ten breadboard projects for beginners

http://www.instructables.com/id/Ten-Breadboard-Projects-For-Beginners/

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10 Breadboard Projects For Beginnersby Saiyam on April 4, 2015

Table of Contents

10 Breadboard Projects For Beginners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: 10 Breadboard Projects For Beginners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Parts And Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 2: Know About Breadboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 3: Know About Electronic Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 4: Make A Permanent Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 5: Make A Simple LED Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 6: Project 1: Musical Bell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 7: Project 2: IR Remote Tester . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Step 8: Project 3: Static Electricity Detector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Step 9: Project 4: Ticking Bomb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Step 10: Project 5: The Fading LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Step 11: Project 6: Light Activated LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Step 12: Project 7: Dark Activated LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Step 13: Project 8: LED Dimmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Step 14: Project 9: Single Chip Electronic Dice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Step 15: Project 10: Manual Counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Step 16: The End . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

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Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23


Author:SaiyamHi, I am an electronic hobbyist and a robot builder. I like to make DIY projects especially that are powered by arduino.

Intro: 10 Breadboard Projects For BeginnersUse of arduino in this instructable is prohibited :D

Breadboard is a great way to construct electronic projects easily and in less time without the need of soldering. A problem that is faced by beginners in the field ofelectronics is that they cannot solder the components neatly on printed circuit boards. One bad solder joint can lead to the project not working. When the project does notwork, they eventually loose their confidence and cease to continue making projects. Before attempting another project, they have to think twice. Another problem facedby them is that if they try to solder and make a project, it does not work because of poor soldering or the circuit that was taken from a book or magazine lackedinstructions or it was wrong. Now after spending a lot of time on making it, what they have to face is dissapointment.

This instructable gives a walkthrough of ten projects that can be made easily on a standard size breadboard thus solving the problem of hobbyists. Each projects isfollowed by a schematic, a breadboard layout, complete description with instructions, parts list and the difficulty level. The difficulty level increases as you make eachproject. Before making the projects a description of breadboard as well as electronic components is given which gives a complete understanding to beginners. All theprojects are tested before they were added and all of them work.It feels good sometimes to make something apart from arduino, microcontrollers and explore the world of digital and analog circuits. All the projects do not use anymicrocontrollers thus making them non programmable. The parts can be easily obtained and are cheap. All the circuits were picked from internet, books and magazinesbut most of the projects were taken from Talking Electronics (A special thanks to Colin Mitchell for his projects). All the schematics and breadboard layouts were madeusing Fritzing library.The Projects can be modified to use them in a different and better way and to use them for other applications.Update: Corrections have been made in schematics and breadboard layouts.

Here is a list of all the projects in the correct order:Musical Bell1.IR Remote Tester2.Static Electricity Detector3.Ticking Bomb4.The Fading LED5.Light Activated LED6.Dark Activated LED7.LED Dimmer8.Single Chip Electronic Dice9.Manual Counter10.


Step 1: Parts And ToolsHere are the parts required for all the mentioned projects. Some of them can be removed if you don't want to attempt all the projects. The total cost of all the parts isaround $5 or 300 INR which varies according to the store of website you buy the parts from.PARTS:

1) ICs: 1x UM66 1x 555 timer 1x 4026 1x 4060

2) Transistors: 3x bc547 or 2n2222 or 2n3904 1x bc557

3) Resistors: 1x 220 ohm 1x 33K 1x 47K 2x 1M 1x 100K 1x 4.7K 1x 680 ohm 1x 470 ohm 1x 2.2K 2x 1K

4) Capacitors: 2x 10uf (electrolytic) 1x 100uf (electrolytic)


1x 100nf (non- electrolytic) 1x 10nf (non- electrolytic) 2x 1nf (non- electrolytic)5) Miscellaneous: 2x 1.5v AA or AAA batteries 1x Battery holder 1x 9v battery 1x 9v battery holder 1x Toggle switch 1x 8 ohm speaker 1x IR receiver (TSOP) 6x LEDs 1x LDR 2x 1n4148 or 1n4001 diodes 1x 50K or 47K potentiometer 1x Momentary push button 1x 7 segment display 1x Breadboard Hookup or jumper wireTOOLS:

Wire cutter/stripperPliersBreadboard power supply


Step 2: Know About BreadboardBreadboard is a base for constructing electronic projects and prototyping electronics. It can be a great option for beginners with the purpose of creating easy andtemporary projects without the need to solder the components. It is a great way to construct temporary projects as almost all the components can fit in easily (not theones with thick leads) in the holes. Almost all the components can be plugged in and out easily thus making it easily to contruct almost all electronic projects. It hasmainly two types of rows in a breadboard- bus rows or horizontal rows and vertical rows.

Bus rows or horizontal rows are used to connect power or a battery to a breadboard. There are a total of four bus rows in a breadboard- two in the uppermost part whiletwo in the lower part. In a 840 points breadboard, a divider is present in each row when halfway of a row is completely. Usually these dividers are connected throughhookup wire to easily connect the power lines to the vertical rows.Bus rows are also called the power rails of the breadboard.

Vertical rows are another type of rows where most of the electronic components are connected. There is a large gap in the middle of the breadboard where theconnection between the vertical rows is broken. This place mainly holds integrated circuits (ics). Since the connection is broken here, each vertical row is connected to itsrespective pin of the ic where components are added. Vertical rows are connected to bus rows wherever power is needed.

Breadboard is available in various shapes and sizes to meet the needs of a project. They also have grooves through which they can be inter-connected to each other tomake bigger breadboards. A special type of wire called hookup wire of jumper wire is used to make connections in a breadboard. Using other types of wires can damageit.

Check out amandaghassaei's How to: Breadboard guide for more details about breadboard.


Step 3: Know About Electronic ComponentsBefore you start making the projects, you should understand the functioning of every project to know what are you really doing. For this you need to know about importantelectronics components used in a circuit. So here is a brief description of all the electronic components used in the projects. I have left the ones that are not used in theprojects and are too complicated to understand.Check out randofo's Basic Electronics guide that teaches you almost everything about basic electronics.

(1) Resistor:A resistor is a device that reduces current in a circuit by offering obstruction to the flow of electrical current. So if you connect an LED directly to a 3v battery and thenconnect it by adding a resistor in series. The brightness in the second case would be lower than the first one as the resistor in the second case would not allow muchcurrent to pass through thus reducing the brightness. Resistance is measured in ohms, kilo ohms and mega ohms.

(2) Capacitor:A capacitor is a device that stores electricity inside it when it is supplied and gives it out in a circuit when there is a loss in electricity. It is like a rechargeable battery butthere is a lot of difference between them. A capacitor can store a small amount of current and can charge instantly whereas a battery can store a large amount of currentand takes a while to charge. There are many types of capacitors but the two common types are- electrolytic (polarized) and non electrolytic (non polarized). Capacitanceis measured in pico farads, nano farads and micro farads.

(3) Transistor:A transistor is a device that amplifies a small current applied on its base pin to produce a large current that flows between the collector and emitter pins. It does not createa large current but acts as a switch which when supplied a small current on the base pin, closes the switch (switches it on). There are two types of transistors- NPN andPNP.

(4) Integrated Circuit (IC):An integrated circuit is a small package that is made for a particular task. It has a miniature inbuilt circuit that has many components inside it can perform a particular task.For example- a 555 ic is meant for timing circuits and LM386 is meant for amplifying audio signals. It is usually a small black chip with pins coming out. There are 3 pin icsas well as 32 pin ics and even more.

(5) Diode:A diode is a device that allows current to flow only in one direction. This is the reason it has polarity and should be connected correctly for its proper functioning. It is usedto prevent the reverse flow of current.

(6) Light Emitting Diode (LED):A light emitting diode is a special type of diode that can emit light when electricity is passed through it. Like a diode, an led also allows current to flow only in one directionso to make it work it should be connected properly in a circuit. These days LEDs are preferred over lightbulbs as they consume much less electricity than bulbs andCFLs. They are available in different shapes, sizes and colors but being energy efficient, their cost is much high.

(7) Potentiometer:A potentiometer or a variable resistor is a device that allows us to choose different resistances that may be required in a circuit. It has a knob that can be adjusted toproduce a specific resistance.

(8) Light Dependent Resistor (LDR):An LDR is a special type of resistor that changes its resistance according to the intensity of light falling on it. The resistance of an ldr increases when it is dark anddecreases when the intensity of light falling on it is high.

(9) Infra-Red Receiver (IR receiver):An IR receiver is a device that receives infrared light and gives an output depending on the signal received. It decodes and tells the type of signal received. It is present inall the devices that are controlled using IR remotes.

(10) Seven Segment Display:A seven segment display is a device that is used to display digits and letters. It has usually a series of seven leds put in a certain odder to form an 8. All the digits can bedisplayed by lighting a certain number of leds. It also has an extra led for decimal point.


Step 4: Make A Permanent Power SupplyA problem that you have to face in every project is what power supply to use? In this instructable, all the projects that are mentioned are low power projects that do notsuck too much power. High power ics and motors are not used here so a 9v battery would be ideal as a power supply for the projects. The first project that is a musicalbell uses a um66 ic which cannot be supplied a voltage more than 4.5v. So in that project you need to substitute the 9v battery with two 1.5v batteries. Rest all otherprojects can be powered safely with a 9v battery. An adjustable power supply can also be a good option for powering the projects.As for now, connect a switch to the breadboard as shown in the image above. Connect two small pieces of hookup wire to the 9v battery clip as well as the 3v batteryholder. Do not connect a battery or a power source right now as we will see to that later.


Step 5: Make A Simple LED CircuitBefore you start attempting the projects, it is necessary to make this simple circuit that involves only an led with a resistor. This is only for absolute beginners who havenot made anything before and you may skip it if you have worked before with breadboard.

Connect the negative lead of led to the negative power rail of the breadboard. Now connect a 470 ohm resistor to the positive power rail and the other lead of resistor tothe positive lead of led. A resistor is added here to prevent the led from burning as a 9v battery gives a higher current than the led requires. Connect a 9v battery to thepower rails through a battery clip. Now switch the circuit on, this will make the circuit closed (on) and current will flow from positive to negative thus illuminating the led.After that switch it off, now the led will stop glowing as you have made the circuit open (off). As the circuit is broken, current will not flow thereby not illuminating it.Note: Use a 1K resistor instead of 220 ohm for better results. Using a 220 ohm can damage the resistor as well as the LED.


Step 6: Project 1: Musical BellDescription: This is simple project that can be made easily in five minutes. It is a musical bell that produces a melodious sound just like doorbells. It uses the um66 icpopularly known as the melody ic which has a built in oscillator and an amplifier which can directly drive a buzzer but needs an external circuit to drive a speaker. Thesupply voltage if the ic is 1.5 - 4.5v so cannot be powered by a 9v battery.

Instructions: Connect everything to the breadboard according to the layout given above. Refer to the images above for the pin configurations of the transistor as well asthe ic. Connect a battery holder with 2 AA or AAA batteries to the power rails of the breadboard. Do not connect a 9v battery as it would burn the ic. On switching it on, amusical sound will be heard.

Difficulty: Easy

Parts List:

1x UM66 ic 1x bc547 or 2n2222 or 2n3904 transistor 1x 1K resistor 1x 8 ohm speaker 2x AA or AAA batteries 1x Battery holder

Related Project: Check out buildcircuit's Infrared based music transmitter and receiver that uses the same circuit but can transmit and receive music through an IR ledand a photodiode.


Step 7: Project 2: IR Remote TesterDescription: This is another simple project to learn about infrared light. It is an IR remote tester which can be used to test an IR remote whether it is working or not. IRremotes are basically TV or music player remotes. The circuit makes use of an IR receiver which gives a repeated high and low output when it receives infrared light. TVremotes have an IR led in front of them which is use to transmit signals so if the led is working and the receiver is receiving, that means the remote is working. Sinceinfrared light has a higher wavelength than our eyes can see so we are not able to see it however it can be seen clearly using a camera. The circuit is so modified that ifyou press a button on the remote, an led will glow indicating that the remote is working.

Instructions: Connect everything according to the layout given above. Refer to the image above for pin identification of the components. Connect a 9v battery to the powerrails and switch it on. Now bring an IR remote near it and press any button. The led would glow indicating that the remote is working.

Note: Use a 6v battery instead of a 9v as TSOP can handle voltages upto 6v only. Giving it a higher voltage can damage it however it still works with it. Also use a 470ohm instead of 220 ohm connected to the LED for better results.

Difficulty: Easy

Parts List:

1x IR receiver (TSOP) 1x bc557 transistor 1x 10uf capacitor 1x 1K resistor 1x 220 ohm resistor 1x LED

Related Project: Check out ynze's RC circuit for a Bibberbeest/vibrobot that moves on pressing a button on a tv remote. The circuit is a little different but uses the sameprinciple of the circuit mentioned above.


Step 8: Project 3: Static Electricity DetectorDescription: You may have read that static electricity is the type of electricity in which the charges are at rest. It is present almost everywhere around us. So this is aproject which can check the presence of static electricity around us. If you touch it to anything, the led will glow indicating the presence of static electricity. The circuit is sosensitive that it can detect your hand even if keep it near to the antenna without touching it.

Instructions: Connect everything as shown in the layout about. Look at the image above for the pinout of bc547. Extract a piece of wire from the base of the thirdtransistor which will act as an antenna to detect charges. After completing everything, switch it on and bring your hand close to the antenna. The led would glow dimly.Now touch your finger to the antenna. This time the led would glow brightly.

Note: Use a 470 ohm instead of 220 ohm connected to the LED for better results.

Difficulty: Easy

Parts List:

3x bc547 or 2n2222 or 2n3904 transistors 1x 220 ohm resistor 1x 100K resistor 1x 1M resistor 1x LED

Related project: Check out this Ridiculously Sensitive Electric Charge Detector that uses another circuit but does the same job.Circuit Source: http://www.talkingelectronics.com


Step 9: Project 4: Ticking BombDescription: This project uses a 555 timer ic which is the most commonly used timer ic by hobbyists. This project will produce a sound just like a ticking bomb as it is clearby the name. The 555 timer is wired in astable multivibrator mode so produces a square wave output waveform which is nothing but switching the output between highand low. The circuit is set at a frequency of 1hz so it produces a tick every 1 second. The frequency of the circuit is determined by the value of the resistor and thecapacitor present on the left hand side of the circuit. Another capacitor is added at pin 3 to stabilize the output to drive a speaker. An led can be added in place of speakerby removing the capacitor at pin 3.

Instructions: Connect all the parts on the breadboard as per the layout given above. Be careful when putting the ic on the breadboard and make sure that the small semi-circle present on the top of the ic should face left hand side when looking from the front. Do not alter the power supply which was made earlier in step 4. On switching iton, you would hear tick-tick sound coming from the speaker.

Difficulty: Medium

Parts List:

1x 555 timer ic 2x 10uf capacitors 1x 47K resistor 1x 8 ohm speaker

Related Project: Check out taipeihackerspace's Ticking Bomb Package that can be packed in a box and used as an april fool's day prank.Circuit Source: http://www.talkingelectronics.com


Step 10: Project 5: The Fading LEDDescription: As the name already tells, this project fades an led high and low. This is done through the capacitor that is added on pin 3 which repeatedly charges anddischarges producing a fading effect which is quite pleasing to see than to think.

Instructions: Make all the connections looking at the layout above. On switching the circuit on, the led would fade off then fade on and will repeat until you switch it off.You can try different led colours to produce better effects.


Difficulty: Medium

Parts List:

1x 555 timer ic1x bc547 transistor1x 33K resistor1x 220 ohm resistor1x 100uf capacitor1x LED

Related Project: Check out soraj619's USB Fading Star that uses the same circuit but the leds are wired in the form of a star that fades up and down.Circuit Source: http://www.talkingelectronics.com


Step 11: Project 6: Light Activated LEDDescription: As explained earlier, ldr is a device which gives a certain resistance depending upon the light falling on it. So this circuit makes use of and ldr to switch on anled when it receives a high amount of light falling on it. An ldr gives a low resistance when receiving more light so the 555 timer is triggered when light falls on the ldr andthe output becomes high switching on the led. The output becomes low when no light is falling on it.

Instructions: Connect everything according to the layout given above. Ldr has no polarity so connect it in either way. Now switch the circuit on, the led would glow if thereis enough light in your surroundings. Now enter a dark room, the led would go off. On putting a glowing torch just above the ldr, the led would glow again.Note: Use a 470 ohm instead of 220 ohm connected to the LED for better results.

Difficulty: Medium

Parts List:

1x 555 timer ic 1x 100nf capacitor 1x 10nf capacitor 1x 10K resistor 1x 4.7K resistor 1x 220 ohm resistor 1x LDR 1x LED

Related Project: Check out C.V. Hariharan's 555 Timer Based Light Seeking Robot that uses the light detector circuit to make a light following robot. The circuit can alsobe used as a burglar alarm and a morning alarm.


Step 12: Project 7: Dark Activated LEDDescription: This project has a reverse configuration of the previous project. It can detect the presence of darkness. The 555 timer is triggered when ldr receives low lightmaking the output high and switching on the led while when more light is detected, the output becomes low switching off the led. This type of circuit is used in automaticstreet lights that switch on automatically when it turns dark.

Instructions: If you still have the previous project on your breadboard, do not alter the connections but just switch the connection of ldr i.e. connect it to gnd (-) and changethe 4.7K resistor to 100K. On switching the circuit on you will notice that the led will not glow initially. Now keep your hand above the ldr to block the light or enter a darkroom. The led would glow this time as the ldr is not receiving light.


Difficulty: Medium

Parts List:

1x 555 timer ic1x 10K resistor1x 100K resistor1x 220 ohm resistor1x 100nf capacitor1x 10nf capacitor1x LDR1x LED

Related Project: Check out ManishVarma's Automatic Streetlight System that uses the circuit to switch on a street light when it turns dark.


Step 13: Project 8: LED DimmerDescription: This is a project used to change the brightness of an led by varying the resistance using a potentiometer which has a knob that can be turned to set it at aparticular value. The circuit is somewhat similar to PWM (pulse width modulation) circuit which is used to control the speed of motors. The brightness is altered byswitching the led between on and off at a fast rate which reduces the brightness. The rate is controlled by the potentiometer thus changing the brightness.

Instructions: Connect everything according to the layout given above. Make sure you connect the diodes in the right way as they have polarity. Switch the circuit on andturn the pot slowly. You will observe that the brightness of the led changes.


Difficulty: Medium

Parts List:

1x 555 timer ic1x 1K resistor1x 220 ohm resistor1x 100n capacitor2x 1n4001 or 1n4148 diodes1x 50K or 47K potentiometer1x LED

Related Project: Check out my Desktop Lamp instructable that uses a similar circuit to change the brightness of 36 leds in a reading lamp.Circuit Source: http://www.talkingelectronics.com


Step 14: Project 9: Single Chip Electronic DiceDescription: Have you heard about electronic dice before? If not, it is a simple dice but instead of shaking it you have to press a button. The device will tell you a randomnumber between 1 and 6 through a series of LEDs. The number of LEDs that light up will indicate the number. This project uses a 4060 counter that counts the clockpulses received sets a particular number of pins high. Pressing the button creates a fast clock pulse so the pins that would be high cannot be estimated. This is thereason that makes this dice a completely random number generator. The pins that are set high light up a series of leds that indicates the number. The good thing aboutthis project is that it does not use any microcontrollers thus making it non- programmable thus making it cheap. Most of the projects that you may have seen requirearduino or other microcontrollers. Truly speaking, this is the most tedious and time consuming project.Instructions: Connect everything according to the layout given above. Make sure you connect everything properly as the connections are too many. Switch the circuit onand press the button. A certain number of LEDs will light up indicating the number which is completely random. Connecting the LEDs like a real dice in a certain orderforming a rectangle would make the project look more good.Difficulty: Hard

Parts List:

1x 4060 ic1x 2.2M resistor1x 470K resistor1x 100K resistor1x 560 ohm resistor1x 470 ohm resistor1x 220 ohm resistor2x 1n capacitors2x 1n4148 or 1n4001 diodes6x LEDs1x Momentary push button

Related Project: Check out xBacon's ATtiny85/45/25 LED dice that uses an attiny 85 microcontroller instead of an integrated circuit.


Step 15: Project 10: Manual CounterDescription: Sometimes certain events are needed to count to make keep a record of a particular event. In this case electronic counters can be quite useful. They have asmall button and a display to show the count. This is a smaller version and can count only from 0 to 9 however it can be increased by adding more LEDs. It uses a 4026ic which a 7 segment display driver and counter. It counts the clock pulses received and displays in on a 7 segment display. A button is added here which sends a clockpulse to the ic whenever it is pressed. The ic counts it and advances a digit by one. To increase the number of digits, pin 5 of the first ic should be connected to the pin 1of second ic. Connections of the second ic should be the same as the first ic. When the first ic completes the count from 0 to 9, it sends another clock pulse through pin 5to the second ic to advance the tens digit by one. Similarly, hundreds and thousands digit can also be added. These type of counters were used in sports events and infactories but the coming up of technology has almost finished the use of these type of counters. Not denying their importance, they can be very useful sometimes as theycan be made pocket sized and are quite handy.

Instructions: Connect everything according to the breadboard layout given in the picture above. Make sure you connect the seven segment display properly as connectingjust one pin wrong would result in a display of digits that you may have never seen before. After connecting everything, switch it on. The display would show 0. Now pressthe button and the digit would advance by one. Similarly repeat the process till the count reaches 9. This time on pressing the button, the counter would reset showing 0again on the display. If the display is not counting properly, add a 47nf capacitor or 2 22nf capacitors in parallel between the two terminals of switch.

Difficulty: Hard


Parts List:

1x 4026 ic1x 10K resistor1x 220 ohm resistor1x 7 segment display1x Momentary push button

Related Project: Check out mischka's Advent Calendar for Geeks that uses two ics to make a two digit counter that can be used as a calendar by pressing the buttoneveryday once.


Step 16: The EndSo, you've learned a lot!!

That's the end of the instructable. Hope you liked it. I had no idea about the response of people to this instructable. I assure you if it will be good, I would make anotherinstructable on it. If you think it was good, click the favourite button and do post your pictures if you have made them. Do not forget to comment or ask any questions ifyou have any doubt. THANK YOU :)

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Use a realBread-Board forprototypingyour circuit bymischka

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Comments50 comments Add Comment view all 62 comments

belfastrab says: May 9, 2015. 11:23 AM REPLYThank you for the hard work and effort put into this Instructable. Also for the beginner friendly plans in addition to the traditional layouts.

Saiyam says: May 9, 2015. 11:20 PM REPLYThanks.. :)

colin55 says: May 8, 2015. 10:41 AM REPLYThere are still lots of mistakes.220R is too small for 9v.Fading LED circuit will not workTSOP is only for 3v to 6v.LED Dice should have LEDs in series and not parallel

Saiyam says: May 8, 2015. 10:55 PM REPLYI don't know how but all of them work.

220 ohm is added in every project and it doesn't cause any problems.Fading led circuit just works perfectly.TSOP circuit also works great.


LED dice originally had leds in series but the brightness of leds was reduced so I connected them in parallel. Still Works.

colin55 says: May 8, 2015. 11:39 PM REPLY"I don't know how, but all of them work."That's the skill of being a design-engineer.220R wit a red LED and 9v will allow 33mA to flow and a red is best at 17mA and up to 25mA.Fading circuit has no oscillator components.TSOP - read the data sheet 3v to 6v max.LED dice with LEDs in series and a lower-value current limiting resistor.

Saiyam says: May 8, 2015. 11:55 PM REPLYI do not deny the fact that you are a great design engineer but I have already mentioned that I am just 15 years old. I am still learning new thingseveryday and I'm not like an experienced person like you.

Still finding a way to make you believe they work with the same schematics mentioned in this instructable.

Uploading a video soon.

madhavdivya says: May 9, 2015. 5:05 AM REPLY@Saiyam: Just making a circuit work does not necessarily mean that reliability is an inbuilt part of it. That's the point of Colin55. You don't haveto upload a video to make him believe. For a LED, 33mA is way too high and greatly shortens the life. You need to request Colin55, how to select(design) the right value of the resistor. It's as simple as that. Great effort for a 15 year old. Keep it up and keep learning through out, that the wayto a bright future.

Saiyam says: May 9, 2015. 9:13 AM REPLYYes you're right. I should correct them as well. Thanks for your blessings.

RobertD2 says: May 8, 2015. 11:10 PM REPLYI greatly appreciate the effort, and a tutorial like this is a wonderful resource for beginners.

As to the errors, a comment board such as this is a great thing to have if someone has a problem with a project. I would second the point that you shouldreference any site you got "inspiration" from, so that makers can have additional information regarding the concept and techniques for the project.Thanks again!

pfred2 says: May 6, 2015. 9:09 PM REPLYFor me using a mains fed bench power supply was really a game changer as far as electronics goes. With batteries it is often an issue whether it can supplythe current needed to operate a circuit.

I often tell people it is one of the first projects they should build. Because without electricity electronics isn't nearly as much fun.

Saiyam says: May 8, 2015. 7:50 AM REPLYBeginners won't have the confidence to use wall current at their first attempt. A 9v battery is easily available so can be a great option to power theprojects. LEDs don't take up too much power.

pfred2 says: May 8, 2015. 11:26 AM REPLYLEDs actually can draw quite a bit of current. This board draws over 3 amps in some display states

http://i.imgur.com/It2khek.jpgIt is the LEDs drawing all of that power too. I had to up my power supply game to run that circuit.

Saiyam says: May 8, 2015. 10:59 PM REPLYThat's a different story. If you look at the circuits, all of them are simple involving just one led. 555 timer is used in most of them which takes just20ma of current so the power consumption won't go above 100ma leaving the Dice circuit which uses six leds.

ac-dc says: May 7, 2015. 10:48 AM REPLYA battery pack consisting of AA or larger cells, particularly NiMH, NiCd, or Li-Ion, can easily provide 4A current which is far more than a beginninghobbyist building circuits on a breadboard should need.

Just don't use a little 9V battery. Yes a bench PSU is VERY useful to have, especially if the hobbyist builds it themselves to improve their understanding,BUT at the same time it would be better to wait a while before tackling a project that deals directly with mains AC input. Instead a safer option would beto keep an AC-DC adapter such as those used on laptops, whole and intact, then build a step-down circuit for it.

Such a laptop adapter also has a certain current limitation but often it is 3A or higher and that too is plenty for the majority of beginner projects, plus if theday comes that the PSU is upgraded to something else, you could re-purpose the step down DC-DC for something like vehicle 13.8V to lower peripheralgadget needs.


pfred2 says: May 7, 2015. 4:30 PM REPLYI overcame my fear of wall current when I was 13 years old. The power supply I built then still works today too. Before that I was constantly frustratedby trying to use dead batteries in experimental circuits. Batteries serve one purpose, to make circuits portable. If you're at your workbench working ona project you really don't need that feature. What is so difficult about insulating electrical connections anyways? If anything amateurs over do it, butthat's OK.

Now as far as safety goes what about sanity? Dead batteries drive me crazy!

russ_hensel says: May 7, 2015. 10:27 AM REPLYThis is great, but would be even better with schematics, could you add them?

Saiyam says: May 8, 2015. 10:48 PM REPLYSchematics are added in each step if you see.

madhavdivya says: May 8, 2015. 2:58 AM REPLYIts okay Mitchell. All of us have learnt from somebody, somewhere and sometime . As long as the sense of gratitude exists towards our teachers, its justacceptable. Just point to the mistakes and correct the content, so those starting to learn will continue to do so like, diggee17.

Saiyam says: May 8, 2015. 7:52 AM REPLYAgreed.

vasudevan.nambudiri.56 says: May 7, 2015. 9:59 AM REPLY

vasudevan.nambudiri.56 says: May 7, 2015. 10:01 AM REPLYSir,

I am a regular reader of Instructable and most of the publications are really good.

In this bread board projects,I would like to mention few points.Project-1-Music bell. Collector of the BC547 is not getting +ve voltage as the speaker is connected from collector to -Ve of the battery.Project-6-Light activated LED----.Here, discharge pin 7 of 555 ic is not connected and the LDR is connected as a seperate circuit. So LDR cannot controlLED.

Vasudevan Nambudiri.

Saiyam says: May 8, 2015. 7:50 AM REPLYThank you sir, the corrections have been made.

colin55 says: May 7, 2015. 10:03 AM REPLYSome of these circuits have been copied from my website: Talking Electronics.com and some have been copied incorrectly and will not work.Colin MitchellTALKING ELECTRONICS

Saiyam says: May 7, 2015. 10:23 AM REPLYI'm really sorry about that sir. My intention was not to copy the circuits but to publish a guide related to breadboard projects. I was looking for projects ondifferent websites and then found your site as a great source of electronic projects so picked up some circuit from it. Looking at the real pictures, you willfind them that all of them are made correctly and will work. I had also made a video of all the projects working which I could not publish. The real problemwas when I made circuits using fritzing where I did some mistakes. I am a human and I can't stop making mistakes.

querry43 says: May 7, 2015. 12:49 PM REPLYReferencing your sources is the right thing to do. In addition to giving people credit, it gives your readers additional places to look for information.Also, you've got some silly mistakes that you should probably fix before people get frustrated. Rather than discussing the merits of referencematerial, ask how you could improve. I am sure that colin55 would be happy to share information when asked.

Saiyam says: May 8, 2015. 7:47 AM REPLYI realised my mistake. Thanks querry43.


colin55 says: May 7, 2015. 12:04 PM REPLY"I am a human and I can't stop making mistakes."That's the reason I layout everything in html, so that a correction can be made.The projects contain so many mistakes that the .pdf should be completely revised.These projects are just going frustrate a beginner by not being able to get them to work properly.Secondly, if you are going to copy a project from another persons website, at least provide a link to where you stole the idea. I know my circuitssimply by recognising the component values, as very few designers understand the importance of designing a circuit using correct values.And when you diverge from this, the circuits either do not work or show a complete lack of design-competence.

Saiyam says: May 8, 2015. 7:44 AM REPLYCompletely agreed. I have tried to correct the silly mistakes which I think are all successfully corrected. Now there can't be a mistake as copiedthe same layouts when making the projects in real life and to my surprise, they all worked. If you are telling about the light and dark detectorcircuits, I have made some little modifications in them but they still work properly. I have also mentioned the name of your website in the projectsthat were copied from it. Truly speaking, I am a 15 year old kid so I can't understand nor design complex circuits. This is the reason that I copiedprojects from your website. I have worked really hard in documenting this guide. Hope you can understand and help me to correct any furthermistakes. Thanks.

sogoesme says: May 7, 2015. 3:54 PM REPLYCheer up ;)

matt.shepker says: May 7, 2015. 11:54 AM REPLYIt isn't like any of these circuits are novel or groundbreaking. It is hard to claim ownership of something that has been done by nearly every person justgetting started in electronics.

The author has done a fantastic job putting these together in an easy to read and follow format. He definitely did his homework and I applaud him.

Saiyam says: May 8, 2015. 7:46 AM REPLYThank you matt.shepker.

diggee17 says: May 7, 2015. 6:17 PM REPLYBottom line - is this information correct or not? I'm a beginning hobbist and this looks like a good place to start my studies but will only be frustrating anddiscouraging if the information is incorrect. I am of course very happy to study the orig source which is mentioned in anearlier comment. Thanks all.

Saiyam says: May 8, 2015. 7:33 AM REPLYHello diggee17,

Don't worry, the information is correct. I have recently made corrections in schematics and breadboard layouts. As mentioned earlier, the projects workand I have also made a video of them working which I could not publish.

Sirplus says: May 7, 2015. 4:27 PM REPLYWell done! No obscure hard to find components. projects thought through. Should be VERY helpful as a confidence builder, Thank You.

rustygray says: May 7, 2015. 10:42 AM REPLYJust excellent!

Rand0mUser says: May 7, 2015. 8:31 AM REPLYNice! This makes a good tutorial for those starting out in electronics.

Just being nitpicky here, but the simple LED circuit can end up overdriving some smaller LEDs, especially those with a small forward voltage (so small red,orange or green indicator-style ones), putting up to 40mA through some. I'd recommend a 1k resistor for that. But that's me being a bit pedantic :)

Saiyam says: May 7, 2015. 9:43 AM REPLYAh, that's right. Thanks for telling. :)

Rand0mUser says: May 7, 2015. 10:33 AM REPLYNo problem, happy to help!


gregjd5000 says: May 7, 2015. 7:09 AM REPLYHi! I am just glancing through, but on step 11, should pin 4 of the 555 be connected to pin 2 of the LDR? I don't believe having it up top would do anythingbecause it is shorted to VCC. Correct me if I am wrong!

Excellent collection though! I wish I had this years ago.

Saiyam says: May 7, 2015. 9:50 AM REPLYOh sorry for that. Thanks for correcting :)

gregjd5000 says: May 7, 2015. 10:13 AM REPLYYou're very welcome!

doctorlock says: May 7, 2015. 10:12 AM REPLYNice job good for a newbee

vasudevan.nambudiri.56 says: May 7, 2015. 10:08 AM REPLY

LorenzoB says: May 7, 2015. 9:55 AM REPLYVery interesting projects. Could you please make something like this using Raspberry Pi GPIO Pins to make like, LEDs flash, or stepper motor control orsomething like that? Thank you anyway, very well done!

louis.m says: May 7, 2015. 8:44 AM REPLYVery nice projects !I am an electronic engineer and now retired, but when I was a boy I started tinkering just like this, and thus my hobby became my profession. :)

Saiyam says: May 7, 2015. 9:51 AM REPLYThanks :)

SPLatManOz says: May 7, 2015. 4:45 AM REPLYOn the bell circuit you have the schematic and the breadboard drawing showing the speaker returned to gnd rather than V+. The photo appears correct.

Saiyam says: May 7, 2015. 9:44 AM REPLYOh, I would definitely correct that.

alcurb says: May 7, 2015. 8:42 AM REPLYForrest Mims would be proud of you.

j0h4wk says: May 7, 2015. 9:25 AM REPLYMy father and Mr Mims, two people I look up to.

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