Telephone Ringer

If you are lucky enough to have a big house, a large garden, and small children, this project just might interest you. It’s actually a telephone ringer capable of making any mains-powered device work from the ringer of your fixed line. With it, you will be able to control a high-powered siren or horn, as you like, in order to relay and amplify the low-level sound of your telephone (making it audible in a big house or in a large garden)! Alternatively, you can make a lamp light (or an indicator light) and so create a ‘silent ringer’ (helpful when small children are napping).

The other interesting part of this simple and inexpensive project is that it doesn’t require a power supply, contrary to similar items on sales in the shops. Before examining the drawing and understanding the principle involved, it is important to know that the ringer voltage on a fixed telephone line is pretty high. Since Europe and the EU Commission have not yet interfered, the exact value of this voltage and its frequency varies according to the country, but that’s not important here. The line carries direct current whether unoccupied or occupied.

Moreover, no more than a few hundred mAs needs to be stolen from an unoccupied telephone line to make the PSTN exchange believe the line is occupied. Therefore, capacitor C1 has the dual role of insulating this project with respect to direct current present on the line while unoccupied, or while occupied, while also allowing the ringer current to pass. The latter is rectified by D1 and clipped by D2 which makes about 6 V DC available to the C2 terminals when a ringer signal is present.

Telephone Ringer Circuit Diagram

This voltage lights LED D3 which only serves as a visual indicator of proper operation as does the LED contained in IC1. This is a high-power photo triac with zero crossing detection from the mains, which allows it to switch the load it controls without generating even the lowest level of noise. This component, that we might just as well call a solid-state relay, was selected because it is comes in the form of a package similar to a TO220, a little bigger, and equipped with four pins. The pinout will not cause confusion because the symbols shown on our diagram are engraved or printed on the packaging. Since this circuit is not yet very common, we need to mention that it’s available from the Conrad Electronics website (www1.uk.conrad.com).

For the purpose of safe operation, the circuit is protected by a GeMOV on the mains side, called Varistor, VDR or SiOV depending on the manufacturer. The model indicated here is generally available. The load will be limited to 2 A, considering the model selected for IC1, which is more than sufficient for the application planned here. Finally, since a number of components in this circuit are connected directly to the mains power supply, the assembly should be placed in a completely insulated housing for obvious safety reasons.

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Quality Stereo Wireless Microphone or Audio Link

This stereo FM wireless microphone also makes a great quality audio link. We tested it to beyond 50 meters and it was rock solid. It’s certainly not the first wireless microphone we’ve ever published but this one is a little different. It’s stereo, providing surprisingly good quality sound. Second, it has a really good range. We tested it at well over 50m and it was still performing very well – noise-free, in fact – but at the time we couldn’t get our receiver any further away. So it’s likely to have even better range than that.

Complete Project:

Its easy to build, requires very little setup... and its cheap! In fact, the low price might turn some people off, thinking its low quality. Try it - and be pleasantly surprised!

Third, it really is simple to build – the hard work (the transmitter module) is already done for you. It’s just a matter of assembling the microphone module, which contains the electret mics themselves, preamp and level controls, and soldering the transmitter module onto it, "piggy back" style.

FM Transmitter:

Finally, the transmitter module is crystal-locked, so you won’t have the drift probles of some earlier wireless microphones. And just in case you were wondering, that doesn’t mean the output is locked to one particular frequency – it has a nifty synthesis circuit built in to give you the choice of seven different frequencies between 106.7MHz and 107.7MHz.

On-board preset pots adjust the sensitivity of each channel to take into account mic differences or if you require different levels in each channel.

By the way, the transmitter module is quite capable of operating at line level if you want just a line level transmitter (eg, to feed an audio program around your home). Sensitivity is about 100mV. Oatley Electronics, who designed the kit, have the transmitter module available by itself if that’s what you’re after. But more on that anon.

Parts Layout:

You also have the choice of two power supply levels – 3-6V or 7-15V DC. The latter results in a lower current drain. The transmitter module also has a "5V out" rail to supply power to the preamp module.

Circuit Diagram:

Two electret microphone inserts are supplied in the kit. These can be soldered direct to the PC board to make it a fully self-contained project or they can be attached to the board via suitable lengths of mini shielded coax cable. A third option is to use "proper" microphones – they can be electret or dynamic types – but no provision has been made for plugging these in.

Typical Specifications: 
 
Audio response:.....................20Hz-15kHz.
Channel separation: ........................40dB
Total Harmonic Distortion: ...............0.1%
Output Frequency:...........106.7-107.2MHz
Pre Emphasis: ..................................50μS
DC supply voltage range: ................3-15V
Supply Current: .......................30mA @ 9V

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Lead Acid Battery Protector

The circuit described here can be used to  ensure  that  a  12 V  sealed  lead  acid  (SLA)  gel battery isn’t discharged too deeply. The  principal part of the circuit is a bistable relay,  which is driven by the output of an op amp.

Lead Acid Battery Protector Circuit Diagram:

The battery voltage is first reduced via D1, R1,  P1 and R2, and then continuously compared  with a reference voltage set up by diode D2.  When the battery discharges too much and  its terminal voltage drops below the level  set by P1, the output of the opamp becomes  High, which causes the relay to toggle. This  in turn isolates the load from the battery. The  battery can be reconnected via S1 once the  battery has been replaced or recharged.

The relay used in the prototype is a 5 V bistable type made by Omron (G6AK-234P-ST-US  5 VDC). The two windings of the relay each  have a resistance of 139 Ω (for the RAL-D 5  W-K made by Fujitsu this is 167 Ω). When the  battery voltage starts to become too low and  the relay is being reset the current consumption of the circuit is about 45 mA. Shortly  after the load has been disconnected, when the battery voltage rises above the reference  voltage again, the reset coil will no longer be  powered and the current consumption drops  back to about 2.5 mA.

The range of P1 has intentionally been kept  small. With a reference voltage of 5.6 V (D2)  and a voltage drop of 0.64 V across D1, the circuit reacts within a voltage span of 11.5 V and  11.8 V. This range is obviously dependent on the zener diode used and the tolerance.

For a greater span you can use a larger value  for P1 without any problems. With the potentiometer at its mid setting the circuit switches  at about 11.6 V.

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Reducing Relay Power Consumption

Relays are often used as electrically controlled switches. Unlike transistors, their switch contacts are electrically isolated from the control input. On the other hand, the power dissipation in a relay coil may be unattractive for battery-operated applications. Adding an analogue switch lowers the dissipation, allowing the relay to operate at a lower voltage. The circuit diagram shows the principle. Power consumed by the relay coil equals V2/RCOIL. The circuit lowers this dissipation (after actuation) by applying less than the normal operating voltage of 5 V. Note that the voltage required to turn a relay on (pickup voltage)is usually greater than that to keep it on (dropout voltage).

Circuit Diagram :

In this respect the relay shown has specifications of 3.5 and 1.5 V respectively, yet the circuit allows it to operate from an intermediate supply voltage of 2.5 V. Table 1 compares the relay’s power dissipation with fixed operating voltages across it, and with the circuit shown here in place. The power savings are significant. When SW1 is closed, current flows through the relay coil, and C1 and C2 begin to charge. The relay remains inactive because the supply voltage is less than its pickup voltage. The RC time constants are such that C1 charges almost completely before the voltage across C2 reaches the logic threshold of the analogue switch inside the MAX4624 IC.

When C2 reaches that threshold, the on-chip switch connects C1 in series with the 2.5 V supply and the relay coil. This action causes the relay to be turned on because its coil voltage is then raised to 5 V, i.e., twice the supply voltage. As C1 discharges through the coil, the coil voltage drops back to 2.5 V minus the drop across D1. However, the relay remains on because the resultant voltage is still above the dropout level (1.5 V). Component values for this circuit depend on the relay characteristics and the supply voltage. The value of R1, which protects the analogue switch from the initial current surge through C1, should be sufficiently small to allow C1 to charge rapidly, but large enough to prevent the surge current from exceeding the specified peak current for the analogue switch.

The switch’s peak current (U1) is 400 mA, and the peak surge current is IPEAK = (VIN – VD1) / R1 + RON) where RON is the on-resistance of the analogue switch (typically 1.2 Ω). The value of C1 will depend on the relay characteristics and on the difference between VIN and the pickup voltage. Relays that need more turn-on time requires larger values for C1. The values for R2 and C2 are selected to allow C1 to charge almost completely before C2’s voltage reaches the logic threshold of the analogue switch. In this case, the time constant R2C2 is about seven times C1(R1 + RON). Larger time constants increase the delay between switch closure and relay activation. The switches in the MAX4624 are described as ‘guaranteed break before make’. The opposite function, ‘make-before break’ is available from the MAX4625. The full datasheets of these interesting ICs may be found at http://pdfserv.maxim-ic.com/arpdf/MAX4624-MAX4625.pdf

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Luggage Security System

This is a simple circuit of Luggage Security System. While traveling by a train or bus, we generally lock our luggage using a chain-and-lock arrangement. But, still we are under tension, apprehending that somebody may cut the chain and steal our luggage. Here is a simple circuit to alarm you when somebody tries to cut the chain. Transistor T1 enables supply to the sound generator chip when the base current starts flowing through t.

Luggage Security System Circuit Diagram:

When the wire (thin enameled copper wire of 30 to 40 SWG, used or winding transformers) loop around the chain is broken by somebody, the base of transistor T1, which was earlier tied to positive rail, gets opened. As a result, transistor T1 gets forward biased to extend the positive supply to the alarm circuit. In idle mode, the power consumption of the circuit is minimum and thus it can be used for hundreds of travel hours.

To enable generation of different alarm sounds, connections to pin 1 and 6 may be made as per the table.

Select 1 (Pin6)	Select 2 (Pin1)	Sound effect
X	X	Police siren
VDD	X	Fire-engine siren
VSS	X	Ambulance siren
“-”	VDD	Machine-gun sound

Note: X = no connection; “-” = do not care

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1W BTL Audio Amplifier

The TDA8581(T) from Philips Semiconductors is a 1-watt Bridge Tied Load (BTL) audio power amplifier capable of delivering 1 watt output power into an 8-Wload at THD (total harmonic distortion) of 10% and using a 5V power supply.

The schematic shown here combines the functional diagram of the TDA8551 with its typical application circuit. The gain of the amplifier can be set by the digital volume control input. At the highest volume setting, the gain is 20 dB. Using the MODE pin the device can be switched to one of three modes: standby (MODE level between Vp and Vp–0.5 V), muted (MODE level between 1 V and Vp–1.4 V) or normal (MODE level less than 0.5 V). The TDA8551 is protected by an internal thermal shutdown protection mechanism. The total voltage loss for both MOS transistors in the complementary output stage is less than 1 V.

1 Watt BTL Audio Amplifier Circuit Diagram:

Using a 5-V supply and an 8-W loudspeaker, an output power of 1 watt can be delivered. The volume control has an attenuation range of between 0 dB and 80 dB in 64 steps set by the 3-state level at the UP/DOWN pin: floating: volume remains unchanged; negative pulses: decrease volume; positive pulses: increase volume Each pulse at he Up/DOWN pin causes a change in gain of 80/64 = 1.25 dB (typical value).

When the supply voltage is first connected, the attenuator is set to 40 dB (low volume), so the gain of the total amplifier is then –20 dB. Some positive pulses have to be applied to the UP/DOWN pin to achieve listening volume. The graph shows the THD as a function of output power. The maximum quiescent current consumption of the amplifier is specified at 10 mA, to which should be added the current resulting from the output offset voltage divided by the load impedance.

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Boomer Audio Power Amplifier Using LM4906

The well-known LM386 is an excellent choice for many designs requiring a small audio power amplifier (1-watt) in a single chip. However, the LM386 requires quite a few external parts including some electrolytic capacitors, which unfortunately add volume and cost to the circuit.

National Semiconductor recently introduced its Boomer® audio integrated circuits which were designed specifically to provide high quality audio while requiring a minimum amount of external components (in surface mount packaging only). The LM4906 is capable of delivering 1 watt of continuous average power to an 8-ohm load with less than 1% distortion (THD+N) from a +5 V power supply. The chip happily works with an external PSRR (Power Supply Rejection Ratio) bypass capacitor of just 1 µF minimum.

In addition, no output coupling capacitors or bootstrap capacitors are required which makes the LM4906 ideally suited for cellphone and other low voltage portable applications. The LM4906 features a low-power consumption shutdown mode (the part is enabled by pulling the SD pin high).

Additionally, an internal thermal shutdown protection mechanism is provided. The LM4906 also has an internal selectable gain of either 6 dB or 12 dB. A bridge amplifier design has a few distinct advantages over the single-ended configuration, as it provides differential drive to the load, thus doubling output swing for a specified supply voltage. Four times the output power is possible as compared to a single-ended amplifier under the same conditions (particularly when considering the low supply voltage of 5 to 6 volts).

Boomer Audio Power Amplifier Circuit Diagram:

When pushed for output power, the small SMD case has to be assisted in keeping a cool head. By adding copper foil, the thermal resistance of the application can be reduced from the free air value, resulting in higher PDMAX values without thermal shutdown protection circuitry being activated. Additional copper foil can be added to any of the leads connected to the LM4906. It is especially effective when connected to VDD, GND, and the output pins. A bridge configuration, such as the one used in LM4906, also creates a second advantage over single-ended amplifiers. Since the differential outputs, Vo1 and Vo2, are biased at half-supply, no net DC voltage exists across the load.

This eliminates the need for an output coupling capacitor which is required in a single supply, single-ended amplifier configuration. Large input capacitors are both expensive and space hungry for portable designs. Clearly, a certain sized capacitor is needed to couple in low frequencies without severe attenuation. But in many cases the speakers used in portable systems, whether internal or external, have little ability to reproduce signals below 100 Hz to 150 Hz. Thus, using a large input capacitor may not increase actual system performance. Also, by minimizing the capacitor size based on necessary low frequency response, turn-on pops can be minimized.

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