Variable DC Power Supply

Variable DC Power Supply

Voltage range: 0.7 - 24V
Current limiting range: 50mA - 2A

Circuit diagram:

Parts:
P1____________500R Linear Potentiometer
P2_____________10K Log. Potentiometer

R1,R2___________2K2 1/2W Resistors
R3____________330R 1/4W Resistor
R4____________150R 1/4W Resistor
R5______________1R 5W Resistor

C1___________3300µF 35V Electrolytic Capacitor (see Notes)
C2______________1µF 63V Polyester Capacitor

D1,D2________1N5402 200V 3A Diodes
D3_____________5mm. Red LED

Q1____________BC182 50V 100mA NPN Transistor
Q2____________BD139 80V 1.5A NPN Transistor
Q3____________BC212 50V 100mA PNP Transistor
Q4 __________2N3055 60V 15A NPN Transistor

T1_____________220V Primary, 36V Center-tapped Secondary
50VA Mains transformer (see Notes)
PL1____________Male Mains plug
SW1____________SPST Mains switch

Device purpose:

A Variable DC Power Supply is one of the most useful tools on the electronics hobbyist's workbench. This circuit is not an absolute novelty, but it is simple, reliable, "rugged" and short-proof, featuring variable voltage up to 24V and variable current limiting up to 2A. Well suited to supply the circuits shown in this website. You can adapt it to your own requirements as explained in the notes below.

Notes:

• P1 sets the maximum output current you want to be delivered by the power supply at a given output voltage.

• P2 sets the output voltage and must be a logarithmic taper type, in order to obtain a more linear scale voltage indication.

• You can choose the Transformer on the grounds of maximum voltage and current output needed. Best choices are: 36, 40 or 48V center-tapped and 50, 75, 80 or 100VA.

• Capacitor C1 can be 2200 to 6800µF, 35 to 50V.

• Q4 must be mounted on a good heatsink in order to withstand sustained output short-circuit. In some cases the rear panel of the metal box in which you will enclose the circuit can do the job.

• The 2N3055 transistor (Q4) can be replaced with the slightly less powerful TIP3055 type.
• Excellent quality-price ratio: enjoy!

Muscular Bio-Stimulator (2nd Version)

Muscular Bio-Stimulator

Improved version of the popular circuit
Increased output voltage - More complex output wave forms

Circuit diagram:

Parts:

P1_____________100K  Linear Potentiometer
P2,P3___________10K  Linear Potentiometers
R1_____________560K  1/4W Resistor
R2______________68K  1/4W Resistor
R3,R4___________10K  1/4W Resistors
R5______________22K  1/4W Resistor
R6,R7____________4K7 1/4W Resistors
R8_____________330R  1/4W Resistor
R9_______________2K2 1/4W Resistor
R10____________470R  1/4W Resistor
R11_____________47R  1/4W Resistor
C1_______________1µF  63V Polyester Capacitor
C2,C3__________100nF  63V Polyester or Ceramic Capacitors
C4_____________220nF  63V Polyester Capacitor
C5_____________220µF  25V Electrolytic Capacitor
D1______________LED  (Any dimension, shape and color)
D2,D3________1N4148   75V 150mA Diodes
Q1____________BC547   45V 100mA NPN Transistor
Q2,Q3_________BC327   45V 800mA PNP Transistors
IC1,IC2________7555 or TS555CN CMos Timer ICs
T1_____________230V Primary, 12V Secondary 1.2VA Mains transformer (see Notes)
SW1,SW2________SPST  Toggle or Slide Switches
B1_______________3V to 9V Batteries (See Notes)

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Comments:

This circuit is a big improvement of the small Muscular Bio-Stimulator design, available on these pages since 2000.
Circuit improvements are due to Bo Braendstrup, from Technical University of Denmark, and feature a very effective and much safer way to adjust output amplitude. Fine adjustments of "Pulse rate" and "Pulse width" were also added, plus a switch allowing to obtain more complex wave forms of the output ac voltage signal (SW1 when closed).

Warning:

The use of this device is forbidden to Pace-Maker bearers and pregnant women.
Do not place the electrodes on cuts, wounds, injuries or varices.
Obviously we can't claim or prove any therapeutic effectiveness for this device.

Notes:

• T1 is a small mains transformer 230 to 12V @ 100 or 150mA. It must be reverse connected, i.e. the 12V secondary winding across Q3 Collector and negative ground, and the 230V primary winding to P3 and output Electrodes.
• The circuit has been thoroughly tested, and it works nicely when supplied in the 3V - 9V range. Running on 3V supply with a 12V 1.2VA transformer it would be no more dangerous than the circuit already published. But please note that using 9V battery supply it can output 120V signals and could be very dangerous.
• Electrodes can be obtained by small metal plates connected to the output of the circuit via usual electric wire and can be taped to the skin. In some cases, moistening them with little water has proven useful.
• Commercial sets have frequently a built-in 30 minutes timer. For this purpose you can use the Timed Beeper the Bedside Lamp Timer or the Jogging Timer circuits available on this Website, adjusting the timing components to suit your needs.

Disclaimer: we can't claim or prove any therapeutic effectiveness for this device.

Muscular Bio-Stimulator (1st Version)

Muscular Bio-Stimulator

Circuit diagram:

Parts:

P1______________4K7  Linear Potentiometer
R1____________180K   1/4W Resistor
R2______________1K8  1/4W Resistor (see Notes)
R3______________2K2  1/4W Resistor
R4____________100R   1/4W Resistor
C1____________100nF  63V Polyester Capacitor
C2____________100µF  25V Electrolytic Capacitor
D1______________LED  Red 5mm.
D2___________1N4007  1000V 1A Diode
Q1,Q2_________BC327  45V 800mA PNP Transistors
IC1____________7555 or TS555CN CMos Timer IC
T1_____________220V Primary, 12V Secondary 1.2VA Mains transformer (see Notes)
SW1____________SPST Switch (Ganged with P1)
B1_____________3V Battery (two 1.5V AA or AAA cells in series etc.)

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Device purpose:

This is a small, portable set, designed for those aiming at look improvement. The Bio-Stimulator provides muscles' stimulation and invigoration but, mainly, it could be an aid in removing cellulite.
Tape the electrodes to the skin at both ends of the chosen muscle and rotate P1 knob slowly until a light itch sensation is perceived. Each session should last about 30 - 40 minutes.

Warning:

The use of this device is forbidden to Pace-Maker bearers and pregnant women.
Do not place the electrodes on cuts, wounds, injuries or varices.
Obviously we can't claim or prove any therapeutic effectiveness for this device.

Circuit operation:

IC1 generates 150µSec. pulses at about 80Hz frequency. Q1 acts as a buffer and Q2 inverts the polarity of the pulses and drives the Transformer. The amplitude of the output pulses is set by P1 and approximately displayed by the brightness of LED D1. D2 protects Q2 against high voltage peaks generated by T1 inductance during switching.

Notes:

• T1 is a small mains transformer 220 to 12V @ 100 or 150mA. It must be reverse connected i.e. the 12V secondary winding across Q2 Collector and negative ground, and the 220V primary winding to output electrodes.
• Output voltage is about 60V positive and 150V negative but output current is so small that there is no electric-shock danger.
• In any case P1 should be operated by the "patient", starting with the knob fully counter-clockwise, then rotating it slowly clockwise until the LED starts to illuminate. Stop rotating the knob when a light itch sensation is perceived.
• Best knob position is usually near the center of its range.
• In some cases a greater pulse duration can be more effective in cellulite treatment. Try changing R2 to 5K6 or 10K maximum: stronger pulses will be easily perceived and the LED will shine more brightly.
• Electrodes can be obtained by small metal plates connected to the output of the circuit via usual electric wire and can be taped to the skin. In some cases, moistening them with little water has proven useful.
• SW1 should be ganged to P1 to avoid abrupt voltage peaks on the "patient's" body at switch-on, but a stand alone SPST switch will work quite well, provided you remember to set P1 knob fully counter-clockwise at switch-on.
• Current drawing of this circuit is about 1mA @ 3V DC.
• Some commercial sets have four, six or eight output electrodes. To obtain this you can retain the part of the circuit comprising IC1, R1, R2, C1, C2, SW1 and B1. Other parts in the diagram (i.e. P1, R3, R4, D1, D2, Q2 & T1) can be doubled, trebled or quadrupled. Added potentiometers and R3 series resistors must be wired in parallel and all connected across Emitter of Q1 and positive supply.
• Commercial sets have frequently a built-in 30 minutes timer. For this purpose you can use the Timed Beeper the Bedside Lamp Timer or the Jogging Timer circuits available on this Website, adjusting the timing components to suit your needs.

Disclaimer: we can't claim or prove any therapeutic effectiveness for this device.

Digital Electronic Lock

Digital Electronic Lock

Description

The digital lock shown below uses 4 common logic ICs to allow controlling a relay by entering a 4 digit number on a keypad. The first 4 outputs from the CD4017 decade counter (pins 3,2,4,7) are gated together with 4 digits from a keypad so that as the keys are depressed in the correct order, the counter will advance. As each correct key is pressed, a low level appears at the output of the dual NAND gate producing a high level at the output of the 8 input NAND at pin 13. The momentary high level from pin 13 activates a one shot circuit which applies an approximate 80 millisecond positive going pulse to the clock line (pin 14) of the decade counter which advances it one count on the rising edge. A second monostable, one shot circuit is used to generate an approximate 40 millisecond positive going pulse which is applied to the common point of the keypad so that the appropriate NAND gate will see two logic high levels when the correct key is pressed (one from the counter and the other from the key). The inverted clock pulse (negative going) at pin 12 of the 74C14 and the positive going keypad pulse at pin 6 are gated together using two diodes as an AND gate (shown in lower right corner). The output at the junction of the diodes will be positive in the event a wrong key is pressed and will reset the counter. When a correct key is pressed, outputs will be present from both monostable circuits (clock and keypad) causing the reset line to remain low and allowing the counter to advance. However, since the keypad pulse begins slightly before the clock, a 0.1uF capacitor is connected to the reset line to delay the reset until the inverted clock arrives. The values are not critical and various other timing schemes could be used but the clock signal should be slightly longer than the keypad pulse so that the clock signal can mask out the keypad and avoid resetting the counter in the event the clock pulse ends before the keypad pulse. The fifth output of the counter is on pin 10, so that after four correct key entries have been made, pin 10 will move to a high level and can be used to activate a relay, illuminate an LED, ect. At this point, the lock can be reset simply by pressing any key. The circuit can be extended with additional gates (one more CD4011) to accept up to a 8 digit code. The 4017 counting order is 3 2 4 7 10 1 5 6 9 11 so that the first 8 outputs are connected to the NAND gates and pin 9 would be used to drive the relay or light. The 4 additional NAND gate outputs would connect to the 4 remaining inputs of the CD4068 (pins 9,10,11,12). The circuit will operate from 3 to 12 volts on 4000 series CMOS but only 6 volts or less if 74HC parts are used. The circuit draws very little current (about 165 microamps) so it could be powered for several months on 4 AA batteries assuming only intermittent use of the relay.

Partlist
1x CD4017 decade counter
1x CD4011
1x 74C14
1x CD4068
Misc: diodes, resistors, capacitors, etc.