Test Beeper For Your Stereo

The test beeper generates a sinusoidal signal with a frequency of 1,000 Hz, a common test  frequency for audio amplifiers.  It consists of a classical Wien- Bridge oscillator (also known as  a Wien-Robinson oscillator). The network that determines the  frequency consists here of a series connection of a resistor and  capacitor (R1/C1) and a parallel connection (R2/C2), where  the values of the resistors and  capacitors  are  equal  to  each  other. This network behaves, at  the oscillator frequency (1 kHz  in this case), as two pure resistors. The opamp (IC1) ensures  that the attenuation of the net- work  (3  times)  is  compensated  for.  In  principle  a  gain  of  3 times should have been sufficient to sustain the oscillation,  but  that  is  in  theory.  Because  of tolerances in the values, the  amplification needs to be (automatically) adjusted.

Test Beeper For Your Stereo Circuit diagram:

Test Beeper For Your Stereo circuit Diagram

Instead of an intelligent amplitude  controller  we  chose  for  a  somewhat simpler solution. With  P1, R3 and R4 you can adjust  the gain to the point that oscillation takes place. The range of P1 (±10%) is large enough the cover the tolerance range. To sustain  the oscillation, a gain of slightly  more than 3 times is required,  which  would,  however,  cause  the amplifier to clip (the ‘round-trip’ signal becomes increasingly  larger, after all). To prevent this  from happening, a resistor in se-ries with two anti-parallel diodes  (D1 and D2) are connected in  parallel  with  the  feedback  (P1  and R3). If the voltage increases to the point that the threshold  voltage of the diodes is exceed-ed, then these will slowly start to  conduct.

The consequence of this  is that the total resistance of the  feedback  is  reduced  and  with  that  also  the  amplitude  of  the  signal. So D1 and D2 provide a  stabilising function. The distortion of this simple oscillator, after adjustment of P1 and  an output voltage of 100 mV (P2  to  maximum)  is  around  0,1%.  You can adjust the amplitude of  the output signal with P2 as required for the application. The  circuit is powered from a 9-V battery. Because of the low current  consumption  of  only  2 mA  the  circuit will provide many hours  of service.

Author :Ton Giesberts  - Copyright : Elektor Electronics

Video Switch for Intercom System

Video Switch for Intercom System. 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.

 

Circuit diagram :

Video Switch for Intercom System Circuit Diagram

Along with a video switch, the schema 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 schema can also used in many other situations, such as where two cameras are needed for surveillance but only one video cable is available.

 

Author :Jacob Gestman Geradts - Copyright : Elektor

Universal Tester for 3 pin Devices

Most 3-terminal active components can be  tested statically using just an ohmmeter. But  when you have a lot of these devices to test,  the procedure soon becomes boring. That’s  where the idea came from to combine fast,  easy testing for these types of device into a  single instrument. 

The unit described here enables you to test  NPN and PNP bipolar transistors, N-or Pchannel FETs or MOSFETs, UJTs, triacs, and thyristors. Regardless of the type of device, the  tests are non-destructive. Universal connectors allow testing of all package types, including SMDs (up to a point). The unit lets you  change from one type of device to another in  a trice. It avoids using a multi-pole switch, as  they’re too expensive and hard to find. 

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Circuit diagram :

Universal Tester for 3-pin Devices Circuit Diagram
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Here’s how to build a versatile instrument at  a ridiculously low cost. IC1 is a 4066 quad CMOS switch which will let us switch between bipolar transistors and FETs. LEDs D1–D4 tell us about the condition  of the test device, when we press the ‘Test’  button. The 4066 can only handle a few milliamps, not  enough for the other component types to be  tested, hence the reason for using relay RE1.  This 12 V relay offers two NO contacts. The  first applies power to the UJT test schema, the  second applies it to the triac and thyristor test  schema. 

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Extensive testing has shown that the best way  to test UJT transistors is to do so dynamically,  with the help of a relaxation oscillator. Net-work R11/C1 sets the oscillator frequency to  around 2 Hz. On pin B1 of the UJT we find a  nice sawtooth, which is not of much interest  to us here. However, pin B2 gives good but  very short pulses. IC2, wired as a monostable,  lengthens these pulses so they can be clearly  seen via LED D5. 

The relay’s second pole is going to drive the  thyristor’ sortriac’s trigger pin. The value of  R18 is a good compromise with respect to the varying trigger currents for this type of  device. Resistor R17 is important, as the hold-ing current must be high enough for a triac;  250 mA is a good compromise. LED D6 tells  you if the device is in good condition or not;  but watch out, the test result must be con-firmed by briefly cutting the power in order  to reset the triac. 

On the web page for this article [1] you’ll find  the author’s CAD files (PCB layout and front  panel) along with some photos of his project.  On the prototype, the LEDs and the ‘Test’  button were wired onto the copper side of  the PCB. The six female connectors for the  devices being tested were salvaged, but there  are lots of models available on the market (the  pitch is standard). The test cable crocodile  clips must be as small as possible for testing  SMD devices.