ELECTRONIC

CIRCUIT THEORY
[ MINI PROJECT ]

BY :
S CHETHAN
(18R209)
V ASKAF
(18R207)
WIRELESS LIVE WIRE
DETECTION
 INTRODUCTION :

Electricity has become a basic need for humanity as almost everything we use
in our daily life run on it. But if you do not take necessary safety precautions
while working with electricity or electrical appliances, it can cause severe
injuries or even death.
So, before working with AC Mains supply near junction boxes like installing a
new device for example, you must turn off the supply and verify that there is no
voltage in the switch board.
Voltage Testers are devices that detects and indicates presence of voltage in
power cables, electrical cords, lighting fixtures, circuit breakers, wires, power
outlets etc. A Non Contact Voltage Tester, as the name suggests, is a voltage
detector device that doesn’t need any contact with cables, cords or outlets.
In this project, I have designed a simple battery powered Non Contact Voltage
Tester Circuit that can be used to verify the presence of voltage near all the
above mentioned places.
PRINCIPLE :

Any current carrying conductor produces a small magnetic field around it and the type of
magnetic field depends on the type of current passing through the conductor. For example,
if AC (alternating current) is flowing through the conductor, then the magnetic field around
the conductor also varies periodically.
The principle of this circuit is to detect this varying magnetic field and indicate whether
voltage is present or not.
In order to detect the voltages, I will be using three NPN Transistors. Depending on the
amount of base current, the collector – to – emitter current is determined in a transistor. The
ratio of collector – emitter current to base current is known as Gain and in case of 2N3904
(which is the transistor used in this project), this value is approximately 200.
If the output of one transistor is connected to base of the next transistor, the net gain is the
product of individual gains.
Similarly, if we add another transistor, the total gain is gain of single transistor raised to the
power of 3 (200x200x200).
EQUIPMETS USED :
PCB BOARD x1

LED x1

RESISTORS (220) x3

TRANSITOR (BC547) x1

HIGHLIGHTER x1

3V CELL x1
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM :
PROCEDURE :

A small copper wire (about 12CM) is wound as an antenna and is connected to the base
of the first NPN Transistor. If this antenna detects the magnetic field when placed near
AC energized objects like cables and switches, it gets induced with a small current (due
to electromagnetic induction) and hence activates the first transistor.

Since the output of the first transistor drives the second transistor, it gets activated as
so on. As the third transistor is activated, the LED is turned ON indicating the presence
of a voltage.

Additionally, you can place a small buzzer in series with the LED so that it is activated
whenever the circuit detects any voltage.
 THE FOLLOWING IS DONE TO OPERATE IT
Make the
connections as per
the circuit diagram
on a perf board and
solder the
components. Connect the
To save the battery,
disconnect it from battery to the
the circuit when it is circuit and the
not being used. device is now
powered on.

If voltage is You can place the

passing though circuit board in a small
these components box with only the
and devices, the antenna protruding
LED will light up. Place the antenna out.
near electrical
outlets, switches,
circuit breakers etc.
APPLICATIONS :

This simple non contact voltage tester can be used in several

objects like cables, cords, outlets, switch boards, junction
boxes, circuit breakers etc.to detect voltage without making
any contact.

Since it is battery operated , you can insert the circuit in a

small box and make it portable .

It can be used in various fields like security, communication,

irrigation, entertainment, environment etc.
ADVANTAGES :
These testers are quite small in size, often coming in a form similar to that of a rectangular pen.
This makes it easy for electricians to take with them wherever they go to fix an electric current
problem. It can fit in the pocket and is quite light in weight as well.

The benefit of such devices is that electricians can be warned whether a loose wire, a cable or
even a seemingly non-functioning wall socket has live current running through it.

They are also quite affordable, making them easy to come by. Despite their affordability, they
are built in a rugged manner, which makes it possible for them to withstand overloads of
electricity a lot better than some testers in the market, thus considered as highly durable.

very simple and reliable circuit for testing AC mains voltage.

The circuit can test or detect AC mains voltage without going into contact of
the voltage terminals .

We don’t need to remove the insulation from t

DISADVANTAGES :

Voltage detectors can emit electromagnetic radiation, which can be quite

risky to the well being of all biological organisms, including humans. Due to
the excessive use, there have been reports of people suffering from asthma,
autism and even leukemia, illness which are often connected with
electromagnetic radiation emitted by these devices.

Such a device may not always present accurate readings. They may either be
false positives or false negatives. Considering that testers may have
different features and settings, they can either be very sensitive in readings
electrical current or may not be so accurate at all. In the case of false
negatives, this can be quite dangerous for electricians . Therefore , on has to
make sure purpose is used for the situations it was meant to deal with.