Laser Perimeter Alarm

Learn how to fortify your fortress no matter what the size with this ingenious myriad of a customizable laser grid. Once someone steps through and breaks the laser signal, then off goes a quite noticeable, piercing alarm siren. Guard your room, office or workshop from pesky invaders and use it to safeguard your most prized possessions from high-profile robotic creation to the last jelly filled donut!

For more similar projects, kits for this and other gadgets, and much more just go to Ocalon Electronics. If your having any problems with getting the circuit to work, or just general Q&A questions feel free to leave them here.

Step 1 Materials/Supplies

Parts List Includes

1. A single 1000uF Capacitor
2. A 5K Trimpot (larger values will work)
3. CdS Photocell (Cadmium Sulfide Cell)
4. Some Perforated Board
5. A 9v battery and clip
6. The 2N3904 Transistor
7. Several Small mirrors
8. About 5-12VDC Piezo Siren (102dB)
9. Any General Laser (650nm 5mw)

Optional:

8. An L7805 5v Regulator
9. The Project Case
10. A 5 - 9 volt Adapter

Comments

[usmm]

i made this project but how i connect the thing in broad band i can not understand from the diagram is it in parallel or series plz reply

[DrBondo]

 Works great, but I have to use a massive array of caps to get it to run for any acceptable length of time.  One 1000uf cap sends it fading out very quickly, so I wired about 10 of them in a series, and now it buzzes for about 4-5 seconds before fading.  All these caps, however, caused a delay in the way the transistor switches, so if someone walks quickly through the laser, it may not trip.

I think I may try using just one really big cap, instead of an array.  Maybe that will eliminate the delay.

[Digy]

Just use my schematic, the alarm will stay on forever, as long as there is power and the relays don't fail, even though it is much more complex it is worth to use it.

[arulchris]

can u post a clear picture pls.

[remyzero7]

http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/F8O/GMSL/GH8AGD0L/F8OGMSLGH8AGD0L.LARGE.jpg

[arulchris]

thank u remyzero7 4 the pic.
i'll try this too..

[amruth]

I have connected everything according to the circuit, the first time the alarm kept ringing even if the laser was on, so i tried again and this time the alarm wont go off, not even i the darkness. Weezoh or anyone help plz i am new to these stuff.

[amruth]

HI, tried soldering the circuit but the alarm dosent seem to go off in the dark. I tried checking if i had done something wrong but everything seems to be alright. Can someone help me plz.

[litcrit]

How weak of a laser beam can you use and still get this to work? Or is there any way to make the system more sensitive? Would a bright LED work if it was placed extremely close to to the photocell?

[timmi]

 Could this be done with an inferred lazer and inferred light detector ? so they don't see the beam at night? And would the laser wear out ater a while?

[kewltek]

Yes. I have an '83 book that explains how to do something like this, but I am looking for a normally open LASCR in place of the photocell.

[schumy00]

where I can put a relay to make an alarm ringing continuu?

[Digy]

look up at my comment above.

[kewltek]

Post a higher res pic pls

[randomness72.5]

I was wondering how the capacitor keeps the alarm circuit to stay on because wont the base stop that cuurent once the beam is on the photoresistor and the current flows through the photoresistor again? If so, does the capacitor keep the transistor to stay on or something?

[Mxous]

Link doesn't work.

[charchar97]

yea it does. try using a different browser

[tech123456789]

will this work? http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102789

[fringe]

looking at the transistor as a switch, the collector has 9v coming in, and the base has that but a photocell and resistor inline with it.  when the base gets >5v it should let the collector's 9v flow go through to the emitter yes? that seems to be the case/idea..

given this, i would see the photocell needing to add large amounts of resistance whenever it has light in order to bring down the voltage (so the alarm doesn't trigger)  and have less resistance when things go black (in order to trigger and set off the alarm).  this is a fair assumption yes?

my photocells gain resistance w/out light and have little resistance with light.. which is the inverse of what we want in order for this to work is it not?  am i reading this wrong?  did i buy the wrong types of photocells? .. i'm very very confused.. somewhere this logic has gone inverse on me.  :)

[capjbadger]

Rememer electricity follows the path of least resistance.

When the photocell has light on it (low resistance), the the flow wants to go through it  to ground instead of through the transistor to ground.

When the light is off, the photocell has high resistance and it's easier for the flow to get to ground through the transistor, which then switches it on and sounds the buzzer. :)

[fringe]

Looked like I needed a pnp for this.. not a npn transistor as noted..

[fringe]

and that's not helping either.. i think i'm not meant to create this thing.  if a NPN is meant to be used.. can you explain how it's triggering?  sorry for being such a n00b..

[iliasbill]

hi,what is the one left down the photocell --- and the one down the transistor ---
                                                                           --                                                             --
                                                                            -                                                              -
???????????????????????????
                                                                          
                                                                          

[psmithplumbing]

hi there my buzzer is very low can anyone help me please pete

[cdousley]

Could i replace the photocell with a photo transistor. Heres a pic of the photo transistor

[rushsraf]

plss send u me full schematic diagram of this so that i can start my project...plzz reply asap

[9260074]

specification of photcell plssss??

[mates]

Great circuit!  Can you replace the alarm with another type of noise device?  I would like to use this circuit for another purpose and connect it to a train noise from a Hallmark music card.  I tried to make the connection myself and had little success.  However, I mananged not the fry my train noise circuit.  I would also like to use the 3 volt battery that comes with the card.  If you can help or make suggestions, I would appreciate it.

[Colonel88]

Hey this was taken from Graham McGowan's 101 Spy Gadgets for the Evil Genius, so give him credit. The schematic is the same and the thing is the same and the idea is the same so give the man his credit.

[ipwnuall2]

hey weezoh, its me again... I have one more question, with the 10k ohm 15 turn potentiometer are the pins the pins the same? does it matter which ones i connect? do i conect the 2 closer pins or the middle pin closer to the wheel to the far end one?

[weezoh]

Hey! Sorry for the delay, but yeah your trimpot should connect the same. You'll notice there's a middle pin between the two outer pins (the two outer one are on opposite ends). And so its just like any other trimpot - middle pin to one end pin to +9v and the other end pin to the base of the transistor and to one end pin of the CdS cell.

[ipwnuall2]

also which way do you turn the trimpot?  when the pins are like this like this -->   |---|--|*        *  = wheel
                           |  = Pin
                           -  = space between pins

[ipwnuall2]

Hey, i found out what was wrong about my first one, (transistor) i accidently put it in backwards.  But I still need an anwser because i'm not sure if the transistor was the only thing wrong.

[ipwnuall2]

please reply.... i really don't want to start over again.

[pook]

That schematic is exactly the same one on page 212 of 101 spy Gadgets for the evil Genius. I still can't get it to work! Has anyone actually gotten this to work?

[weezoh]

Actually, there's a small difference. The base of the transistor connects in between the trimpot and photocell up above whereas in the Spy Gadgets book it connects at the + 9 volt junction. which is why it keeps going off continuously. hope that helps!

[the_lark]

9v to the base??? wouldn't that kill the transistor?

[pook]

Well thank you for repling and for correcting the schematic! I have a basic knowledge of electronics but I bought the 3 pin trim pots like the one shown in the book. There is one closest to the trim screw, a middle and the end pin. Can you tell me which pin should connect to the cell? Whcih two should be soldered together? The transistor I have has the collector on the left and the emmiter on the right. The emitter should connect ot the cell, or the collector? Thank you for being there!

[weezoh]

The outer pins of the trim pot are interchangable, there's no difference between them they're the exact same. You can use either one as whichever. The way the trimming potentiometer works is that its a variable resistor. between the two outer pins is the full resistance of the trimpot say, 10k ohms or 5k ohms depending on the one you have. The middle pin divides up that resistance on both sides. So if its centered, then 50% of the resistance is between the middle pin and each of the outer pins. Or it can be 60%-40% etc. The way we're using it, we have it shorted so that one of the sides is always bypassed (where the connection between the middle and outer pin connected to the + 9 volts is). So its a one-sided variable resistance. Now, one of those outer pins should connect to the base of the transistor and to the photocell. The other outer pin should connect back to the middle pin of the trim pot and also to the +9 v. The emitter is the pin in the diagram with the outerward facing arrow and connects to ground or the negative lead of your battery. The collector connects to the negative leads of the capacitor and buzzer duo. Let me know if its still a little unclear.

[pook]

Thanks for your help. I am still confused, in step 5 it says "Now make sure to solder the middle pin of the transistor to the two trimpot pins that are connected to each other" but you wrote: "Now, one of those outer pins should connect to the base of the transistor and to the photocell. The other outer pin should connect back to the middle pin of the trim pot and also to the +9 v. " So I am not sure what to do. Sorry for all the questions