INTRODUCTION

Intercom is the abbreviation of Intercommunication and refers to the communication by means of wires/cables between various individuals situated at comparatively distant location within a certain premises. The various locations are known as stations. The difference between an intercom and public telephone system lies in the fact that wires connecting the various stations do not cross any public place. The intercom circuit will let us talk with another person in a distant room. The kit will be in one room and speaker will be in other room. When a person speaks, his voice signals will be changed into electrical signal by a condenser mic and then the electrical signals generated will be transmitted through the circuit. The electrical signals at the other end will be converted into analog or voice signals by the speaker used and hence the person at the other end can hear the message. The unit having all components is called master unit and the unit having only the speaker is called slave unit.

WORKING

The circuit described throughout this report, uses three transistors. The circuit comprises of a 3 stage RC coupled amplifier. The circuit comprises of a condenser

mic through which audio or voice signal is produced. Condenser mic works on the principle of piezoelectric effect. This phenomena state that under the influence of mechanical pressure, the voltage gets generated across the opposite faces of piezoelectric crystal and vice versa. Thus the analog or voice signal is converted into electrical signal. The mic is connected to the 3 stage RC coupled configuration. The two transistors, T1 and T2(BC 548)are used for amplification purposes. The third transistor T3(BEL 187) is a power amplifier which is used to drive the speaker. The circuit works on 9 volt dc supply and the current consumption of the circuit is 10A to 15 A only. When the switch S2 is pressed the two transistors T1 and T2 get converted into an astable multivibrator, thus generating ring signals which alerts the receiver on the other side. The ring signals are amplified by transistor T 3. The absence of switch S2 will not affect the functionality of circuit. As soon as the switch S 2 is released, T1 and T2 function as normal amplifiers, amplifying the electrical signals. The amplified electrical signals are then transmitted to the speaker via the power amplifier T3. Two circuits like this can be used, one of which will be the transmitter and the other will be receiver.

COMPONENTS USED
1. T1, T2 and T3 (T1 & T2= BC548 & T3= BEL187) 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. C1, C2, C3 C4 and C5 C6 R1 and R3 R2 R4 R5 R6 0.1F Ceramic Capacitors 10F 16 V Capacitor 100F 16 V capacitor 10k Resistance 1M Resistance 220k Resistance 2.2k Resistance 100k Resistance NPN Transistors

10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

R7 Speakers Battery Mic S2 S1

150 Resistance 8 9V Condenser Microphone PUSH to ON Button Slide Switch

DESCRIPTION OF COMPONENTS USED

1. TRANSISTOR(BC548)

The BC548 is a general purpose silicon NPN bipolar junction transistors found commonly in European electronic equipment. If the TO-92 package is held in front of one's face with the flat side facing toward us and the leads downward the order of the leads, from left to right is collector, base and emitter. In the intercom circuit two BC548 transistors, T1 and T2 have been used.

SPECIFICATIONS
The exact specification of a given device depends on the manufacturer. The data sheets can be used to gain this information. Philips and Telefunken are two manufacturers of the BC548. Below are some basic specifications of BC548. Vcbo = 30 V

Ic = 100 mA Ptotal = 50 mW ft = 300 MHz

2. TRANSISTOR(BEL187)
Now a days the transistors of BEL company are usually used. Transistors which were available of Ge material, now also available of Si material, for example AC 187 and AC 1800 are Ge transistor, now equivalent Si transistors of BEL are available in market whose numbers are BEL 187 and BEL 188. The identification of terminals of that type and other Si transistors, we do according to following figures : these transistor are - BEL 188, BEL187, BEL147, BEL148, BEL158, BEL157etc,the shapes of all that transistor are semicircular and terminal.'; are in straight line. To identify the terminals, we take transistors in hand in a way that the portion of transistor on which numbers written, remain towards us and terminals remain lower side. Then the left-most terminal is collector and right most is emitter and middle one is base. These transistors are called Si planer transistors.

In the intercom circuit, BEL187 works as a class A power amplifier and is used to drive the speakers at the receiving end.

CERAMIC CAPACITOR
A ceramic capacitor is a two-terminal, non-polar device. The classical ceramic capacitor is the "disc capacitor". This device pre-dates the transistor and was used extensively in vacuum-tube equipment (e.g., radio receivers) from about 1930 through the 1950s, and in discrete transistor equipment from the 1950s through the 1980s. As of 2007, ceramic disc capacitors are in widespread use in electronic equipment, providing high capacity and small size at low price compared to other low value capacitor types. Ceramic capacitors come in various shapes and styles, including:

disc, resin coated, with through-holes leads multilayer rectangular block, surface mount bare leadless disc, sits in a slot in the PCB and is soldered in place, used for UHF applications

tube shape, not popular now

Ceramic capacitors of different shape and sizes.

CLASSES OF CERAMIC CAPACITORS

Three classes of ceramic capacitors are commonly available: CLASS I CAPACITORS Accurate, temperature-compensating capacitors. They are the most stable over voltage, temperature, and to some extent, frequency. They also have the lowest losses. On the other hand, they have the lowest volumetric efficiency. A typical class I capacitor will have a temperature coefficient of 30 ppm/C. This will typically be fairly linear with temperature. These are used in filters. A typical

class I capacitor will have a dissipation factor of 0.15%. Very high accuracy class I capacitors are available. CLASS II CAPACITORS Better volumetric efficiency, but lower accuracy and stability. A typical class II capacitor may change capacitance by 15% over a 55 C to 85 C temperature range. A typical class II capacitor will have a dissipation factor of 2.5%. It will have average to poor accuracy. CLASS III CAPACITORS High volumetric efficiency, but poor accuracy and stability. A typical class III capacitor will change capacitance by -22% to +56% over a temperature range of 10 C to 55 C. It will have a dissipation factor of 4%. It will have fairly poor accuracy. These are typically used for power supply applications. At one point, Class IV capacitors were also available, with worse electrical characteristics than Class III, but even better volumetric efficiency. They are now rather rare and considered obsolete, as modern multilayer ceramics can offer better performance in a compact package. None of the classes are better than any othersthe relative performance depends on application. Class I capacitors are physically larger than class III capacitors, and for bypassing and other non-filtering applications, the accuracy, stability, and loss factor may be unimportant, while cost and volumetric efficiency may be. As such, Class I capacitors are primarily used in filtering applications, where the main competition is from film capacitors in low frequency applications, and more esoteric capacitors in RF applications. Class III capacitors are typically used in power supply applications. Traditionally, they had no competition in this niche, as they were limited to small sizes. As ceramic technology has improved, ceramic capacitors are now commonly available in values of up to 100 F, and they are increasingly starting to compete with electrolytic capacitors, where ceramics offer much better electrical performance at prices that, while still much higher than electrolytic, are becoming increasingly reasonable as the technology improves.

CODING
There is a three digit code printed on a ceramic capacitor specifying its value. The first two digits are the two significant figures and the third digit is a base 10

multiplier. The value is given in picofarads(pF). A letter suffix indicates the tolerance. C D J K 0.25 pF M 20% 0.5 pF P +100 0% 5% Y 20 +50% 10% Z 20 + 80%

A label of "104K" indicates 10104 pF = 100,000 pF = 100 nF = 0.1 F 10% There is also an EIA three character code that indicates temperature coefficient. For non-temperature-compensating capacitor, the code consists of three letters. The first character is a letter that gives the low-end operating temprature. The second is a digit gives the high-end operating temperature. The final letter gives capacitance change over that temperature range: LETTER (LOW TEMP) X= 55 C (67 F) Y= 30 C (22 F) Z= +10 C (+50 F) DIGIT (HIGH TEMP) 2= +45 C (+113 F) 4= +65 C (+149 F) 5= +85 C (+185 F) 6=+105 C (+221 F) 7=+125 C (+257 F) 8=+150 C (+302 F) LETTER (CHANGE) D= 3.3% E= 4.7% F= 7.5% P= 10% R= 15% S= 22% T= +22 to 33% U= +22 to 56% V= +22 to 82%

For instance, a Z5U capacitor will operate from +10 C to +85 C with a capacitance change of at most +22% to 56%. An X7R capacitor will operate from 55 C to +125 C with a capacitance change of at most 15%. Temperature-compensated capacitors use a different EIA code. Here, the first letter gives the significant figure of the change in capacitance over temperature in ppm/C. The second character gives the multiplier. The third character gives the maximum error from that in ppm/C. All ratings are from 25 to 85 C: SIGNIFICANT FIGURE C: 0.0 B: 0.3 L: 0.8 A: 0.9 M: 1.0 P: 1.5 R: 2.2 S: 3.3 MULTIPLIER TOLERANCE 0: -1 G: 30 1: -10 H: 60 2: -100 J: 120 3: -1000 K: 250 4: +1 L: 500 6: +10 M: 1000 7: +100 N: 2500 8: +1000

T: 4.7 V: 5.6 U: 7.5 For instance, a C0G will have 0 drift, with an error of 30 ppm/C, while a P3K will have 1500 ppm/C drift, with a maximum error of 250 ppm/.

ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITOR

Axial lead (top) and radial lead (bottom) electrolytic capacitors An electrolytic capacitor is a type of capacitor that uses an electrolyte, an ionic conducting liquid, as one of its plates, to achieve a larger capacitance per unit volume than other types. They are often referred to in electronics usage simply as electrolytics. They are used in relatively high-current and low-frequency electrical circuits, particularly in power supply filters, where they store charge needed to moderate output voltage and current fluctuations in rectifier output. They are also widely used as coupling capacitors in circuits where ac should be conducted but dc should not. There are two types of electrolytics; aluminum and tantalum. Electrolytic capacitors are capable of providing the highest capacitance values of any type of capacitor but they have drawbacks which limit their use. The standard design requires that the applied voltage must be polarized; one specified terminal must always have positive potential with respect to the other. Therefore they cannot be used with ac signals without a dc polarizing bias. However there are special non-polarized electrolytic capacitors for ac use which do not require a dc bias. Electrolytic capacitors also have relatively, higher leakage current, poorer

tolerances and temperature range, and shorter lifetimes compared to other types of capacitors.

CONSTRUCTION
Aluminum electrolytic capacitors are constructed from two conducting aluminum foils, one of which is coated with an insulating oxide layer, and a paper spacer soaked in electrolyte. The foil insulated by the oxide layer is the anode while the liquid electrolyte and the second foil acts as the cathode. This stack is then rolled up, fitted with pin connectors and placed in a cylindrical aluminum casing.

Polarity
In aluminum electrolytic capacitors, the layer of insulating aluminum oxide on the surface of the aluminum plate acts as the dielectric, and it is the thinness of this layer that allows for a relatively high capacitance in a small volume. This oxide has a dielectric constant of 10, which is several times higher than most common polymer insulators. It can withstand an electrical field of strength of the order of 25 megavolts per meter which is an acceptable fraction of that of common polymers. This combination of high capacitance and reasonably high voltage result in high energy density. Most electrolytic capacitors are polarized and require one of the electrodes to be positive relative to the other; they may catastrophically fail if voltage is reversed. This is because a reverse-bias voltage above 1 to 1.5V will destroy the center layer of dielectric material via electrochemical reduction. Following the loss of the dielectric material, the capacitor will short circuit, and with sufficient short circuit current, the electrolyte will rapidly heat up and either leak or cause the capacitor to burst, often in spectacularly dramatic fashion. To minimize the likelihood of a polarized electrolytic being incorrectly inserted into a circuit, polarity is very clearly indicated on the case. A bar across the side of the capacitor is usually used to indicate the negative terminal. Also, the negative terminal lead of a radial electrolytic is shorter than the positive lead and may be otherwise distinguishable.

Capacitor

Polarized Capacitor

Variable Capacitor

The above are the most common schematic symbols for electrolytic capacitors. Some schematic diagrams do not print the "+" adjacent to the symbol. Older circuit diagrams show electrolytic capacitors as a small positive plate surrounded below and on the sides by a larger dish-shaped negative electrode, usually without "+" marking.

Electrolyte
The electrolyte is usually boric acid or sodium borate in aqueous solution, together with various sugars or ethylene glycol which are added to retard evaporation. Getting a suitable balance between chemical stability and low internal electrical resistance is not a simple matter; in fact, the exact compositions of high-performance electrolytes are closely guarded trade secrets. It took many years of painstaking research before reliable devices were developed. The electrolytic solvent has to have high dielectric constant, high dielectric strength, and low resistivity. Electrolytes may be toxic or corrosive. Working with the electrolyte requires safe working practice and appropriate protective equipment such as gloves and safety glasses. Some very old tantalum electrolytics, often called "Wet-slug", contain corrosive sulphuric acid; however, most of these are no longer in service due to corrosion.

Capacitance
The capacitance value of any capacitor is a measure of the amount of electric charge stored per unit of potential difference between the plates. The basic unit of capacitance is a farad; however, this unit is too large for general use, so microfarad(F), nanofarad (nF) and picofarad(pF) are more commonly used.

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Many conditions determine a capacitor's value, such as the thickness of the dielectric and the plate area. In the manufacturing process, electrolytic capacitors are made to conform to a set of preferred numbers. By multiplying these base numbers by a power of ten, any practical capacitor value can be achieved, which is suitable for most applications. The capacitance of aluminum electrolytic capacitors tends to change over time, and they usually have a tolerance range of 20 Tantalum electrolytics can be produced to tighter tolerances and are more stable.

CONDENSER MIC
The condenser microphone, invented at Bell Labs in 1916 by E. C. Wente is also called a capacitor microphone or electrostatic microphone. Here, the diaphragm acts as one plate of a capacitor, and the vibrations produce changes in the distance between the plates. There are two types, depending on the method of extracting the audio signal from the transducer: DC-biased and radio frequency (RF) or high frequency (HF) condenser microphones. With a DC-biased microphone, the plates are biased with a fixed charge (Q). The voltage maintained across the capacitor plates changes with the vibrations in the air, according to the capacitance equation (C = Q / V), where Q = charge in coulombs, C = capacitance in farads and V = potential difference in volts. The capacitance of the plates is inversely proportional to the distance between them for a parallel-plate capacitor. The assembly of fixed and movable plates is called an "element" or "capsule." A nearly constant charge is maintained on the capacitor. As the capacitance changes, the charge across the capacitor does change very slightly, but at audible frequencies it is sensibly constant. The capacitance of the capsule (around 5 to 100pF) and the value of the bias resistor (100M to 100G) form a filter that is high-pass for the audio signal, and low-pass for the bias voltage. Note that the time constant of an RC circuit equals the product of the resistance and capacitance. Within the time-frame of the capacitance change (as much as 50 ms at 20 Hz audio signal), the charge is practically constant and the voltage across the capacitor changes instantaneously to reflect the change in capacitance. The

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voltage across the capacitor varies above and below the bias voltage. The voltage difference between the bias and the capacitor is seen across the series resistor. The voltage across the resistor is amplified for performance or recording. In most cases, the electronics in the microphone itself contribute no voltage gain as the voltage differential is quite significant, up to several volts for high sound levels. Since this is a very high impedance circuit, current gain only is usually needed with the voltage remaining constant. The circuit is therefore often called an "impedance converter" or "follower" because no voltage gain is provided.

SPEAKERS
A speaker is an electro acoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. The most common type of speaker uses a lightweight diaphragm, or cone, connected to a rigid basket or frame, via a flexible suspension that constrains a coil of fine wire to move axially through a cylindrical magnetic gap. When an electrical signal is applied to it, a magnetic field is created by the electric current in the voice coil, making it a variable electromagnet. The coil and the magnetic system interact, generating a mechanical force that causes the coil (and thus, the attached cone) to move back and forth, thereby reproducing sound under the control of the applied electrical signal coming from the amplifier..

APPLICATIONS OF INTERCOM
The application of intercom is as follows1. The intercom system are used in office as a second communication link in order to keep the phone lines open for external calls. This kind of intercom is also well suited for hospitals, prisons and police stations, banks and financial institutions, defence and schools. 2. These are cheap and privacy can be maintained on the line, as only those who need it can use it.

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3. The Audio and video handset offers features such as color video monitors

and cameras, elevator control for restricted entry with intercom and code access for tenants with use of digital keypads. 4. The Bi-Way intercom system has many applications starting from where there is a danger of robbery or violence like banks, post offices, cashier windows, ticket offices, gas stations or offices in terms of social services.

CONCLUSION
The intercom circuit is very useful circuit. Other then transistors, it can also be made by op-amps. Wireless intercoms have also appeared in the market. One reason to use a wireless intercom system is that the cost of retrofitting a building for a wired intercom system is high. Another reason is the increased portability of a wireless system. With battery-powered radio frequency wireless intercom units, a person can carry a station as they walk around. Besides wireless intercom system, there are various audio and video intercom systems, which have revolutionized this field. With video intercom systems , the system placed outside a building, person inside can talk to the person outside, thus maintaining the safety and reducing the cases of theft, robbery etc. Intercom have made our lives simple. Research is still going on in field of wireless and video intercom systems to make them mch more better.

REFERENCES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercom http://www.circuitstoday.com/transistor-intercom-circuit http://www.electronicsforu.com/efylinux/circuit/Oct-cir/cir2.htm

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