A

MINI PROJECT
ON
DARK SENSOR USING IC555 TIMER
Submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirement for the award of degree of
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

Submitted by

N.TEJESHWAR - 13641A0452
Under the guidance
Of
Mr.K.THIRUPATHI
Professor

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

VAAGDEVI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
(UGC Autonomous, Affiliated to JNTU-HYDERABAD,
Accredited by NBA and approved by AICTE, NEW DELHI)
BOLLIKUNTA, WARANGAL-506005

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 DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING
VAAGDEVI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
P.O.BOLLIKUNTA ,WARANGAL - 506005

CERTIFICATE

This Is to be certify that the project report entitled “A MINI PROJECT ON DAR K SENSOR

USING IC555 TIMER”is being submitted by Mr.N.TEJESHWAR bearing HT.NO 13641A0452

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Batchelor Of

Technology in Electronics & Communication Engineering at JNTUH during the academic

year 2013-2017.

Project Guide H.O.D Principal

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to express my gratitude to all the people behind the screen who
helped us to transform an idea into a real application.
We would like to express my heart-felt gratitude to my parents without whom we
would not have been privileged to achieve and fulfill my dreams.
we are grateful to our Principal, Mr K. Prakash who most ably run the institution
and has had the major hand in enabling me to do my project.
we profoundly thank Mr. Shashidhar sir Head of the Department of Electronic &
Communication Engineering who has been an excellent guide and also a great
source of inspiration to my work.
We would like to thank my internal guide Mr. Thirupathi for his technical
guidance, constant encouragement and support in carrying out my project at
college.
The satisfaction and euphoria that accompany the successful completion of the task
would be great but incomplete without the mention of the people who made it
possible with their constant guidance and encouragement crowns all the efforts
with success.
In this context, we would like thank all the other staff members, both teaching and
non-teaching, which have extended their timely help and eased my task.

T.ANUSHA -13641A0469
N.TEJESHWAR -13641A0452
M.RAM -13641A0463
M.ANUSHA -13641A0484

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 ABSTRACT

 The circuit presented here is of a DARK SENSOR using

IC555 timer.

 The main component used in this circuit is LDR(light

dependent resistor).

 LDRs are particularly convenient electronic components to

use.They help large change in resistance for change in light
level.

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 INDEX
Contents Page No.
Certificate ii
Acknowledgement 03
Abstract 04
List of figures 06
1. Introduction 05
2. Hardware Description 06
2.1 Circuit diagram 06
2.1.1 Basic concept and working 06
2.2 Components description 07
IC555 TIMER 07
Resistor 14
Capacitor 15
LED 18
LDR 20
Battery 23
Printed circuit board(PCB 24
3.schematic diagram 25
4. Applications 26
5.conclusion 27
References 28

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 List of Figures

 IC 555 Timer
 Pin diagram of IC 555 Timer
 Monostable mode of 555 Timer
 Astable mode of 555 Timer
 Resistors
 PCB
 Capaciors
 LDR
 Battery
 LED
 Circuit diagram
 Schematic diagram

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 CHAPTER – 1
Introduction

Needs no manual operation for switching ON and OFF. When

there is a need of light it automatically switches ON. When
darkness rises to a certain level then sensor circuit gets activated
and switches ON and when there is other source of light i.e.
daytime, the LED goes OFF. The LED is the output we can see it
glowing when it is dark and off when it is in light this is
because of the LDR(LIGHT DEPENDENT RESISTER).

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 CHAPTER – 2
Hardware Description

2.1 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

2.1.1 BASIC CONCEPT AND WORKING OF DARK SENSOR USING

555TIMER

When light falls on the LDR then its resistance decreases which
results in increase of the voltage at pin 2 of the IC 555. IC 555 has got
comparator inbuilt, which compares between the input voltage from pin2
and 1/3rd of the power supply voltage. When input falls below 1/3rd
then output is set high otherwise it is set low. Since in
brightness, input voltage rises so we
obtain no positive voltage at output of pin 3 to drive relay or LED,
besides in poor light condition we get output to energize

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 .

2.2 COMPONENTS DESCRIPTION

1)IC 555 TIMER

• The IC was designed in 1971 by Hans Camenzind under contract
to Signetics, which was later acquired by Dutch companyPhilips
Semiconductors 
• The NE555 parts were commercial
temperature range, 0 °C to +70 °C,

• The 555 timer which gets its name from the three 5kΩ resistors it
uses to generate the two comparators reference voltage, is a very
cheap, popular and useful precision timing device that can act as
either a simple timer to generate single pulses or long time delays,
or as a relaxation oscillator producing stabilized waveforms of
varying duty cycles from 50 to 100%.

• The 555 timer chip is extremely robust and stable 8-pin device that
can be operated either as a very accurate Monostable, Bistable or
Astable Multivibrator to produce a variety of applications such as
one-shot or delay timers, pulse generation, LED and lamp flashers,
alarms and tone generation, logic clocks, frequency division,
power supplies and converters etc, in fact any circuit that requires
some form of time control as the list is endless.

• The single 555 timer chip in its basic form is a Bipolar 8-pin mini
Dual-in-line Package (DIP) device consisting of some 25
transistors, 2 diodes and about 16 resistors arranged to form two
comparators, a flip-flop and a high current output stage as shown
below. As well as the 555 Timer there is also available the NE556
Timer Oscillator which combines TWO individual 555’s within a
single 14-pin DIP package and low power CMOS versions of the

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 single 555 timer such as the 7555 and LMC555 which use
MOSFET transistors instead.

• A simplified “block diagram” representing the internal circuitry of

the 555 timer is given below with a brief explanation of each of its
connecting pins to help provide a clearer understanding of how it
works.

555 Timer Block Diagram

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 Pin Ground, The ground pin connects the 555 timer to the negative
1. – (0v) supply rail.
• Pin Trigger, The negative input to comparator No 1. A negative pulse
2. – on this pin “sets” the internal Flip-flop when the voltage drops
below 1/3Vcc causing the output to switch from a “LOW” to a
“HIGH” state.
• Pin Output, The output pin can drive any TTL circuit and is capable
3. – of sourcing or sinking up to 200mA of current at an output voltage
equal to approximately Vcc – 1.5V so small speakers, LEDs or
motors can be connected directly to the output.
• Pin Reset, This pin is used to “reset” the internal Flip-flop controlling
4. – the state of the output, pin 3. This is an active-low input and is
generally connected to a logic “1” level when not used to prevent
any unwanted resetting of the output.
• Pin Control Voltage, This pin controls the timing of the 555 by
5. – overriding the 2/3Vcc level of the voltage divider network. By
applying a voltage to this pin the width of the output signal can be
varied independently of the RC timing network. When not used it
is connected to ground via a 10nF capacitor to eliminate any noise.
• Pin Threshold, The positive input to comparator No 2. This pin is
6. – used to reset the Flip-flop when the voltage applied to it exceeds
2/3Vcc causing the output to switch from “HIGH” to “LOW”
state. This pin connects directly to the RC timing circuit.
• Pin Discharge, The discharge pin is connected directly to the
7. – Collector of an internal NPN transistor which is used to
“discharge” the timing capacitor to ground when the output at pin
3 switches “LOW”.
• Pin Supply +Vcc, This is the power supply pin and for general
8. – purpose TTL 555 timers is between 4.5V and 15V.

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MODES OF OPERATION
The IC 555 TIMER has two operating modes namely

 MONOSTABLE MODE

 ASTABLE MODE.

MONOSTABLE MODE:

The operation and output of the 555 timer monostable is

exactly the same as that for the transistorised one we look at
previously in the Monostable Multivibrators tutorial. The
difference this time is that the two transistors have been replaced
by the 555 timer device. Consider the 555 timer monostable circuit
below.

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When a negative ( 0V ) pulse is applied to the trigger input (pin 2)
of the Monostable configured 555 Timer oscillator, the internal
comparator, (comparator No1) detects this input and “sets” the
state of the flip-flop, changing the output from a “LOW” state to a
“HIGH” state. This action in turn turns “OFF” the discharge
transistor connected to pin 7, thereby removing the short circuit
across the external timing capacitor, C1.

This action allows the timing capacitor to start to charge up

through resistor, R1 until the voltage across the capacitor reaches
the threshold (pin 6) voltage of 2/3Vcc set up by the internal
voltage divider network. At this point the comparators output goes
“HIGH” and “resets” the flip-flop back to its original state which
in turn turns “ON” the transistor and discharges the capacitor to
ground through pin 7. This causes the output to change its state
back to the original stable “LOW” value awaiting another trigger
pulse to start the timing process over again. Then as before, the
Monostable Multivibrator has only “ONE” stable state.

The Monostable 555 Timer circuit triggers on a negative-going

pulse applied to pin 2 and this trigger pulse must be much shorter
than the output pulse width allowing time for the timing capacitor
to charge and then discharge fully. Once triggered, the 555
Monostable will remain in this “HIGH” unstable output state until
the time period set up by the R1 x C1 network has elapsed. The
amount of time that the output voltage remains “HIGH” or at a
logic “1” level, is given by the following time constant equation.

ASTABLE MODE:

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In the 555 Oscillator circuit above, pin 2 and pin 6 are connected
together allowing the circuit to re-trigger itself on each and every
cycle allowing it to operate as a free running oscillator. During
each cycle capacitor, C charges up through both timing resistors,
R1 and R2 but discharges itself only through resistor, R2 as the
other side of R2 is connected to the discharge terminal, pin 7.

Then the capacitor charges up to 2/3Vcc (the upper comparator

limit) which is determined by the 0.693(R1+R2)C combination
and discharges itself down to 1/3Vcc (the lower comparator limit)
determined by the 0.693(R2.C) combination. This results in an
output waveform whose voltage level is approximately equal to
Vcc – 1.5V and whose output “ON” and “OFF” time periods are
determined by the capacitor and resistors combinations. The
individual times required to complete one charge and discharge
cycle of the output is therefore given as:

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Features

• High Current Drive Capability (200mA)

• Adjustable Duty Cycle
• Temperature Stability of 0.005% /C
• Timing from Sec to Hours
• Turn off time less than 2mSec

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2.2.1 Resistor

Figure 2.2.1 Three resistors

A resistor is a two-terminal electronic component that produces a voltage across

its terminals that is proportional to the electric current through it in accordance
with Ohm's law:

V = IR

Resistors are elements of electrical networks and electronic circuits and are
ubiquitous in most electronic equipment. Practical resistors can be made of various
compounds and films, as well as resistance wire (wire made of a high-resistivity
alloy, such as nickel/chrome).The primary characteristics of a resistor are the
resistance, the tolerance, maximum working voltage and the power rating. Other
characteristics include temperature coefficient, noise, and inductance. Less well-
known is critical resistance, the value below which power dissipation limits the
maximum permitted current flow, and above which the limit is applied voltage.
Critical resistance depends upon the materials constituting the resistor as well as its
physical dimensions; it's determined by design. Resistors can be integrated into
hybrid and printed circuits, as well as integrated circuits. Size and position of leads
(or terminals) are relevant to equipment designers; resistors must be physically
large enough not to overheat when dissipating their power.

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 2.2.2 Capacitor

Figure 2.2.2 Modern capacitors, by a cm rule.

A capacitor or condenser is a passive electronic component consisting of a

pair of conductors separated by a dielectric. When a voltage potential difference
exists between the conductors, an electric field is present in the dielectric. This
field stores energy and produces a mechanical force between the plates. The effect
is greatest between wide, flat, parallel, narrowly separated conductors.

An ideal capacitor is characterized by a single constant value, capacitance,

which is measured in farads. This is the ratio of the electric charge on each
conductor to the potential difference between them. In practice, the dielectric
between the plates passes a small amount of leakage current. The conductors and
leads introduce an equivalent series resistance and the dielectric has an electric
field strength limit resulting in a breakdown voltage.Capacitors are widely used in
electronic circuits to block the flow of direct current while allowing alternating
current to pass, to filter out interference, to smooth the output of power supplies,
and for many other purposes. They are used in resonant circuits in radio frequency
equipment to select particular frequencies from a signal with many frequencies.

(1)Ceramic capacitor

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 In electronics ceramic capacitor is a capacitor constructed of alternating
layers of metal and ceramic, with the ceramic material acting as the dielectric. The
temperature coefficient depends on whether the dielectric is Class 1 or Class 2. A
ceramic capacitor (especially the class 2) often has high dissipation factor, high
frequency coefficient of dissipation.

Figure 2.2.2 Ceramic capacitors

A ceramic capacitor is a two-terminal, non-polar device. The classical

ceramic capacitor is the "disc capacitor". This device pre-dates the transistor and
was used extensively in vacuum-tube equipment (e.g., radio receivers) from about
1930 through the 1950s, and in discrete transistor equipment from the 1950s
through the 1980s. As of 2007, ceramic disc capacitors are in widespread use in
electronic equipment, providing high capacity & small size at low price compared
to other low value capacitor types.

Ceramic capacitors come in various shapes and styles, including:

 disc, resin coated, with through-hole leads

 multilayer rectangular block, surface mount
 bare leadless disc, sits in a slot in the PCB and is soldered in place, used for
UHF applications
 tube shape, not popular now

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(2)Electrolytic capacitor

Figure 2.2.2 Axial lead (top) and radial lead (bottom) electrolytic capacitors

An electrolytic capacitor is a type of capacitor that uses an ionic

conducting liquid as one of its plates with a larger capacitance per unit
volume than other types. They are valuable in relatively high-current and
low-frequency electrical circuits. This is especially the case in power-
supply filters, where they store charge needed to moderate output
voltage and current fluctuations in rectifier output. They are also widely
used as coupling capacitors in circuits where AC should be conducted
but DC should not.

Electrolytic capacitors can have a very high capacitance, allowing

filters made with them to have very low corner frequencies.

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2.2.4 Light-emitting diode

Figure 2.2.4 LED

Type Passive, optoelectronic

Working principle Electroluminescence

Invented Nick Holon yak Jr. (1962)

Electronic symbol

Pin configuration Anode and Cathode

A light-emitting diode (LED) is an electronic light source. LEDs are used as

indicator lamps in many kinds of electronics and increasingly for lighting. LEDs

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work by the effect of electroluminescence, discovered by accident in 1907. The
LED was introduced as a practical electronic component in 1962. All early
devices emitted low-intensity red light, but modern LEDs are available across the
visible, ultraviolet and infra red wavelengths, with very high brightness.LEDs are
based on the semiconductor diode. When the diode is forward biased (switched
on), electrons are able to recombine with holes and energy is released in the form
of light. This effect is called electroluminescence and the color of the light is
determined by the energy gap of the semiconductor. The LED is usually small in
area (less than 1 mm2) with integrated optical components to shape its radiation
pattern and assist in reflection.

LEDs present many advantages over traditional light sources including

lower energy consumption, longer lifetime, improved robustness, smaller size and
faster switching. However, they are relatively expensive and require more precise
current and heat management than traditional light sources.Applications of LEDs
are diverse. They are used as low-energy indicators but also for replacements for
traditional light sources in general lighting, automotive lighting and traffic signals.
The compact size of LEDs has allowed new text and video displays and sensors to
be developed, while their high switching rates are useful in communications
technology.

Figure 2.2.4 Various types LEDs

LDR:

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 • An LDR is a component that has a (variable )resistance that
changes with the light intensity that falls upon it. This allows
them to be used in light sensing circuits .

A Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) or a photo resistor is a device whose

resistivity is a function of the incident electromagnetic radiation. Hence, they are
light sensitive devices. They are also called as photo conductors, photo conductive
cells or simply photocells. They are made up of semiconductor materials having
high resistance. There are many different symbols used to indicate a LDR, one of
the most commonly used symbol is shown in the figure below. The arrow indicates
light falling on it.

WORKING OF LDR:

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A light dependent resistor works on the principle of photo conductivity.
Photo conductivity is an optical phenomenon in which the materials
conductivity (Hence resistivity) reduces when light is absorbed by the
material. When light falls i.e. when the photons fall on the device, the electrons
in the valence band of the semiconductor material are excited to the
conduction band. These photons in the incident light should have energy
greater than the band gap of the semiconductor material to make the
electrons jump from the valence band to the conduction band. Hence when
light having enough energy is incident on the device more & more electrons
are excited to the conduction band which results in large number of charge
carriers. The result of this process is more and more current starts flowing
and hence it is said that the resistance of the device has decreased.This is the
most common working principle of LDR.

CHARECTERISTICS OF LDR:
LDR’s are light dependent devices whose resistance decreases when light falls
on them and increases in the dark. When a light dependent resistor is kept
in dark, its resistance is very high. This resistance is called as dark resistance.
It can be as high as 1012 Ω. And if the device is allowed to absorb light its
resistance will decrease drastically. If a constant voltage is applied to it and
intensity of light is increased the current starts increasing. Figure below
shows resistance vs. illumination curve for a particular LDR.

Photocells or LDR’s are non linear devices. There sensitivity varies with the
wavelength of light incident on them. Some photocells might not at all
response to a certain range of wavelengths. Based on the material used
different cells have different spectral response curves.

When light is incident on a photocell it usually takes about 8 to 12ms for the
change in resistance to take place, while it takes seconds for the resistance to
rise back again to its initial value after removal of light. This phenomenon is
called as resistance recovery rate. This property is used in audio compressors.
Also, LDR’s are less sensitive than photo diodes and photo transistor. (A photo
diode and a photocell (LDR) are not the same, a photo-diode is a p-n junction
semiconductor device that converts light to electricity, whereas a photocell is

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a passive device, there is no p-n junction in this nor it “converts” light to
electricity).

Types of Light Dependent Resistors:

Based on the materials used they are classified as: i) Intrinsic photo resistors
(Un doped semiconductor): These are pure semiconductor materials such as
silicon or germanium. Electrons get excited from valance band to conduction
band when photons of enough energy falls on it and number charge carriers
increases.

ii) Extrinsic photo resistors: These are semiconductor materials doped with
impurities which are called as dopants. Theses dopants create new energy
bands above the valence band which are filled with electrons. Hence this
reduces the band gap and less energy is required in exciting them. Extrinsic
photo resistors are generally used for long wavelengths.

APPLICATIONS OF LDR:
LDR’s have low cost and simple structure. They are often used as light
sensors. They are used when there is a need to detect absences or presences
of light like in a camera light meter. Used in street lamps, alarm clock, burglar
alarm circuits, light intensity meters, for counting the packages moving on a
conveyor belt, etc.
Types of resistor Carbon Composition and Wire Wound Resistor

BATTERY:

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Batteries are devices that convert
stored chemical energy into useful
electrical energy.

PCB(printed circuit board):

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What is PCB?
A printed circuit board (PCB) mechanically supports and electrically
connects electronic components using conductive tracks, pads and
other features etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-
conductive substrate

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SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM

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 APPLICATIONS

 It can be used in homes for automatic turn off or on lights.

 It is also useful trains,libraries,class rooms,offices etc.
 It is used for automatic turn on and off street lightssss.

CHAPTER 5

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CONCLUSION

• By using the dark sensor we can automatically turn on and turn off
lighting system in a room.
• With this system installed in a room, there will be no need of
manually controlling the lights in the room
• We can also conserve electricity as the dark sensor automatically
turns off the light when there is adequate brightness in the room.
It can be used in Offices, schools, and Stores as there will be no need of
human intervention.

REFERENCES
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www.electronics-lab.com
www.electronics-lab.com/dark-detector-using-a-555-timer-ic
www.electronics.dit.
www.circuitstoday.com

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