The Simplest Circuit

Nowadays a lot of intercom units are  equipped with video cameras so that you can  see as well as hear who is at the door. Unfortunately, the camera lens is perfectly placed to serve as a sort of support point for people  during the conversation, with the result that  there’s hardly anything left see in the video  imagery.  One way to solve this problem is to install two cameras on the street side instead only  one, preferably some distance apart. If you  display the imagery from the two cameras  alternately, then at least half of the time you  will be able to see what is happening in front  of the door. Thanks to the video switch module described  here, which should be installed on the street  side not too far away from the two cameras,  you need only one monitor inside the house and you don’t need to install any additional video cables.

 

Along with a video switch, the circuit includes  a video amplifier that has been used with  good results in many other Elektor projects,  which allows the brightness and the contrast  to be adjusted separately. This amplifier is  included because the distance between the  street and the house may be rather large, so it is helpful to be able to compensate for cable attenuation in this manner.  The switch stage is built around the well  known 4060 IC, in which switches IC2a and  IC2d alternately pass one of the two signals to  the output. They are driven by switches IC2b and IC2c, which generate control signals that  are 180 degrees out of phase. The switching rate for the video signals is  determined by a clock signal from an ‘old  standby’ 555 IC, which causes the signals to  swap every 2 seconds with the specified com ponent values.

 

Naturally, this circuit can also used in many other situations, such as where two cameras are needed for surveillance but only one video cable is available.

The circuit presented here is a very simple and yet highly effective alarm system for protecting an object. The circuit requires no special devices and can be built using components that you will no doubt be able to find in the junk box. The alarm-triggering element is a simple reed switch. To generate the alarm signal itself any optical or acoustic device that operates on 12 V can be used: for example a revolving light, a siren, or even both.

In the quiescent state the reed switch is closed. As soon as the reed switch opens, the input to IC1.B will go low (previously the potential divider formed by R2 and R3 held the input at 5.17 V, a logic high level). A turn-on delay of between 0 and approximately 90 s can be set using P1, and a turn-off delay of between 0 and approximately 20 s can be set using P2. When the system is turned on (using S1), the turn-on delay is activated, giving the user of the system at most 90 s to leave the object alone before the system goes into the armed state, and the object is then protected.

Once the reed switch opens the turn-off delay of at most 20 s starts: this allows the rightful owner of the object to turn the system off before the alarm is triggered. If some unauthorised per-son causes the reed switch to open, the alarm will be triggered after the turn-off delay. Also, even if the reed switch is briefly opened and then closed again, the alarm will still be triggered.

Once the alarm is triggered, T3 will conduct for about 45 s (because of R8 and C5). The turning off of the alarm is necessary to avoid the nuisance caused by a permanently sounding alarm system. The system then returns to the armed state, which means that the next time the reed switch is opened the alarm will trigger again. If it is not desired that the duration of the alarm be limited, for example if a visual indication is used, D5 should not be fitted. The system can be extended by fitting multiple reed switches in series. As soon as any one is opened, the alarm is triggered.

When S1 is closed C3 charges via P1. Depending on the potentiometer setting, it takes between 0 and 90 s to reach the input threshold voltage of IC1.A. The output of IC1.A then goes low and D3 stops conducting. Assuming the reed switch is closed, the inputs of IC1.B stay high and the output therefore low. If the reed switch is opened after the turn-on delay expires the output of the gate will change state and turn on T1. This ensures that the output of the gate remains high even after the reed switch is closed again. C4 now starts charging via P2, reaching the input threshold voltage of IC1.C after between 0 and 20 s, again according to the potentiometer setting.

 The output of IC1.C goes low, and T2 and T3 are turned on — and the siren sounds. Any Darlington transistor can be used for T3. At  the same time, C5 charges via R8, reaching the input threshold of IC1.D in about 45 s. When the output of IC1.D swings low, it pulls the inputs of IC1.A low via diode D5: the siren stops and the system returns to the armed state.

If the potentiometers P1 and P2 are replaced by fixed resistors it is possible to build the circuit small enough to fit in a match-box, without the need to resort to SMD components. This is ideal if the circuit is to be used to protect a motorbike. If the alarm system is to be used in a car, an existing door switch contact can be used instead of the reed switch. In this case an RC combination needs to be added to prevent false triggering. Use a 10 µF/25 V electrolytic for C6, a 100 kΩ resistor for R9 and a 1N4001 for D7. It is again possible to wire multiple door switch contacts in parallel: as soon as one contact closes, IC1.B will be triggered.

This circuit can control any one out of 16 devices with the help of two push-to-on switches. An up/down counter acts as a master-controller for the system. A visual indication in the form of LEDs is also available.  IC1 (74LS193) is a presettable up/ down counter. IC2 and IC3 (74LS154) (1of 16 decoder/demultiplexer) perform different functions, i.e. IC2 is used to indicate the channel number while IC3 switches on the selected channel.

Before using the circuit, press switch S1 to reset the circuit. Now the circuit is ready to receive the input clock. By pressing pressing switch S2 once, the counter advances by one count. Thus, each pressing of switch S2 enables the counter to advance by one count. Likewise, by pressing switch S3 the counter counts downwards.

The counter provides BCD output. This BCD output is used as address input for IC2 and IC3 to switch one (desired channel) out of sixteen channels by turning on the appropriate triac and the corresponding LED to indicate the selected channel.  The outputs of IC3 are passed through inverter gates (IC4 through IC6) because IC3 provides negative going pulses while for driving the triacs we need positive-going pulses. The high output of inverter gates turn on the npn transistors to drive the triacs. Diodes connected in series with triac gates serve to provide unidirectional current for the gate-drive.