Bluish Flasher

Firstly, it demonstrates how the combination of a blue and a white LED can be used to give a realistic imitation of a camera flashlight. Secondly, the good old 555 IC is used in a way many of you may never have seen before alternately mono-stable / astable without too much in the way of external parts. Initially C3 will be empty, pulling output pin 3 to +12 V and causing the blue LED, D1, to light via R3. Next, C3 will charge up via R2. Meanwhile C1 has been building up charge through R1 and D3. If the voltage on C3 reaches about 8 V (two-thirds of 12 V), pin 3 of the 555 will drop Low. So does pin 7, causing the white LED to light, pulling its energy from C1. This energy drops quickly, causing D2 to dim in an exponentially decaying fashion, just like a camera flashlight.

Circuit diagram:

Bluish Flasher Circuit Diagram

Now, because the 555’s output has dropped Low, the voltage on C3 will decrease as well. Ad soon as a level of 4 V is reached (one third of 12 V), the above cycle is repeated. Resistor R4 limits the current through the 555 to safe levels. You may want to experiment with the latest hyper-bright white LEDs. SDK’s AlInGaP LEDs, for example, are claimed to light three times as brightly as regular white LEDs. A number of blue LEDs may be connected in series instead of just one as shown in the circuit diagram. Unfortunately, that is not possible at the ‘white’ side. For the best visual effect, the white blue LEDs should be mounted close together. When fitted close to the extra brake light in your car, the bluish white flash is sure to make even persistent tailgaters back off. Note however that this use of the circuit may not be legal in all countries.
Author: Myo Min - Copyright: Elektor Electronics July-August 2004

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Hard Disk Switch

In these times with viruses and other threats from the Internet it would be nice to have reassurance that the PC cannot be infected. That is why this circuit was designed. It makes it possible to install multiple hard disks inside the case of a PC, which are separated in such a way that viruses cannot move from one disk to another. In this case there are three drives installed, one for use of the Internet via ADSL, one for working with email and one for other applications.

If data from the Internet never arrives on the third disk, it is effectively protected against viruses. The solution outlined here has been in satisfactory use for a couple of years. There is an additional benefit: if there are ever any problems with the operation of the computer, then it is very easy to change to another hard disk to check if the problem manifests itself there as well. In this case, fault finding can be made much easier. The circuit operates by only switching over the power supply voltages (5 V and 12 V) of the hard disks. The hard disk is out of service without a power supply. This works without a problem with S-ATA disks.

Circuit diagram:

Hard Disk Switch Circuit Diagram

With IDE disks this only works with modern drives. There may only be a combination of hard disks on the relevant port and no CD-ROM, DVD-drive, CD-burner or something similar. The selection of the desired hard disk is done with a rotary switch. This has to be set to the correct position before the computer is switched on. When the power supply is turned on, one of three relays is driven via diode D1, D2 or D3. The relays are provided with a hold circuit via a second diode (D4, D5 and D6). In this way the selected relay remains energised as long as the power supply voltage is present.

After switching on, electrolytic capacitor C1 is charged via R1, so that the common contact of the rotary switch is quickly at 0 V. This prevents an accidental change of hard disk while the computer is in operation. The ADSL modem is powered from the PC. This power supply voltage is only present if hard disk number 2 is selected. This prevents the use of the Internet if one of the other disks is selected.

Author: Uwe Kardel - Copyright: Elektor Electronics Magazine

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LED Lighting For Dual-Filament Lamps

Before we describe how it's done, note that we recommend that the result be checked as having sufficient brightness for a stop & tail-light application. That's because the light output may be inadequate, depending on the tail-light lens and reflector assembly - so use any modified lamps with discretion! As shown, an additional diode (D1) and resistor (68W) provide power from the "tail" circuit. Alternatively, when the "stop" circuit is powered, the resistor is bypassed by D2, thus increasing the LED current and the light output.

Circuit diagram:

Modifications to the lamp assembly instructions are as follows:

1. After soldering in the copper tube but before soldering the platform board to the bayonet lamp base, the three components inside the dotted box must be wired up inside the base.
2. The anode leads of the diodes can be soldered directly into the contacts ("bumps") on the base (a fine file or glass paper may be needed to get a nice round shape). Everything must be insulated (use heatshrink tubing).

The red wire from the Multidisc board is then soldered to the junction of D2 and the resistor. The black wire is soldered directly the metal casing of the lamp. We suggest testing the lamp before soldering the platform board in place. It may be necessary to vary the value of the additional resistor to get the correct intensity change between stop & tail modes.

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22W Stereo Amplifier Using TDA1554

Here is the 22 watt stereo audio power amplifier circuit diagram based on TDA1554 and integrated circuit from NXP semiconductors (formerly PHILIPS semiconductors). It is very simple and useful circuit for amplify the stereo signals .The circuit dissipates roughly 28 watts of heat, so a good heatsink is necessary. The chip should run cool enough to touch with the proper heatsink installed .the circuit operates at 12 Volts at about 5 Amps at full volume. Lower volumes use less current, and therefore produce less heat. R1 is also a 5% resistor.

Circuit diagram:

22W Stereo Audio Amplifier Circuit Diagram

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100W Inverter Circuit Schematic

Here is a 100 Watt inverter circuit using minimum number of components. I think it is quite difficult to make a decent one like this with further less components.Here we use CD 4047 IC from Texas Instruments for generating the 100 Hz pulses and four 2N3055 transistors for driving the load. The IC1 Cd4047 wired as an astable multivibrator produces two 180 degree out of phase 100 Hz pulse trains.

These pulse trains are preamplified by the two TIP122 transistors.The out puts of the TIP 122 transistors are amplified by four 2N3055 transistors (two transistors for each half cycle) to drive the inverter transformer.The 220V AC will be available at the secondary of the transformer. Nothing complex just the elementary inverter principle and the circuit works great for small loads like a few bulbs or fans.If you need just a low cost inverter in the region of 100 W, then this is the best.

Circuit diagram:

100 Watt Inverter Circuit Diagram

Parts:
P1 = 250K
R1 = 4.7K
R2 = 4.7K
R3 = 0.1R-5W
R4 = 0.1R-5W
R5 = 0.1R-5W
R6 = 0.1R-5W
C1 = 0.022uF
C2 = 220uF-25V
D1 = BY127
D2 = 9.1V Zener
Q1 = TIP122
Q2 = TIP122
Q3 = 2N3055
Q4 = 2N3055
Q5 = 2N3055
Q6 = 2N3055
F1 = 10A Fuse
IC1 = CD4047
T1 = 12-0-12V
Transformr Connected in Reverse

Notes:

• A 12 V car battery can be used as the 12V source.
• Use the POT R1 to set the output frequency to50Hz.
• For the transformer get a 12-0-12 V , 10A step down transformer.But here the 12-
• 0-12 V winding will be the primary and 220V winding will be the secondary.
• If you could not get a 10A rated transformer , don’t worry a 5A one will be just
• enough. But the allowed out put power will be reduced to 60W.
• Use a 10 A fuse in series with the battery as shown in circuit.
• Mount the IC on a IC holder.
• Remember,this circuit is nothing when compared to advanced PWM
• inverters.This is a low cost circuit meant for low scale applications.

Design tips:

1. The maximum allowed output power of an inverter depends on two factors.The
2. maximum current rating of the transformer primary and the current rating of the driving
3. transistors.
4. For example ,to get a 100 Watt output using 12 V car battery the primary current will be
5. ~8A ,(100/12) because P=VxI.So the primary of transformer must be rated above 8A.
6. Also here ,each final driver transistors must be rated above 4A. Here two will be
7. conducting parallel in each half cycle, so I=8/2 = 4A .
8. These are only rough calculations and enough for this circuit.

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Input Impedance Booster Circuit Diagram

The input impedance of a.c.-coupled op amp circuits depends almost entirely on the resistance that sets the d.c. operating point. If CMOS op amps are used, the input is high, in current op amps up to 10 MΩ. If a higher value is needed, a bootstrap may be used, which enables the input impedance to be boosted artificially to a very high value. In the diagram, resistors R1 plus R2 form the resistance that sets the d.c. operating point for opamp IC1. If no other actions were taken, the input impedance would be about 20 MΩ. However, part of the input signal is fed back in phase, so that the alternating current through R1 is smaller. The input impedance, Zin, is then: Zin=(R2+R3)/R3)(R1+R2). With component values as specified, Zin has a value of about 1GΩ. The circuit draws a current of about 3 mA.

Circuit diagram:

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30mA LED Dimmer

If you’ve ever tried dimming a LED with a simple potentiometer, you know that the approach does not work very well. Just as with ordinary diodes, the voltage-current characteristic of LEDs is far from linear. The result - depending on the potentiometer setting the LED brightness will hardly change most of the time as the pot is turned and a sudden variation at the end. The best method to tackle this problem is to power the LED from a current source with zero to 100% adjustment range. The circuit shown here is an example. A low-current LED (D1) is used to generate a reference voltage that’s first buffered by one half of an LM358. The actual current source that powers the LED(s) is built around the second opamp in the chip.

Circuit diagram:

30-mA LED Dimmer Circuit Diagram

The potentiometer allows the output current to be adjusted, with R2 acting as a current sense, the resistor dropping the same voltage as the one obtained from the pot. Using Ohm’s law we find that the maximum current through R2 amounts to about 29 mA (I LED = 1.6 V / 56 Ω). If necessary, the current may be adapted to suit other LED types, for example, 20 mA is obtained with R2 = 82 Ω and 10 mA at R2 = 150 Ω. It is also possible to connect several LEDs in series.

The total voltage available for the LEDs is determined by the voltage drop across series resistor and the opamp, and, of course, the supply voltage. In this way, the highest number of LEDs may be found from ULED, total = Ubatt – 5.1 V. In principle, it is possible to increase the supply voltage to 30 V in order to connect even more LEDs in series. This does, however, call for the value of series resistor R1 to be increased to prevent overloading the low-current LED used in the voltage reference. If you intend to experiment with larger numbers of LEDs (say, in arrays) then the maximum loading of the opamps becomes an issue. The DIP version of the LM358 may dissipate up to 830 mW. The power, P, is calculated from P = Ubatt – 1.6 – ULED,total × I LED,max.

Author: Eberhard Haug - Copyright: Elektor Electronics

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Constant Current LED Drive

Most LED driver circuits use a series resistor to control the current through the LED. For applications needing a few LEDs, this is optimal. However, for applications needing many LEDs, this becomes extravagantly inefficient and it is tempting to keep the voltage drop across the resistor as small as possible. That leads to poor control of the current. ICs such as the MM5450 and its relatives and the A6275 and its relatives provide constant current outputs so that the current through the LEDs is well controlled even though the voltage drop across the circuit doing the control is acceptably small. However, the difficulty with these circuits is that because they contain many constant current drivers crowded into a relatively small package, unless the supply voltage is small, they become too hot and can destroy themselves.

Circuit diagram:

Constant Current LED Drive Circuit Diagram

This problem is not easy to solve. The solution is to maintain a small voltage across each constant current source. In this circuit, this is accomplished by REG1, the LM317L, which provides a bias of about 1.5V ±5%. Each transistor works as an emitter-follower, presenting the A6275 inputs with about 0.9V. Vled, the LED supply voltage, needs to be high enough to ensure that there will be at least 0.5V across each transistor but it is safe to allow significantly more than this and the supply need not be well regulated. The transistors can be general purpose NPN types such as BC548 and a single LM317L will easily supply a total LED current of at least 1A. A6275s are made by Allegro.

Author: Keith Anderson - Copyright: Silicon Chip Electronics

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Using AC for LED Christmas Lights

This circuit uses low-voltage AC to drive a string of 50 or so bi-color LEDs (two LEDs connected in inverse parallel). Power to the LEDs is controlled by the Triac and the two optocouplers which have their photo-transistors effectively connected in inverse-parallel. Depending on which optocoupler is turned on, the Triac applies positive, negative or both half-cycles to the LEDs and so the colours can be red, green or in-between. Switch S1 is used to select the pulses from two oscillators which are formed by the NAND gates in IC1 (4011B). This provides a variety of LED flash patterns, depending on the setting of S1.

Circuit diagram:

Author: Matthew Peterson - Copyright: Silicon Chip Electronics

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LCD Module in 4-bit Mode

In many projects use is made of alphanumeric LCDs that are driven internally by Hitachi’s industry-standard HD44780 controller. These displays can be driven either in 4-bit or 8-bit mode. In the first case only the high nibble (D4 to D7) of the display’s data bus is used. The four unused connections still deserve some closer attention. The data lines can be used as either inputs or outputs for the display. It is well known that an unloaded output is fine, but that a floating high-impedance input can cause problems. So what should you do with the four unused data lines when the display is used in 4-bit mode? This question arose when a circuit was submitted to us where D0-D3 where tied directly to GND (the same applies if it was to +5 V) to stop the problem of floating inputs.

The LCD module was driven directly by a microcontroller, which was on a development board for testing various programs and I/O functions. There was a switch present for turning off the enable of the display when it wasn’t being used, but this could be forgotten during some experiments. When the R/Wline of the display is permanently tied to GND (data only goes from the microcontroller to the display) then the remaining lines can safely be connected to the supply (+ve or GND). In this application however, the R/Wline was also controlled by the microcontroller. When the display is initialised correctly then nothing much should go wrong. The data sheet for the HD44780 is not very clear as to what happens with the low nibble during initialisation.

LCD Module in 4-bit Mode Circuit Diagram

After the power-on reset the display will always be in 8-bit mode. A simple experiment (see the accompanying circuit) reveals that it is safer to use pull-down resistors to GND for the four low data lines. The data lines of the display are configured as outputs in this circuit (R/Wis high) and the ‘enable’ is toggled (which can still happen, even though it is not the intention to communicate with the display). Note that in practice the RS line will also be driven by an I/O pin, and in our circuit the R/W line as well. All data lines become high and it’s not certain if (and if so, for how long) the display can survive with four shorted data lines. The moral of the story is: in 4-bit mode you should always tie D0-D3 via resistors to ground or positive.

Author: L. Lemmens
Copyright: Elektor Electronics

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Automatic White-LED Garden Light

This white-LED driver circuit is ideal for use in a garden light. It automatically turns the LED on at night and runs from a single 1.2V nicad cell which is recharged by a solar cell during the day. The prototype used the existing casing and solar cell from an old garden light but you could also use a solar cell from a solar education kit. Diode D1 allows the solar cell to charge the battery during the day and prevents it from discharging back into the solar cell at night. Transistor Q1 controls the LED driver circuit. This transistor is normally on during the day (ie, when there is output from the solar cell) and so Q2 and the LED are off.

At night time, Q1 is off and this allows a simple blocking oscillator circuit based on T1, R2 and Q2 to operate. This circuit in turn drives LED1 via a 1W resistor which limits the peak current into the LED. T1 is wound bifilar, with the two windings configured to produce a center-tapped winding. Winding AB is the main primary winding and winding BC is the feedback winding. The number of turns and the core used are not critical. The prototype worked with a toroid scrounged from an old computer power supply, as well as with a small ferrite suppression bead and an Altronics L5110 core.

Circuit diagram:

Automatic White-LED Garden Light Circuit Diagram

The toroids were wound using 10 turns of 0.25mm wire, while the ferrite bead worked with just five turns of 0.25 mm wire through the hole (that's all that would fit). The oscillator works like this: when Q1 turns off, current flows through R2 and turns Q2 on. This causes current to flow through winding AB and the core produces a magnetic flux. And that in turn causes end C on the transformer to rise above the battery voltage and turn Q2 on hard. When the core saturates, the voltage at C drops back to the battery voltage, thus reducing the current in winding AB. As this happens, the flux in the core starts to fall and this causes the voltage at C to drop below 0.6V.

As a result, Q2 turns off and because there is now no current in AB, the flux in the core starts to collapse. What happens now is that the voltage on end A of the windings rises above the battery voltage. When it gets to 3.2-3.6V with respect to ground, LED1 "fires" and current flows from the battery via BA, through the LED and back to the battery. When the flux is spent, LED1 turns off and end C returns to the battery voltage. Current now flows through R2 and into the base of Q2 and the whole cycle starts over again. Finally, when the Sun rises the following morning, Q1 turns on, robs Q2 of its base drive, the oscillation stops and LED1 goes out.
Author: Nick Baroni - Copyright: Silicon Chip Electronics

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USB Power Injector For External Hard Drives

A portable USB hard drive is a great way to back up data but what if your USB ports are unable to supply enough "juice" to power the drive? A modified version of the Silicon Chip Usb Power Injector is the answer. For some time now, the author has used a portable USB hard drive to back up data at work. As with most such drives, it is powered directly from the USB port, so it doesn’t require an external plug pack supply.

Project's Picture:

In fact, the device is powered from two USB ports, since one port is incapable of supplying sufficient current. That’s done using a special USB cable that’s supplied with the drive. It has two connectors fitted to one end, forming what is basically a "Y" configuration (see photo). One connector is wired for both power and data while the other connector has just the power supply connections. In use, the two connectors are plugged into adjacent USB ports, so that power for the drive is simultaneously sourced from both ports.

USB Cable:

An external USB hard drive is usually powered by plugging two connectors at one end of a special USB cable into adjacent USB ports on the computer. This allows power to be sourced from both ports. According to the USB specification, USB ports are rated to supply up to 500mA at 5V DC, so two connected in parallel should be quite capable of powering a portable USB hard drive – at least in theory.

Complete Project:

Unfortunately, in my case, it didn’t quite work out that way. Although the USB drive worked fine with several work computers, it was a "no-go" on my home machine. Instead, when it was plugged into the front-panel USB ports, the drive repeatedly emitted a distinctive chirping sound as it unsuccessfully tried to spin up. During this process, Windows XP did recognise that a device had been plugged in but that’s as far as it went – it couldn’t identify the device and certainly didn’t recognize the drive.

Plugging the drive into the rear-panel ports gave exactly the same result. The problem wasn’t just confined to this particular drive either. A newly-acquired Maxtor OneTouch4 Mini drive also failed to power up correctly on my home computer, despite working perfectly on several work computers.

Circuit diagram:

The revised USB Power Injector is essentially a switch and a 5V regulator. The Vbus supply from USB socket CON1 turns on transistor Q1 which then turns on power Mosfet Q2. This then feeds a 6V DC regulated supply from an external plug pack to regulator REG1 which in turn supplies 5V to USB socket CON2.

Source: Silicon Chip 26 June 2008

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Interactive Toy Traffic Lights

This toy traffic signal uses a single low-cost hex Schmitt-trigger inverter IC (IC1a-IC1f) to directly drive three coloured LEDs (red, green and amber). At switch-on, the circuit lights the red signal for 30s, then shows green for 6s, then amber for 3s. It then repeats the sequence. Interaction is provided by pushbutton S1 which abbreviates the red period to a further 3s only, if it is pressed while the red signal is showing. Sequencing of the three LEDs is controlled by inverters IC1c, IC1d & IC1e, while the electrolytic capacitors at the inverter outputs and their associated 2.7MO resistors determine how long each LED stays on.

Diodes D3, D4 & D5 discharge the timing capacitors for the next two LEDs in the sequence while the current LED is on. Note also the 10kO resistor at the input of each inverter. These protect the inverter inputs from being damaged by the negative voltage produced when the previous output goes low while its timing capacitor is fully charged. The circuit is forced into the red state at switch-on by IC1f and its associated circuitry. What happens is that IC1f briefly pulls the negative end of the amber timing capacitor (C4) low via D6 at switch-on. As a result, IC1e's output goes high and turns the amber LED (LED3) off.

Circuit diagram:

Interactive Toy Traffic Lights Circuit Diagram

The red timing capacitor (C5) is in a discharged state at power-up because D5 and the 10kO resistor at the output of IC1e discharge it when the power is off. As a result, when IC1e's output goes high, IC1c's output goes low and turns LED1 (red) on. This also pulls the input of IC1d low, so IC1d's output goes high, turning the green LED off. The amber timing capacitor (C4) at the output of IC1d charges rapidly when it receives the negative pulse from IC1f. That's because its positive end is high when the green LED is off and the pulse takes its negative end low. When pin 12 of IC1f subsequently goes high at the end of the switch-on pulse, this remains charged and holds the input of IC1e low, so the amber LED (LED3) remains off.

Pushbutton operation is controlled by IC1a and IC1b, which rapidly charge the red timing capacitor (C5) 3s after switch S1 is pressed. This works as follows: pin 2 of IC1a is high when the red LED is on, so pressing S1 during the red period rapidly charges C1. C2 then charges slowly from C1 via a 2.7MO resistor. After about 3s, C2 reaches IC1b's trigger threshold and so pin 4 of IC1b switches low. Because the red LED is on, the amber LED is off. This means that pin 10 of IC1e is high and so the positive end of C5 is also high. When IC1b's output goes low, it pulls the negative end of C5 low via D2, thereby rapidly charging this timing capacitor. This ends the red period and so the red LED (LED1) turns off. As a result, IC1a's output goes low and C1 and C2 discharge via D1, ready for the next time switch S1 is pressed.

Author: Andrew Partridge - Copyright: Silicon Chip Electronics

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Low-Cost Dual Digital Dice

This simple dual digital dice is based on three low-cost ICs, a few transistors and a handful of LEDs. IC1a & IC1b operate as an oscillator with a frequency of about 4kHz and this clocks IC2. The frequency of oscillation is not critical - it simply needs to be high enough to prevent cheating. IC2 and IC3 are 4516 binary counters, configured to count in binary from 1-6. A power-on reset is not required here since, if the initial state is outside the correct range, the counters will count into the correct range after a few clock pulses. Let's first consider how IC2 operates. When the counter reaches "7" (ie, 111), the AND gate formed by diodes D1 & D2 and the 47kO resistor applies a high to the PE pin (pin 1).

Circuit diagram:

Low-Cost Dual Digital Dice Circuit Diagram

This presets the counter to 1 (ie, 001) and so PE goes low again. The counter then increments in the normal manner until it reaches "7" again. Counter IC3 operates in the same manner except that the clock signal is derived from IC2's O3 output. The counter outputs (O1, O2 & O3) drive NPN transistors Q1-Q6 and these in turn drive the LEDs (ie, the LEDs indicate the states of the counters). Normally, the counters are incrementing continuously and the LEDs all appear to be lit. However, when push-button switch S1 is pressed, pin 6 of IC1c goes low and pin 9 of IC1d pulls the Ci input of IC2 high, thus stopping the counters. Finally, toggle switch S2 allows the user to choose between having two dice operating simultaneously or just one.

Author: Len Cox - Copyright: Silicon Chip Electronics

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Intelligent Presence Simulator

However effective a domestic alarm system may be, it’s invariably better if it never goes off, and the best way to ensure this is to make potential burglars think the premises are occupied. Indeed, unless you own old masters or objects of great value likely to attract ‘professional’ burglars, it has to be acknowledged that the majority of burglaries are committed by ‘petty’ thieves who are going to be looking more than anything else for simplicity and will prefer to break into homes whose occupants are away.

Rather than simply not going on holiday – which is also one solution to the problem (!) – we’re going to suggest building this intelligent presence simulator which ought to put potential burglars off, even if your home is subjected to close scrutiny. Like all its counterparts, the proposed circuit turns one or more lights on and off when the ambient light falls, but while many devices are content to generate fixed timings, this one works using randomly variable durations.

Circuit diagram:

Intelligent Presence Simulator Circuit Diagram

So while other devices are very soon caught out simply by daily observation (often from a car) because of their too-perfect regularity, this one is much more credible due to the fact that its operating times are irregular. The circuit is very simple, as we have employed a microcontroller – a ‘little’ 12C508 from Microchip, which is more than adequate for such an application. It is mains powered and uses rudimentary voltage regulation by a zener diode.

A relay is used to control the light(s); though this is less elegant than a triac solution, it does avoid any interference from the mains reaching the microcontroller, for example, during thunderstorms. We mustn’t forget this project needs to work very reliably during our absence, whatever happens. The ambient light level is measured by a conventional LDR (light dependent resistor), and the lighting switching threshold is adjustable via P1 to suit the characteristics and positioning of the LDR.

Note that input GP4 of the PIC12C508 is not analogue, but its logic switching threshold is very suitable for this kind of use. The LED connected to GP1 indicates the circuit’s operating mode, selected by grounding or not of GP2 or GP3 via override switch S1. So there are three possible states: permanently off, permanently on, and automatic mode, which is the one normally used. Given the software programmed into the 12C508 (‘firmware’) and the need to generate very long delays so as to arrive at lighting times or an hour or more, it has been necessary to make the MCU operate at a vastly reduced clock frequency.

PCB Layout:

PCB Layout Of Intelligent Presence Simulator

In that case, a crystal-controlled clock is no longer suitable, so the R-C network R5/C3 is used instead. For sure, such a clock source is less stable than a crystal, but then in an application like this, that may well be what we’re after as a degree of randomness is a design target instead of a disadvantage. Our suggested PCB shown here takes all the components for this project except of course for S1, S2, and the LDR, which will need to be positioned on the front panel of the case in order to sense the ambient light intensity.

The PCB has been designed for a Finder relay capable of switching 10 A, which ought to prove adequate for lighting your home, unless you live in a replica of the Palace of Versailles. The program to be loaded into the 12C508 is available for free download from the Elektor website as file number 080231-11.zip or from the author’s own website: www.tavernier-c.com. On completion of the solder work the circuit should work immediately and can be checked by switching to manual mode.

The relay should be released in the ‘off’ position and energized in the ‘on’ position. Then all that remains is to adjust the day/night threshold by adjusting potentiometer P1. To do this, you can either use a lot of patience, or else use a voltmeter – digital or analogue, but the latter will need to be electronic so as to be high impedance – connected between GP4 and ground. When the light level below which you want the lighting to be allowed to come on is reached, adjust P1 to read approximately 1.4 V on the voltmeter.

If this value cannot be achieved, owing to the characteristics of your LDR, reduce or increase R8 if necessary to achieve it (LDRs are known to have rather wide production tolerances). Equipped with this inexpensive accessory, your home of course hasn’t become an impregnable fortress, but at least it ought to appear less attractive to burglars than houses that are plunged into darkness for long periods of time, especially in the middle of summer. (www.tavernier-c.com)

COMPONENTS LIST

Resistors
R1 = 1k 500mW
R2 = 4k7
R3 = 560R
R4,R6 = 10k
R5 = 7k5
R 7 = LDR
R8 = 470k to 1 M
P1 = 470k potentiometer
Capacitors
C1 = 470µF 25V
C2 = 10µF 25V
C3 = 1nF5
C4 = 10nF
Semiconductors
D1,D2 = 1N4004
D3 = diode zener 4V7 400 mW
LED1 = LED, red
D4 = 1N4148
T1 = BC547
IC1 = PIC12C508, programmed, see Downloads
Miscellaneous
RE1 = relay, 10A contact
S1 = 1-pole 3-way rotary switch
F1 = fuse 100 mA
TR1 = Mains transformer 2x9 V, 1.2 -3 VA
4 PCB terminal blocks, 5 mm lead pitch
5 solder pins

Downloads:

The PCB layout can be downloaded free from our website www.elektor.com; file # 080231-1.
The source code and .hex files for this project are available free on www.elektor.com; file # 080231-11.zip.

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Whistling Kettle

Most electric kettles do not produce a whistle and just switch off when they have boiled. Fitting a box of electronics directly onto an electric kettle (or even inside!) to detect when the kettle has boiled is obviously out of the question. The circuit shown here detects when the kettle switches off, which virtually all kettles do when the water has boiled. In this way, the electronics can be housed in a separate box so that no modification is required to the kettle. The box is preferably a type incorporating a mains plug and socket. In this application, the current flowing in coil L1 provides a magnetic field that actuates reed switch S1. Since the current drawn by the kettle element is relatively large (typically 6 to 8 amps), the coil may consist of a few turns of wire around the reed switch.

The reed switch is so fast it will actually follow the AC current flow through L1 and produce a 100-Hz buzz. The switching circuit driven by the reed switch must, therefore, disregard these short periods when the contacts open, and respond only when they remain open for a relatively long period when the kettle has switched off. The circuit is based on a simple voltage controlled oscillator formed around T2 and T3. Its operation is best understood by considering the circuit with junction R4/R5 at 0 V and C4 discharged. T2 will receive base current through R5 and turn on, causing T3 to turn on as well. The falling collector voltage of T3 is transmitted to the base of T2 by C4 causing this transistor to conduct harder.

Since the action is regenerative, both transistors will turn on quickly and conduct heavily. C4 will therefore charge quickly through T2’s base-emitter junction and T3. Once the voltage across C4 exceeds about 8.5 V (leaving less than 0.5 V across T2’s b-e junction), T2 will begin to turn off. This action is also regenerative so that soon both transistors are switched off and the collector voltage of T3 rises rapidly to +9 V. With C4 still charged to 8.5 V, the base of T2 will rise to about 17.5 V holding T2 (and thus T3) off. C4 will now discharge relatively slowly via R5 until T2 again begins to conduct whereupon the cycle will repeat. The voltage at the collector of T3 will therefore be a series of short negative going pulses whose basic frequency will depend on the value of C4 and R5.

The pulses will be reproduced in the piezo sounder as a tone. The oscillation frequency of the regenerative circuit is heavily dependent on the voltage at junction R4/R5. As this voltage increases, the frequency will fall until a point is reached when the oscillation stops altogether. With this in mind, the operation of the circuit around T1 can be considered. In the standby condition, when the kettle is off, S1 will be open so that C1 and C2 will be discharged and T1 will remain off so that the circuit will draw no current. When the kettle is switched on, S1 is closed, causing C1 and C2 to be discharged and T1 will remain off. C3 will remain discharged so that T2 and T3 will be off and only a small current will be drawn by R1.

Circuit diagram:

Whistling Kettle Circuit Diagram

Although S1 will open periodically (at 100 Hz), the time constant of R1/C1 is such that C1 will have essentially no voltage on it as the S1 contacts continue to close. When the kettle switches off, S1 will be permanently open and C1/C2 will begin to charge via R1, causing T1 to switch on. C3 will then begin to charge via R4 and the falling voltage at junction R4/R5 will cause T2/T3 to start oscillating with a rising frequency. However, once T1 has switched off, C3 will no longer be charged via R4 and will begin to discharge via R3 and R5 causing the voltage at R4/R5 to rise again. The result is a falling frequency until the oscillator switches off, returning the circuit to its original condition.

As well as reducing the current drawn by the circuit to zero, this mimics the action of a conventional whistling kettle, where the frequency rises as more steam is produced and then falls when it is taken off the boil. The circuit is powered directly by the mains using a ‘lossless’ capacitive mains dropper, C6, and zener a diode, D2, to provide a nominal 8 V dc supply for the circuit. A 1-inch reed switch used in the prototype required about 9 turns of wire to operate with a 2-kW kettle element. Larger switches or lower current may require more turns. In general, the more turns you can fit on the reed switch, the better, but do remember that the wire has to be thick enough to carry the current. It is strongly recommended to test the circuit using a 9-volt battery instead of the mains-derived supply voltage shown in the circuit diagram. A magnet may be used to operate S1 and so simulate the switching of the kettle.

Warning:
This circuit is connected directly to the 230-V mains and none of the components must be touched when the circuit is in use. The circuit must be housed in an approved ABS case and carry the earth connection to the load as indicated. Connections and solder joints to components with a voltage greater than 200 volts across them (ac or dc) must have an insulating clearance of least 6 mm. An X2 class capacitor must be used in position C6.

Author: Bart Trepak - Copyright: Elektor 2004

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El-Cheapo Fluoro Ballast

This simple circuit can start small (15W or less) fluorescent tubes such as those used in PC board exposure and EPROM ultraviolet erasure boxes. As you can see, the tube’s filament heaters are not used. Instead, ignition is provided by a voltage tripler formed by diodes D1-D3 and the two 6.8nF 2kV capacitors. At switch on, C1 charges up via R1 until the gas in the tube breaks down (around 700V). C1 then discharges through the tube, lowering the resistance enough to sustain continual AC current flow. C1 then continues to act as the ballast, with R1 included to prevent the three diodes shunting the tube on positive mains half-cycles.

Circuit diagram:

El-Cheapo Fluoro Ballast Circuit Diagram

Author: Adrian Kerwitz
Copyright: Silicon Chip Electronics

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Economical Desk Lamp For Camping

This LED lamp was originally designed for use on a budget solar-charged 12V electrical system. It is bright enough for comfortable reading at night and features constant LED brightness with diminishing battery voltage. The circuit uses six high-brightness white LEDs mounted in a 90mm diameter reflector. The upper half of a stainless steel ice cream bowl makes a good reflector but almost any torch reflector of a similar size will do. As shown, two banks of three series-connected LEDs are powered from a 12V (nominal) DC supply. The LEDs used are rated at 20mA maximum with a measured voltage drop of 3.2V.

Circuit diagram:

Economical Desk Lamp Circuit Diagram For Camping

Each bank combines an inexpensive LM334 current source IC with a BC558 transistor to provide a constant 20mA to the LED string. Basically, the LM334 controls the base current of the BC558 such that 64mV appears between its "R" and "V-" terminals. With the 3.3O resistor shown, this results in close to the desired 20mA through the LEDs. The components can be mounted on a small piece of Veroboard. An old desk lamp makes an ideal body, with a metal disc used to cover the hole left after the 240V lamp fitting is removed. The metal disc can also be used to mount the power switch and rubber grommet for the power supply leads. Three M3 screws and nuts spaced 120° apart keep the reflector in place.

Author: John Amos - Copyright: Silicon Chip Electronics

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USB Operated Home Appliances

When turning a computer on and off, various peripherals (such as printers, screen, scanner, etc.) often have to be turned on and off as well. By using the 5-V supply voltage from the USB interface on the PC, all these peripherals can easily be switched on and off at the same time as the PC. This principle can also be used with other appliances that have a USB interface (such as modern TVs and radios). This so-called ‘USB-standby-killer’ can be realized with just 5 components. The USB output voltage provides for the activation of the triac opto-driver (MOC3043) which has zero-crossing detection. This, in turn, drives the TRIAC, type BT126.

The circuit shown is used by the author for switching loads with a total power of about 150 W and is protected with a 1-A fuse. The circuit can easily handle much larger loads however. In that case and/or when using a very inductive load a so-called snubber network is required across the triac. The value of the fuse will also need to be changed as appropriate. The circuit can easily be built into a mains multi-way powerboard. Make sure you have good isolation between the USB and mains sections.

Circuit diagram:

USB Operated Home Appliances Circuit Diagram

Please don't make this circuit if you are not an expert!

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Spy Ear

What binoculars do to improve 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 related 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 capacitor C2 (100nF) and volume control VR1 (10-kilo-ohm log). A decoupling network comprising resistor R5 and capacitor C3 provides the preamplifier block with a clean supply voltage. Audio amplifier IC LM386N (IC1) is designed for operation with power supplies in the 4-15V DC range.

Circuit diagram:

Spy Ear Circuit Diagram

It is housed in a standard 8-pin DIL package, consumes very small quiescent current and is ideal for bat tery-powered portable applications. The processed output signal from capacitor C2 goes to one end of volume control VR1. The wiper is taken to pin 3 of LM386N audio output amplifier. Note that the R6-C4 network is used to RF-decouple positive-supply pin 6 and R8-C7 is an 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 additional 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 headphone/earphone socket. Fit the on/off switch (S1), volume 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.
Source: EFY Mag

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