Contents

Technical Information
Users Manual

BY
Ashutosh Jaiswal
(Designer)

1
 TECHNICAL
INFORMATION
Circuit Design and Implementation

2
I. Introduction
The skin analyzer system uses about 6-8 UV lamps (10W-15 W-
6W; power of lamps vary) on either sides of the platform, where the
analysis of the skin would take place. Every time the lamps go on the
computer has to check for any fluctuations or defects in each of the
lamp. It is not feasible to monitor each lamp individually as it would
consume a lot of real estate and would result into unnecessary circuit
implementation. In order to overcome this hurdle, all the lamps were
connected in parallel and monitored collectively. The most effective
way to monitor the lamps would be monitoring the current flowing
through them. If a lamp is not defective then it would draw constant
current depending on its power rating. If there is any fluctuation, or if
the lamp goes defective, then the current also decreases
proportionally. This change can be used to our advantage of detecting
any malfunctioning of the lamp. If any of the lamps go defective, there
would be a drop in the net current, which can be detected.

II. Principle of Working

The principle used for detecting the change in current is very
simple. The current being measured is compared to a reference
current. The reference current has the value equal to the total current,
when all the lamps are working fine. So whenever there is a drop in the
total current, it falls below the reference current and this is detected by
the COMPARATOR. Comparators are generally used to compare
voltages and not currents. In order to make our principle work for the
comparator we have to generate a voltage which is always
proportional to the current that is being measured. This can be done by
using a “CURRENT TRANSFORMER”. Current transformers are
transformers which use the measuring current as the current through

3
their primary winding. This induces a current in the secondary winding,
which results into generation of voltage across its terminals. This
voltage is proportional to the current that is being measured. So we
use this voltage as a key to monitor the UV lights.

III. Block diagram

1. Current Sensor: The current sensor, as mentioned earlier, is a
current transformer which delivers an output voltage proportional to
the current that flows through it.
2. Amplifier: As seen in the block diagram, the output of the current
sensor (current transformer)
has to be amplified. The output of the current sensor is about 6V for a
50W load. In our case the

Fig 1: System Block diagram

combination of lamps would constitute a load of around 50W. If any

one of the lamp malfunctions
then the drop in power is about 10W (proportional to the power rating
of the lamp). This drops the voltage by a very small amount and such a
small drop in voltage may not be detected by the comparator. So we

4
amplify the output at least 2 times so that the change in voltage also
gets amplified and the comparator can detect this change easily.
Another important factor about the amplifier is the type of amplifier
that has to be used. A conventional amplifier amplifies the signal given
to its input, which is generally referenced to ground. In sensors, the
voltage generated at the output is differential, meaning that the
voltage has no ground reference. In such a case we need to use
Instrumental Amplifiers which help in amplifying differential voltages.
3. Rectifier: The next block shows a “Rectifier”. The rectifier helps in
converting the AC voltage to DC voltage. This is required because the
comparator being used works at a DC level.
4. Comparator: The comparator helps in comparing the sensed voltage
to the reference voltage. Whenever, the measured current decreases,
the voltage generated by the current sensor decreases, and hence the
voltage at comparator falls below the reference voltage. This makes
the output of the comparator active.
5. Triggering circuit: The comparator output may remain constantly
active as long as one of the lamps is totally OFF. But in the case when
there is a fluctuation the voltage level at input of comparator may keep
shifting above and below the reference voltage, which would in turn
make the output of comparator fluctuate between active and inactive
voltage levels. Our aim is to detect the first change in the voltage, as
this could be a result of fluctuation or a fused lamp, and we have to
keep the output constantly active, when the first change in voltage is
detected. In order to do this, we use the triggering circuit. Firstly, we
choose a comparator whose output is active low. Then we design a
triggering circuit which gets triggered and generates a constant HIGH
output on an active low trigger at its trigger input. So, whenever there
is first fall in voltage the triggering circuit gets triggered and the output
remains constantly high, until it is reset back to initial state by using
the reset option.

5
6. Digital Logic: Finally, we use some digital logic for the following
reasons:
1) When we use more than one set of lamps in the design, we need
to employ some digital logic. This is necessary because if we
monitor large number of lamps with only one sensor then the
change in current can be very small and this may not be
detected by the sensor. So we divide the lamps into two sets and
monitor each set individually. The final outputs of each of these
sets can be logically OR’ed together to get the final output.
2) During power up, the fluorescent lamps flicker before they draw
the maximum current. If the circuit had to be active during this
phase then it would be detected as a flickering lamp, resulting
into malfunctioning of the circuit. In order to avoid this, final
output of the circuit can be logically AND’ed with another input
(flag) that is controlled by the software of the computer. This flag
input will go high 15 seconds after the lamps go on, and just
before the flag is made high the circuit is reset by the software
so that if at all the circuit has detected the flickering, it can be
ignored. After 15 seconds and after reset, if the output still
remains high then it will be AND’ed with the flag input and the
final output will also be high, meaning that there is a fused lamp
or there is a flickering in the lamps.

IV. Circuit Design

A Current Sensor:
In this circuit a CS-1 current sensor is being used for current
monitoring. The CS-1 current sensor has the ability to sense and
measure AC current passing through the hole provided. Moreover, the
CS-1 sensor outputs a current/voltage proportional to the load current.
The actual output depends on the load current as well as the number

6
of times the load wire is passed through the current sensor. The figure
below shows the connection diagram for the current sensor.

Fig 2: CS-1 current sensor- Connection Diagram

B. Instrumentation Amplifier:
As mentioned in Section III, we have made use of an
instrumental amplifier for the amplifier design. There are many designs
available for an instrumental amplifier. The most commonly used is the
two and three op-amp design. We have used the instrumental amplifier
that is available as a single IC. The reason being that, it makes the
design simpler and reliable. The IC being used in our design is AD623
which is produced by Analog Devices. The features of this IC are that is
enables single power supply and has an option of adjusting the gain,
which makes it apt for our application. The pin out diagram is shown in
Fig 3.

Fig 3: Pin out for AD 623 (Instrumentation amplifier)

Pin 1 and 2 (RG+ and RG-) are used to adjust the gain of the amplifier.
This is done by choosing the value of resistance according to Table 1.

7
 As shown in Fig 3, the value of RG is chosen to be 100 K pot in
order to have a variable gain. The gain can be tuned according to the
sensitivity that is required for the lamps. A mini-potentiometer will be
used for this purpose.

Table 1: Values of gain resistor according to the required gain

Circuit diagram:

Fig 4: Circuit diagram for Instrumentation amplifier

The REF pin is grounded in order to get the output voltage with
reference to the ground. Vin is the voltage given to the input of the
amplifier from the current sensor. The capacitors are provided to
remove any ripple from the supply.

8
C. Comparator Circuit:
In order to implement the comparator circuit we have used the
comparator IC LM339. It is the most widely used IC for comparator
applications. The pin-out for LM339 is shown in Fig 5. It also shows the
internal configuration, based on which the circuit is designed.

Fig 5: Pin-out for LM 339 (Comparator IC)

Circuit diagram:

Fig 6: Circuit diagram for Comparator circuit

9
 The circuit diagram shows two parts of the LM 339 as each part
is used for one set of lamps (if two sets of lamps are used). Vin is the
input to the comparator circuit from the amplifier (after rectification).
The resistor divider network with 10K (pot) and 1K resistor determines
the reference voltage. This voltage is manually set by the user in such
a way that the input voltage is just above the reference voltage. This
makes sure that the slightest drop in input voltage will trigger the
output. The capacitor is provided to remove the ripple. Pin 3 is Vcc and
pin 12 is for ground. The configuration shown above drives the output
to ground level when a drop in Vin is detected; this means that the
output of this circuit is active low. But we need an active high output,
which remains high even if there is slightest fluctuation. This is
accomplished by using the triggering circuit.

D. Triggering Circuit:
The triggering circuit is required to keep the output constantly
high. In this design IC 555 is being used in bi-stable mode. In bi-stable
mode IC 555 accepts the triggering input at its pin 2 and will change
the output to active high (equal to Vcc) when a trigger (low going
trigger) is detected at pin 2. The pin out for IC 555 is shown in Fig 6.

Fig 7: Pin-out for IC 555

10
 The working of the circuit can be understood from Fig 8(b).
Whenever there is triggering input at pin 2, the output of the circuit (at
pin 3) goes high until a reset is given to make it low again. There are
two options for a reset, a software reset and a manual reset. The
software reset is used while initializing the system i.e. when the lights
are switched on; the circuit is reset by software control in order to
prevent any false detection of flickering. The manual reset is used for
tuning the reference voltage as close as possible to the input voltage.

Circuit diagram:

(a) (b)

Fig 8: (a) Circuit diagram for the triggering circuit (b) Wave form representation
E. Digital logic:

11
 The digital logic will be required when more than two sets of
lamps are being diagnosed. The very basic logic that will be used is as
shown in Fig 9.

Fig 9: Basic digital logic to be used when more than two sets of lamps are used

As seen in above figure, triggering circuit 1 and 2 are the

triggering circuits of each of the lamp sets. The supply used for the
triggering circuit is 12 V, which makes its output voltage level 12V. But,
the computer is compatible with TTL logic which is +5V for high and
0.3 V (or ground) for low. In order to accomplish this, each of the
outputs of the triggering circuit is given to the LM7805, which is a
voltage regulator. LM7805 helps in converting the voltage to +5V for
high and ground level for low. Next, this output from LM7805 is given
to an OR gate (which is again TTL compatible). This is done so that the
output of the OR gate goes high if either of the triggering circuits given
an active high output. The output of the OR gate is then given to an
AND gate. The other input of the AND gate is from the computer (FLAG
INPUT- software controlled). This is necessary so that the output of the
AND gate does not go high when the lamps are just switched on. Once
the lamps are fully on and the circuit is reset, the flag input is made
high, which then makes the output of the AND gate valid for diagnosis.
The software will be programmed to make the flag input active after
about 15 seconds, to make sure that the lamps are fully on and are
drawing the maximum current.

12
F. Relay circuit:
Although we have not mentioned about the relay circuit in the
previous sections, it is a very important part of the system as it is used
to switch the lamps ON and OFF using the software control. The circuit
configuration is shown in Fig 10.

Fig 10: Relay Circuit

Fig 9 shows the relay circuit in which the relay is controlled by a

software input. Whenever, the software control input goes high the
transistor is driven into saturation and the relay coil is connected to the
ground. The diode 1N4001 is placed to isolate the two ends of the relay
coil (to prevent short circuit). The resistor at the base of the transistor
is a current limiting transistor. As seen in figure the relay has three
terminals,
1) NO – Normally open
2) COM – Common
3) NC – Normally closed
When the relay is inactive the COM is connected to the NC. So we
connect the NC to the light or camera, which has to remain on when
the lamps are off (for surveillance or lighting purposes). This keeps the
light or camera (whichever is connected to NC) ON as long as the relay
is inactive (lamps are OFF). Once the relay is activated by giving a high

13
pulse at Software Control, the relay coil activates and the COM gets
connected to NO. So we connect the NO to the Lamps, which go on
when the software control is given high and at the same time NC
disconnects, so the light or camera goes off.

V. Computer parallel port

The interface of the hardware is done with the computer using
the parallel port of the computer, which is very commonly used for
printers. The parallel port makes it possible to send and receive signals
at the same time and also simplifies the software program that will be
used to control the port. The pin out of the printer parallel port is
shown in Fig 11.

Fig 11: Parallel port configuration

14
 Fig 11 shows the various pins that are used as INPUT or OUTPUT
in a parallel port. For the diagnosis circuit, we will be using any of the
pins 2 to 9 for output from the computer (software control, FLAG,
RESET) and we will use the pin 11 for reading the output from the
diagnosis circuit (Final Output). Pins 19 to 25 will be used for
grounding.

VI. Program flow

Based on the circuit designed and the functionality of each of the
blocks, we can describe the basic program flow/control for the
diagnosis circuit board. Fig 12 shows the flowchart for the program
flow, which will be used to implement the software for controlling the
diagnosis board and detecting the malfunctioning of the lamps.

Fig 12: Flow diagram for software

As shown in Fig 11, the program starts by switching the lamps

ON. A delay of 10 seconds is given in order to make sure that the
lamps are fully ON and are drawing the maximum current. The circuit is
then RESET in order to make sure that it is re-initialized and to ignore
the detection of flickering of the lamps when they switch ON. Another
delay of 5secs (optional) may be given after the RESET. Next the FLAG

15
output is made high, which makes the final output of the diagnosis
circuit active. Next the final output is read till the lamps are ON and if
there is an error in the lamps, it is detected and the entire system will
be disabled for the next cycle of operation. The FLAG is de-activated in
last 15 seconds as it is not important to diagnose the lamps in the last
15 seconds. The system will remain deactivated till the lamp is
replaced and the diagnosis circuit is tuned precisely.
VII Complete Circuit diagram
The complete circuit diagram with all the above mentioned
circuits is shown in Fig 13. It also shows the different control switches
and trimmers that are being used in the design.

16
VIII. Parts information

17
The parts that have been used for the design can be obtained from the
following vendors,
1) Analog devices, website: www.analog.com
2) Mouser Electronics, website: www.mouser.com
3) Radioshack, website: www.radioshack.com
4) Smart Home Inc, website: www.smarthome.com

1, 2 and 3 may be useful for ordering conventional parts like

amplifier, comparator, rectifier etc
4 is useful for ordering the current transformer, which is used as a
current sensor.

18
USERS MANUAL

19
The system is provided with the following accessories:
• Male-Male AC wire
• Male-Male Parallel Port - Printer Cable
• 12V 800mA Adapter
The diagram for the box which contains the circuitry is shown in the
following figure.

Fig: Lamp Diagnonizer

STEPS FOR CONNECTION AND TO SET THE REFERENCE VOLTAGE :

1) Connect the U.V Lamps, Display lamps and the Camera light to
the respective ports.
2) Connect the Male-Male AC wire to the Mains Port and the Male-
Male parallel port to the parallel port.

20
3) Connect the other end of the parallel port wire and the Mains to
the computer and the Main Power supply (120V A.C) respectively.
4) Connect the 12 V adapter to the Power supply jack and make
sure that the over ride switch is in OFF position before you plug
this in.
5) When the power supply is given, the red LED (indicator) goes on.
Switch on the over ride switch . This should switch ON the U.V
lamps and the display lamps.
6) Press the reset button to see if the red LED goes OFF when the
reset switch is released. If it does not go off then turn the POT in
anti-clockwise direction to some degrees and try again.
7) When the LED goes OFF, turn the POT back very slightly in
clockwise direction and try to detect the point where the LED just
goes ON.
8) At this point, turn the POT anti-clockwise very slightly and press
Reset again. Do this till the LED is OFF.
9) Remove a lamp from the set of UV lamps and see if the LED goes
ON. If it goes ON, then replace the lamp and reset the system
and again test removing the lamp. Repeat this several number of
times to make sure that the reference voltage is set precisely.
10) Once the test is successful. Switch off the over ride switch. The
LED will go ON at this time and will remain ON till the lamps go
ON again and it is Reset.

21
22