2 0.0047-µf (472 or 0047)
2 0.01-µf (103 or 103Z)
2 0.047-µf (473 or 047)
1 0.1-µf (104)
Electrolytic - Cylindrical
Metal Case
1 0.47-µf
1 10-µf
Wires
and Cables
6-ft of 3–conductor cable
1-ft of 2-conductor cable
6 6” pieces of hookup wire
18” yellow wire (save this for the photogate cable)
2 breadboard pins
8” of heat shrink tubing
9-V battery cable (A
fresh 9-V battery is required but not included with
the kit.)
Breadboard
Preparing the Microphone Cable
Note: In June of 2016, we started providing a new piezoelectric disc. Photos of the new and old discs are shown the right. The new version 2 requires the addition of a cable. For this purpose, the following additional parts are included in the kit: 1-ft of 2-conductor cable, 3-in of heat-shrink tubing, 2 breadboard pins.
For tools (not included), you'll need the following:
Wire stripper
15-30 W soldering iron, solder, wet sponge
Lighter or matches to shrink the heat-shrink tubing
Click on the thumbnails below in order to
view full-size images of the breadboard with the components
that have been added in each step.
Using the Breadboard
click to view
The breadboard offers an easy way to build electrical
circuits without soldering. The 2"x3" breadboard provided with
your kit contains an array of holes where wires and components are to
be inserted. The holes in the center portion of the breadboard are identifiable
by row (vertical in the photos) and column (horizontal). There are
two sets of 30 rows numbered by 5's, and each set of rows has 5 columns
labeled A-E and F-J. The 5 holes on each row are electrically connected
to each other (but not across the center channel), so any components inserted
into the same row would be connected just as if they had been soldered.
However, the components can be removed and replaced with other components
at any time, without the hassle of unsoldering and resoldering parts.
On either side of the breadboard are two columns marked by blue and
red lines. The 25 holes in each column are electrically connected, but
the columns aren't electrically connected to each other. The outermost
column marked with the red line at the top will be used for all +9 V connections,
while the outermost column marked with the blue line at the bottom will
used for all ground (negative) connections.
The metal plate included with the breadboard isn't needed for the assembly
instructions below.
Assembling the Circuit
click to view
Step
1: Adding the Battery Cable and the Timer ICs
The 9-V battery clip is shown to the right. Insert
the red wire in the hole on the far left of the upper
red column and the black wire in the hole on the far
left of the lower blue column. Don't connect the battery
until the circuit construction is complete and you've
double-checked all connection.
Caution: Ground
yourself before handling the 555 and 556 timers. These
parts can be damaged by static discharges.
The 555 and 556 timers are integrated circuits (IC)
that need to be seated in the breadboard. Look
at the top of the IC (with pins held away from you)
and locate the semicircular notch at one end. The
locations of the pins are shown in the figure to the
right. For the 556 timer, face the notch toward the
right of the breadboard so that Pins 1 and 14 are
also facing to the right. Now set pin 1 in hole 23F
but don't push the pin into the hole yet. Set pin
14 in 23E. Line up all the legs with holes in the
breadboard and then press as evenly as possible across
the top of the IC in order to make sure that none
of the pins are bent as the IC is seated. Press
firmly to make sure the pins go in as far as possible.
Now seat the 555 timer in a similar fashion. However,
orient its notch facing to the left of the breadboard.
Pin 1 will go in 2E.
click to view
Step
2: Adding the Wires
These are the wires that will connect all your electronic
components together. Since the wires run beneath the
components (or around, in the case of the 555 and
556 timers, to allow for easier component removal),
it is important to cut the wires so they lay flat
against the breadboard. You can estimate how long
a wire needs to be by running a piece between the
two breadboard holes you want to connect, then cutting
the wire 1/4" longer than that at either end.
Then strip 1/4" of insulation from each end.
The list below will tell you which rows and columns
your wire ends should fit into.
24E to (+)
28A to (-)
16E to 19G
25E to 25F
3D to 4G
20J to (+)
25A to (-)
19A to 24A
29E to 29F
5D to 2G
2J to (+)
9A to (-)
21D to 22D
27D to 29D
6E to 4H
2A to (-)
23D to 24D
26J to 28J
11E to 13F
17G to (-)
22G to 23G
7F to (-)
22J to blue column
adjacent to the positive column
click to view
Step
3: Adding the Potentiometers
The delay unit includes two potentiometers for coarse
and fine adjustment of the delay interval. First,
find the blue 1-MΩ potentiometer, which will
be used for coarse delay adjustment. Place the two
front legs over 14J and 16J, and the rear leg over
the nearest hole on the nearby (+) column. The front
legs should be facing the center of the breadboard.
Press the legs in firmly as far as they will go, but
avoid bending them. (Note that the left leg will not
be connected to anything else.)
Next is the brown 100-kΩ potentiometer, which
will provide fine delay adjustment. Place the two
front legs into 10I and 12I, and the rear leg over
the nearest hole in the blue-lined column directly
adjacent to the (+) column. Seat the potentiometer.
There are two potentiometers for sensitivity control.
The yellow 1-kΩ potentiometer provides sensitivity
adjustment for the sound trigger, and the white 10-kΩ
potentiometer provides sensitivity adjustment for
the photogate. Place the front legs of the yellow
pot over 28F and 30F and the rear leg over 29J. Seat
the potentiometer. Place the front legs of the white
pot over 6A and 8A and the rear leg over the nearest
hole on the negative column. Seat the potentiometer.
click to view
Step
4: Adding the SCRs and the Transistor
SCR
pin diagram
A
= anode (+)
G = gate
K = cathode (-)
Transistor pin
diagram
E
= emitter (-)
B = base
C = collector (+)
The output stage of each trigger and of the delay
circuit are silicon-controlled rectifiers (SCRs) labeled
EC103D. The SCRs act as electronic switches and allow
you to to discharge a flash with or without a delay.
To identify the leads of an SCR, hold it as in the
diagram to the right. Be careful not to confuse the
SCRs with the transistor, which has the same shape
and size but a different label.
Insert the SCRs in the locations below. Note that
the legs of the two delay unit SCRs will have to be
bent in order to reach the negative column.
K
G
A
Photogate output
9B
10B
11B
Sound trigger output
28B
29B
30B
Immediate output of delay unit
(-) column
12A
13A
Delayed output of delay unit
(-) column
14A
15A
The transistor looks identical to the SCR but is
labeled PN2222A (or 2N2222A). To identify the leads
of the transistor, hold it as in the diagram to the
above. Put the emitter into 25B, the gate into
26B, and the collector into 27B.
click to view
Step
5: Adding the Red LEDs
The red LEDs are used as inidicators. One of them
indicates whether the emitter and detector of the
photogate are aligned. The other indicates triggering
of the delay unit. The polarity of the LED is indicated
in two ways. (Click on the photo to see a larger version.)
The longer leg is positive.
The flat on the lip of the red case is on the
same side as the shorter, negative leg.
Insert the LEDs as follows:
long leg (+)
short leg (-)
Photogate alignment indicator
(+) column
8J
Delay triggering indicator
red column adjacent to (-) column
(-) column
click to view
Step
6: Adding the Resistors
There are 14 resistors. Each resistor is marked with
four bands that are a code for the value and tolerance
of its resistance. Lay them out so that the gold band
on each is always facing right (so it's the fourth
band). The colors should now be read from left to
right, ignoring the gold band. In the following
instructions, the resistors will be identified by
the first three bands. The gold band indicates
the tolerance of the resistance value, while the other
three bands indicated the value of the resistance.
You may wish to trim the leads of the resistors so
that they sit closer to the breadboard. This
will reduce the chance that the leads of two components
accidentally touch each other and create a short.
Note that one of the 100-kΩ resistors will
not be used in this step. The use of this resistor
will be discussed in step 8, Changing
the Reset Delay.
Value (Ω)
Color Code
Placements
100
brown-black-brown
4D to 10D
10G to 14G
12D to 16D
14C to 18C
470
yellow-violet-brown
1F to (-)
3H to 8H
18A to red column
adjacent to (-) column
22k
red-red-orange
17B to 24B
18G to 20I
1k
brown-black-red
22C to 24C
5.1k
green-brown-red
26I to (+)
100k
brown-black-yellow
26D to 26G
1M
brown-black-green
13I to 18I
click to view
Don't be concerned if some
of the capacitors shown in the photo have different
physical sizes from those in your kit.
What is important is that the numbers on the
capacitors are correct.
Step
7: Adding the Capacitors
First, gather together the capacitors. The ceramic
capacitors have round, tan heads and do not have polarity.
The electrolytic capacitors have cylindrical heads
and do have polarity. Let's start with placement of
the electrolytic capacitors.
Look at the cylindrical case and find the light-colored
strip bearing a negative sign. The leg on the side
of this strip is the negative leg, while the other
lead is the positive lead. Note that the positive
leg is also the longer of the two legs. See this
photo. Locate the 10-µf electrolytic capacitor,
which will have 10 µf written on its case. Insert
the positive lead into 22A. The negative lead will
go to the nearest hole on the nearby (-) column. Now
locate the 0.47-µf electrolytic capacitor. Insert
the positive lead into 23H, and the negative lead
into 25G.
Place the ceramic capacitors as follows:
Value (µf)
Label
Placement
0.0047
472
16A to 17A
13H to 18H
0.047
473
20A to (-)
17J to 21J
0.01
103
5J to 7J
You should have two ceramic capacitors remaining.
These may be substituted for the 0.47-µf capacitor
in order to obtain different delay ranges. This
will be discussed in the next step under Changing
the Delay Range.
Step
8: Testing and Operating the Delay Unit
While the assembly isn't complete yet,
you've done enough to be ready to test the delay unit.
Do the following:
Prepare a 3-inch long wire by stripping
the insulation off the ends about a quarter of
inch.
Temporarily remove the wire from 11E to 13F.
(You'll replace this in a later step.)
Connect a fresh 9-V battery to the battery clip.
Adjust the blue 1-MΩ potentiometer to its
middle position.
Push one end of the jumper wire (that you prepared
in step 1) into 13F.
Momentarily touch the other end of the jumper
wire to the cathode of one of the SCRs (this is
the leg that goes into the ground row). The delay
unit indicator should blink on once after a short
delay, indicating a successful triggering event.
If the test above wasn't successful, some
possible reasons include the following.
The battery isn't fresh.
Wires or components are connected in the
wrong holes.
Legs of nearby components are touching each
other.
The electrolytic capacitors or indicator
LED are connected with the wrong polarity
or an SCR is connected in reverse orientation.
The legs of the 556 timer or potentiometers
aren't seated well in the breadboard.
There's a break in the hookup wire or in
the circuit.
Troubleshooting strategies include i) replacing
the battery, ii) checking all connections and
component placements, iii) checking for shorts
(legs touching each other). In order to test
for breaks in wires, jiggle the wires while
touching the jumper wire to ground. An intermittent
connection can sometimes be detected this way.
If you still can't get the circuit to work,
it's possible that the 556 timer is burn out.
In that case, check to see if your local electronics
store carries the component, or contact
us for a replacement 556.
Here are the operating instructions for the delay
unit.
Making fine and coarse delay adjustments:
The blue and brown potentiometers are used as variable
resistors to set the delay. The blue 1-MΩ potentiometer
provides coarse delay adjustment, while the brown
100-kΩ potentiometer provides a finer adjustment.
Once you've set the delay approximately using the
1-MΩ potentiometer, use the 100-kΩ potentiometer
to make finer adjustments. The further clockwise that
you turn either potentiometer, the more of a delay
there will be. You'll notice the delay as the time
interval between connecting the jumper wire from 13F
to ground and the flash of the red LED. If a flash
unit were connected to the delayed output of the unit
(more about this later), the flash would discharge
after the delay that you dialed in.
Changing the delay range:
The circuit as currently wired provides a delay up
to about half a second. This works well when using
a photogate to detect the passage of a falling drop
and then discharge a flash unit when the drop reaches
the water's surface. For other applications, a much
shorter delay may be required. In order to provide
fine adjustment of shorter delays, you can change
the ranges of the potentiometers by removing the 0.47-µf
capacitor and replacing it with one of smaller value.
The extra 0.1-µf and 0.01-µf capacitors are provided
for this purpose. The 0.1-µf capacitor will
provide delays up to about a tenth of a second, while
the 0.01-µf capacitor will provide delays up to about
a hundredth of a second. You can use other values
as well in order to customize your circuit. You can
figure that the maximum delay in seconds is approximately
equal to the value of the capacitance in microfarads.
Changing the reset delay:
After the delay unit triggers, it will be inactive
for a short time before it can be triggered again.
This amount of time is termed the reset delay.
The circuit is currently set for a reset delay of
about a hundredth of a second. (This is less
than the recharge time of many flash units.)
For some photo situations, this may lead to multiple
exposures. In order to increase the reset delay,
first locate the 1-kΩ resistor. Then replace
it with the extra 100-kΩ resistor. This
will increase the reset delay to about a second. (The
red LED will remain on during this time.) This replacement
may also be necessary if your flash unit fires repeatedly
in response to a single triggering event. You can
use other values of the resistance in order to customize
your circuit. You can figure that the reset delay
in hundredths of seconds is approximately equal to
the value of the resistance in kilohms. Thus, for
a 100-kΩ resistor, the reset delay is about 100
x 0.01 s = 1 s.
One use of the reset delay is to eliminate multiple-exposures that may be produced by events having prolonged or multiple sounds. For example, if you're smashing glass, the initial breakage will produce one exposure while the sounds of glass hitting the table may produce additional exposures. If you set the reset delay to a second, you'll get just one exposure.
Here's another way to use the reset delay if your flash unit has a strobe function; that is, you can set the flash to fire a burst of flashes in quick succession. If you use a very short reset delay, you'll get just one flash. But if you increase the reset delay to, say, a second, you'll trigger the entire burst. This idea comes from DIYer Allen Hart.
click to view
Step
9: Adding the Piezoelectric Element
Disconnect the battery before continuing below.
If you haven't already prepared the microphone cable, see these instructions and then return here.
Connect one wire from the microphone to 26A and the other wire to the nearest hole in the negative column. Polarity does not matter.
Step
10: Preparing the Output Cable and Testing the Sound
Trigger
A trigger cable is needed to connect your flash unit to the breadboard.. The trigger cable kit is purchased separately, since there are different connectors depending on your flash unit. If you need a trigger cable kit, see this page. Follow the instructions for assembling the flash trigger cable from your kit. (For quick reference, select a link: PC or FA kit / VPC kit.)
Testing the sound trigger: Turn the yellow potentiometer all the way clockwise. Then
connect the red and black wires of the output cable
to these locations: red to 30A and black to the ground
(-) row. Connect your flash unit to the other end
of the output cable. Connect the 9-V battery to the
circuit. A finger snap or a tap on the piezo disc
should set off your flash immediately. The only delay
is the amount of time it takes sound to travel from
the source of sound to the microphone. That's about
a thousandth of a second per foot (30 cm) of distance.
Adjusting the sensitivity: You can increase the sensitivity by turning the yellow pot counterclockwise. Beyond a certain point, typically about the halfway point, the flash will to off spontaneously. When you reach that point, turn the knob clockwise until the flash discharges with a finger snap. This is the point of maximum sensitivity.
Step
11: Preparing the Photogate Cables and Testing the
Photogate
Your kit includes parts for two types of photogate
cables. What we call SPG1 has an individual emitter
and detector. This is useful when you need large separations
between the emitter and detector. The SPG2 cable uses
an interrupter, which houses the emitter and detector
in a U-shaped plastic housing about 5/8" apart.
This is useful for triggering on the passage of a
drop of liquid.
The gray, six-foot, 3-conductor cable supplied with
your kit will be used for both photogate cables. Begin
by cutting it into 2 equal lengths.
The instructions for preparing the photogate cables
are given at the links below. Assemble the SPG1 cable
first and then return to this page. You can assemble
the SPG2 cable later.
Testing the direct output of the photogate:
You should now have the free ends of the 3-conductor
cable connected to these holes on your breadboard:
Black to 1J
Green to 4J
Red to the (+) column
Now connect the output cable that you prepared in
step 10 to these locations:
Red to 11A
Black to ground
Align your photogate if it isn't that way already
and run your finger through the gate. The flash unit
should discharge immediately.
Adjusting the sensitivity: First align the
photogate and make sure it's working. Then turn the
white knob clockwise until the photogate indicator
LED goes off. Back off the knob a little bit until
the LED comes back on. If you change the distance
between the photogate emitter and detector (if using
the individual components) or if the orientation of
either component changes slightly, you may need to
readjust the sensitivity. The maximum separation
is about 6 inches. The larger the separation, the
more care you need to take in aligning the components.
If you wish to have greater separation, a red laser
pointer can be used instead of the IR LED.
For some applications, it’s desirable to have a large
working distance between the emitter and detector
of the photogate. Use a red laser pointer as the light
source on the detector. (You'll need to use the SPG1
cable for this and tape the emitter out of the way.)
Note that if the beam is too intense, you may have
trouble adjusting the photogate sensitivity (see bottom
of the next page). In that case, try reducing the
beam intensity either by placing a neutral-density
filter over the LED or poking a hole in a piece of
aluminum foil and placing that over the LED.
click to view
Step
12: Using the Delay Unit with Sound or Photogate Trigger
Input
Testing the photogate with the delay unit:
In step 8, you removed the wire from 11E to 13F. Replace
it now. This is the wire that connects the output
of the photogate to the input of the delay unit.
Next move the red wire of the output cable to location
13B. You can leave the black wire in the ground column.
These are the connections for the immediate output
of the delay unit. Align the photogate and pass your
finger through it. Both the delay unit indicator LED
and your flash unit should flash immediately.
Next move the red wire of the output cable to location
15B. Again, leave the black wire where it is. These
are the connections for the delayed output of the
delay unit. (The photo to the left shows the photogate
cable connection and also the output cable connected
to the delayed output.) Turn the coarse delay (blue
knob) at least half of its travel clockwise. Align
the photogate and pass your finger through it. This
time, the indicator LED and flash unit should flash
after a short but noticeable delay.
Testing the sound trigger with the delay unit:
Remove the wire from 11E to 13F. Take the 3"
jumper wire that you prepared in step 8 and connect
it from 13F to 30A. This will connect the output of
the sound trigger to the input of the delay unit.
Leave the red wire of the output cable in location
15B and the black wire in the ground column. When
you snap your fingers near the sound trigger, the
delay unit indicator LED and the flash unit should
flash after a noticeable delay. If you don't get a
flash discharge, turn the yellow pot three-fourths
of the way clockwise. The sound trigger isn’t as sensitive
when used with the delay unit; however, this shouldn’t
be a problem since the microphone needn’t be placed
far from the source of the sound when setting delays
electronically.
Don't connect both the sound trigger and
photogate outputs to the delay unit input at
the same time. The unit may not function with
both connected.
If you're connecting to the direct output of
the photogate or sound trigger, disconnect the
jumper wire from the output of the trigger to
the input of the delay unit. This is the wire
from 11E to 13F for the photogate and 30E to
13F for the sound trigger. If this wire is left
in place, some flash units can burn out the
556 timer.
You may have the piezoelectric element and
the photogate connected to the breadboard at
the same time. If, however, you want to conserve
your battery, disconnect the transducer that
you're not using at the time.
Disconnect the battery when not in use. The
circuit will eventually drain the battery if
left connected for long periods of time. Disconnect
the battery when the circuit is not in use.
You may also choose to use a 9-V AC/DC adapter
to power the unit. Any AC/DC adapter that provides
up to an ampere of direct current at 9 V should
do. Here’s
an example.
The red and black wires of the completed cable connect
to the breadboard as follows for the indicated outputs.
Output
red wire
black wire
Photogate direct
11A
ground (-) column
Immediate output
of delay unit
13B
ground (-) column
Delayed output of delay
unit
15B
ground (-) column
click to view
Summary
of Cable Connections
Click on the thumbnail on the left for a high-resolution
photo of the completed circuit with annotations. Below
is a list of the connections of the transducers and
output cable to the breadboard.
Connection
red wire
black wire
green wire
Battery cable
red (+) column
black (-)
column
Piezoelectric element
ground (-) column
26A
Photogate cable
positive (+)
column
1J
4J
Sound trigger direct output
30A
ground (-) column
Photogate direct output
11A
ground (-) column
Immediate output
of delay unit
13B
ground (-) column
Delayed output of delay
unit
15B
ground (-) column
Connecting a HiViz.com Trigger Circuit to a Camera
or Wireless Transmitter
Connection to a camera
If your camera has an electronic shutter with a remote
cable, you can actuate the shutter using an output of your HiViz.com
trigger circuit. This is a useful thing to be able to do if you're, say, photographing
insects, birds, or other unpredictable subjects. You simply can't hold the shutter
open waiting for the subject to appear. Another
application where it's useful to trigger a camera is in splash photography.
The immediate output of a delay unit can be used to trigger the camera and the
delayed output to trigger a flash unit. The camera exposure time can be set
so that the shutter remains open just long enough for the splash event to be
completed.
If you
wish to connect the trigger to your camera shutter, there are two options.
COS
option: Build the Camera Opto-Switch.
Assembly instructions are here.
Then connect the trigger output cable to the breadboard according to the table
here.
DIY
option: Prepare a camera cable according to the instructions here.
Then connect the trigger output cable to the breadboard according to the table
here (same as for a flash unit).
Connection
to a wireless transmitter
Wireless transmitters such as PocketWizards can be
triggered from your HiViz.com trigger circuit the same as you would trigger a flash
unit. Just connect to the transmitter using either a PC cable or hot shoe
adapter.