DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A TWO-WAY WIRED INTERCOM

ABSTRACT

Designing and implementing multiple intercom systems that will work without charges has always been
a prominent field of interest among many researchers and developers. This project presents
developments and potentials of a two-way intercom system that allows two-way conversations from
one location to another within a particular place such as offices, homes, workshops, warehouse. This
project writing discussed an intercom system and its component make-up, operation applications and
other relevant issues as regards to intercom system. The basic elements used in this project are tone
generator, audio input source, audio amplifier, output device and medium (cable). As both microphones
(input sources) are always in operation, 1000uf capacitor was used in the power circuit to prevent
loudspeaker from being picked up by the microphone enclosed in the same box, causing a very
undesired and loud.

CHAPTER ONE
1.1 INTRODUCTION

An internal communication system is a system that basically transfers information in the form of
electrical signal from one spot to the other within a confirmed location. It is also a private
telecommunication system that allows typically two or more locations to communicate with each other
like the telephone does. An intercom is also a personal telecommunications device which facilitates the
exchange of messages between two or more locations where standard vocal communication would be
difficult or impossible due to distance or obstructions. This project's two-way intercom system consists
of stations linked to each wire. It uses full duplex mode a process whereby one can transmit and receive
voice calls simultaneously which made transmission medium to be your wires between the two nodes
and typical headers on the nodes (separate speaker and microphone, good isolation from sound coming
from speaker to the mic element).

1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Technology now has made it possible for various instruments or devices to be designed and constructed
to make human life more profitable and enjoyable. These days, a lot of devices are built based on
electrical approach. One of these devices is known as an intercom system. Perhaps one needs internal
communication. May be one want to be able to communicate with his home from his office or garage.
Or in a case one is upstairs in a bedroom doing his or her schoolwork and wants to know when dinner
will be ready. May be the person is too weak to get up and shout down the stairs to find out if so, then
this simple intercom will help him or her to get the information he or she needs. It works without6
charges on like the telephones.

Two way wired intercom systems enable sound or speech to be transmitted in two directions, therefore
enabling a conversation. Intercoms are generally compared to fixed microphone/speaker units which
connect to a central control panel. In general, a communication system requires three things namely; a
transmitter, a propagation medium and a receiver. The information to be transferred may be in analog
form (example, voice or audio) as in the case of this study where voice is the source of information, or in
digital form (computer data, digitalized form and so on).

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

The objective of this work is to design a device that can be used to communicate between two
individuals in different parts of the home and in the case of injury or emergency.

1.4 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

In a business organization, shops, stores and stressful in relating/ delivering information between each
other within a particular building. The servant finds it laborious going to the boss always whenever he
/she has information to deliver or wants to carry out action(s) with respect to the master’s authority.
Therefore, this project work is to address this issue, looking forward to eliminating the stressful
manpower involved and to facilitate information delivery, making communication easier. The intercom
system forms the basis of this study and is designed to serve the HOD’s office and the secretary’s office
for internal communication.
1.5 PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT

(1) The main objective of this project is to construct a two-way wired intercom that will help two people
or more to communicate with each other within a particular domain, like offices, homes, warehouse etc.

(2) To build a telephone that will transmit signal via a medium at no cost.

(3) To immensely help the engineering students understand the technology behind two-way simple
intercom and its practical development.

1.6 SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY

The design and construction of two-way intercom system will help students or individual to understand
the basic knowledge of intercommunication industries, also it’s a means to replace man’s labor and
stress of walking over a given premises for information delivery. This intercom system can be used as a
door phone, connecting from the house to the door to screen visitors to the house. The wife, after
preparing dinner, can through this system call on the husband in his bedroom to the dinner table.
Generally, intercom systems can be used for message broadcast (in case of multi-channel intercom), as
door phone, monitoring etc.

1.7 SCOPEOF PROJECT

The scope of this project work design of simple two-way intercom system is too limited to the design,
construction and test on a two-station simple intercom system with specification that;

⦁ The demodulator should operate with a minimum distortion while producing an adequate
output

⦁ The small signal amplifier must provide an undistorted signal into the buffer amplifier to be able
to drive a speaker of 8 ohms impedance.

⦁ A 9-volt d.c power supply is to be design and employed to power the simple intercom for
operation at each station.

⦁ Result shall fully be discussed while suggestions for further study made.

1.8 PROJECT WORK ORGANISATION

The various stages involved in the development of this project have been properly put into five chapters
to enhance comprehensive and concise reading. In this project thesis, the project is organized
sequentially as follows:

Chapter one of this work is on the introduction to a two-station wired intercom. In this chapter, the
background, significance, objective limitation and problem of a two-station wired intercom were
discussed.

Chapter two is a literature review of a two-station wired intercom. In this chapter, all the literature
pertaining to this work was reviewed.
Chapter three is on design methodology. In this chapter all the methods involved during the design and
construction were discussed.

Chapter four is on testing analysis. All testing that results accurate functionality was analyzed.

Chapter five is a conclusion, recommendation and reference.

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 DESCRITION OF AN INTERCOM

An intercom (intercommunication device), talkback or door phone is a stand-alone voice

communications system for use within a building or small collection of buildings, functioning
independently of the public telephone network. Intercoms are generally mounted permanently in
buildings and vehicles. Intercoms can incorporate connections to public address loudspeaker systems,
walkie talkies, telephones, and to other intercom systems. Some intercom systems incorporate control
devices such as signal lights and door latches.

Permanent systems

Traditional intercoms and public address systems are composed entirely of analogue electronics
components, but many new features and interfacing options can be accomplished with new intercom
systems based on digital connections. Video signals can be carried as well as voice. Digital intercom
stations can be connected using Cat 5 cable and can even use existing computer networks as a means of
interfacing distant parties.

Many schools and office buildings now use audio / video systems to identify visitors trying to gain access
to a locked building and can be interfaced with the building's access control system.
Intercom systems can be found on many types of vehicles including trains, watercraft, aircraft and
armoured fighting vehicles.

Portable systems

Portable intercoms are commonly used by special event production crews and professional sports
teams. Performing arts venues such as theaters and concert halls often have a combination of
permanently mounted and portable intercom elements. Motorsports racetracks often have both
portable and permanent intercom stations mounted at critical points around the racecourse for use by
race officials and emergency medical technicians.

2.2 DEFINITION OF BASIC INTERCOM SYSTEM TERMS

⦁ Master Station or Base Station – These are units that can control the system, i.e., initiate a call
with any of the stations and make announcements over the whole system.

⦁ Sub-station – Units that are capable of only initiating a call with a Master Station but not capable
of initiating calls with any other stations (sometimes called slave units).

⦁ Door Station – Like sub-stations, these units are only capable of initiating a call to a Master
Station. They are typically weather-proof.

⦁ Intercom Station – Full-featured remote unit that is capable of initiating and receiving ⦁ party-
line conversation, individual conversation and signaling. May be rack-mounted, wall-mounted or
portable.

⦁ Wall Mount Station – fixed-position intercom station with built-in loudspeaker. May have flush-
mounted microphone, hand-held ⦁ push to talk microphone or telephone-style handset.

⦁ Belt Pack – portable intercom station worn on the belt such as an ⦁ interruptible feedback
(IFB) with an ⦁ earpiece worn by talent.

⦁ Handset – permanent or portable telephone-style connection to an intercom station. Holds both

an earpiece and a ⦁ push to talk microphone.

⦁ Headset – portable intercom connection from a belt pack to one or both ears via ⦁
headphones with integrated microphone on a boom arm. Connects to a belt pack.

⦁ Paging Signal – An audible and/or visual alert at an intercom station, indicating that someone at
another station wants to initiate a conversation.

⦁ Power Supply – Used to feed power to all units. Often incorporated into the design of the base
station.

2.3 TYPES OF INTERCOMS

Wiring intercoms

While every intercom product line is different, most analogue intercom systems have much in common.
Voice signals of about a volt or two are carried atop a direct current power rail of 12, 30 or 48 volts
which uses a pair of conductors. Signal light indications between stations can be accomplished with
additional conductors or can be carried on the main voice pair via tone frequencies sent above or below
the speech frequency range. Multiple channels of simultaneous conversations can be carried over
additional conductors within a cable or by frequency- or time-division multiplexing in the analogue
domain. Multiple channels can easily be carried by packet-switched digital intercom signals.

Portable intercoms are connected primarily using common shielded, twisted pair microphone cabling
terminated with 3-pin XLR connectors. Building and vehicle intercoms are connected in a similar manner
with shielded cabling often containing more than one twisted pair.

Digital intercoms use Category 5 cable and relay information back and forth in data packets using the
Internet protocol architecture.

Two-wire broadcast intercoms

Intercom systems are widely used in TV stations and outside broadcast vehicles such as those seen at
sporting events or entertainment venues. There are essentially two different types of intercoms used in
the television world: two-wire party line or four-wire matrix systems. In the beginning, TV stations
would simply build their own communication systems using old phone equipment. However, today
there are several manufacturers offering off-the-shelf systems. From the late 1970s until the mid-90s,
the two-wire party line-type systems were the most popular, primarily due to the technology that was
available at the time. The two-channel variety used a 32-volt impedance-generating central power
supply to drive external stations or belt packs. This type of format allowed the two channels to operate
in standard microphone cable, a feature highly desired by the broadcasters. These systems were very
robust and simple to design, maintain and operate but had limited capacity and flexibility as they were
usually hardwired. A typical user of the system could not choose whom to talk to. He would
communicate with the same person or group of people until the system was manually reconfigured to
allow communication with a different group of people. Two-wire routers or source assignment panels
were then implemented to allow quick re-routing. This reconfiguration was usually handled at a central
location, but because voltage is used on the circuit to power the external user stations as well as
communicate, there would usually be a pop when the channels were switched. So, while one could
change the system on-the-fly, it was usually not desirable to do so in the middle of a production, as the
popping noise would distract the rest of the television crew.

Four-wire broadcast intercoms

A modern four-wire intercom system capable of 272 sources and destinations manufactured by Telex
Communications Inc.

In the mid-90s four-wire technology started gaining more prominence due to the technology getting
cheaper and smaller. Four-wire circuit technology had been around for quite some time but was very
expensive to implement. It usually required a large footprint in the physical television studio, thus was
only used at very large television stations or television networks.

Wireless intercoms

For installations where it is not desirable or possible to run wires to support an intercom system,
wireless intercom systems are available. There are two major benefits of a wireless intercom system
over the traditional wired intercom. The first is that installation is much easier since no wires have to be
run between intercom units. The second is that you can easily move the units at any time. With that
convenience and ease of installation comes a risk of interference from other wireless and electrical
devices. Nearby wireless devices such as cordless telephones, wireless data networks, and remote audio
speakers, as well as structural features in your building, can all interfere. Electrical devices such as
motors, lighting fixtures and transformers can cause noise. There may be concerns about privacy since
conversations may be picked up on a scanner, baby monitor, cordless phone, or a similar device on the
same frequency. Encrypted wireless intercoms can reduce or eliminate privacy risks, while placement,
installation, construction, grounding and shielding methods can reduce or eliminate the detrimental
effects of external interference. The United States and Canada have several frequency ranges for
wireless intercom systems and other wireless products. They are 49 MHz, FM band (200KH – 270 kHz),
494–608 MHz, 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz, and MURS (150 MHz).[2] IP Intercoms are now appearing
that connect a Master to an IP Substation elsewhere on the Internet, via an Ethernet port.

Power line communication units that send signal over house wiring have been referred to as "wireless"
intercoms. Though they are technically wired intercoms, they are based on existing wiring and thus
require no additional wires.

Telephone Intercoms

Some telephones include intercom functions that enable paging and conversation between instruments
of similar make and model. Examples include Panasonic model KX-TS3282W(/B), AT&T models 945 and
974, and TMC model ET4300.

A single device can add intercom functionality to multiple standard telephones on a common phone
line, even of different makes and models. Installation effort is minimal and is not vulnerable to radio
interference and security issues of wireless systems. The Add-A-Com Whole House Intercom for
Standard Telephone Systems is such a device. Intercom paging is accomplished by sounding a distinctive
ring from all telephones after any phone is taken briefly off hook. After paging, any number of phones
may converse. The device temporarily disconnects the external phone line during intercom use and
reconnects when all phones are again on hook. During intercom use, an external call’s ringing signal can
be heard in the earpiece.

Many key telephone systems for office use provide access to multiple outside lines plus an intercom,
where the latter appeared as if it were one of the individually selectable lines. The Western Electric
Model 207 and Model 6A intercoms were designed for integration into such key system multiline
installations, providing one or two simultaneous intercom calls respectively.