BC548 (T2) together with a few
discrete components and a condenser mi-
crophone. The transmit signal is fed to
the base of interface transistor T1. The
voice input for the amplifier comes di-
rectly from the positive end of the bridge
rectifier.
The amplifier section is built around
high-performance, low-wattage power am-
plifier IC LM386. This circuit is designed
as a high-gain amplifier. A small 8-ohm
speaker is good enough for the output.
After all soldering is done, adjust pre-
sets VR1 and VR2 to their middle position
and connect the circuit to the telephone
line in parallel. Adjust VR1 and VR2 for
optimum reception as well as transmis-
sion.
 circuit
ideas
Tester For Remote Control
 T.A. Babu mately five metres. The integrated IR
receiver detects, amplifies and de-
H
ere is a simple tester for check- modulates IR signals from the remote
ing the basic operations of an control unit. The piezobuzzer con-
infrared remote control unit. nected at its output sounds to indicate
It is low-cost and easy to construct. the presence of signal from the remote
The tester is built around infrared control unit.
receiver module TSOP1738. Operation As shown in Fig. 1, output pin 3 of
of the remote control is acknowledged IR receiver module TSOP1738 (IRX1)
by a tone from the buzzer. The circuit normally remains high and the pi-
is sensitive and has a range of approxi- ezobuzzer is in silent mode. When the
IR module
IRX1 re-
ceives an
infrared
signal, its
output goes
low and, as
a result, the
piezobuzz-
er sounds
to indicate
the recep-
Fig. 1: Circuit diagram of remote tester tion of sig-
9 6 • F e b r ua ry 2 0 0 8 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
s.c. dwiv
edi
nal from the
remote (such
as TV remote
control unit).
P o w e r
supply for
the circuit is
Fig. 2: Pin configuration of
derived from
TL431 and TSOP 1738 the mains us-
ing a capaci-
tive potential dropper, a half-wave rec-
tifier, a shunt regulator and associated
components. Make sure that capacitor
C1 is of X2 type. Use a suitably small
enclosure to make the unit handy.
Assemble the circuit on a general-
purpose PCB and enclose in a cabinet.
Make sure that the IR receiver module
is placed on the front panel of the cabi-
net so that it can receive the IR signals
easily. Before soldering/connecting the
shunt regulator and IR module, refer
Fig. 2 for the pin configuration. 
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
circuit
ideas
Three-Phase Appliance Protector
 R.G. Thiagaraj Kumar and
P. Kasi Rajan
M
any of our costly appliances
require three-phase AC sup-
ply for operation. Failure
of any of the phases makes the appli-
ance prone to erratic functioning and
may even lead to failure. Hence it is
of paramount importance to moni-
tor the availability of the three-phase
supply and switch off the appliance
in the event of failure of one or two
phases. The power to the appliance
should resume with the availability of
all phases of the supply with certain
time delay in order to avoid surges and
momentary fluctuations.
The complete circuit of a three-
phase appliance protector is described
here. It requires three-phase supply,
three 12V relays and a timer IC NE555
along with 230V coil contactor having
8 8 • au g u s t 2 0 0 8 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
four poles.
Relays RL1 and RL2 act as a
sensing devices for phases Y and
B, respectively. These relays are
connected such that each acts as an
enabling device for the subsequent
relay. Therefore the combination of
the relays forms a logical AND gate
connected serially.
The availability of phase R en-
ergises relay RL1 and its normally-
opened (N/O) contacts close to
connect phase Y to the input of
transformer X2. The availability of
phase Y energises relay RL2 and its
N/O contacts close to connect phase
B to the input of transformer X3, thus
applying a triggering input to timer
IC NE555 (IC1).
Therefore the delay timer built
around NE555 triggers only when
all the phases (R, Y and B) are avail-
able. It provides a delay of approxi-
edi
s.c. dwiv
mately four seconds, which energises
relay RL3 and its N/O contact closes
to connect the line to the energising
coil of four-pole contactor relay RL4.
Contactor RL4 closes to ensure the
availability of the three-phase sup-
ply to the appliance.
The rating of contactor RL4 can be
selected according to the full-load cur-
rent rating of the appliances. Here the
contact current rating of the four-pole
contactor is up to 32A. The availability
of phases R, Y and B is monitored by
appropriate LEDs connected across
the secondary windings of transform-
ers X1, X2 and X3, respectively. Hence
this circuit does not require a separate
w w w. e f y m ag . co m

indicator lamp for monitoring the
availability of the three phases. When
phase R is available, LED1 glows.
When phase Y is available, LED2
glows. When phase B is available,
LED3 glows.
The main advantage of this protec-
tor circuit is that it protects three-phase
appliances from failure of any of the
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
phases by disconnecting the power
supply through the contactor and
automatically restores the three-phase
supply to the appliance (with reason-
able time delay) when all the phases
are available.
Assemble the circuit on a gen-
eral-purpose PCB and enclose in a
cabinet with the relays and contactor
e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • au g u s t 2 0 0 8 • 8 9
circuit
ideas
mounted on the backside of cabinet.
Connect the appliance through exter-
nal wires.
Caution. To avoid the risk of elec-
tric shock, ensure that AC mains is
disconnected during assembly of the
circuit and double check everything
before connecting your circuit to the
mains. 
circuit
ideas

Traffic Baton edi

s.c. dwiv
 Ashok K. Doctor their hand signals may not be visible
at night, it is necessary to have some

I
n small towns, there are no traffic illuminated direction indicator.
lights and the police regulates the Here we present two circuits for other uses bright LEDs. Both the cir-
traffic with hand signals. Since the same. One uses 6V bulbs and the cuits operate off a 6V, 4.5Ah recharge-
able battery,
which is
clipped to
the police-
man’s waist-
band.
Fig. 1
shows the
circuit of the
LED flasher.
It is wired
as an astable
multivibra-
tor. The ‘on’
time of the
LED cluster
is about 108
milliseconds
and ‘off’ time
is around 105
milliseconds.
The frequen-
cy is around
Fig. 1: Circuit of LED flasher 5 Hz. A di-
ode is used
in series with the base of BD140 to
increase the forward voltage in order
to ensure that when BD139 conducts,
BD140 is cut-off. Select the LED which
consumes low current (20 mA or so)
but flashes bright.
Fig. 2 shows the circuit of the bulb
flasher. Timer NE555 is wired as an
astable multivibrator. The ‘on’ period
of flashing bulb is around 344 milli-
seconds and ‘off’ period is around 329
milliseconds. The frequency is around
1.5 Hz. Bulb-driver transistors 2N3053/
BD139 and 2N2905/BD140 are used to
light up the lamp. Two diodes are used
in series with the base of 2N2905 to
increase the forward voltage in order
to ensure that when BD139 is conduct-
ing, BD140 is cut-off. Slide switch S2 is
Fig. 2: Circuit of bulb flasher used to change the colour status of the

9 4 • j a n ua ry 2 0 0 9 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u w w w. e f y m ag . co m

Fig. 3: Traffic baton for LED flasher
Fig. 4: Traffic baton for bulb flasher
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
circuit
ideas
flashing bulb.
Assemble the LED flasher and
bulb flasher circuits on separate gen-
eral-purpose PCBs. Enclose the LED
flasher in a transparent acrylic pipe as
shown in Fig. 3. The bulb flasher can
be enclosed in another transparent
acrylic pipe as shown in Fig. 4. Slide
switches and red and green acrylic
sheets are used for appropriate colour
emissions. Now your traffic baton is
ready to use. 
e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • j a n ua ry 2 0 0 9 • 9 5
circuit
ideas

Traffic Controller s.c. dwiv

edi

 N.R. Paranjape high-to-low pulse at its pin 3

triggers IC3 through C5. IC3

T
his simple traffic controller can is configured as a monosta-
be used to teach children rudi- ble with ‘on’ time of about 4
ments of traffic rules. seconds, which means pin 3
The circuit (shown in Fig. 1) uses of IC3 will remain high for
readily available components. It main- this period and energise relay
ly comprises rectifier diodes (1N4001), RL2 through driver transistor
a 5V regulator 7805, two timers IC 555, T2. The amber lamp (B2) thus
two relays (5V, single-changeover), lights up for 4 seconds.
three 15W, 230V bulbs and some dis- As soon as 4-second time
crete components. period of timer IC3 at pin 3
Mains power is stepped down by lapses, relay RL2 de-ener-
transformer X1 to deliver a secondary gises and the green lamp (B3)
output of 9V, 300 mA. The transformer lights up for the rest of ‘off’
output is rectified by a full-wave period of IC2, which is about
bridge rectifier comprising diodes D1 26 seconds. The green lamp
through D4, filtered by capacitor C1 is activated through the nor-
and regulated by IC 7805 (IC1). mally closed (N/C) contacts
IC2 is wired as a multivibrator with of relay RL2.
‘on’ and ‘off’ periods of approximately So when mains power is
30 seconds each with the component switched on, red light glows for
values selected. As soon as mains 30 seconds, amber for 4 seconds
power is switched on, pin 3 of IC2 goes and green for 26 seconds.
high for 30 seconds. This, in turn, ener- You can assemble this cir-
gises relay RL1 through transistor T1 cuit on a general-purpose PCB
and the red lamp (B1) glows through and enclose in an insulated
its normally-open (N/O) contact. At box. The box should have
the same time, mains power is discon- enough space for mounting
nected from the pole of relay RL2. transformer X1 and two re-
As the ‘on’ time of IC2 ends, a lays. It can be fixed near 230V Fig. 2: Construction details of traffic controller unit

Fig. 1: Circuit of traffic controller

8 0 • N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 8 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u w w w. e f y m ag . co m

AC, 50Hz power supply or mounted
on the PVC tube used in construction
of the traffic light container.
Construction of the traffic light
container box is shown in Fig. 2. A
stout cardboard box of 30x15x10cm3 is
required for housing the lamps. To en-
sure strength, use a 10x45cm2 plywood
plate having 1.5cm thickness and se-
cure onto it three light sockets and the
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
box using nuts and bolts or screws.
Make three tubes of thin alumini-
um sheet, which is readily available in
hardware shops. The inner diameter of
aluminium tubes should be such that
these can snugly fit on the light sock-
ets. Using a sharp knife, make holes
opposite the sockets carefully. Wire the
sockets at the back and take the wires
out through the PVC tube.
e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 8 • 8 1
circuit
ideas
First, fix three 15W bulbs (B1
through B3) and then press on the
tubes. Support the other ends of the
tubes in the holes made on the front
panel of cardboard box. Sandwich gela-
tine papers of the three colours between
two sheets of cardboard and fix over the
tubes. The visibility of red, amber and
green lights improves with their mount-
ing on the tubular shape. 
 circuit
ideas
Triple Power Supply s.c. dwiv
edi

 Sandip Trivedi and P.D. Lele is used for op-amp-based analogue

circuit experiments.

T
his low-cost, multipurpose
power supply fulfils the re-
quirements of almost all labora-
tory experiments. Nonetheless, it can
be easily fabricated by hobbyists.
A single transformer is used to
build this triple power supply. Regula-
tor IC LM317 generates variable power
supply of 1.25 to 20V, 1A. The dual
±12V, 1A power supply is generated
by regulators 7812 and 7912. Similarly,
dual ±5V, 1A power supply is gener-
ated by regulators 7805 and 7905.
‘On’/‘off’ switches (S2 through S4)
select the required power supply. Vari-
able power supply is used to study the
characteristics of devices. Fixed +5V
power supply is used for all digital,
microprocessor and microcontroller
experiments. Dual ±12V power supply
Fig. 1 shows the circuit of the triple
power supply, while Fig. 2 shows the
pin configuration of the regulators
used in the circuit. Transformer X1
steps down the mains power to deliver
the secondary output of 18V-0-18V.
The transformer output is rectified by
full-wave bridge rectifier BR1, filtered
by capacitors C1, C2, C3, C7 and C8,
and regulated by IC1 through IC5.
Regulator IC1 (LM317) provides vari-
able voltages (1.25 to 20V), while IC2
and IC4 provide regulated +12V and
–12V, respectively. The output of IC2 is
fed to regulator IC3 (7805), which pro-
vides fixed +5V. Similarly, the output
of IC4 is fed to regulator IC5 (7905),
which provides fixed –5V. Capacitors
C4 through C6, and C9 through C11,
are used for further filtering of ripples
in positive and negative regulated
power supplies. LED1 glows to indi-
cate that +5V is available, while LED2
indicates that –5V is available.
Switch S1 is used for mains ‘on’/
‘off’. Using switches S2 through
S4, any of the three supplies can be
independently turned off when not
required in a particular experiment.
This reduces unnecessary power dis-
sipation and increases the life and
reliability of the power supply. Since
the circuit uses three terminal regula-
tors, only capacitors are required at
the input and output. The use of few
components makes the circuit very
simple. The three terminal regulators
have heat-sink provision to directly
deliver 1A output current. To ensure
the maximum output, do not forget to

HEAT SINK

S2 = FOR VARIABLE VOLTAGE IN IC1 OUT

3
LM317 2
S3 = FOR +12V AND +5V S2 1
R1
ADJ. +1.25 TO 20V
S4 = FOR –12V AND –5V 120

S1-S4 = ON/OFF SWITCH C3

0.1µ
VR1 GND
2.2K
+12V
POT

S1
ON/OFF HEAT SINK HEAT SINK
SWITCH
IN IC2 OUT IN IC3 OUT
1 7812 3 1 7805 3
X1 S3 2 2
F1
1.5A GND GND
R2
FUSE
BR1 330
C1 C4 C5
L W04 1000µ C2 100µ 10µ
+5V
C6
230V AC 35V 0.1µ 25V 16V 0.1µ
50Hz
BR1 LED1
N W04

GND
X1 = 230V AC
PRIMARY TO 18V-0-18V, C7 C8 C9 C10 R3
1.5A SECONDARY 1000µ 0.1µ 100µ 10µ 330
TRANSFORMER 35V 25V 16V C11 –5V
0.1µ
GND GND
1 1 LED2
BR1-W04 2 IC4 3 2 IC5 3
1.5A, BRIDGE S4 IN 7912 OUT IN 7905 OUT
RECTIFIER

HEAT SINK HEAT SINK

–12V
GND

Fig. 1: Tripple power supply

w w w. e f y m ag . co m e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • M a r c h 2 0 0 9 • 8 1
circuit
ideas
Fig. 2: Pin configurations of regulators
use heat-sinks for the regulators.
The three-terminal regulators are
almost non-destructible. These have
inbuilt protection circuits including
the thermal shutdown protection. Even
if there is overload or shorting of the
output, the inbuilt overload protection
circuit will limit the current and slowly
reduce the output voltage to zero.
Similarly, if the temperature increases
beyond a certain value due to excessive
load and heat dissipation, the in-built
thermal shutdown circuit will reduce
the output current and the output volt-
age (gradually) to zero. Thus complete
protection is provided to the circuitry.
Assemble the circuit on a general-
purpose PCB and enclose in a box as
shown in Fig. 3.
The step-by-step procedure to build
the triple power supply for the labora-
tory follows:
8 2 • M a r c h 2 0 0 9 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
Fig. 3: Proposed cabinet for power supply
1. Collect all the components shown
in the circuit diagram.
2. Connect switch S1, fuse, trans-
former and mains cord to the assem-
bled PCB as well as the box.
3. Keep the multimeter in DC volt-
age range (more than 25V DC) and
measure the DC voltage across ca-
pacitors C1 and C7 (1000 µF, 35V). This
voltage should be around 18V×1.41=25
to 26V DC. Check both positive and
negative voltages with respect to
ground.
4. It is advisable to use three-wire
mains cable and plug. If you are using
any metallic box, earthing wire/pin of
the mains plug should be soldered to
the body of the metallic box using an
earthing tag.
5. If the 18V-0-18V
transformer is replaced
with 15V-0-15V trans-
former, the output
voltage of the variable
supply using LM317
will be correspond-
ingly lower.
6. If proper voltages
are available, go to step
7. Otherwise, check the
connections.
7. Connect variable regulator
LM317 to the circuit and check 1.25V
to 20V output by varying the 2.2-kilo-
ohm linear potentiometers.
8. Now connect ICs 7812, 7912, 7805
and 7905 to the circuit and check their
output voltage.
9. Connect terminals, potmeter,
switches and indicator LED on the
front panel of the box and complete
the connections. Close the box by us-
ing screws.
Precaution. At the primary side of
the transformer, 230V AC could give
lethal shocks. So be careful not to touch
this part. EFY will not be responsible
for any resulting loss or harm to the
user. 
w w w. e f y m ag . co m

USB Power Booster
 T.A. Babu
T
he USB serial bus can be con-
figured for connecting several
peripheral devices to a single
PC. It is more complex than RS232, but
faster and simpler for PC expansion.
Since a PC can supply only a lim-
ited power to the external devices con-
nected through its USB port, when too
many devices are connected simultane-
ously, there is a possibility of power
shortage. Therefore an external power
source has to be added to power the
external devices.
In USB, two different types of con-
nectors are used: type A and type B.
The circuit presented here is an add-
on unit, designed to add more power
to a USB supply line (type-A). When
Fig. 1: Circuit of the usb power booster
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
circuit
ideas
s.c. dwiv
edi
power signal from the PC (+5V) is re-
ceived through socket A, LED1 glows,
opto-diac IC1 conducts and TRIAC1 the rectified DC. Capacitor C3 at the
is triggered, resulting in availability output of the regulator bypasses the
of mains supply from the primary of ripples present in the rectified DC out-
transformer X1. Now transformer X1 put. LED1 indicates the status of the
delivers 12V at its secondary, which is USB power booster circuit.
rectified by a bridge rectifier compris- Assemble the circuit on a general-
ing diodes D1 through D4 and filtered purpose PCB and enclose in a suitable
by capacitor C2. cabinet. Bring out the +5V, ground
Regulator 7805 is used to stabilise and data points in the type-A socket.
Connect the
data cables
as assigned
in the cir-
cuit and the
USB power
booster is
ready to
Fig. 2: Pin configurations of moc3021, bt136 and 5v regulator 7805 function. 
e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • a p r i l 2 0 0 8 • 8 7
 circuit
ideas

USB Power Socket s.c. dwiv

edi

 T.K. Hareendran

T
oday, almost all computers con-
tain logic blocks for implement-
ing a USB port. A USB port, in
practice, is capable of delivering more
than 100 mA of continuous current at
5V to the peripherals that are connected
to the bus. So a USB port can be used,
without any trouble, for powering 5V
DC operated tiny electronic gadgets.
Nowadays, many handheld de-
vices (for instance, portable reading Fig. 1: Circuit of USB power socket

lamps) utilise this facility of the USB

port to recharge their built-in bat- Assemble the
tery pack with the help of an internal CIGAR
COIL CORD
USB POWER SOCKET circuit on a gen-
PLUG WITH INDICATOR
circuitry. Usually 5V DC, 100mA cur- eral-purpose PCB
rent is required to satisfy the input and enclose in a
power demand. slim plastic cabi-
Fig. 1 shows the circuit of a versatile Fig. 2: Interconnection of cigar plug and USB power net along with the
socket using a coil cord Fig. 3: Pin
USB power socket that safely converts indicator and USB
configuration
the 12V battery voltage into stable 5V. of LM317L (To- socket. While wir-
This circuit makes it possible to power/ Capacitor C1 buffers any disorder in 92 package) ing the USB out-
recharge any USB power-operated de- the input supply. Resistors R1 and R2 let, ensure correct
vice, using in-dash board cigar lighter regulate the output of IC1 to steady 5V, polarity of the supply. For intercon-
socket of your car. which is available at the ‘A’ type female nection between the cigar plug pin
The DC supply available from the USB socket. Red LED1 indicates the out- and the device, use a long coil cord as
cigar lighter socket is fed to an adjust- put status and zener diode ZD1 acts as a shown in Fig. 2. Pin configuration of
able, three-pin regulator LM317L (IC1). protector against high voltage. LM317L is shown in Fig. 3. 

w w w. e f y m ag . co m e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • a p r i l 2 0 0 9 • 8 9
circuit
ideas

Versatile Probe
 Raju R. Baddi
edi
s.c. dwiv

Y
ou can use this versatile probe
for continuity testing and iden-
tification of transistor type and
transformer windings. The n-side or while the other hand is
p-side of a transistor can be identified free.
quickly in one go. You can make two Fig. 1 shows the circuit
contacts with the probe in one hand of the probe. The operation
of the circuit is simple.
It is driven by an alter-
nating current flow-
ing through two LEDs
(LED1 and LED2). So
one LED corresponds
to forward direction of
current flow, while the
other shows reverse di-
rection of current flow.
This helps to detect ori-
entation of the p-n junc-
tion with respect to the
probes. The LEDs can
be arranged near the
probes to glow either for
the p-side or the n-side
as per your choice.
The frequency is de-
termined by capacitor
C1 and preset VR1 con-
Fig. 1: Circuit of versatile probe nected between gates G1 Fig. 2: Constructional detail of versatile probe

Testing Results for Different Components

Component Probe D Probe C Red LED Green LED Result
Diode 1st terminal 2nd terminal Off On Probe D side is anode (p) and probe C
1st terminal 2nd terminal On Off side is cathode (n)
Probe D side is ‘n’ and probe C side is ‘p’
Transistors C E X X Unused pin is base
Any type pnp or npn E C X X Unused pin is base
npn-type transistor B E On Off p-n junction
B C On Off p-n junction
Result: ‘p’ is common, so npn transistor
pnp-type transistor B E Off On n-p junction
B C Off On n-p junction
Result: ‘n’ is common, so pnp transistor
Step-down transformer Primary terminal 1 Primary terminal 2 Glow with Glow with Both LEDs glowing with low intensity
low intensity low intensity Result: Primary side
Secondary terminal 1 Secondary terminal 2 Glow with Glow with Both LEDs glowing with high intensity
high intensity high intensity Result: Secondary side
Continuity Connect with X On Off Indicates shorting
LEDs probe

1 0 6 • F e b r ua ry 2 0 1 0 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u w w w. e f y m ag . co m

and G2. The frequency can be varied
using preset VR1. Higher frequency
results in more sensitivity to inductive
reactance. The preset is trimmed so that
when the probes are shorted, both the
LEDs glow equally.
Fig. 2 shows the probe arrangement
for testing. Most of the battery power is
consumed only when the LEDs glow.
The probes have been constructed to
provide a good grip on the components
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
under testing. One probe’s tip has been
widened. (Drop the empty refill of a
ball-pen from some height to remove
the ball, then insert a sharp needle or
something similar into the tip. Slowly
push the needle inside and widen the
tip so that a component lead can be
inserted into it during testing.) Slightly
unequal probe lengths help to make
easy contacts.
Assemble the circuit on a general-
e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • F e b r ua ry 2 0 1 0 • 1 0 7
circuit
ideas
purpose PCB which is as compact as
possible and put it inside a glue stick
tube (whose inner mechanism has been
removed) at its centre. The metallic
disk and metallic strips can be cut out
from any tin container. For the probes,
use the spring mechanism of gel ball
pens. Probes C and D are the points
representing the probe terminals.
Two button cells (CR2032) are used to
power the probe circuit. 
 Water Level
Indicator
With Alarm
Vijay D. Sathe

H
ere is a simple, versatile circuit
which indicates the level of
water in a tank. This circuit pro-
duces alarm when water level is below
the lowest level L1 and also when water
just touches the highest level L12. The
circuit is designed to display 12 differ-
ent levels. However, these display levels
can be increased or decreased depending
upon the level resolution required. This
can be done by increasing or decreasing
the number of level detector metal strips
(L1 through L12) and their associated
components.
In the circuit, diodes D1, D2 and D13
form half-wave rectifiers. The rectified
output is filtered using capacitors C1
through C3 respectively.
Initially, when water level is below
strip L1, the mains supply frequency
oscillations are not transferred to diode
D1. Thus its output is low and LED1 does
not glow. Also, since base voltage of tran-
sister T1 is low, it is in cut-off state and
its collector voltage is high, which enables
melody generating IC1 (UM66) and alarm
is sounded.
When water just touches level detector
strip L1, the supply frequency oscillations
are transferred to diode D1. It rectifies the
supply voltage and a positive DC voltage
develops across capacitor C1, which lights
up LED1. At the same time base voltage
for transistor T1 becomes high, which
makes it forward biased and its collector
voltage falls to near-ground potential.
This disables IC1 (UM66) and alarm is
inhibited.
Depending upon quantity of water
present in the tank, corresponding level
indicating LEDs glow. It thus displays
intermediate water levels in the tank in
bar-graph style.
When water in the tank just touches
the highest level detector strip L12, the
DC voltage is developed across capacitor
C2. This enables melody generating IC1
(UM66) and alarm is again sounded.

ELECTRONICS PROJECTS Vol. 20

 Water-Level Controller
joydeep kumar chakraborty

I
n most houses, water is first stored
in an underground tank (UGT) and
from there it is pumped up to the
overhead tank (OHT) located on the roof.
People generally switch on the pump when
their taps go dry and switch off the pump
when the overhead tank starts overflow-
ing. This results in the unnecessary wast-
age and sometimes non-availability of
water in the case of emergency.
The simple circuit presented here
makes this system automatic, i.e. it
switches on the pump when the water
level in the overhead tank goes low and
switches it off as soon as the water level
reaches a pre-determined level. It also
prevents ‘dry run’ of the pump in case the
level in the underground tank goes below
the suction level.
In the figure, the common probes con-
necting the underground tank and the
overhead tank to +9V supply are marked
‘C’. The other probe in underground tank,
which is slightly above the ‘dry run’ level,
is marked ‘S’. The low-level and high-level
probes in the overhead tank are marked
‘L’ and ‘H’, respectively.
When there is enough water in the biased and starts
underground tank, probes C and S are conducting. This, in
connected through water. As a result, turn, reverse biases
transistor T1 gets forward biased and transistor T6, which
starts conducting. This, in turn, switches then cuts off. But
transistor T2 on. Initially, when the since transistor T6
overhead tank is empty, transistors T3 is bypassed through
and T5 are in cut-off state and hence pnp the relay contacts,
transistors T4 and T6 get forward biased the pump continues
via resistors R5 and R6, respectively. to run. The level of
As all series-connected transistors water continues to
T2, T4, and T6 are forward biased, they rise.
conduct to energise relay RL1 (which is When the water
also connected in series with transistors level touches probe
T2, T4, and T6). Thus the supply to the H, transistor T3 gets
pump motor gets completed via the lower forward biased and
set of relay contacts (assuming that switch starts conducting.
S2 is on) and the pump starts filling the This causes reverse
overhead tank. biasing of transistor
Once the relay has energised, tran- T4 and it gets cut off.
sistor T6 is bypassed via the upper set As a result, the relay
of contacts of the relay. As soon as the de-energises and the
water level touches probe L in the over- pump stops. Transis-
head tank, transistor T5 gets forward tors T4 and T6 will

158 ELECTRONICS PROJECTS Vol. 22

be turned on again only when the water
level drops below the position of L probe.
Presets VR1, VR2, and VR3 are to
be adjusted in such a way that transis-
tors T1, T3, and T5 are turned on when
the water level touches probe pairs C-S,
C-H, and C-L, respectively. Resistor R4
ensures that transistor T2 is ‘off’ in the
absence of any base voltage. Similarly,
resistors R5 and R6 ensure that transis-
tors T4 and T6 are ‘on’ in the absence of
any base voltage. Switches S1 and S2 can
be used to switch on and switch off, respec-
tively, the pump manually.
You can make and install probes on
your own as per the requirement and
facilities available. However, we are de-
scribing here how the probes were made
for this prototype.
The author used a piece of non-
metallic conduit pipe (generally used for
domestic wiring) slightly longer than the
depth of the overhead tank. The common
wire C goes up to the end of the pipe
through the conduit. The wire for probes
L and H goes along with the conduit from
the outside and enters the conduit through
two small holes bored into it as shown
in Fig. 2.
Care has to be taken to ensure that
probes H and L do not touch wire C directly.
Insulation of wires is to be removed from the
points shown. The same arrangement can be
followed for the underground tank also. To
avoid any false triggering due to interfer-
ence, a shielded wire may be used.
ELECTRONICS PROJECTS Vol. 22 159

Water-Level Indicator
using 7-segment display
 Riju Thazhathu Veettil
T
his water-level indicator uses
a 7-segment display, instead
of LEDs, to indicate the water
level (low, half and full) in the tank.
Moreover, a buzzer is used to alert you
of water overflowing from the tank.
The circuit shows the water level by
displaying L, H and F for low, half and
full, respectively.
The circuit uses five sensors to
sense the different water levels in the
tank. Sensor A is connected to the
negative terminal (GND) of the power
supply. The other four sensors (B
through E) are connected to the inputs
of NOT gate IC 7404. When there is
w w w. e f y m ag . co m
circuit
ideas
s.c. dwiv
edi
a high voltage at the input pin of the 10 also goes high. Now as both pins 9
NOT gate, it outputs a low voltage. and 10 of gate N9 are high, its output
Similarly, for a low voltage at the input pin 8 also goes high. As a result, posi-
pin of the NOT gate, it outputs a high tive supply is applied to DIS3 and it
voltage. shows ‘L’ indicating low level of water
When the tank is empty, the input in the tank.
pins of IC 7404 are pulled high via a Similarly, when water in the tank
1-mega-ohm resistor. So it outputs a touches the half level, pins 4 and 5
low voltage. As water starts filling the of AND gate N8 become high. As a
tank, a low voltage is available at the result, its output also goes high and
input pins of the gate and it outputs a DIS2 shows ‘H’ indicating half level of
high voltage. water in the tank. At this time, pin 9 of
gate N9 also goes low
via gate N4 and DIS3
stops glowing.
When the water
tank becomes full,
the voltage at pin 1
of gate N1 and pin 3
of gate N2 goes low.
Output pin 3 of gate
N7 goes high and
DIS1 shows ‘F’ indi-
cating that the water
tank is full.
When water starts
overflowing the tank,
pin 13 of gate N6 goes
low to make output
pin 12. The buzzer
sounds to indicate
that water is over-
flowing the tank and
you need to switch off
the motor pump.
Assemble the cir-
cuit on a general-pur-
pose PCB and enclose
When the water in the tank rises in a suitable box. Use a non-corrosive
to touch the low level, there is a low material such as steel strip for the five
voltage at input pin 5 of gate N3 and sensors and hang them in the water tank
high output at pin 6. Pin 6 of the gate is as shown in the circuit diagram. Use
connected to pin 10 of gate N9, so pin regulated 5V to power the circuit. 
e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • M ay 2 0 1 0 • 1 0 1
circuit
ideas
Weekly Reminder
 Raj K. Gorkhali
T
his circuit reminds you of all
the important tasks that are
due on a specific day every
week. So be it returning your library
book, switching on your favourite TV
programme, putting the dustbin out
or cleaning the car, it automatically
flashes an LED that very day to alert
you of something to be done. The LED
keeps flashing until you press the re-
set button. The circuit consumes very
little power.
The circuit can count the days.
The rising of the Sun is detected by
a light-dependent resistor (LDR1).
When the sun rises, the ambient
light level reduces the resistance of
LDR1. The voltage level at pin 13
of gate N4 goes low. Since the other
input (pin 12) of gate N4 is high, its
output also goes high. This is invert-
ed by gate N10 whose output goes
low to make counter IC3 advance
by one count. This way each day is
counted. Similarly, the counter ad-
vances by one every morning until it
counts seven days.
9 8 • J u n e 2 0 1 0 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
In the morning of the seventh
day, all the inputs of gate N9 become
high, making its output low. The low
output of gate N9 is inverted by gate
N11 to trigger the pulse generator
built around gates N5 and N7, and
it produces a short-duration pulse
to trigger the flip-flop built around
gates N6 and N8. As a result, the
output of the flip-flop goes high to
enable the astable multivibrator built
around gate N3. The astable mul-
tivibrator produces 2Hz frequency
to flash LED1 as a reminder. LED1
flashes until you press reset switch
S2 momentarily.
When the enable input (pin 8) of
gate N3 is low, the output of the asta-
ble multivibrator remains high. Gate
N2 inverts this high level into low and
the transistor does not conduct. So
LED1 doesn’t flash when the astable
multivibrator is disabled.
Counter IC3 also resets when the
pulse generator triggers because its
reset pin 11 is connected to the output
of gate N11.
When the counter IC3 resets, its
output becomes low and it’s ready
s.c. dwiv
edi
to begin day counting for the next
week.
Suppose you require a reminder for
four days. Then first cover the sensor
and press increment switch S1 thrice
momentarily and leave it. Now your
reminder (flashing of LED1) starts after
four days.
Assemble the circuit on a gen-
eral-purpose PCB and enclose in a
suitable cabinet. After assembling
the circuit, proper setting is required.
First of all, switch on the power.
LED1 flashes. Press switch S2 to stop
it from flashing. Cover LDR1 and
press S1 several times until LED1
flashes again. The counter is now set
at a count of 0 and is ready to start
weekdays counting. Press S2 to stop
flashing.
Do not uncover the sensor im-
mediately after pressing S2. Else, the
counter will register arrival of the
next day and LED1 will flash after six
days. To make it flash weekly on a
particular day, keep the LDR1 in dark
until night. 
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circuit
ideas
WIRELESS SWITCH
 Navpreet Singh Tung
N
ormally, home appliances are
controlled by means of switch-
es, sensors, etc. However,
physical contact with switches may be
dangerous if there is any shorting.
The circuit described here requires
no physical contact for operating the
appliance. You just need to move
your hand between the infrared LED
(IR LED1) and the phototransistor
(T1). The infrared rays transmitted by
1 0 0 • o c to b e r 2 0 0 8 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u
s.c. dwiv
edi
IR LED1 is detected by the phototran-
sistor to activate the hidden lock, flush
system, hand dryer or else.
This circuit is very stable and sensi-
tive compared to other AC appliance
control circuits. It is simple, compact
and cheap. Current consumption is
low in milliamperes.
The circuit is built around an IC
CA3140, IRLED1, phototransistor and
other discrete components. When regu-
lated 5V is connected to the circuit, IR
LED1 emits infrared rays, which are
received by phototransistor T1 if it is
properly aligned. The collector of T1
is connected to non-inverting pin 3 of
IC1. Inverting pin 2 of IC1 is connected
to voltage-divider preset VR1. Using
preset VR1 you can vary the reference
voltage at pin 2, which also affects sen-
sitivity of the phototransistor.
Op-amp IC1 amplifies the signal
received from the phototransistor.
Resistor R3 controls the base current of
transistor BC548 (T2). The high output
of IC1 at pin 6 drives transistor T2 to
energise relay RL1 and switch on the
appliance, say, hand dryer, through the
relay contacts.
The working of the circuit is simple.
In order to switch on the appliance,
you simply interrupt the infrared rays
falling on the phototransistor through
your hand. During the interruption,
the appliance remains on through the
relay. When you remove your hand
from the infrared beam, the appliance
turns off through the relay.
Assemble the circuit on any gen-
eral-purpose PCB. Identify the resistors
through colour coding or using the
multimeter. Check the polarity and pin
configuration of the IC and mount it
using base. After soldering the circuit,
connect +5V supply to the circuit. 
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