Showing posts with label adjustable. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adjustable. Show all posts

Monday, October 13, 2014

Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulator Circuit diagram

Parts:
R1_____________1M5 1/4W Resistor
R2____________15K 1/4W Resistor
R3___________100K Linear Potentiometer
R4_____________2K2 1/4W Resistor

C1___________330nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C2___________100µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor

D1_____________3mm. Red LED

IC1___________7555 or TS555CN CMos Timer IC
IC2___________4017 Decade counter with 10 decoded outputs IC

SW1___________SPST Slider Switch

B1______________9V PP3 Battery

Clip for PP3 Battery

Two Earclips with wires (see notes)

Device purpose:

Owing to the recent launching in Europe of Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES) portable sets, we have been "Electronically Stimulated" in designing a similar circuit for the sake of Hobbyists. CES is the most popular technique for electrically boosting brain power, and has long been prescribed by doctors, mainly in the USA, for therapeutic reasons, including the treatment of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and chemical dependency. CES units generate an adjustable current (80 to 600 microAmperes) that flows through clips placed on the earlobes. The waveform of this device is a 400 milliseconds positive pulse followed by a negative one of the same duration, then a pause of 1.2 seconds. The main frequency is 0.5 Hz, i.e. a double pulse every 2 seconds. Some people report that this kind of minute specialized electrical impulses contributes to achieve a relaxed state that leaves the mind alert.
Obviously we cant claim or prove any therapeutic effectiveness for this device, but if you are interested in trying it, the circuit is so cheap and so simple to build that an attempt can be made with quite no harm.

Circuit operation:

IC1 forms a narrow pulse, 2.5Hz oscillator feeding IC2. This chip generates the various timings for the output pulses. Output is taken at pins 2 & 3 to easily obtain negative going pulses also. Current output is limited to 600µA by R2 and can be regulated from 80 to 600µA by means of R3. The LED flashes every 2 seconds signaling proper operation and can also be used for setting purposes. It can be omitted together with R4, greatly increasing battery life.

Notes:

  • In order to obtain a more precise frequency setting take R1=1M2 and add a 500K trimmer in series with it.
  • In this case use a frequency meter to read 2.5Hz at pin 3 of IC1, or an oscilloscope to read 400msec pulses at pins 2, 3 or 10, adjusting the added trimmer.
  • A simpler setting can be made adjusting the trimmer to count exactly a LED flash every 2 seconds.
  • Earclips can be made with little plastic clips and cementing the end of the wire in a position suited to make good contact with earlobes.
  • Ultra-simple earclips can be made using a thin copper foil with rounded corners 4 cm. long and 1.5 cm. wide, soldering the wire end in the center, and then folding the foil in two parts holding the earlobes.
  • To ensure a better current transfer, this kind of devices usually has felt pads moistened with a conducting solution interposed between clips and skin.
  • Commercial sets have frequently a built-in timer. Timing sessions last usually 20 minutes to 1 hour. For this purpose you can use the Timed Beeper the Bedside Lamp Timer or the Jogging Timer circuits available on this website, adjusting the timing components in order to suit your needs.
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Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Adjustable 3 Ampere Regulator

By combining a common 78L05 with an integrated audio amplifier of the type TDA2030, an adjustable voltage regulator can be constructed in a very simple manner that works very well. The output voltage is adjustable up to 20 V, with a maximum current of 3 A. Since the TDA2030 comes complete with a good thermal and short-circuit protection circuit, this adjustable regulator is also very robust. As illustrated by the schematic, the design of this circuit is characterized by simplicity that is hard to beat. In addition to the two ICs, the regulator contains actually only two potentiometers and a few capacitors.

Adjustable 3 Ampere Regulator Circuit DiagramThe adjustment is done by first turning potentiometer P1 to maximum (wiper to the side of the 78L05) and subsequently turning trimpot P2 until the desired maximum output voltage is reached. P1 is then used to provide a continuously adjustable voltage between this maximum and nearly zero volts. At relatively small output currents there are no specific requirements regarding the cooling. However, when the output current exceeds 1 A, or if the input to output voltage difference is quite large, the amplifier IC has to dissipate too much power and a small heatsink is certainly appropriate.
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Monday, September 23, 2013

Very Low Dropout Adjustable Breadboard Power Supply

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

Very Low Dropout Adjustable Breadboard Power SupplyMIC2941 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
Very Low Dropout Adjustable Breadboard Power Supply Circuit Diagram
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