CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW

OVERVIEW

This is simple automatic water level controller circuit. It will make you more
comfortable because it enables open – close water pump automatically. When
full of water, was ordered off the water. But when levels gradually reduced to
the required, Then turned on fully the water. So we do not have to worry about
overflow and water out anymore.
ABSTRACT

Automatic water level controller circuit is a simple engineering project. 
It can automatically switch ON and OFF the domestic water pump setdepending 
on the tank water level. You can implement this  motor  driver circuit  at  your 
home  or  college  using  less  costly 
components. The approximated cost of the project is very less. The main advant
age of thiswater level controller circuit is that  it 
automatically controls the water pump without any user interaction. The  heart 
pump  controller circuit  is  a  NE  555  IC;  here  we  have 
manipulated the flip flop inside the 555 timer IC. Our project consists of three w
ater level sensors, one fixed at the top and other at the bottom. Working of
this circuit is almost similar to a Bi  stable mutlivibrator.
 BLOCK DIAGRAM

IC 555 TRANSISTOR RELAY MOTOR

TIMER

POWER

SUPPLY
 COMPONENT LIST

 1. Power supply (12v)   
   2. NE 555 timer IC 
   3. Resistors (100Ωx2, 10kΩ,1kΩ) 
   4. Relay (12V, 30A) 
   5. SL 100 transistor 
   6. 1N4007 Diode 
7. BC 547 transistor= 1
8. LED =7
9. Pump (165-250v/ 50 Hz)
10. Battery (12 v)
 CHAPTER 2:
INTRODUCTION WITH
LITERATURE SURVEY
INTRODUCTION

People generally switch on the pump when their taps go dry and switch off the p
ump when the overhead tank starts overflowing. This results in the unnecessary 
wastage and sometimes nonavailability of water in the case of emergency. 
The circuit that we are using makes this system automatic, i.e. it
switches on the pump when the water level in the overhead tank goes
low and switches it off as soon as the water level pre-determined
level. It also prevents ‘dry run’ of the pump in case the
level in the tank goes below the suction level. 
Water Level Controller employs a simple mechanism to detect andmaintain the 
water level in a tank or any other container by switching it on/off the motor auto
matically when needed. The level sensing is done by
though sensors which are placed at different levels on the tank walls.
Level indicator:
This is the circuit diagram of a simple corrosion free water level indicator for
home and industries. In fact the level of any conductive non corrosive liquids
can be measured using this circuit. The circuit is based on 5 transistor switches.
Each transistor is switched on to drive the corresponding LED, when its base is
supplied with current through the water through the electrode probes.
REVIEW OF RECENT WORK

Automatic control Systems were first developed over two thousand years ago.
The first feedback control device on record is thought to be the ancient
Ktesibios's water clock in Alexandria, Egypt around the third century B.C. It
kept time by regulating the water level in a vessel and, therefore, the water flow
from that vessel. This certainly was a successful device as water clocks of
similar design were still being made in Baghdad when the Mongols captured the
city in 1258 A.D. A variety of automatic devices have been used over the
centuries to accomplish useful tasks or simply to just entertain. The latter
includes the automata, popular in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries,
featuring dancing figures that would repeat the same task over and over again;
these automata are examples of open-loop control. Milestones among feedback,
or "closed-loop" automatic control devices, include the temperature regulator of
a furnace attributed to Drebbel, circa 1620, and the centrifugal fly ball governor
used for regulating the speed of steam engines by James Watt in 1788.
Schneider Electric is a France-based multinational corporation that specializes
in electricity distribution, automation management and produces installation
components for energy management.
CHAPTER 3: CIRCUIT
DIAGRAM
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM
CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION

Pump Controller

The three sensors are placed as following: Sensor C- At the bottom of the tank.
Sensor B- A little above of sensor 1. Sensor A-At the top of the tank.
The three sensors are maintaining the water level in the tank by triggering &
retriggering the timer IC. Here the timer IC is acting in monostable mode or
one-shot mode. Sensor C carries the +Vcc supply thus when the water level falls
below sensor B the timer IC is triggered & the pump is energized through a
relay & transistor. Now when the water reaches the topmost level & touches
sensor A it retriggers the timer IC once again & and the pump is switched off
automatically.
Hence this water level controller is one of the cheapest & simplest devices
which prevents wastage of both electricity & water.

Level indicator

One electrode probe is (F) with 6V AC is placed at the bottom of tank. Next
probes are placed step by step above the bottom probe. When water is rising the
base of each transistor gets electrical connection to 6V AC through water and
the corresponding probe. Which in turn makes the transistors conduct to glow
LED and indicate the level of water. The ends of probes are connected to
corresponding points in the circuit as shown in circuit diagram. Insulated
Aluminum wires with end insulation removed will do for the probe. Arrange the
probes in order on a PVC pipe according to the depth and immerse it in the
tank.AC voltage is use to prevent electrolysis at the probes.
 CHAPTER 4:
METHODOLOGY
WORKING OF AUTOMATIC WATER TANK LEVEL
CONTROLLER

· We know the property of 555 timer IC, i.e. its output goes HIGH when voltage
at the second pin(trigger pin) is less than 1/3 Vcc.
· Also we can reset back the IC by applying a LOW voltage at the 4th pin
(Reset pin).
· In this project 3 wires are dipped in water tank. Let us define two water levels-
Bottom (L) level and Top (H) level. One of the wire or probe is from Vcc,
which can be called as middle level (M).
· The probe from bottom level is connected to the trigger (2nd) pin of 555 IC.
So the voltage at 2nd pin is Vcc when it is covered by water.
· When water level goes down, the 2nd pin gets disconnected (untouched) from
water i.e. voltage at the trigger pin becomes less than Vcc. Then the output of
555 becomes high.
· The output of 555 is fed to a SL 100 transistor, it energizes the relay coil and
the water pump set is turned ON.
While the water level rises, the top level probe is covered by water and the
transistor becomes ON. Its collector voltage goes to Vce (sat) =0.2V.
· The low voltage at the 4th pin resets the IC. So the output of 555 becomes 0V.
Hence the motor will turn OFF automatically.
· For practical implementation, you must use a relay. Rating of relay is chosen
according to the load (Motor). 32 Ampere relay is best suited for domestic
applications.
 WORKING OF WATER LEVEL INDICATOR

When water level falls below probe B but above probe A, water inside the tank
still provides base voltage to transistor T1 and relay RL1 remains energized to
make pin 13 of gate N3 high. However, transistor T2 doesn’t conduct and the
logic built around NAND gates N1 and N2 outputs high to pin12 of N3. As a
result, the output of N3 remains low and motor remains stopped.
When water level falls below probe A, both transistor T1 and T2 do not
conduct. NAND gates N3 gives a high output to drive relay RL2 and the motor
restarts pumping water into the tank.
Fig.2 shows the indicator/monitoring circuit. It consists of five LEDs
which glows to indicator the level of the water in the overhead tank, transistors
T3 through T7 gates base voltage and conduct to light up the LEDs(LEDs down
through LED1).
When water in the tank reaches the minimum at level 0, transistor T7
conducts and LED 1 glows. When water level rises to one-fourth of the tank,
transistor T6 conducts and LED 1 and LED 2 glow. When water level rises to
half of the tank, transistor T5 conducts and LED 1, LED 2 and LED 3 glow.
When water level rises to three-fourth of the tank, transistor T4 conducts and
LED 1 through LED 4 glow. When the tank is full, transistor T3 conducts and
all the five LEDs glow. So, from glowing of LEDs, one can know water level in
the tank (see the table).The LEDs can be mounted anywhere for easy
monitoring.
MODE OF OPERATION OF BLOCKS

NE555 (Timer) : The 555 timer IC is an integrated circuit (chip) used in a

variety of timer, pulse generation, and oscillator applications. The 555 can be
used to provide time delays, as an oscillator, and as a flip-flop element the
standard 555 package includes 25 transistors, 2 diodes and 15 resistors on a
silicon chip installed in an 8-pin mini dual-in-line package (DIP-8). The 555 has
three operating modes : Monostable mode, Astable mode and Bistable mode.

Relay : Electrically operated switch. Relays are used where it is necessary to

control a circuit by a low power signal. It consists a electromagnet and also set
of contacts. Switching mechanism is carried out by electromagnet. Used where
single signal is used to control a lot of circuit.

Display unit : It contains LEDs which are visible to the observer. Green light
of the LED lits momentarily when a person enters into the room while the red
light lits when the person goes out of the room. It also contain a bulb which
turns ON and OFF in the same fashion.

Power supply : It is the main power supply of the whole set up. Main supply
is 230 V A.C which is given to a centre-tapped transformer giving the output 12
V D.C.
A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries,
by mechanical action. Pumps can be classified into three major groups
according to the method they use to move the fluid: direct lift, displacement,
and gravity pumps.

Electric Pumps:
Pumps operate by some mechanism (typically reciprocating or rotary), and
consume energy to perform mechanical work by moving the fluid. Pumps
operate via many energy sources, including manual operation, electricity,
engines, or wind power, come in many sizes, from microscopic for use in
medical applications to large industrial pumps.
Mechanical pumps serve in a wide range of applications such as pumping water
from wells, aquarium filtering, pond filtering and aeration, in the car industry
for water-cooling and fuel injection, in the energy industry for pumping oil and
natural gas or for operating cooling towers. In the medical industry, pumps are
used for biochemical processes in developing and manufacturing medicine, and
as artificial replacements for body parts, in particular the artificial heart and
penile prosthesis.
 CHAPTER 5:
ILLUSTRATION OF
HARDWARE ELEMENTS
SELECTION OF MATERIALS

component specification Quantity

timer NE555 1
Transistor SL 100, BC547 2
Relay 12V-30A 1
Electric Pump (165-250v/ 50 Hz) 1
Power Supply 12V 1
Diode 1N4007 1
capacitor 0.01μF 1
Battery 12V 1
Resistors 100Ω, 10KΩ,1KΩ,470Ω 8
Bread Board General Type 2
Vero Board Dotted 2
LED General 7
FUNCTIONAL DETAILS OF EACH ELEMENTS

NE555 (Timer) : NE555 is an integrated circuit (chip) used in a variety of

timer, pulse generation, and oscillator applications. The 555 can be used to
provide time delays, as an oscillator, and as a flip-flop element. Derivatives
provide up to four timing circuits in one package. the standard 555 package
includes 25 transistors, 2 diodes and 15 resistors on a silicon chip installed in an
8-pin mini dual-in-line package (DIP-8)
The connection of the pins for a DIP package is as follows :
Pin No Pin NAME DESCRIPTION

1 GND Ground reference

voltage, low level (0 V).
2 TRIG The OUT pin goes high
and a timing interval
starts when this input
falls below 1/2 of CTRL
voltage.
3 OUT This output is driven to
approximately 1.7V
below VCC or GND.
4 RESET A timing interval may
be reset by driving this
input to GND, but the
timing does not begin
again until RESET rises
above approximately 0.7
volts. Overrides TRIG
which overrides THR.
5 CTRL Provides control access
to the internal voltage
divider
6 THR The timing (OUT high)
interval ends when the
voltage at THR is
greater than that at
CTRL.
7 DIS Open collector output
which may discharge a
 capacitor between
intervals. In phase with
output.
8 Vcc Positive supply voltage,
which is usually
between 3 and 15 V
depending on the
variation.
 NE555 (Timer) With Pin diagram

The 555 has three operating modes :

Monostable mode : In this mode, the 555 functions as a "one-shot" pulse
generator. Applications include timers, missing pulse detection, bounce free
switches, frequency divider, pulse-width modulation (PWM) etc.
Astable (free-running) mode : The 555 can operate as an oscillator. Uses
include LED, pulse generation, security alarms, pulse position modulation etc.
The 555 can be used as a simple ADC, converting an analog value to a pulse
length.
Bistable mode or Schmitt trigger : The 555 can operate as a flip-flop, if the DIS
pin is not connected and no capacitor is used.

Relay (12 V) : Relay is an electrically operated switch. Relays are used where
it is necessary to control a circuit by a low power signal. It consists a
electromagnet and also set of contacts. Switching mechanism is carried out by
electromagnet. Used where single signal is used to control a lot of circuit.
Iron core is surrounded by control coil. When current starts flowing through the
coil, electromagnet energizes and thus intensifies the magnetic field. Upper
contact arm gets attracted towards lower fixed arm and closes the contact
causing short circuit. If relay was de-energized when the contacts were closed
then contacts move oppositely and make an open circuit.
NO (Normally open) contact also known as “make contact “ closes the circuit
when relay is activated and disconnects the circuit when relay is inactive
whereas NC (Normally close) contact also known as “break contact” does the
opposite thing. CO (Change over) or DT (Double throw) is the common
terminal also known as “break before make” or “make before break” contact.
This project uses a 5 – terminal SPDT type relay.
 RELAY
(12V,30A)

Resistors and capacitors : Resistors are passive 2 – terminal electrical

components that provides electrical resistance. They are used to limit the flow
of current or voltage.
Capacitors are also passive 2 – terminal electrical components used to store
energy. They are widely used in circuits for blocking direct current and
allowing alternate current to pass, smoothing the o/p of power supplies and
stabilizes the voltage and power flow.

CAPACITORS RESISTORS

Diodes : A diode is a 2 - terminal electronic component having low resistance

and allows electric current to flow in one direction. It passes the current in one
direction (forward direction) and blocks the current in other (reverse direction).
Due to its unidirectional behavior diode is used for rectification purposes.
The 1N4007 is a small, general purpose device that can handle currents up to 1
ampere and voltages up to 1000 volts.

1N4007 DIODE

LED:- A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are

used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other
lighting. When a light-emitting diode is switched on, electrons are able to
recombine with holes within the device, releasing energy in the form of
photons.
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a two-lead semiconductor light source. It is a p–
n junction diode, which emits light when activated. When a suitable voltage is
applied to the leads, electrons are able to recombine with electron holes within
the device, releasing energy in the form of photons. This effect is called
electroluminescence, and the colour of the light (corresponding to the energy of
the photon) is determined by the energy band gap of the semiconductor.
An LED is often small in area (less than 1 mm2) and integrated optical
components may be used to shape its radiation pattern.

Appearing as practical electronic components in 1962, the earliest LEDs

emitted low-intensity infrared light. Infrared LEDs are still frequently used as
transmitting elements in remote-control circuits, such as those in remote
controls for a wide variety of consumer electronics. The first visible-light LEDs
were also of low intensity, and limited to red. Modern LEDs are available
across the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared wavelengths, with very high
brightness.

Transistors: Transistors are the semiconductors used to amplify and switch

electronic signals. Hence it acts as an amplifier and switch also. It has 3 –
terminals viz base, the lead responsible for activating the transistor, collector is
the positive lead while emitter is the negative lead. The circuit uses two NPN
transistors.
SL100 is a general purpose, medium power NPN transistor. It is mostly used as
switch in common emitter configuration.

Transistor
Bread board and vero board : s A breadboard is used to make
up temporary circuits for testing. No soldering is required
so it is easy to change connections and replace components. Parts will not be
damaged so they will be available to re-use afterwards. Breadboards have many
tiny sockets (called 'holes') arranged on a 0.1" grid. The leads of most
components can be pushed straight into the holes. ICs are inserted across the
central gap with their notch or dot to the left. Wire links can be made with
single-core plastic-coated wire of 0.6mm diameter (the standard size). Stranded
wire is not suitable because it will crumple when pushed into a hole and it may
damage the board if strands break off. The top and bottom rows are linked
horizontally all the way across as shown by the red and black lines on the
diagram. The power supply is connected to these rows, + at the top and 0V
(zero volts) at the bottom. The other holes are linked vertically in blocks of 5
with no link across the centre as shown by the blue lines on the diagram.

Vero board is a widely-used type of electronics prototyping board characterized

by a 0.1 inch (2.54 mm) regular (rectangular) grid of holes, with wide parallel
strips of copper cladding running in one direction all the way across one side of
the board. It is a trademark, in the UK, of British company Vero Technologies
Ltd. In using the board, breaks are made in the tracks, usually around holes, to
divide the strips into multiple electrical nodes. With care, it is possible to break
between holes to allow for components that have two pin rows only one
position apart such as twin row headers for IDCs.
 CHAPTER 6:
ILLUSTRATION OF
MEASURING DEVICES
MULTIMETER

A multimeter or a multitester, also known as a VOM (Volt-Ohm meter), is an

electronic measuring instrument that combines several measurement functions
in one unit. A typical multimeter would include basic features such as the ability
to measure voltage, current, and resistance. Analog multimeters use a micro
ammeter whose pointer moves over a scale calibrated for all the different
measurements that can be made. Digital multimeters (DMM, DVOM) display
the measured value in numerals, and may also display a bar of a length
proportional to the quantity being measured. Digital multimeters have all but
replaced analog moving coil multimeters in most situations. Analog multimeters
are still manufactured but by few manufacturers. A multimeter can be a hand-
held device useful for basic fault finding and field service work, or a bench
instrument which can measure to a very high degree of accuracy. They can be
used to troubleshoot electrical problems in a wide array of industrial and
household devices such as electronic equipment, motor controls, domestic
appliances, power supplies, and wiring systems.
POWER SUPPLY

A power supply is a device that supplies electric power to an electrical load.

The term is most commonly applied to electric power converters that convert
one form of electrical energy to another, though it may also refer to devices that
convert another form of energy (mechanical, chemical, solar) to electrical
energy. A regulated power supply is one that controls the output voltage or
current to a specific value; the controlled value is held nearly constant despite
variations in either load current or the voltage supplied by the power supply's
energy source. Every power supply must obtain the energy it supplies to its
load, as well as any energy it consumes while performing that task, from an
energy source. Depending on its design, a power supply may obtain energy
from :

Electrical energy transmission systems. Common examples of this include

power supplies that convert AC line voltage to DC voltage.
Energy storage devices such as batteries and fuel cells.
Electromechanical systems such as generators and alternators.
Solar power.
A power supply may be implemented as a discrete, stand-alone device or as an
integral device that is hardwired to its load. Examples of the latter case include
the low voltage DC power supplies that are part of desktop computers and
consumer electronics devices.
Commonly specified power supply attributes include:
The amount of voltage and current it can supply to its load.
How stable its output voltage or current is under varying line and load
conditions.
How long it can supply energy without refueling or recharging (applies to
power supplies that employ portable energy sources).
CHAPTER 7: COST OF
THE PROJECT
COST OF THE PROJECT

COMPONENTS PRICE

NE555 (Timer) 30
Relay 150
Transistors 90
Diodes 20
Resistors 40
Capacitors 40
LED 35
Bread Board 240
Vero Board 50
Power supply 85
Battery 20
Electric Pump 550

The total cost the project is approximately Rs.2000

CHAPTER 8: RESULT
DISCUSSION
RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The system is sensitive to the change in the in water level. The circuit was built
and tested. Reference can be taken from Gallery for the pictures of tested
circuit. The Electric Pump is controlled by the energizing and de energizing of
the relay with the help of the timer

VISUAL OBSERVATION

A visual observation of the circuit was conducted to look for any broken
connection in the circuit or any other visible fault. No such fault was detected
during the visual observation.

OPERATION OBSERVATION

The circuit was operated and checked whether it is performing the desired
operation. The LED was whether displaying proper colour and whether the
relay was energizing de energizing properly or not.
CHAPTER 9: FUTURE
SCOPE AND
APPLICATIONS
FUTURE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

Alarm system:

This project can be added with a voice alarm system to indicate when the tank is
full and no more water can get inside.

Microcontroller:

The use of microcontroller can be considered as a major future modification that

can be done in this project.

IR sensors:

This circuit can also be implemented using IR sensors

LCD display

LCD display can be used in this circuit to display the level of water inside the
tank.
APPLICATIONS
This project has a very wide application in today’s corporate and busy life. Now
a days no one is having time to switch on and switch off light by own. Every
single person is dependent on automated system to live an easy life. We present
you a system here which will have a wide application and will be the remedy of
your entire problem on saving energy rather money.
The list is provided here :

Industry
Public toilets
Power plants to control the level of boiler drum
Petrol pumps
Oil refineries
Homes
Government offices
CHAPTER 10: REFERENCE
REFERENCE

 http://www.circuitstoday.com
 http://www.electronics-lab.com/projects/
 http://www.electronicsforu.com/
 http://www.academia.edu
 http://www.datasheetarchive.com
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/555_timer_IC
 http://www.electroncomponents.com
 http://www.semiconductor4u.com

 The art of electronics by Brian

 Getting started in electronics by Forrest Mims III