schematic knowledge

Many households are still graced by tube-type television sets. If you want to connect one of these large tellies to your stereo system to improve the sound quality, this is usually not a problem because there are plenty of SCART to Cinch adapters available in accessory shops. However, with some sets your pleasure is spoiled by the fact that the audio outputs of the SCART connector are not muted during channel switching. This can sometimes lead to nasty signal spikes, which can cause the loudspeakers of your stereo system to emit irritating popping and cracking noises. In such cases it is a good idea to fit your system with a mute circuit.

Fortunately, the right time to activate the mute circuit is defined by the fact that the happy zapper presses buttons on the remote control to switch channels, and the remote control emits IR signals. There are even inexpensive ready-made IR receiver modules available, such as the TSOP1136 used here, which produce trains of active-low pulses in response to such signals. About the circuit: when no IR signal is present, a capacitor is charged via P2 and a diode. IC1 is a comparator that compares this IR voltage (applied to its non-inverting input on pin 3) to a voltage applied to its other input on pin 2.

This reference voltage, which can be adjusted with P1, determines the switching threshold of the comparator. If IC2 receives an IR signal, T2 conducts, and as a result the voltage on C1 drops rapidly below the threshold level set by P1. This causes T1 to change from its previous ‘on’ state to the ‘off’ state. As a result, the relay drops out and the audio link to the stereo system is interrupted for the duration of the noise interval. It’s all quite simple, as you can see. If you do not have a stabilized 5-V supply voltage available, you can use the circuit at the of the schematic diagram (with a 5-V voltage regulator) together with a simple (unstabilised) AC mains adapter that supplies a voltage in the range of 9 V to 12 V to the 7805 (IC3).

You can also use a relay with normally-closed contacts instead of normally-open contacts. In this case, simply swap the signals on pins 2 and 3 of IC1 so the relay pulls in when an IR signal is received instead of dropping out. This saves a bit of power because the relay is only energized during zapping. If you can’t find any worthwhile use for the second comparator of IC1, it’s a good idea to connect pin 6 to +5 V and pin 5 to ground. To improve noise immunity, you should shield the IR sensor so it is not exposed directly to light from a fluorescent fixture.

Source : www.ecircuitslab.com/2011/05/tv-muter-circuit-diagram.html

The author is the happy owner of a television set with built-in Ambilight lighting in the living room. Unfortunately, the television set in  the bedroom lacks this feature. To make up for this, the author attached a small lamp to the wall to provide background lighting, This makes  watching television a good deal more enjoyable, but it ’s  not the ideal solution. Although the TV set can be  switched off with the remote  control, you still have to get out of bed to switch off the lamp.

Consequently, the author devised this automatic lighting switch that switches the background light on and off along with the T V set. The entire circuit is fitted in series with the mains cable of the TV set, so there’s no need to tinker with the set. It works as follows: R1 senses  the current drawn by the TV  set. It has a maximum value  of 50 mA in standby mode,  rising  to around   500 m A  when  the  set  is  operating. The voltage across R1 is limited by D5 during negative  half- cycles  and  by  D1– D4  during positive half-cycles.  T he  voltage  across  these  four diodes charges capacitor C1 via D6 during positive  half-cycles. This voltage drives the internal LED of solid-state switch TRI1 via R2, which causes the internal triac to conduct and pass the mains voltage to the lamp.   Diode D7 is not absolutely necessary, but  it is recommended because the LED in the  solid-state switch is not especially robust  and cannot handle reverse polarisation. Fuse  F1 protects the solid-state switch against  overloads. T he  value  of  use d  here  (10 Ω)  for  resistor R1 works nicely with an 82-cm (32 inch)  LCD screen.

With smaller sets having lower  power consumption, the value of R1 can be  increased to 22 or 33 Ω, in which case you  should use a 3-watt type. Avoid using an  excessively high resistance, as otherwise TRI1 will switch on when the TV set is in standby mode.  Some TV sets have a half-wave rectifier in the  power supply, which places an unbalanced  load on the AC power outlet. If the set only  draws current on negative half-cycles, the cir-cuit won’t work properly. In countries with  reversible AC power plugs you can correct  the problem by simply reversing the plug. Compared with normal triacs, optically cou-pled solid-state relays have poor resistance  to high switch-on currents (inrush currents).

For this reason, you should be careful with  older-model TV sets with picture tubes (due  to demagnetisation circuits). If the relay fails,  it usually fails shorted, with the result that the TV background light remains on all the time. If you build this circuit on a piece of perf-board, you must remove all the copper next  to conductors and components carrying  mains voltage. Use PCB terminal blocks with a spacing of 7.5 mm. This way the separation between the connections on the solder  side will also be 3 mm. If you fit the entire  arrangement as a Class II device, all parts of  the circuit at mains potential must have a  separation of at least 6 mm from any metal  enclosure or electrically conductive exterior  parts that can be touched.

Author :Piet Germing - Copyright : Elektor