WHISTLE BEACON

Model aircraft
sometimes have the
unpleasant property
of choosing their own
landing field, and
doing so in terrain
where they are hard
to see. In such cases,
the model finder
described here can
make the search
easier.

An unplanned landing is already bad
enough, but to make matters worse, it
sometimes happens in a cornfield.
That often means searching criss-cross
through the field for several hours and
considerable damage to the field,
which neither the farmer nor the insur-
ance company finds especially pleas-
ant. This whistle beacon circuit will at
least help you find your model more
quickly, by emitting a loud signal if the
transmitter is switched off or the joy-
stick is moved past a previously pro-
grammed position. The searchers (and
unfortunately, the farmer as well) can
hardly help hearing this signal.
The circuit is designed to avoid sacri-
ficing a receiver channel. The model
finder can be inserted between the
receiver and the servo as necessary.
The only thing that requires attention
is to ensure that the connector on the
circuit board matches the pin assign-
ment of the servo cable (see Figure 1).
Receiver signal
evaluation
Many commercial model finders evalu-
ate the absence of the remote control
signal as the criterion for enabling the
alarm generator. What they forget is that
if the transmitter is switched off, a large
number of noise signals are intermit-
tently present at the receiver output,
and the downstream electronics can
mistake these signals for control signals.
The circuit shown in Figure 2 refuses to
be misled by such signals, since it com-
pares the received signal with a refer-
ence signal and only responds if the
pulse width of the received signal is less
than a predefined value.
The evaluation circuit primarily con-
sists of a pair of retriggerable mono-
stable multivibrators (IC1) whose tim-
ing characteristics are determined by
external circuitry. IC1a generates a ref-
erence pulse at its output (pin 13) in
response to a rising edge of the input
signal (clock signal from the receiver).

42 elektor electronics - 1/2005

 An acoustic emergency transmitter
for model aircraft

+5V...+6V

Graupner
Conrad P1
/JR 100k
R4
16
R5
C3
+5V...+6V

10k
510k
IC1
8 220µ 16V BZ2
R3

100k
C2

C1
100n T1
7 6 A A R7
Multiplex Futaba 10n
RX/CX CX * 5k6

RX/CX
15 14
CX
11
5 * BC548B
13 10 &
3 12 4 8
9 IC1.B
2 & R
4 7
1 DIS
R1 IC1.A R6 IC2
47k

47k
receiver 3
OUT
Robbe Microprop signal 2
TR
555
6
THR
BZ1
IC1 = 74HC123 CV
R2 5 1
see text
C4
47k

22n

030436 - 14

Figure 1. Pin assignments for the most Figure 2. The model-finder circuit monitors the signal from the remote control
commonly used servo cables. transmitter.

The width of this pulse can be set
between approximately 1 ms and 2 ms
using trimpot P1. IC1b is triggered on
the falling edge of the signal at the out-
put of IC1a if the signal coming from
the receiver has a Low level. The
switching signal is taken from the out-
put of IC1b (pin 5). If the signal from
the receiver drops below the pulse
width defined by the user, pin 5 will
have a High level, which energises the
following oscillator stage.
The oscillator is built using a 555 timer
IC. This IC can drive a piezo acoustic
transducer (without integrated elec-
tronics) without any additional cir-
cuitry. The frequency-determining
components (R4, R5 and C4) set the
frequency of the oscillator to around
4 kHz. C4 is charged by R5 and R6 in
series and discharged via R6 alone.
The oscillator is enabled when the
reset input (pin 4) has a High level. A
220-Ω resistor can also be inserted in
series with the transducer to reduce
the loudness; this will also change the emerge via a hole or a perforated
frequency. region of the enclosure.
Alternatively, a transducer with inte-
grated electronics can be used to
reduce the complexity of the circuitry. Calibration
In this case, a driver transistor and The only calibration point in the circuit
acoustic transducer are connected at is the threshold for enabling the
point A instead of IC2. The integrated acoustic transducer. This can be set
electronics then takes over the task of using trimpot P1. With the transmitter
the oscillator (IC2) and drives the switched on, P1 should be rotated until
piezoelectric wafer in the transducer no tone can be heard at any joystick
at a frequency of around 2–3 kHz. position. With the transmitter
Naturally, this arrangement will not switched off, P1 should be rotated until
work with a transducer lacking inte- the tone starts to sound. Of course, you
grated electronics, which cannot be can also adjust the model finder to
visually distinguished from a type enable the transducer at a certain joy-
that has its own oscillator. stick position.
In the relevant specialist magazines, (030436-1)
commercial vendors of model finders
try to outdo each other with the loud-
Note:
ness of their circuitry. For our models, A model-finder function is also
we find a transducer with a sound implemented in the multi-purpose IC for
pressure level greater than 85 dB(A) modellers described in the January and
to be fully adequate. Naturally, the February 2002 issues of Elektor
sound must be able to actually Electronics.

1/2005 - elektor electronics 43