Measurements Project

Fire detection and alarm system

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Section 8
General block diagram of Circuit elements: -

Circuit elements: -
1- Diode as a fire detector: -
When a diode is reversely biased, it acts as a very large resistance that severely limits the
current Is. And when the diode temperature increases to high levels, the behavior changes due to
the release of many free electrons and holes that allow current to pass through even in reverse
mode as shown in Figure (1) below:

Figure (1): Effect of temperature on avalanche diodes

𝐈𝐝
𝐈𝐬 = 𝐪𝐕𝐃 equation (1)
(𝐞𝛈𝐊𝐓 −𝟏)

𝐈𝐬 ∝ 𝐓 equation (2)
𝑻𝟐 −𝑻𝟏
𝐈𝐬𝟐 = 𝐈𝐬𝟏 × 𝟐( 𝟏𝟎
)
equation (3)

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Figure (2) shows Relation between Is2 & ΔT according to equation (3) assuming that Is1 = 5 µA.

Is2(A)

ΔT(Ko)

Figure (2): Relation between Is2 & ΔT.

The following figures demonstrate this. Figure (3) shows Diode connected in reverse while
being heated, and Figure (4) shows Diode connected in reverse with no heat applied.

Figure (3): Diode connected with heat applied. Figure (4): Diode connected with no heat applied.

We tried various types of Diodes such as Silicone, Zener, and Germanium, to determine
which is more temperature sensitive, and we settled on Germanium because it’s more
temperature sensitive than silicon as it has a smaller band gap.

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2- Flip-Flop circuit using 555 Timer: -
While the diode effectively conducts current when heated, it is important to ensure that
the alarm remains active even if the heat source is temporarily removed or if the diode is damaged
or disconnected. This can be achieved by incorporating a bistable circuit (Flip-Flop) that provides
a constant output after being triggered by a short pulse and has two stable states. A 555 Timer
can be used to create a Flip-Flop circuit as shown in Figure (5):

Figure (5): Flip-Flop circuit using 555 timers.

Figure (6) illustrates the circuit after the SET button has been pressed and released,
while Figure (7) shows the circuit after the RESET button has been pressed and released.

Figure (6): the circuit after the SET button is pressed. Figure (7): the circuit after the RESET button is pressed.

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We will then replace the “SET” button with a reverse-biased diode as shown in Figure (8):

Figure (8): Replacing SET button with a diode.

When the diode is heated, it has the same effect as pressing the “SET” button, as shown in
Figure (9), The LED stays on even after the diode cools down, as shown in Figure (10), Only
pressing the “RESET” button will turn the LED off again.

Figure (9): the circuit when heat is applied. Figure (10): LED status after the diode cools down.

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3- Alarm system using 555 Timer as a clock: -
We can use the Astable output from the Flip-Flop circuit to power a basic alarm system that
includes a buzzer for audio and an LED for visual alerts. To make the alarm more attention-
grabbing, we want the buzzer and LED to toggle between being ON and OFF, creating a sense of
emergency. This can be accomplished by using a 555 Timer in the Astable mode, as shown in the
circuit diagram Figure (11):

Figure (11): using the 555 Timer in Astable mode.

Output signal When RA = RB shown in figure (12):

Figure (12): The output signal.

The frequency of the square wave clock can be adjusted using Equation (4), while the duty cycle
can be controlled using Equation (5).
𝟏
𝐅= equation (4)
𝟎.𝟔𝟗(𝐑𝐀 +𝟐𝐑𝐁 )𝐂

𝐑𝐀 +𝐑𝐁
𝐃𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐞 = equation (5)
𝐑 𝐀 +𝟐𝐑𝐁

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 By replacing the resistances RA & RB with a single variable resistor and connecting a buzzer
and an LED to the output, as shown in Figure (13), we can easily adjust the ratio between the two
resistances. This allows us to control the duty cycle and, in turn, the sound of the alarm.

Figure (13): Astable circuit with a variable resistance.

Full circuit diagram: -

We will assemble all the components to create the complete circuit, as illustrated in the shown
figure (14):

Figure (14): Full circuit diagram.

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Circuit implemented on a test board: -

Figure (15): Circuit on a test board.

Summary: -
The objective of this project was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the use of a
diode as a temperature sensor by analyzing its response at varying temperatures. Subsequently,
the diode was incorporated into a circuit designed to simulate a fire detection and alarm system.
However, initial testing yielded unsatisfactory results as the alarm only activated at high
temperatures and deactivated once the temperature decreased. To address this issue, the system
was improved to remain active once triggered by the detection of high temperatures via the usage
of a Flip-Flop. Additionally, further improvements were made to simulate real-life alarm behavior
by incorporating a circuit that periodically activated and deactivated the buzzer and LED, which
is the clock.