Digital Bike Tachometer

This digital DIY tachometer for bikes uses two reed switches to get the speed information of the bicycle. The reed switches are installed near the rim of the wheel where permanent magnets pass by. The permanent magnets are attached to the wheelspokes and activate the reed switches everytime they pass by it. The speed is digitally displayed.

The tachometer circuit works according to this principle; the pulses created by the reed contacts are counted within a certain time interval. The resulting count is then displayed and represents the speed of the bike. Two 4026 ICs are used to count the pulses, decode the counter and control two 7-segment LED display. RS flip-flops U3 and U4 function as anti-bounce.

Electronic bicycle DIY tachometer circuit diagram

The pulses arrive at the counter’s input through gate U7. The measuring period is determined by monostable multivibrator U5/U6 and can be adjusted through potentiometer P1 so that the tacho can be calibrated. The circuit U1/U2 resets the counters.

Since batteries are used to power the circuit, it is not practical to support the continuous display of speed information. This circuit is not continuously active. The circuit is activated only after a button is pressed. At least three permanent magnets must be installed on the wheel. The circuit can be calibrated with the help of another pre-calibrated tachometer.

Headlight Flasher

This circuit was requested from an email. It will allow your car headlights to flash on and off at the same time or it will cause them to flash alternately. The circuit is based on the 555 timer. It is used in the astable mode. The 555 timer output will go high for an adjustable period of time and then turn off. It will then repeat the procedure. The time is adjusted by R1. To hook up the circuit to your car you must locate the positive wire from the fuse box to the headlights. Cut the wire and insert the relay contact and bypass switch. The bypass switch will allow you to bypass the relay contact for normal headlight operation. In the alternating headlight configuration you must cut the positive wire to each headlight and wire in the relay contact.

Automotive Speed Indicator

The speed of an automobile can be indicated by detecting the pulses generated by the ignition system and causing an LED to light. The circuit utilizes a quad NOR gate IC chip. Two of the gates are configured as a one shot multivibrator which produces a fixed duration pulse each time the primary circuit of the automobile ignition system opens the circuit to the ignition coil. The other 2 gates are used as buffers which provide an accurate rectangle pulse.

As the number of pulses per second increases, the voltage fed to the base of of the NPN transistor becomes high enough to cause it to conduct and turn on the LED. The speed at which the LED lights is set by R4. The input of the circuit is connected to the distributor side of the ignition coil or to the tachometer connection on those cars that are equipped with electronic ignition.

Car Temperature Gauge

The Car Temperature Gauge is basically the same circuit as March's project with some minor changes to the input circuit. This circuit will display the water temperature to 1 degree resolution.

Automatic Headlight Reminder

Do you drive an older car without an automatic "lights-on" warning circuit? If so, you've probably accidentally left the lights on and flattened the battery on one or more occasions. This headlights reminder circuit will prevent that. It's more complicated than other circuits but it's also more versatile. As shown, the circuit uses two low-cost ICs. IC1 is a 555 timer which is wired to operate in astable mode. Its output clocks IC2, a 4017B decade counter. IC2 in turn drives a row of indicator LEDs and also resets IC1 (after about 10s) via transistor Q2.

The circuit works like this:

when the ignition is on, transistor Q1 is also on and this pulls pin 4 of IC1 low. As a result, IC1 is held reset and no clock pulses are fed to IC2. Conversely, if the ignition is turned off, Q1 will turn off and so IC1 will start oscillating and sound the piezo siren. At the same time, IC1 will clock IC2 and so LEDs 1-10 will light in sequence and stop (after about 10s) with the last LED (LED10) remaining on. That's because, when IC2's O9 output (ie, pin 11) goes high, Q2 also turns on and this pulls pin 4 of IC1 low, thus stopping the oscillator (and the siren).

Circuit diagram:

Automatic Headlight Reminder Circuit Diagram

Note:

That different colored LEDs are used to make the display look eye-catching but you make all LEDs the same color if you wish. Installing optional diode D1 will alter IC1's frequency and this will alter the display rate. Finally, if the lights are turned off and then back on again, the alarm will automatically retrigger. LED1 is always on if the lights are turned on. If you don't want the LED display, just leave the LEDs out.

Author: L. Marshall - Copyright: Silicon Chip Electronics

Flashing-LED Battery-Status Indicator Circuit

A Battery-status Indicator circuit can be useful, mainly to monitor portable Test-gear instruments and similar devices. LED D1 flashes to attire the user's attention, signaling that the circuit is running, so it will not be left on by mistake. The circuit generates about two LED flashes per second, but the mean current drawing will be about 200µA. Transistors Q1 and Q2 are wired as an uncommon complementary astable multivibrator: both are off 99% of the time, saturating only when the LED illuminates, thus contributing to keep very low current consumption.
Circuit operation:

The circuit will work with battery supply voltages in the 5 - 12V range and the LED flashing can be stopped at the desired battery voltage (comprised in the 4.8 - 9V value) by adjusting Trimmer R4. This range can be modified by changing R3 and/or R4 value slightly. When the battery voltage approaches the exhausting value, the LED flashing frequency will fall suddenly to alert the user. Obviously, when the battery voltage has fallen below this value, the LED will remain permanently off. To keep stable the exhausting voltage value, diode D1 was added to compensate Q1 Base-Emitter junction changes in temperature. The use of a Schottky-barrier device (e.g. BAT46, 1N5819 and the like) for D1 is mandatory: the circuit will not work if a common silicon diode like the 1N4148 is used in its place.

Circuit diagram:

R1 = 220R - 1/4W Resistor

R2 = 120K - 1/4W Resistor

R3 = 5.6K - 1/4W Resistor

R4 = 5K - 1/2W Trimmer Cermet

R5 = 33K - 1/4W Resistor

R6 = 680K - 1/4W Resistor

R7 = 220R - 1/4W Resistor

R8 = 100K - 1/4W Resistor

R9 = 180R - 1/4W Resistor

C1 = 4.7uF - 25V Electrolytic Capacitors

C2 = 4.7uF - 25V Electrolytic Capacitors

Q1 = BC547 - 45V 100mA NPN Transistor

Q2 = BC557 - 45V 100mA PNP Transistor

B1 = 5V to 12V Battery supply

D1 = BAT46 - 100V 150mA Schottky-barrier Diode

D2 = LED - Red 5mm.

Note:

• Mean current drawing of the circuit can be reduced further on by raising R1, R7 and R9 values.

Source: Red Free Circuit Design

Rear Light After Glow (For Bicycles)

This article is of interest only to readers whose bicycle lights are powered by a dynamo. The laws on bicycle lights in the United Kingdom are stricter than in other countries and a dynamo is, therefore, a rarity in this country. From the point of view of traffic safety it is advisable (in UK obligatory) for cyclists to have the rear lamp of their bicycle to light even when they are at standstill. In principle, it is not very difficult to modify the existing rear light with afterglow: all this needs is a large enough energy reservoir. Since the after-glow is required for short periods of time only, a battery is not required: a large value capacitor, say, 1 F, is quite sufficient.

As the diagram shows, in the present circuit, the normal rear light bulb is replaced by two series-connected bright LEDs, D2 and D3. These are clearly visible with a current of only 6 mA (compared with 50 mA of the bulb). The current is set with series resistor R1. The LEDs are shunted by the 1 F capacitor, C1. Since the working voltage of this component is only 5.5 V, it is, in spite of its high value, physically small. An effective regulator is needed to limit the dynamo voltage adequately. Normal regulators cannot be used here, since they do not work at low voltages. Moreover, such a device would discharge the capacitor when the cycle is at standstill.

Fortunately, there is a low-drop type that meets the present requirements nicely: the Type LP2950CZ5.0. Of course, the dynamo output voltage needs to be rectified before it can be applied to the regulator. In the present circuit, this is effected by half-wave rectifier D1 and buffer capacitor C2. Diode D1 is a Schottky type to keep any losses low – important for this application, because the ground connection via the bicycle frame usually causes some losses as well. The value of buffer capacitor has been chosen well above requirements to ensure that C1 is charged during the negative half cycles of the dynamo voltage.

Car Interior Lights Delay

Most cars do not have delayed interior lights. The circuit presented can put this right. It switches the interior lights of a car on and off gradually. This makes it a lot easier, for instance, to find the ignition keyhole when the lights have gone off after the car door has been closed. Since the circuit must be operated by the door switch, a slight intervention in the wiring of this switch is unavoidable. When the car door is opened, the door switch closes the lights circuit to earth. When the door is closed (and the switch is open), transistor T1, whose base is linked to the switch, cuts off T2, so that the interior light remains off. When the switch closes (when the door is opened), the base of T1 is at earth level and the transistor is off.

Capacitor C1 is charged fairly rapidly via R3 and D1, whereupon T2 comes on so that the interior light is switched on. When the door is closed again, T1 conducts and stops the charging of C1. However, the capacitor is discharged fairly slowly via R5, so that T2 is not turned off immediately. This ensures that the interior light remains on for a little while and then goes out slowly. The time delays may be varied quite substantially by altering the values of R3, R5, and C1. Circuit IC2 may be one of many types of n-channel power MOSFET, but it should be able to handle drain-source voltages greater than 50 V. In the proto-type, a BUZ74 is used which can handle D-S voltages of up to 500 V.