Acoustic Distress Beacon Circuit diagram

An ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter, also known as a distress beacon) is an emergency radio transmitter that is activated either manually or automatically by a crash sensor to aid the detection and location of aircraft in distress. This acoustic ELT project is intended for radio control (RC) model aircraft, which every now and then decide to go their own way and disappear into the undergrowth.

Circuit diagram :

Acoustic Distress Beacon Circuit Diagram

The audio locating device described here enables model aircraft that have landed ‘off limits’ to be found again and employs its own independent power supply. The small cam-era battery shown in the schema activates an acoustic sounder when radio contact is lost and produces a short signal tone (bleep) every ten seconds for more than 25 hours. Current consumption in standby and passive (with jumper J1 set) modes is negligible. The timing generator for the alarm tone is the Schmitt trigger AND-gate IC1.B; its asymmetric duty cycle drives a 5 V DC sounder via MOSFET transistor T1. All the time that the RC receiver output is delivering positive pulses, the oscillator is blocked by IC1.A and diode D1. Setting jumper J1 parallel to C2 also disables the oscillator and serves to ‘disarm’ the distress beacon. 

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Acoustic Distress Beacon

An ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter, also known as a distress beacon) is an emergency radio transmitter that is activated either manually or automatically by a crash sensor to aid the detection and location of aircraft in distress. This acoustic ELT project is intended for radio control (RC) model aircraft, which every now and then decide to go their own way and disappear into the undergrowth.

Acoustic Distress Beacon Circuit Diagram

The audio locating device described here enables model aircraft that have landed ‘off limits’ to be found again and employs its own independent power supply. The small cam-era battery shown in the schema activates an acoustic sounder when radio contact is lost and produces a short signal tone (bleep) every ten seconds for more than 25 hours. Current consumption in standby and passive (with jumper J1 set) modes is negligible. The timing generator for the alarm tone is the Schmitt trigger AND-gate IC1.B; its asymmetric duty cycle drives a 5 V DC sounder via MOSFET transistor T1. All the time that the RC receiver output is delivering positive pulses, the oscillator is blocked by IC1.A and diode D1. Setting jumper J1 parallel to C2 also disables the oscillator and serves to ‘disarm’ the distress beacon.

Simple Acoustic Sensor

Simple Acoustic Sensor Circuit diagram. This acoustic sensor was originally developed for an industrial application (monitoring a siren), but will also find many domestic applications. Note that the sensor is designed with safety of operation as the top priority: this means that if it fails then in the worst-case scenario it will not itself generate a false indication that a sound is detected. Also, the sensor connections are protected against polarity reversal and short-diagram. The supply voltage of 24 V is suitable for industrial use, and the output of the sensor swings over the supply voltage range.

Simple Acoustic Sensor Circuit diagram :

Simple Acoustic Sensor Circuit Diagram

The schema consists of an electret micro-phone, an amplifier, attenuator, rectifier and a switching stage. MIC1 is supplied with a current of 1 mA by R9. T1 amplifies the signal, decoupled from the supply by C1, to about 1 Vpp. R7 sets the collector current of T1 to a maximum of 0.5 mA. The operating point is set by feedback resistor R8. The sensitivity of the schema can be adjusted using potentiometer P1 so that it does not respond to ambient noise levels. Diodes D1 and D2 recitfy the signal and C4 provides smoothing. As soon as the voltage across C4 rises above 0.5 V, T2 turns on and the LED connected to the collector of the transistor lights. T3 inverts this signal.

If the microphone receives no sound, T3 turns on and the output will be at ground. If a signal is detected, T3 turns off and the output is pulled to +24 V by R4 and R5. In order to allow for an output current of 10 mA, T3’s collector resistor needs to be 2.4 kΩ. If 0.25 W resistors are to be used, then to be on the safe side this should be made up of two 4.7 kΩ resistors wired in parallel. Diode D4 protects the schema from reverse polarity connection, and D3 protects the output from damage if it is inadvertently connected to the supply.

Author:Engelbert Göpfert - Copyright : Elektor