How Do I Delay an Electronic Circuit Startup?
Relays are electrically operated switches. A switch is a component used to break electrical circuits to stop the flow of a current or to send a current to another conductor. Circuits are interconnected electrical elements that have a closed loop, allowing a current to return to its original point. Some relays can be constructed to delay an electronic circuit from starting. These relays can delay either coil energization or de-energization. Delaying voltage in a circuit can broaden the variety of choices that an electronics engineer has when building circuits.
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Instructions
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Determine whether the relay will be normally open or normally closed and whether the delay is timed toward the closing or opening of the circuit. For example, normally open coils stay open when the coil is de-energized and closed after a delay when the coil is energized.
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Construct a resistor-capacitor network that generates the time delay and energizes the electromechanical relay coil with the circuit. Capacitors are small devices that charge up with electrical energy and release it. It contains two metal plates separated by dielectric material made from mica, polypropylene, tantalum, electrolytic, ceramic or poylester.
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Connect the resistors and capacitors together by using wires. Strip the insulation 1 inch from one end of the wire to expose the conductor underneath. Attach wires by wrapping the exposed conductors together and applying solder, which harden and hold the conductor ends together. Solder irons use metal with a low melting point to fuse two different wires together.
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Connect several resistors together. Electricity will flow through them one at a time. Each resistor slows down the current before it reaches the capacitor. Solder the resistors to the circuit board with a soldering iron. Apply solder to fuse the resistor to the circuit board. Soldering irons are usually used for smaller circuit boards, while soldering guns are used for larger circuit boards.
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Tips & Warnings
Resistor-capacitor networks have features such as one-shot -- with one output pulse for each transition of an input from de-energized to energized -- recycle -- with multiple on/off output cycles if the input stays energized -- and watchdog -- where the state changes if the input signal doesn’t cycle on and off.
If the system is controlled by a computer, set up an automatic alarm that sounds when the computer locks up. Have the computer energize and de-energize a coil on a watchdog timer delay and sound an alarm when the computer fails to do so.
References
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