ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEMS

Electronic components are the ‘building blocks’ that

go together to build an electronic circuit. You can use
these building blocks to design and build the circuit
you want.
Like all building blocks they have to be put together
in the right way to get good results.

To work successfully, a circuit must have three main

blocks, an input, a control, and an output. This can be
shown as a block diagram.
INPUT CONTROL OUTPUT
ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
The Input part of a circuit senses and reacts to
specific changes, e.g. changes in the temperature,
moisture level or light level of the surrounding
environment.

The Control part of a circuit reacts to changes in the

input, and then controls (changes) the output
accordingly.

The Output part of a circuit produces sound, light or

movement, for example. The output is switched on
and off by the control part of the circuit.
ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEMS

The sound amplification system shown is an example of

electronic control system.

An input sensor (microphone) sends signals to a processor

(amplifier) which uses them to control the flow of power to an
output device (loudspeaker).
ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEMS

INPUT COMPONENTS
The shown components senses and reacts to specific changes.

Light Sensor Light Dependant Resistor changes its resistance as the

light intensity changes.
It has a high resistance in the dark and a low resistance
in bright light.
ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEMS

Temperature Sensor
Thermistors react to temperature changes.
They have a high resistance when it is cold,
and a low resistance when it is hot.

Moisture Sensor

They have a high resistance when dry

and low resistance when wet.
ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEMS

CONTROL COMPONENTS
The Control components detect changes in the input, and react to
control the output.
Transistor
It acts as a sensitive electronic switch. Its three legs
must be connected the right way for it to work.
It often has a resistor connected to the ‘base’ to protect
it from being damaged.
The input of circuit is connected to the base of the
transistor. When the input voltage is above 0.6 volts
the transistor switches on.
It is the switching on and off of the transistor
that controls the output part of the circuit.
ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEMS

555 Timer

It is used to give timed periods of up to 1000 seconds

duration or to control flashing lights and sounds.

OUTPUT COMPONENTS

Output part of a circuit can be sound, light or movement.

Motor

Motors are used to create movement.

ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEMS

Speaker
Speakers can be used to create continuous
noises, notes or speech.

Buzzer

Buzzers give a continuous sound and make useful

alarms.
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Light Emitting Diode

LEDs give out light.

Bulb

Bulbs give out light.

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DESIGNING CIRCUITS
All circuits need these three basic blocks: input, control and
output. You can use a block diagram to help you design a circuit,
as follows.
Example 1
Problem:
Design a circuit which will switch on a light when it gets dark.
Solution:
Block diagram
Use a detailed block diagram to work out which components to
use.

INPUT CONTROL OUTPUT

Needs to sense Needs to switch on the Needs to light up
when it goes dark. output when the input when the control
senses dark. switches it on.
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Choosing components
Choose the components which
solves the problem stated.
OUTPUT
INPUT CONTROL Bulb
LDR Transistor
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Circuit diagram
Using the components you have chosen, you now need to draw a
circuit diagram showing how the components connect together.
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How does it work?

The LDR reacts to light changes. Its resistance is high in the
dark, and low in the light. In this circuit, when it gets dark the
resistance of the LDR will increase. As it increases the input
voltage to the transistor will go above 0.6 Volts. When that
happens the transistor switches on, so switching on the bulb.

A variable resistor has been added to the circuit diagram. This

would allow you to adjust the control switches on the output. You
could adjust the resistor so that the bulb comes on when it first
starts to go dark or when it is totally dark. A variable resistor is
often used to allow adjustment of the input part of a circuit.
MODELLING
It is a good idea to ‘model’ the circuit after a drawing a circuit
diagram. Modeling is a quick way of testing whether the circuit
does the intended function. A breadboard is used for modeling
circuits.

BREADBOARDS
Structure
 the board is made from some hard plastic material.
 it consist of many holes which have sets of strips of wire links
underneath.
 the holes are used to plug in component leads/legs when building
circuits.
MODELLING
Uses of breadboards
 breadboards are used for temporary circuit constructions. i.e, for
modeling circuits physically before they are permanently build on Vero
boards and PCBs.
 breadboards are used to test circuits. Wires and components are
simply pushed into the holes to form a completed circuit and power can
be applied as shown below.
MODELLING

Advantages

 One of the main advantages of using a breadboard is that the

components are not soldered and if they are positioned incorrectly
they can be moved easily to a new position on the board.

 quick circuit constructions.

 light in weight.

 many separate circuits could be made in one board.

 have allowance for extension.

MODELLING
Identifying Parts of a
breadboard
On the breadboard
shown, letters
are used to
identify vertical
columns and
numbers to
identify
horizontal rows.
MODELLING

The red lines on diagram below how some vertical columns and
horizontal rows are internally connected. When power is applied
to the breadboard current flows along these internal connections.
MODELLING
How to use the Breadboard
 Use the top and horizontal rows of holes for + Ve and – Ve lines
respectively.
Note: they are only joined as far as the middle gap.

 Use the vertical columns of holes A to E and F to J as joining points for

components and wires.
Note: these columns acts as dots on circuit diagram.

 Use insulated single strand wire to link the columns where necessary.

 Work left to right and + V to – V when building the circuit – don’t jump
about, you will miss out something.

 Don’t connect the power supply until the circuit is complete.

 If the circuit doesn’t work, check that you have built it up correctly. If
you have, try swapping connection columns – the clips on the back of
them wear out with use.
CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
Once you have decided upon the circuit you intend to use you will need
to decide how to solder it together permanently. There are several
methods of circuit construction which include the use of;

1. Matrix board – has pre-drilled holes into which small rigid pins are
pressed and the components and connecting wires are soldered onto
them.
2. Strip board (Vero board) – looks similar to matrix board, but on one
side it has strips of copper which join parallel lines of holes. The
circuit is built up using these copper strips as connectors. It is
outdated and replaced by PCBs.
CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

3. Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) – is plastic board which has thin copper
conductors or tracks on one or both sides.
A PCB enables circuit components to be assembled and soldered together in
a very small space.
CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS (PCBS)
What they are made of
A PCB is made from copper-clad board.
This is a fibreglass board that has very
thin copper foil bonded to it.
The network of tracks and pads is
produced by chemically etching away
some of the copper foil.

A second type of board is available which

is known as photo-etch board. This is the
same as copper-clad but it has a light-
sensitive coating over the copper.
This coating is used in the photo-etching
process.
CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

What they are used for

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are used to build almost all
electronic circuits. The PCB has a network of conducting tracks
and pads on its surface. The electronic components are soldered
onto the pads, and the tracks make the circuit connections.

PCBs allow electronic components to be assembled and soldered

together in a small space. They also make the final circuit quite
robust and minimise the danger of components and wires
shorting out.
CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

How they are made

There are two main methods of making or producing Printed
Circuit Board.
This can be done by;
1. Using Plain Copper-Clad Board (Direct method)

1. The copper side of the board must be

cleaned using fine abrasive paper or
wire wool.
CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

2. The outlines of the network of tracks

and pads are drawn on the copper
surface of the board using a pencil.
This allows you to check the layout
before going on to the next stage.

3. The pencil outlines are filled in using an etch-resist pen. It is important to

make sure that the ink completely covers the areas of the copper that you
want to retain and that there are no fine gaps or very thin areas.
CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

4. When the ink is dry the board is placed in a

warm ferric chloride bath for about 5-10 min.

The ferric chloride dissolves the copper that

is not covered by the etch-resist ink.
CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

5. The board is then washed and the etch-resist is

removed using fine abrasive paper or wire wool.

6. Drilling holes for the components whilst

holding the work firmly over a piece of scrap wood.
CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

7. Solder in all components on the board.

2. Using Photo-Etch Board

Photo-etch board is similar to copper-clad board except that it has an
additional layer of light sensitive photo-resist material over the copper
foil. This coating act as an etch-resist.
The coating has a protective film over it to prevent it getting exposed
to light during storage.
The network of tracks and pads is produced by photographing them
onto the light-sensitive coating.
CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

1. Start by drawing the circuit diagram.

2. Draw a layout diagram that matches

the circuit diagram.
CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
3. Draw out a mask of the layout on acetate sheet.
This can be done by using rub-down transfers or
by printing it from a computer and photocopier.

4. Use a UV light box and the mask to transfer your

layout onto photosensitive board.
• remove the black plastic from the board
• lay the board face down on top of the acetate mask
• place in the UV light box.
CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
5. Develop the layout with sodium hydroxide solution (take care -this
is toxic and causes bums –wear eye protection and gloves).
Rinse the board under the tap.

6. Etch in ferric chloride solution.

(Take care -this is toxic and causes
burns and stains -wear eye protection
and gloves.
Make sure that there is plenty of fresh
air in the area where you are working.)
CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
7. Wash the board under the tap and dry it.
Clean the track with a PCB eraser.

8. Drill holes for components.

CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
9. Insert components and solder them into place.

10. The completed circuit.