Circuit Schematic learn

Remote temperature measurements have to be linked by some sort of cable to the relevant test instrument. Normally, this is a three-core cable: one core for the signal and the other two for the supply lines. If the link is required to be a two-core cable, one of the supply lines and the signal line have to be combined. This is possible with, for instance, temperature sensors LM334 and LM335. However, these devices provide an output that is directly proportional to absolute temperature and this is not always a practical proposition. If an output signal that is directly proportional to the Celsius temperature scale is desired, the present circuit, which uses a Type LM45 sensor, offers a good solution.

The LM45 sensor is powered by an alternating voltage, while its output is a direct voltage. The supply to the sensor is provided by a sine-wave generator, based on A1 and A2 (see diagram). The alternating voltage is applied to the signal line in the two-core cable via coupling capacitor C6. The sensor contains a voltage-doubling rectifier formed by D1-D2-C1-C2. This network converts the applied alternating voltage into a direct voltage. Resistor R2 isolates the output from the load capacitance, while choke L1 couples the output signal of the sensor to the signal line in the cable.

Choke L1 and capacitor C2 protect the output against the alternating voltage present on the line. At the other end of the link, network R3-L2-C4 forms a low-pass section that prevents the alternating supply voltage from combining with the sensor output. Capacitor C5 prevents a direct current through R3, since this would attenuate the temperature-dependent voltage. The output load should have a high resistance, some 100 kΩ or even higher. The circuit draws a current of a few mA.

It’s entirely logical that low-cost miniature microcontrollers have fewer ‘legs’ than their bigger brothers and sisters – sometimes too few. The author has given some consideration to how to economise on pins, making them do the work of several. It occurred that one could exploit the high impedance feature of a tri-state output. In this way the signal produced by the high impedance state could be used for example as a CS signal of two ICs or else as a RD/ WR signal.

Circuit diagram:

Multitasking Pins Circuit Diagram

All we need are two op-amps or comparators sharing a single operating voltage of 5 V and outputs capable of reaching full Low and High levels in 5-V operation (preferably types with rail-to-rail outputs). Suitable examples to use are the LM393 or LM311.The resistances in the voltage dividers in this circuit are uniformly 10 kilo ohms. Consequently input A lies at half the operating voltage (2.5 V), assuming nothing is connected to the input – or the microcontroller pin connected is at high impedance. The non-inverting input of IC1A lies at two thirds and the inverting input of IC1B at one third of the operating voltage, so that in both cases the outputs are set at High state. If the microcontroller pin at input A becomes Low, the output of IC1B becomes Low and that of IC1A goes High. If A is High, everything is reversed.

Author : Roland Plisch Copyright: Elektor Electronics 2008

A car battery deteriorates in use and its life seldom exceeds four years. When new, its voltage may drop to only 2V while cranking the engine. As the battery ages, its internal impedance increases and so the voltage drop while cranking also increases, until ultimately the drop is high enough to prevent the engine from starting. This gradual increase in voltage drop while cranking can be used as an early warning of looming battery failure and so this circuit triggers an alarm when the battery voltage drops to 8V during cranking. IC1 is a precision 2.5V device used as the reference for two comparators based on IC2, an LM358 dual op amp.


IC2a monitors the voltage from trimpot VR1 and normally its output at pin 1 will be low while the output of IC2b will be high and LED1 will be green. When pin 2 of IC2a falls below pin 3, its output at pin 1 will go high to drive the red section of LED1 to indicate a fault. At the same time, IC2b inverts the signal from pin 1 and its output at pin 7 goes low and turns off the green section of LED1 to indicate a fault. Since the battery voltage drop occurs momentarily while cranking, a more permanent indication of the fault is provided by flashing LED2. When IC2a’s output goes high momentarily, the SCR is latched and LED2 flashes and can only be deactivated by pressing push-button S1.

An additional push-button switch is normally required for the ATX Power Switch/Soft Power Switch signal, but you can do without it if you use this simple circuit. It is an artful design, but it has been repeatedly tested. The zener diode is intended to provide protection against excessive voltages and reverse-polarity connection. In the latter case, the resulting short-circuit current (approximately 1A) will exceed the allowable limit and cause the ATX power supply to shut down after around five seconds. It might be possible to use a smaller capacitor; this must be tested experimentally in actual use.

If the motherboard documentation is poor, you should verify the earth pin using a continuity tester. The resistor is only needed if you want to be able to switch on the PC within ten seconds after switching it off. It discharges the capacitor quickly enough to make this possible. With a 1-kΩ resistor, the time constant is around 0.5 s. Since the capacitor also tends to stabilize the voltage, this circuit could also help in situations in which the ATX power supply switches off unintentionally due to voltage fluctuations on the PWR Supply On line.

It is sometimes necessary for an RC (remote control) model to contain some kind of switching functionality. Some things that come to mind are lights on a model boat, or the folding away of the undercarriage of an aeroplane, etc. A standard solution employs a servo, which then actually operates the switch. Separate modules are also available, which may or may not contain a relay. A device with such functionality is eminently suitable for building yourself. The schematic shows that it can be easily realized with a few standard components.

Picture of the project:
The servo signal, which consists of pulses from 1 to 2 ms duration, depending on the desired position, enters the circuit via pin 1 of connector K1. Two buffers from IC2 provide the necessary buffering after which the signal is differentiated by C2. This has the effect that at each rising edge a negative start signal is presented to pin 2 of IC1. D1 and R4 make sure that at the falling edge the voltage at pin 2 of IC2 does not become too high. IC1 (TLC555) is an old faithful in a CMOS version.

A standard version (such as the NE555) works just as well, but this IC draws an unnecessarily high current, while we strive to keep the current consumption as low as possible in the model. The aforementioned 555 is configured as a one-shot. The pulse-duration depends on the combination of R2/C1. Lowering the voltage on pin 5 also affects the time. This results in reducing the length of the pulse. In this circuit the pulse at the output of IC will last just over 1.5 ms when T1 does not conduct.

Circuit diagram:
When T1 does conduct, the duration will be a little shorter than 1.5 ms. We will explain the purpose of this a little later on. Via IC2.C, the fixed-length pulse is, presented to the clock input of a D-flip-flop. As a consequence, the flip-flip will remember the state of the input (servo signal). The result is that when the servo-pulse is longer than the pulse form the 555, output Q will be high, otherwise the output will be low. It is possible, in practice, that the servo signal is nearly the same length as the output from the 555.

A small amount of variation in the servo signal could therefore easily cause the output to ‘chatter’, that is, the output could be high at one time and low the next. To prevent this chatter there is feedback in the form of R1, R3 and T1. This circuit makes sure that when the flip-flip has decided that the servo-pulse is longer than the 555’s pulse (and signals this by making output Q high), the pulse duration from the 555 is made a little shorter. The length of the servo-signal will now have to be reduced by a reasonable amount before the servo-pulse becomes shorter than the 555’s pulse.

Parts and PCB layout:
The moment this happens, T1 will stop conducting and the mono-stable time will become a little longer. The servo-pulse will now have to be longer by a reasonable amount before the flip-flip changes back again. This principle is called hysteresis. Jumper JP1 lets you choose between the normal or inverted output signals. Buffers IC2.D through to IC2.F together with R5 drive output transistor T2, which in turn drives the output. Note that the load may draw a maximum current of 100 mA. Diode D2 has been added so that inductive loads can be switched as well (for example, electrically operated pneu-matic valves).

COMPONENTS LIST
Resistors:
R1 = 470k
R2 = 150k
R3 = 47k
R4 = 100k
R5 = 4k7
Capacitors:
C1 = 10nF
C2 = 1nF
C3,C4 = 100nF
Semiconductors:
D1 = BAT85 or similar Schottky diode
D2 = 1N4148
IC1 = CMOS 555 (e.g., TLC555 or ICM7555)
IC2 = 4049
IC3 = 4013
T1,T2 = BC547B
Miscellaneous:
JP1 = jumper with 3-way pinheader
K1 = servo cable
K2 = 2-way pinheader or 2 solder pins

A power supply suitable for use with the hi-fi amplifiers presented in the predeeding project is perfectly simple, and no great skill is required to build (or design) one. There are a few things one should be careful with, such as the routing of high current leads, but these are easily accomplished. Design of this power supply is very simple. A 4 ampere fuse is used to protect the transformer and two LEDs at the end of this circuit are used to indicate power state On and Off. At the output there are 6 capacitors used you can reduce the quantity of these filter capacitors to 2 or according to your own choice.

This circuit charges two NiCad cells with a constant current and features dual charging rates, voltage cutoff and an audible alarm. The circuit is powered by a 12VAC centre-tapped mains transformer, together with two rectifier diodes (D1 & D2) and a 1000mF filter capacitor. A 7806 3-terminal regulator is used to generate a 6V rail for the remainder of the circuit. Transistor Q1 and LED1 constitute a basic constant-current source. The forward voltage of the red LED (about 1.5V) minus Q1’s base-emitter voltage (about 0.6V) appears across the 6.8W or 15W emitter resistors, depending on the position of S1. With a 15W resistance in the emitter circuit, the charging current is about 60mA, whereas with 6.8W it is about 130mA.

This is sufficient to charge 600mAH "AA" cells in 14 hours and five hours, respectively. An LM393 voltage comparator (IC1) is used for the voltage cutoff function. Its inverting input is set to 2.9V (nominal) via trimpot VR1, while the non-inverting input senses battery voltage. This means that while the cells are being charged, the output transistor (in the LM393) is switched on, also switching on Q1 and enabling the current source. Once the cells are charged to approximately 80% or more of capacity, their terminal voltages will exceed 1.45V, so the voltage at the non-inverting input (pin 3) of IC1 will exceed the reference voltage on the inverting input (pin 2).


This causes IC1’s output to switch off, in turn switching Q1 off and disabling the current source. To prevent rapid switching action around the voltage cutoff point, a 100nF capacitor provides feedback between the output and inverting input of the comparator. Four NAND gates are used to build two simple oscillators of different frequencies. When cascaded together, the result is a pulsed tone from the piezo transducer to indicate charge completion.

Editors note:
Absolute terminal voltage is not always a reliable indicator of Nicad battery charge state. Importantly, batteries should never be charged for longer than the manufacturer’s specified period.

Except for use as a normal Battery Charger, this circuit is perfect to constant-charge a 12-Volt Lead-Acid Battery, like the one in your flight box, and keep it in optimum charged condition. This circuit is not recommended for GEL-TYPE batteries since it draws to much current. The above circuit is a precision voltage source, and contains a temperature sensor with a negative temperature coλficient. Meaning, whenever the surrounding or battery temperature increases the voltage will automatically decrease. Temperature coλficient for this circuit is -8mV per °Celcius. A normal transistor (Q1) is used as a temperature sensor. This Battery Charger is centered around the LM350 integrated, 3-amp, adjustable stabilizer IC. Output voltage can be adjusted with P1 between 13.5 and 14.5 volt.
T2 was added to prevent battery discharge via R1 if no power present. P1 can adjust the output voltage between 13.5 and 14.5 volts. R4s value can be adjusted to accommodate a bit larger or smaller window. D1 is a large power-diode, 100V PRV @ 3 amp. Bigger is best but I dont recommend going smaller. The LM350s adjust pin will try to keep the voltage drop between its pin and the output pin at a constant value of 1.25V. So there is a constant current flow through R1. Q1 act here as a temperature sensor with the help of components P1/R3/R4 who more or less control the base of Q1. Since the emitter/base connection of Q1, just like any other semiconductor, contains a temperature coλficient of -2mV/°C, the output voltage will also show a negative temperature coλficient.

That one is only a factor of 4 larger, because of the variation of the emitter/basis of Q1 multiplied by the division factor of P1/R3/R4. Which results in approximately -8mV/°C. To prevent that sensor Q1 is warmed up by its own current draw, I recommend adding a cooling rib of sorts. (If you wish to compensate for the battery-temperature itself, then Q1 should be mounted as close on the battery as possible) The red led (D2) indicates the presence of input power.Depending on what type of transistor you use for Q1, the pads on the circuit board may not fit exactly (in case of the BD140).

A long time ago when telephones were so simple almost nothing could go amiss from an electrical point of view, Telecom operators installed surge protection on all telephone lines exposed to storm risks. Paradoxically, now that we are hooking up delicate and expensive equipment such as telephones filled with electronics, fax machines, (A)DSL modems, etc., this protection has disappeared.

However, if you have the good fortune to live in the countryside in a building served by overhead telephone lines, there’s an obvious risk of very high voltages being induced on the lines during thunderstorms. While we have lost count today of all of the modems, fax machines and other telephones that have been destroyed by a ‘bolt of lightning’, surprisingly you only have to invest a few pounds to get a remarkably efficient protection device like the one we are proposing here.

During a storm, often with lightning striking near a telephone line, the line carries transient voltages up to several thousands of volts. Contrary to the HV section of television sets or electrical fences, on which practically no current is running, in the case of lighting striking current surges of thousand of amps are not uncommon. To protect oneself from such destructive pulses, traditional components are not powerful or fast enough.

As you can see on our drawing, a (gas-filled) spark gap should be used. Such a component contains three electrodes, insulated from each other, in an airtight cylinder filled with rare gas. As long as the voltage present between the electrodes is below a certain threshold, the spark gap remains perfectly passive and presents an impedance of several hundreds of MW. On the other hand, when the voltage rises above this threshold, the gas is very rapidly ionized and the spark-gap suddenly becomes a full conductor to the point of being able to absorb colossal currents without being destroyed.

Circuit diagram:

 Protection Circuit Diagram For Telephone Line

The one we are using here, whose size is of the same magnitude as an ordinary one watt resistor, can absorb a standardized 5,000 amps pulse lasting 8/20 ms! Since we are utilizing a three-electrode spark gap, the voltage between the two wires of the line or between any wire and ground, cannot exceed the sparking voltage, which is about 250 volts here. Such protection could theoretically suffice but we preferred to add a second security device made with a VDR (GeMOV or SiOV depending on the manufacturer), which also limits the voltage between line wires to a maximum of 250 volts.

Even if this value seems high to you, we should remember that all of the authorized telephone equipment, carrying the CE mark must be able to withstand it without damage. This is not always the case however with some low-end devices made in China, but that’s an entirely different problem. Since pulses generated by lightning are very brief, the ground connection of our assembly must be as low-inductance as possible.

It must therefore be short, and composed of heavy-duty wire (1.5 mm2 c.s.a. is the minimum). If not, the coil, composed of the ground connection, blocks the high frequency signal that constitutes the pulse and reduces the assembly’s effectiveness to nothing. Finally, please note that this device obviously has no effect on the low frequency signals of telephones and fax machines and it does not disturb (A)DSL signals either.

Author: Christian Tavernier - Copyright: Elektor Electronics Magazine

This low distortion tone control circuit is used LM1036 IC to control the Bass, Treble, Balance and volume of any power amplifier. You can use this with Hi-Fi audio, car audio, TV audio systems. The specialty of this tone control circuit is you can supply 9V to 16V DC current. But never go to try more than 16 Volts.  Also it has a large range ( 75 dB ) of volume.

Output capacitors should be 10uf 25 Volts. If you want to add this to a stereo amplifier then you need to make one more tone control. To get best results use screen wires for controllers and inputs. Also try to use half watt resistors and when fixing capacitors make sure to consider the polarities.

Using this circuit, you can change the speed of the fan from your couch or bed. Infrared receiver module TSOP1738 is used to receive the infrared signal transmitted by remote control. The circuit is powered by regulated 9V. The AC mains is stepped down by transformer X1 to deliver a secondary output of 12V-0-12V. The transformer output is rectified by full-wave rectifier comprising diodes D1 and D2, filtered by capacitor C9 and regulated by 7809 regulator to provide 9V regulated output. Any button on the remote can be used for controlling the speed of the fan. Pulses from the IR receiver module are applied as a trigger signal to timer NE555 (IC1) via LED1 and resistor R4. IC1 is wired as a monostable multivibrator to delay the clock given to decade counter-cum-driver IC CD4017 (IC2).

Out of the ten outputs of decade counter IC2 (Q0 through Q9), only five (Q0 through Q4) are used to control the fan. Q5 output is not used, while Q6 output is used to reset the counter. Another NE555 timer (IC3) is also wired as a monostable multivibrator. Combination of one of the resistors R5 through R9 and capacitor C5 controls the pulse width. The output from IC CD4017 (IC2) is applied to resistors R5 through R9. If Q0 is high capacitor C5 is charged through resistor R5, if Q1 is high capacitor C5 is charged through resistor R6, and so on. Optocoupler MCT2E (IC5) is wired as a zero-crossing detector that supplies trigger pulses to monostable multivibrator IC3 during zero crossing. Opto-isolator MOC3021 (IC4) drives triac BT136.

Resistor R13 (47-ohm) and capacitor C7 (0.01µF) combination is used as snubber network for triac1 (BT136). As the width of the pulse decreases, firing angle of the triac increases and speed of the fan also increases. Thus the speed of the fan increases when we press any button on the remote control. Assemble the circuit on a general-purpose PCB and house it in a small case such that the infrared sensor can easily receive the signal from the remote transmitter.

A circuit for monitoring the status of the battery and generator is undoubtedly a good idea for motorcyclists, as for other motorists. However, not every biker is willing to drill the necessary holes in the cockpit for the usual LED lamps, or to screw on an analogue accessory instrument. The circuit shown here manages to do its job with a single 5-mm LED, which can indicate a total of six different conditions of the onboard electrical system. This is done using a dual LED that can be operated in pulsed or continuous mode (even in daylight). Built on a small piece of prototyping board and fitted in a mini-enclosure, the complete circuit can be tucked inside the headlamp housing or hidden underneath the tank.

The heart of the circuit is IC2, a dual comparator. The comparator circuit is built without using any feedback resistors, with the indication being stabilised by capacitors C4 and C5 instead of hysteresis. Small 10-µF tantalum capacitors work well here; 220-µF ‘standard’ electrolytic capacitors are only necessary with poorly regulated generators. Voltage regulator IC1 provides the reference voltage for IC2 via voltage divider R2/R3. The onboard voltage is compared with the reference voltage via voltage dividers R4 /R5 and R6/R7, which are connected to the inverting and non-inverting comparator sections, respectively.

Using separate dividers allows the threshold levels to be easily modified by adjusting the values of the lower resistors. IC2a drives the anode of the red diode of LED D4 via pull-up resistor R10. The anode of the green diode is driven by IC2b and R11. T2 pulls R11 to ground, thereby diverting the operating current of the green diode of the LED, if the voltage of the electrical system exceeds a threshold level of 15 V (provided by Zener diode D3). The paralleled gate outputs on pins 10 and 11 of IC3 perform a similar task. However, these gates have internal current limiting, so they can only divert a portion of the current from the red diode of the LED.

The amount of current diverted depends on the battery voltage. The two gates are driven by an oscillator built around IC3a, which is enabled via voltage divider R14/R15 and transistor T1 when the battery voltage is sufficiently high. Depending on the state of IC3a, the red diode of the LED blinks or pulses. The circuit is connected to the electrical system via fuse F1 and a low-pass filter formed by L1 and C1. If you cannot obtain a low-resistance choke, a 1-Ω resistor can be used instead. In this case, the values of C3, C4 and C5 should be increased some-what, in order to help stabilise the indication. D1 protects the circuit against negative voltage spikes, as well as offering protection against reverse-polarity connection. Due to its low current consumption (less than 30 mA), the circuit could be connected directly to the battery, but it is better to power it from the switched positive voltage.

Typically the input protection fuse of your DMM will blow in the middle of a demonstration or an exciting phase of your construction work. Spare fuses are always hard to find, and if available take a lot of time to install. This circuit replaces the fuse by a 500 mA current limiter. When resistor R1 passes about 500 mA, it will drop 0.75 V which is sufficient to switch on T2. With the buzzer acting as a pull-up resistor (and, of course, as a very loud acoustic warning device), the voltage at the gate of power FET T1 will drop to a level at which the drain-source current is limited to a safe value of about 500 mA. Of course, the excess energy caused by the current limiting action is dissipated by the FET.

Cooling is required in all cases where the dissipation can be expected to exceed about 1-2 watts. After all, without cooling, the voltage allowed to occur across the FET will be just 4V (2 W = 0.5 A × 4 V). Although an IRF740S is indicated in the circuit diagram, almost any power FET may be used. The popular BUZ10, for example, is a good choice when a lot of power has to be dissipated. If a 12-V mini battery is used then the buzzer should also be a 12-V device. However the circuit will also work fine from the more commonly found (and certainly less expensive) 9-V battery and a matching buzzer. If the latter is not required it is simply replaced by a 10-kΩ resistor.

Here is an idea for a simple low-cost adapter that allows a portable FM radio (or MP3 player with FM tuner) to be connected to an external antenna and to audio equipment such as a hifi system or PC sound card. Portable FM radios and some MP3 players typically provide a 3.5mm stereo jack socket for the headphone connection, with the shield conductor of the headphone cable doubling as an antenna.

The problem:

Recently, the author bought a cheap FM radio with a USB connector, designed to be operated with a PC. The package included an audio cable with a 3.5mm stereo phone plug at each end. The plug that goes into the radio has an additional wire (about 2m long) hanging out of it, which is meant to serve as an indoor antenna. When using the supplied cable, the system suffered from poor radio reception (too much interference), and poor audio quality (lack of bass). The first problem was easily explained, as the radio was used in a marginal TV/FM reception area. When the cable was "buzzed out", the reason for the second problem became apparent.

There was no audio ground connection, as the cable screen is not connected to anything at the radio end! As mentioned, the antenna wire in these units is connected to the "common" terminal of the 3.5mm socket, which normally doubles as the audio signal return path. If this terminal were to be connected to the ground of external audio equipment, the antenna signal would be clobbered. Perhaps the designer of this cable assumed that an adequate audio ground connection would be made indirectly via the USB cable – a poor assumption!

The challenge:

The challenge then was to provide a good antenna signal for the radio while at the same time making a good audio ground connection to external equipment. Preferably, this was to be achieved without relying on the USB connector (because not all FM radios have one) and without having to mess with the radio’s internal works. The accompanying circuit diagram shows how this can be achieved. The radio-frequency choke (L1) has a low impedance at audio frequencies, thereby making an audio ground path to the line output sockets from the radio’s antenna input ("common" terminal).

Conversely, the RFC presents a high impedance to the RF antenna signal, so preventing it from being shorted to ground. The antenna signal is coupled to the radio via two 220pF polystyrene (or ceramic) capacitors, which also block low-frequency interference (eg, mains hum). Note that the design relies on the capacitance in the audio cable to couple the antenna "ground" (cable shield) to the radio’s internal "ground".

Building it:

To build the adaptor, simply mount the parts in a small plastic box and wire up as shown. A suitable choke is available from Jaycar (Cat. No. LF-1534). The leads going to the 3.5mm plug should be no longer than about 100mm and need not be shielded. With a good TV/FM antenna, the author’s unit performed remarkably well, even in a poor FM reception area. The audio frequency response and signal-to-noise ratio were surprisingly good considering the low cost of the radio (about $40).

Voltage Range: 0.7V to 24V, Current Range: 50mA to 2A

A variable dc power supply is one of the most useful tools on the electronics hobbyists workbench. This circuit is not an absolute novelty, but it is simple, reliable, "rugged" and short-proof, featuring variable voltage up to 24V and variable current limiting up to 2A. You can adapt it to your own requirements as explained in the notes below.

Circuit Diagram :

Variable DC Power Supply Circuit Diagram

Parts:

P1 = 500R
P2 = 10K
R1 = 2.2K-1/2w
R2 = 2.2K-1/2w
R3 = 330R
R4 = 150R
R5 = 1R-5W
C1 = 35V-3300uF
D1 = 1N5402
D2 = 1N5402
D3 = 5mm Red Led
C2 = 63V-1uF
Q1 = BC182
Q2 = BD139
Q3 = BC212
Q4 = 2N3055
SW1 = SPST Mains Switch
T1 = 36VCT-Transformer

Notes:

• P1 sets the maximum output current you want to be delivered by the power supply at a given output voltage.
• P2 sets the output voltage and must be a logarithmic taper type, in order to obtain a more linear scale voltage indication.
• You can choose the Transformer on the grounds of maximum voltage and current output needed. Best choices are: 36, 40 or 48V center-tapped and 50, 75, 80 or 100VA.
• Capacitor C1 can be 2200 to 6800µF, 35 to 50V.
• Q4 must be mounted on a good heatsink in order to withstand sustained output short-circuit. In some cases the rear panel of the metal box in which you will enclose the circuit can do the job.
• The 2N3055 transistor (Q4) can be replaced with TIP3055 type.

Source : www.redcircuits.com

If you ever look at construction notes for building old detector type radios the type of headphones specified always have an impedance of 2 × 2000Ω. Nowadays the most commonly available headphones have an impedance of 2 × 32 Ω, this relatively low value makes them unsuitable for such a design. However, with a bit of crafty transformation these headphones can be used in just such a design. To adapt them, you will need a transformer taken from a mains adapter unit, the type that has a switchable output voltage (3/4.5/6/9/12 V) without the rectifying diodes and capacitor. Using the different taps of this type of transformer it is possible to optimize the impedance match.

For the diode radio (any germanium diode is suitable in this design) the key to success is correct impedance matching so that none of the received signal energy is lost. The antenna coil on the 10 mm diameter by 100 mm long ferrite rod is made up of 60 turns with a tap point at every 10 turns; this is suitable for medium wave reception. If a long external aerial is used it should be connected to a lower tap point to reduce its damping effect on the circuit. You can experiment with all the available tapping points to find the best reception. With such a simple radio design, the external aerial will have a big influence on its performance.

Tip:
If your house has metal guttering and rain water pipes, it will be possible to use these as an aerial, as long as they are not directly connected to earth. Those who live in the vicinity of a broadcast transmitter may be able to connect a loudspeaker directly to the output or if the volume is too low, why not try connecting the active speaker system from your PC?

Lead acid batteries often fail prematurely due to over-charging, under-charging, deep discharging and low electrolyte level. All of these can lead to sulphation of the plates which leads to high internal resistance and eventual failure. Normally, this process is regarded as irreversible but this circuit is claimed to reverse the process by applying high voltage pulses to break down the lead sulphate compounds. The circuit is essentially a high-voltage pulse generator which is powered directly from the battery in question. If the battery is badly sulphated, it will be necessary to connect it to a low power charger as well, say 2A. We have strong doubts about whether battery sulphation can be effectively reversed but we are publishing this circuit because the subject is of particular interest.


This circuit has been submitted to us from a number of sources so we do not know who is the original designer. More information can be found at http://shaka.com/~kalepa/desulf. The 555 timer is connected as an astable oscillator with its output frequency set by R1, R2 and C2. Its output pulses drive the gate of Mosfet Q1 which turns on to charge inductors L1 and L2. At the end of each pulse, Q1 turns off and the inductors develop a high-voltage high-current pulse which is applied across the battery via fast recovery diode D1 and the 100µF capacitor. The 555 is protected from the high voltage pulses via its isolated supply, by virtue of the 15V zener diode ZD1, the 47µF capacitor and the 330Oresistor R3.

This circuit uses a single coil and nine components to make a particularly sensitive low-cost metal locator. It works on the principle of a beat frequency oscillator (BFO). The circuit incorporates two oscillators, both operating at about 40kHz. The first, IC1a, is a standard CMOS oscillator with its frequency adjustable via VR1. The frequency of the second, IC1b, is highly dependent on the inductance of coil L1, so that its frequency shifts in the presence of metal. L1 is 70 turns of 0.315mm enamelled copper wire wound on a 120mm diameter former. The Faraday shield is made of aluminium foil, which is wound around all but about 10mm of the coil and connected to pin 4 of IC1b.


The two oscillator signals are mixed through IC1c, to create a beat note. IC1d and IC1c drive the piezo sounder in push-pull fashion, thereby boosting the output. Unlike many other metal locators of its kind, this locator is particularly easy to tune. Around the midpoint setting of VR1, there will be a loud beat frequency with a null point in the middle. The locator needs to be tuned to a low frequency beat note to one or the other side of this null point. Depending on which side is chosen, it will be sensitive to either ferrous or non-ferrous metals. Besides detecting objects under the ground, the circuit could serve well as a pipe locator.

This circuit is the basis for the dimmers in a model theatre lighting system which uses touch globes as the light source. The circuit is based around a 555 timer, driving a Triac. All dimmers share the one power supply and zero-crossing detector. As it will only work if there is a common AC/DC return path, it has a simple DC supply circuit consisting of one 1N4004 diode and one 4700µF capacitor. Transistors Q1 to Q3 comprise a zero-crossing detector whose output is inverted into a negative-going pulse by Q4. This pulse is fed to the trigger input (pin 2) of the 555 IC which then starts its timing period at the beginning of each mains half cycle.


The length of this period is set by capacitor C2 and the combination of resistors R6 with pots VR1 and VR2. The output of IC1 at pin 3 is then fed to transistor Q5 which inverts this signal to trigger the Triac via a 100# resistor. When the timing period is short, the Triac is turned on early in half cycle and lights are bright. Conversely, when the timing period is longer, the lights are dim or turned off. The main dimmer control is potentiometer VR1. Trimpot VR1 is used to set the range of VR1. With VR1 set fully clockwise (ie, maximum resistance) trimpot VR2 is adjusted until the lights are just turned off. The lights should then be able to be faded over the full range by the control potentiometer.

This circuit uses a 0.1O 1W resistor connected in series with the output of a power amplifier. When the amplifier is delivering 100W into an 8O load, the resistor will be dissipating 1.25W. The resulting temperature rise is sensed by a thermistor which is thermally bonded to the resistor. The thermistor is connected in series with a resistor string which is monitored by the non-inverting (+) inputs of four comparators in an LM339 quad comparator. All of the comparator inverting inputs are connected to an adjustable threshold voltage provided by trimpot VR1. As the thermistor heats up, its resistance increases, raising the voltage along the resistor ladder.

Circuit diagram:

Loudspeaker Protector Circuit Diagram

When the voltage on the non-inverting input of each comparator exceeds the voltage at its inverting input, the output switches high and illuminates the relevant LED. NOR gate latches are connected to the outputs of the third and fourth comparators. When the third comparator switches high, the first latch is set, turning on Q1 and relay 1. This switches in an attenuation network (resistors RA & RB) to reduce the power level. However, if the power level is still excessive, comparator 4 will switch, setting its latch and turning on Q2 and relay 2.

This disconnects the loudspeaker load. The thermistor then needs to cool down before normal operation will be restored. The values of R1-R4 depend on the thermistor used. For example, if a thermistor with a resistance of 1.5kO at 25°C is used, then R1 could be around 1.5kO and R2, R3 and R4 would each be 100O (depending the temperature coefficient of the thermistor). The setup procedure involves connecting a sinewave oscillator to the input of the power amplifier and using a dummy load for the output. Set the power level desired and adjust trimpot VR1 to light LED1. Then increase the power to check that the other LEDs light at satisfactory levels.

Author: David Devers - Copyright: Silicon Chip Electronics

Most cars do not have delayed interior lights. The circuit presented can put this right. It switches the interior lights of a car on and off gradually. This makes it a lot easier, for instance, to find the ignition keyhole when the lights have gone off after the car door has been closed. Since the circuit must be operated by the door switch, a slight intervention in the wiring of this switch is unavoidable.

When the car door is opened, the door switch closes the lights circuit to earth. When the door is closed (and the switch is open), transistor T1, whose base is linked to the switch, cuts off T2, so that the interior light remains off. When the switch closes (when the door is opened), the base of T1 is at earth level and the transistor is off.

Circuit diagram:

Car Interior Lights Delay Circuit Diagram

Capacitor C1 is charged fairly rapidly via R3 and D1, whereupon T2 comes on so that the interior light is switched on. When the door is closed again, T1 conducts and stops the charging of C1. However, the capacitor is discharged fairly slowly via R5, so that T2 is not turned off immediately.

This ensures that the interior light remains on for a little while and then goes out slowly. The time delays may be varied quite substantially by altering the values of R3, R5, and C1. Circuit IC2 may be one of many types of n-channel power MOSFET, but it should be able to handle drain-source voltages greater than 50 V. In the proto-type, a BUZ74 is used which can handle D-S voltages of up to 500 V.

Source : www.extremecircuits.net

Electronics textbooks will tell you that a non-inverting opamp normally cannot be regulated down to 0 dB gain. If zero output is needed then it is usual to employ an inverting amplifier and a buffer amp in front of it, the buffer acting as an impedance step-up device.

The circuit shown here is a trick to make a non-inverting amplifier go down all the way to zero output. The secret is a linear-law stereo potentiometer connected such that when the spindle is turned clockwise the resistance in P1a increases (gain goes up), while the wiper of P1b moves towards the opamp output (more signal). When the wiper is turned anti-clockwise, the resistance of P1a drops, lowering the gain, while P1b also supplies a smaller signal to the load. In this way, the output signal can be made to go down to zero.

Circuit diagram:

Zero Gain Mod Circuit Diagram For Non-Inverting Opamp

Source : www.extremecircuits.net

Many blind and deaf-blind people use portable electronic devices to assist their everyday lives but it is difficult for them to test the batteries used in that equipment. Talking voltmeters are available for the blind but there is no commercially available equivalent usable by deaf-blind persons. This device enables blind, deaf-blind and sighted people to test batteries. It will test AAA, AA, C and D cells, as well as 9V "transistor" batteries. All rechargeable and non-rechargeable cell types are supported. The circuit needs no calibration. To use the tester, turn potentio-meter VR1 fully counter-clockwise and then connect the battery to be tested to the appropriate set of test terminals. If the battery has any usable charge, the pager motor in the tester will immediately vibrate.

VR1 is then slowly rotated in a clockwise direction just far enough to stop the vibration. The position of VR1 then indicates the loaded voltage of the battery on a scale of 1-1.5V (if the battery is connected to the 1.5V test terminals) or 6-9V (if the battery is connected to the 9V test terminals). A regulated +5.1V rail is generated from the battery under test with the aid of zener diode ZD1. For 9V tests, a 150O resistor limits the zener current, while diode D2 protects the circuit from reverse polarity battery connection. For 1.5V tests, a blocking oscillator formed by Q1, Q2 and L1 steps up the battery voltage before it is applied to the regulator. This configuration works reliably with inputs down to below 0.9V. The output of the oscillator is rectified by D1 and smoothed by the 33µF capacitor.

The circuit has to survive reverse connection of the battery under test. This creates a problem, because the LM393 cannot withstand a voltage more negative than -0.3V at its inputs. Diodes D1 and D2 indirectly protect the non-inverting inputs from negative voltages but series diodes cannot be used to protect the inverting inputs because of the unpredictable voltage drop they introduce. The solution used is to shunt negative voltages at the 1.5V test terminals with diode D3 in conjunction a 1kO resistor (R1). D3 limits the voltage at its cathode to about -0.7V, while resistors R2-R4 divide this by three to give no less than -0.23V at the inverting input (pin 2) of IC1a. When the battery is connected the right way around, D3 is reverse-biased and R1-R4 form a voltage divider that applies a quarter of the battery voltage to IC1a’s inverting input.

Similarly, D4 and R5-R10 protect the inverting input (pin 6) of IC1b from reverse-connected batteries at the 9V test terminals. However, in this case only 1/24th of the battery voltage appears at IC1b’s inverting input. Battery voltages in the range 1-1.5V at the 1.5V test terminals will therefore produce 0.25-0.375V at the inverting input of IC1a, while battery voltages in the range 6-9V at the 9V test terminals will produce 0.25-0.375V at the inverting input of IC1b. Potentiometer VR1 forms part of a voltage divider used to generate a comparison voltage that is variable over the same 0.25-0.375V range. This is applied to the non-inverting inputs of both IC1a and IC1b. When the sampled battery voltage exceeds this comparison voltage, the respective comparator output swings low, switching on Q3/Q4 to energise the pager motor.

The 68O resistor in the collector circuit of Q4 ensures that higher battery voltages do not overdrive the motor. When testing an earlier version of this circuit with batteries that have high internal impedance, it was found that when VR1 was advanced to the indicating point, the pager motor slowed down rather than switched off. This occurred due to a rebound in battery voltage at motor switch-off, which in turn caused the circuit to immediately switch the motor back on again. To counteract this effect, a small amount of positive feedback is applied around the comparators when the motor switches off. The feedback is disabled while the motor is running so that the indicating point of VR1 is not affected. This works as follows: when the motor is running, Q5 is conducting and D5 is reverse biased, so the comparison voltage at the non-inverting inputs of the comparators is not affected.

If the motor stops running, Q5 switches off and the 2.7MO resistor pulls the comparison voltage higher via D5 to ensure that the resulting battery voltage rebound does not restart the motor. Finally, diode D7 prevents reverse breakdown of Q4 in case of reverse battery connection at the 9V terminals. There is no need for a similar diode in the 1.5V part of the circuit because 1.5V is well below the reverse breakdown voltage of Q3. The prototype used "Magtrix" magnetic connectors on short flexible leads as the 1.5V test terminals. These allow the connection of AAA, AA, C and D cells but are arranged so that they cannot be brought closely together enough to connect 9V types. Unfortunately, magnetic connectors cannot be used for the 9V test terminals because some brands of 9V batteries have non-magnetic terminals. A conventional 9V battery snap can be used instead. For blind people, the knob on VR1 should be pointer-shaped (eg, DSE P-7102) so that the degree of rotation can be easily assessed by touch.

Two multivibrators with different frequencies can be built using the NAND gates of a 4011 IC. If the output of IC1.B is positive with respect to IC1.C, LED D1 is on. As the levels of IC1.A and IC1.D are exactly opposite, D2 is always on when D1 is off, and the other way around. The two oscillators have different frequencies, which are determined by the values of R2/C2 and R5/C5 respectively according to the formula f0 = 1 ÷ (1.4 RC) With the given component values, the frequencies are 2.2 Hz and 7.2 Hz. Low-current LEDs should be used, since the CMOS IC cannot sink or source sufficient current for ‘normal’ LEDs.


The values of series resistors R3 and R6 are suitable for a supply voltage of 12 V, in which case the current consumption of the circuit is around 5mA. However, in principle the 4011 can be operated over a supply voltage range of 5–15 V. Higher currents can be provided by the HC family (supply voltage 3–6 V) or the HCT family (5 V). Incidentally, the part number of the quad gate IC in the HC family is HC7400.

This circuit uses a complementary pair comprising NPN metallic transistor T1 (BC109) and pnp germanium transistor T2 (AC188) to detect heat (due to outbreak of fire, etc) in the vicinity and energise a siren. The collector of transistor T1 is connected to the base of transistor T2, while the collector of transistor T2 is connected to relay RL1. The second part of the circuit comprises popular IC UM3561 (a siren and machine-gun sound generator IC), which can produce the sound of a fire-brigade siren. Pin numbers 5 and 6 of the IC are connected to the +3V supply when the relay is in energised state, whereas pin 2 is grounded. A resistor (R2) connected across pins 7 and 8 is used to fix the frequency of the inbuilt oscillator.

The output is available from pin 3. Two transistors BC147 (T3) and BEL187 (T4) are connected in Darlington configuration to amplify the sound from UM3561. Resistor R4 in series with a 3V zener is used to provide the 3V supply to UM3561 when the relay is in energised state. LED1, connected in series with 68-ohm resistor R1 across resistor R4, glows when the siren is on. To test the working of the circuit, bring a burning matchstick close to transistor T1 (BC109), which causes the resistance of its emitter-collector junction to go low due to a rise in temperature and it starts conducting. Simultaneously, transistor T2 also conducts because its base is connected to the collector of transistor T1. As a result, relay RL1 energizes and switches on the siren circuit to produce loud sound of a fire-brigade siren.

Note.

• We have added a table to enable readers to obtain all possible sound effects by returning pins 1 and 2 as suggested in the table.

Useful to listen in faint sounds, 1.5V Battery operation

This circuit, connected to 32 Ohm impedance mini-earphones, can detect very remote sounds. Useful for theatre, cinema and lecture goers: every word will be clearly heard. You can also listen to your television set at a very low volume, avoiding to bother relatives and neighbors. Even if you have a faultless hearing, you may discover unexpected sounds using this device: a remote bird twittering will seem very close to you.

Circuit Diagram:

Amplified Ear Circuit Diagram        

Parts :

P1 = 22K
R1 = 10K
R2 = 1M
R3 = 4K7
R4 = 100K
R5 = 3K9
R6 = 1K5
R7 = 100K
R8 = 100R
R9 = 10K
C1 = 100nF 63V
C2 = 100nF 63V
C3 = 1µF 63V
C4 = 10µF 25V
C5 = 470µF 25V
C6 = 1µF 63V
D1 = 1N4148
Q1 = BC547
Q2 = BC547
Q3 = BC547
Q4 = BC337
J1 = Stereo 3mm. Jack socket
B1 = 1.5V Battery (AA or AAA cell etc.)
SW1 = SPST Switch (Ganged with P1)
MIC1 = Miniature electret microphone

Circuit Operation :
The heart of the circuit is a constant-volume control amplifier. All the signals picked-up by the microphone are amplified at a constant level of about 1 Volt peak to peak. In this manner very low amplitude audio signals are highly amplified and high amplitude ones are limited. This operation is accomplished by Q3, modifying the bias of Q1 (hence its AC gain) by means of R2.
A noteworthy feature of this circuit is 1.5V battery operation. Typical current drawing: 7.5mA.

Notes:

• Due to the constant-volume control, some users may consider P1 volume control unnecessary. In most cases it can be omitted, connecting C6 to C3. In this case use a SPST slider or toggle switch as SW1.
• Please note the stereo output Jack socket (J1) connections: only the two inner connections are used, leaving open the external one. In this way the two earpieces are wired in series, allowing mono operation and optimum load impedance to Q4 (64 Ohm).
• Using suitable miniature components, this circuit can be enclosed in a very small box, provided by a clip and hanged on ones clothes or slipped into a pocket.
• Gary Pechon from Canada reported that the Amplified Ear is so sensitive that he can hear a whisper 7 meters across the room.
• He hooked a small relay coil to the input and was able to locate power lines in his wall. He was also able to hear the neighbors stereo perfectly: he could pick up the signals sent to the speaker voice coil through a plaster wall.
• Gary suggests that this circuit could make also a good electronic stethoscope.

Source : www.redcircuits.com

It is impossible to imagine present day society without any batteries. Count the number of gadgets in your house that are powered from batteries, you will be stunned by the number of batteries you will find. The majority of these devices use penlight batteries and if you’re a little environmentally conscious you will be using rechargeable batteries. A few years ago these batteries were invariably NiCd types. However, these batteries suffer from a relatively high rate of self-discharge and from the so-called memory-effect. It is now more common to use NiMH batteries.

The advantage is that these batteries do not suffer from the memory-effect and generally also have a much higher capacity, so that they last longer before they have to be recharged again. From the above you can conclude that every household these days needs, or could use, a battery charger. A good charger needs to keep an eye on several things to ensure that the batteries are charged properly. For one, the charger has to make sure that the voltage per cell is not too high. It also needs to check the charging curve to determine when the battery is fully charged. If the charging process is taking too long, this is an indication that something is wrong and the charger must stop charging.


Sometimes it is also useful to monitor the temperature of the cells to ensure that they do not get too hot. The circuit presented here is intended for charging NiMH batteries. The MAX712 IC used here contains all the necessary functionality to make sure that this happens in a controlled manner. Figure 1 shows the schematic of the charger. The heart of the circuit is easily recognized: everything is arranged around IC1, a MAX712 from Maxim. This IC is available in a standard DIP package, which is convenient for the hobbyist because it can be directly fitted on standard though-hole prototyping board.

IC1 uses T1 to regulate the current in the battery. R1 is used by IC1 to measure the current. While charging, IC1 attempts to maintain a constant voltage, equal to 250 mV, across R1. By adjusting the value of R1 the charging current can be set. The value of R1 can be calculated using the formula below: R1 = 250 mV / I charge For a charging current of 1 A, the value of R1 has to be 250 mV / 1 A = 0.25 Ω. The power dissipated by R1 equals U × I = 0.25 × 1= 250 mW. A 0.5-watt resistor will therefore suffice for R1. Transistor T1 may need a small heatsink depending on the charging current and supply voltage.


IC1 needs a small amount of user input regarding the maximum charging time and the number of cells in the battery to be charged. IC1 has four inputs, PGM0 to PGM3, for this purpose. These are not ordinary digital inputs (which recognise only 2 states) but special inputs that recognise 4 different states, namely V+, Vref, BATT– or not connected. To make this a little bit more user friendly, we’ve brought out the necessary connections to 2 connectors (K3 and K4). A number of dongles have been made (Figure 2) that can be plugged into these connectors and set the number of cells and the maximum charging time. When determining the maximum charging time we have to take into account the charging current and the capacity of the cells that are connected.

The charging time can be calculated with the formula: Tcharge = Ccell / I charge × 1.2 where Ccell is the capacity in Ah (e.g., 1200 mAh = 1.2 Ah). After the nominal charging time has been calculated, we can use the first dongle that has a value that is equal or greater than the calculated charging time. For example, if we calculated a maximum charging time of 38 minutes, we have to select the dongle for 45 minutes. When IC1 is replaced by a MAX713, the charger becomes suitable for charging NiCd batteries (but not suitable for NiMH batteries any more!). The only difference between these two ICs is the value of the detection point at which the cell(s) are considered to be completely charged. The ICs are otherwise identical with regard to pin-out, method of adjustment, etc. To make it easy to swap between the ICs, we recommend an IC-socket for IC1.

This circuit was designed to assist the installation of TV antennas. The signal is monitored using a small portable TV set and this circuit monitors the output of the TVs FM detector IC via a shielded lead. To initially calibrate the meter, adjust trimpot VR2 to zero the meter. Trimpot VR1 is a sensitivity control and can be set for a preset reading (ie, 0dB) or can be calibrated in millivolts. Rotating the antenna for a minimum reading on the meter (indicating FM quieting) gives the optimum orientation for the antenna.

Circuit diagram:

TV Relative Signal Strength Meter Circuit Diagram

Author: Ted Sherman Copyright: Silicon Chip Electronics

This project details the design of a very low dropout adjustable power supply. A good power supply is essential to electronic projects. While there are many existing designs for adjustable power supplies, this one makes improvements that make it more useful for hobby designs

MIC2941 regulator has guaranteed 1.25A output
Low dropout, only 40mV - 400mV compared to 1.25V - 2.0V for LM317. This means you can use a wider range of output voltages including generating 3.3V from as low as 3.7V (such as 3 AAs or a lithium ion battery)!
Short circuit and overheating protection
Input diode to protect circuitry from negative voltages or AC power supplies.
2.1mm DC jack and terminal connector for voltage inputs
Two indicator LEDs for high and low voltages
Output selection switch to select from 3.3v, 5v and Adjustable
On-board potentiometer for adjusting voltage from 1.25V up to within 0.5V of the input voltage. (20V max)
On/Off switch for entire board