schematic knowledge

The author gave his partner a radio controlled (RC) model car as a gif t. She found it a lot of fun, but thought that adding realistic lights would be a definite improvement. So the author went back to his shed, plugged in his soldering iron, and set to work equipping the car with realistic indicators, headlights, tail lights and brake lights.

The basic idea was to tap into the signal from the radio control receiver and, with a bit of help from a microcontroller, simulate indicators using flashing yellow LEDs and brake lights using red LEDs. Further red LEDs are used for the tail lights, and white LEDs for the headlights. Connectors JP4 and JP5 (channel 0) are wired in parallel, as are JP6 and JP7 (channel 1), allowing the circuit to be inserted into the servo control cables for the steering and drive motor respectively. The ATtiny45 micro-controller takes power from the radio receiver via diode D1. T1 and T2 buffer the servo signals to protect IC1’s inputs from damage. 

IC1 analyses the PWM servo signals and gen-erates suitable outputs to switch the LEDs via the driver transistors. T3 drives the two left indicators (yellow), T4 the two right indica-tors, and T5 the brake LEDs (red). The red tail lights (JP2-8 and JP2-8) and the white head-lights (JP2-9 and JP2-10) are lit continuously. The brake lights are driven with a full 20 mA, so that they are noticeably brighter than the tail lights, which only receive 5 mA. If you wish to combine the functions of tail light and brake light, saving t wo red LEDs, sim-ply connect pin 10 of JP2 to pin 14 and pin 12 to pin 16. Then connect the two combined brake/tail LEDs either at JP2-5 and JP2-6 or at JP2-7 and JP2-8.

JP3 is provided to allow the use of a separate lighting supply. This can either be connected to an additional four-cell battery pack or to the main supply for the drive motor. The val-ues given for resistors R8 to R17 are suitable for use with a 4.8 V supply. JP2 can take the form of a 2x10 header.

As usual the sof t ware is available as a free download from the Elektor web pages accom-panying this article[1], and ready-programmed microcontrollers are also available. The microcontroller must be taught what servo signals correspond to left and right turns, and to full throttle and full braking. First connect the fin-ished circuit to the radio control electronics in the car, making sure everything is switched of f. Fit jumper JP1 to enable configuration mode, switch on the radio control transmit-ter, set all proportional controls to their cen-tre positions, and then switch on the receiver. The indicator LEDs should first flash on both sides. Then the car will indicate left for 3 s: during this time quickly turn the steering on the radio control transmitter fully to the left and the throt tle to full reverse (maximum braking).

Hold the controls in this position until the car starts to indicate right. Then set the controls to their opposite extremes and hold them there until both sides flash again. Now, if the car has an internal combustion engine (and so cannot go in reverse), keep the throttle control on full; if the car has an electric motor, set the throttle to full reverse. Hold this position while both sides are flashing. Configuration is now complete and JP1 can be removed. If you make a mistake during the configuration process, start again from the beginning. link

This is a simple type remote control by using RF communication without microcontroller. In this project a remote has been designed for various home appliances like television, fan, lights, etc. It gives lot of comfort to the user since we can operate it by staying at one place. We can control any of the appliances by using this remote within the range of 400 foots. In this project consist of two sections, transmitter (remote) and receiver section. Whenever we are pressing any key in the remote it generates the corresponding RF signals, and these signals are received by the receiver unit. ASK transmitter and receiver is used as transmitter and receiver. HT12E, HT12D encoders and decoders are used in this electronic circuit. The block digram of the whole circuit is given below.

In remote section consist of an encoder (HT 12E) and a ASK transmitter. The encoder generates 8 bit address and 4bit data. We can set the address by using the DIP switch connected in A0 to A7 (pin 1 to 8 ) encoder. If we set an address in the remote section, the same address will be required in the receiver section. So always set same address in transmitter and receiver. Whenever we press any key in the remote the encoder generates corresponding 4bit data and send this data with 8bit address by using ASK transmitter. The transmitting frequency is 433MHz. The transmitter output is up to 8mW at 433.92MHz with a range of approximately 400 foot (open area) outdoors.  Indoors, the range is approximately 200 foot.

At the receiver section ASK receiver is present. The receiver also operates at 433.92MHz, and has a sensitivity of 3uV.  The ASK receiver operates from 4.5 to 5.5 volts-DC, and has both linear and digital outputs. It receives the datas from the transmitter. Then the decoder (HT 12D) decodes the date and it will enable the corresponding output pin (pin 10,11,12,13). Each output pins are connected to separate flip flops. The output of encoder will change the state of the flip flop. So its output goes to set (high) from reset (low) state. This change makes a high signal in the output of the flip flop. This output signal is not capable to drive a relay directly. So we are using current driver, SL100 transistor act as the current driver. The appliance is connected to 230V AC through the relay and the appliance will start. The relay will be re-energized when the same switch is pressed in the remote. This is because we are pressing the same switch in the remote control. The output of the decoder again goes to high so this signal will again change the state of the flip flop. So, the relay gets re-energized and the appliance goes to OFF state.

RC Switch Circuit

The servo signal, which consists of pulses from 1 to 2 ms duration, depending on the desired position, enters the circuit via pin 1 of connector K1. Two buffers from IC2 provide the necessary buffering after which the signal is differentiated by C2. This has the effect that at each rising edge a negative start signal is presented to pin 2 of IC1. D1 and R4 make sure that at the falling edge the voltage at pin 2 of IC2 does not become too high. IC1 (TLC555) is an old faithful in a CMOS version. A standard version (such as the NE555) works just as well, but this IC draws an unnecessarily high current, while we strive to keep the current consumption as low as possible in the model. The aforementioned 555 is configured as a one-shot. The pulse-duration depends on the combination of R2/C1. Lowering the voltage on pin 5 also affects the time. This results in reducing the length of the pulse. In this circuit the pulse at the output of IC will last just over 1.5 ms when T1 does not conduct.

RC Switch Circuit Diagram

When T1 does conduct, the duration will be a little shorter than 1.5 ms. We will explain the purpose of this a little later on. Via IC2.C, the fixed-length pulse is, presented to the clock input of a D-flip-flop. As a consequence, the flip-flip will remember the state of the input (servo signal). The result is that when the servo-pulse is longer than the pulse form the 555, output Q will be high, otherwise the output will be low. It is possible, in practice, that the servo signal is nearly the same length as the output from the 555. A small amount of variation in the servo signal could therefore easily cause the output to ‘chatter’, that is, the output could be high at one time and low the next. To prevent this chatter there is feedback in the form of R1, R3 and T1. This circuit makes sure that when the flip-flip has decided that the servo-pulse is longer than the 555’s pulse (and signals this by making output Q high), the pulse duration from the 555 is made a little shorter. The length of the servo-signal will now have to be reduced by a reasonable amount before the servo-pulse becomes shorter than the 555’s pulse.

Parts and PCB layout Of RC Switch

The moment this happens, T1 will stop conducting and the mono-stable time will become a little longer. The servo-pulse will now have to be longer by a reasonable amount before the flip-flip changes back again. This principle is called hysteresis. Jumper JP1 lets you choose between the normal or inverted output signals. Buffers IC2.D through to IC2.F together with R5 drive output transistor T2, which in turn drives the output. Note that the load may draw a maximum current of 100 mA. Diode D2 has been added so that inductive loads can be switched as well (for example, electrically operated pneu-matic valves).

Author: Paul Goossens - Copyright: Elektor Electronics

Source : www.extremecircuits.net