10 - Nobel

RAIN
ALARM

Submitted By:
Jemima Navarro
Randy Basmayor
Hayden Villanueva
Ethan Dueñas

Submitted To:
Mr. Wilmer Cadiz
 INTRODUCTION

What is a rain alarm?

The rain alarm detects rainfall and creates a
conductive route, causing the transistor to magnify
the current. This enhanced current activates both the
LED, which shows a visible indication of rain, and the
buzzer, which sounds an audio alert. The slide switch
allows you to effortlessly turn on or off the rain
detection alert as needed. A rain alarm can help
monitor rainfall, warn you when it has occurred, and
prepare you for an oncoming storm surge. This is
especially critical for coastal locations, river basins,
and mountainous places that are prone to flooding;
timely warning can significantly reduce damage.
 MATERIALS AND
COMPONENTS
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a
semiconductor device that emits light
when an electric current flows through
it

LED

A wire is a flexible metallic conductor,

especially one made of copper, usually
insulated, and used to carry electric
current in a circuit

Wire

A popsicle stick is a wooden rounded

top long stick made from birchwood,
usually topped with your favourite ice
lolly or ice cream.

Popsicle Sticks

A thin flat piece of metal with a sharp

edge for cutting that can be used in a
razor

Shaving Blade
 MATERIALS AND
COMPONENTS
A piece of equipment that heats glue
and is used for crafts (= making
pictures, models, etc.)

Glue Gun
The glue sticks are pushed into the
rear of the body chamber and, as one
is used. another is fed into the gun,
allowing a continuous supply of
heated glue.
Glue Stick
A 9V battery holder is commonly used in
LED lighting, electronic toys and all
kinds of mini electronic products. The
holder is a two-piece unit, that slides
together to safely secure your battery.

9v Battery Holder

An electrical device, similar to a

bell, that makes a buzzing noise
and is used for signaling.

Buzzer
 MATERIALS AND
COMPONENTS

An electric battery that

supplies a nominal voltage of 9
volts.

9V Battery
The BC547 is a NPN transistor
meaning when power is applied to
the base (control pin) it will flow
from the collector to the emitter.
Typically NPN transistors are used to
“switch ground” on a device, meaning,
NPN BC547 they are placed after the load in a
Transistor circuit.

Configuration of the NPN BC547 Transistor:

 MATERIALS AND
COMPONENTS

A switch responds to an external

force to mechanically change an
electric signal. Switches are used
to turn electric circuits ON and OFF
and to switch electric circuits.
Slide Switch
 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

Buzzer
CBE

NPN BC547 Transistor

Switch

LED

9v battery

Shaving Blade

9v battery holder

Rain Alarm

How does the Rain Alarm using

Shaving blade work?

Rain Sensing

1. The rain sensor, made up of two metal blades,

acts as a rain detector. When raindrops fall
on the blades, they create a conductive path
between them.
2. In a dry condition, there is no conductive
path between the blades, and the circuit
remains open.
 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

3. However, when raindrops come into contact

with the blades, they provide a conductive path,
allowing electric current to flow.

Transistor Amplification

1. The BC547 transistor plays a crucial role in

amplifying the current flow when rain is
detected.
2. The rain sensor is connected between the
Base (B) and Emitter (E) pins of the
transistor.
3. In the absence of rain, the Base-Emitter
junction acts as an open circuit, and the
transistor remains off.
4. When rain is detected, the conductive path
between the rain sensor blades completes the
circuit and allows current to flow into the
Base (B) pin.
5. This current flow triggers the transistor to
amplify the current significantly between its
Collector (C) and Emitter (E) pins.
 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

LED and Buzzer Activation

1. The amplified current from the Collector (C)

pin of the transistor activates both the LED
and the buzzer.
2. The positive terminal of the buzzer is
connected to the Collector (C) pin, while the
negative terminal is connected to the
negative terminal of the LED.
3. The LED lights up, indicating the detection of
rain, and the buzzer produces a sound to draw
attention to the rainfall.

Slide Switch Control

1. The slide switch allows you to control the

operation of the rain detector alarm.
2. When the switch is in the “On” position, the
circuit is energized and ready to detect rain.
3. In the “Off” position, the circuit is
disconnected, and no power flows through it,
effectively disabling the rain detection.
DOCUMENTATION
 ASSEMBLY METHOD

1. Take the positive 2. Connect Blade 1 of

terminal of the the rain sensor to
battery and connect the Emitter (E) pin of
it to Blade 1 of the the BC547 transistor.
rain sensor.

4. Connect the 3. Connect the Base

Collector (C) pin of (B) pin of the BC547
the BC547 transistor transistor to Blade 2
to the positive of the rain sensor.
terminal of the
buzzer.

5. Connect the
negative terminal of
ct was t
proje withou or the buzzer to the
This
m bled dboard negative terminal of
e a
ass a bre
g the LED.
usin
.
PCB
 ASSEMBLY METHOD

6. Connect the
other terminal of
the slide switch to
the negative
terminal of the
battery.

The rain sensor detects raindrops, creating a conductive

path that triggers the transistor to amplify the current.
This amplified current activates both the LED, providing a
visual indication of rain, and the buzzer, producing an
audible alert. So, You can easily turn the rain detector
alarm on or off as needed using the slide switch.
Have fun using your rain detector alarm and exploring
the wonders of rain detection!

ct was t
s proje withou or
Thi bled dboard
em a
ass a bre
g
usin
.
PCB
 EXPERIMENTATION

The students placed the Rain Alarm with a 1mm gap

between the shaving blade (sensor) in the freezer at
the maximum coldness for 1 hour and 7 minutes.
The rain alarm hasn't gone off after 1 hour and 7
minutes. The students let the rain alarm cool for 5
minutes and the rain alarm hasn’t gone off. This
demonstrates that the rain alarm is only intended to
detect precipitation or water, not moisture.
 CHALLENGES AND
LEARNINGS

Jemima Navarro

Creating a rain detector alarm can be a enriching

learning experience on multiple levels. First, I
learned about sensor technology, specifically how
rain sensors operate and interact with the
environment to reliably detect precipitation. This
could include learning about various types of
sensors, such as conductivity-based or optical
sensors, and how they convert physical phenomena
into electrical signals.

First and foremost, the project focuses on basic

electronics and sensor integration. To use a shaving
blade as a rain sensor, I must first understand its
conductivity properties. Raindrops can operate as
conductive channels, changing the electrical
properties of the blade.
 CHALLENGES AND
LEARNINGS

Jemima Navarro

By applying this approach into the design, one can

learn about sensor calibration, signal processing,
and other electronic circuits.

Furthermore, this attempt provides hands-on

experience with prototyping and fabrication. Building
a rain detector alarm entails assembling several
components such as a shaving blade, wires,
resistors, and buzzer. This procedure enhances my
soldering, circuit construction, and troubleshooting
techniques, developing practical engineering skills.
Building a rain detection alarm not only develops
technical skills but also built my problem-solving
ability and creativity.
 CHALLENGES AND
LEARNINGS

Jemima Navarro

I confronted hurdles along the road, like as

maximizing sensor sensitivity, reducing false
positives, and creating a user-friendly alarm
interface. Overcoming these challenges necessitates
critical thinking, experimentation, and the ability to
iterate on designs.

Finally, building a rain detection alarm with a

shaving blade provides a comprehensive learning
experience that incorporates electronics,
engineering, meteorology, and problem solving. When
doing this project, I did not only learn technical
skills, but also developed a deeper awareness of the
natural world and the creative imagination required
to engineer solutions to real-world problems.
 CHALLENGES AND
LEARNINGS

Randy Basmayor

we created a simple rain alarm to detect when it

starts raining and alert people. The process of
designing and building this taught me several
valuable lessons.

First, it helped improve my problem-solving skills.

When we first came up with the idea, We didn't have
a clear plan for how to make it work. We had to
carefully think through the steps, identify the key
components needed, and figure out how to connect
them. There were a few challenges along the way
that forced us to get creative in troubleshooting
solutions.
 CHALLENGES AND
LEARNINGS

Ethan Dueñas

The struggles I experienced is that I had trouble

soldering since the soldering iron isn't soldering an
the problems I encountered is that even though the
sensor was sensing even though it was not sensing
and I got paso due to the soldering iron.
 CHALLENGES AND
LEARNINGS

Randy Basmayor

I also learned the importance of persistence. A few

parts didn't work as expected the first time. It
would have been easy to give up, but we kept
experimenting until I got it right. The process
reinforced that setbacks are a natural part of
building something, and pushing through is what
leads to success..
Finally, completing this project gave me a sense of
pride and accomplishment. Going from an initial idea
to a functioning prototype that could help people
was really rewarding. It showed that with enough
creativity and effort, you can turn concepts into
reality. I'm excited to continue challenging myself
with new designs that solve real-world problems.
 CHALLENGES AND
LEARNINGS

Hayden Villanueva

Creating a project worth presenting and thinking of

the possible struggles we might face were all in the
consideration of our first step. We had to think of a
simple project that could be useful in our daily
lives and something that can be worth of our
classmate’s attention once we present it in front of
the class. We thought a rain alarm can be useful in
times of calamaties, so we started thinking of the
procedures and how we would make it.
We encountered a bit of problems in searching for
the components we would use; looking all around
downtown for a single material that we thought
almost all Electronics stores didn’t have, but
thankfully, in the last minute where we almost gave
up, we went in a store that had the exact material
we were missing. We then left, ready to make our
project.
 CHALLENGES AND
LEARNINGS

Hayden Villanueva

We also found difficult in where we would make our

project as our houses weren’t available, but
thankfully, one of our classmates offered to let us
do our project in his house.

We started with the base and the house that adds a

little “flavor” to our project, helping it not look too
boring. We had to use popsickle sticks and use glue
guns along with glue sticks. One struggle we had in
buying popsickle sticks were the worries that we
might run out of it or we might not have enough to
use, however by the end of our DIY house, there was
one pack left and leftover sticks that could be used
to make a fence or other designs we might think of.
 CHALLENGES AND
LEARNINGS

Hayden Villanueva

Another struggle were the glue guns. We were

getting it all over the table and was causing us to
hurt our hands (Sir, nag-hinay po kami, accident
lang). We thought of many ideas for the house and
changed it a lot of times, but in the end, we got to
make a sturdy house, enough to handle tough wind
when we were on my dad’s motorcycle.

At first, the detector wouldn’t really work or was

working abnormally and we couldn’t figure out what
was wrong with it. We put water on it multiple times
but the buzzer wasn’t really buzzing, however with
Jemima’s determination, we had to make it work. So
after a few more minutes that felt like decades, we
finally heard the buzzer’s sound. Though, after a few
more minutes, it didn’t work again. However, that’s
the thing with projects like these; it requires
repairment.
 FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS

Improving a rain detector using a shaving blade

could involve several approaches, focusing on
enhancing its accuracy, sensitivity, and durability.
Here are some potential future improvements:

1. Improve the design's sensitivity to detect even

lighter droplets or mist. This could include altering
the shaving blade's angle or location to maximize
its interaction with precipitation, as well as
installing a rain sensor, such as optical rain sensors
that detect raindrops using infrared light. These
sensors measure the light reflection and refraction
induced by raindrops on their surface, therefore
they can detect lighter droplets.

2.Combining the shaving blade mechanism with

other sensors, such as capacitive or optical rain
sensors, allows for more precise and dependable
rain detection in a wider variety of situations.

3.Incorporate advanced algorithms for data

processing to filter out noise and false positives,
ensuring more precise rain detection and reducing
the likelihood of triggering the detector
unnecessarily.
 FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS

4.Experiment with new shaving blade materials that

are more resistant to corrosion and wear, extending
the life of the rain detector and lowering
maintenance requirements.

5.Integrate the rain detector with weather prediction

systems or IoT (Internet of Things) platforms to
provide real-time data for weather monitoring and
forecasting. This could enable proactive measures in
response to changing weather conditions.

6.Develop energy-efficient designs by incorporating

low-power components or harvesting energy from
ambient sources such as solar or kinetic energy.
This would increase the sustainability and autonomy
of the rain detector, especially in remote or off-
grid locations.

7.Implement wireless connectivity options (e.g., Wi-

Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa) to enable remote monitoring
and control of the rain detector, allowing users to
receive alerts or adjust settings from their
smartphones or other devices.
 FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS

8. Design the rain detector to be robust and

adaptable to various environmental conditions,
including temperature extremes, wind, and debris
accumulation, to ensure reliable operation in
diverse settings.

By implementing these improvements, a rain

detector utilizing a shaving blade could become a
more effective tool for weather monitoring and
prediction, offering benefits across various
applications such as agriculture, infrastructure
management, and urban planning.