Hello to all
Me and my friends have got a project from school which is we should build a simple model based on traffic lights.
We want to build something different and are planning to use a dynamo or an solar panel instead of batteries for using them with the traffic lights so if anyone could help us where do you get these mini solar panel like this on http://www.ebay.in/itm/7V-SOLAR-PANEL-Hobby-KIT-DIY-Mobile-rechargable-battery-charger-CELL-TOY-GIFT-/200753484009?pt=IN_Toys_Games_School_Stuff&hash=item2ebdd710e9&_uhb=1#ht_2556wt_1037
http://www.ebay.in/itm/3-watt-solar-panel-/131039588294?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_203&hash=item1e82916fc6&_uhb=1
http://www.ebay.in/itm/SOLAR-Educational-KIT-Hobby-Panel-DIY-LED-Motor-Fan-Science-School-Project-Toy-/200939645209?pt=IN_Toys_Games_School_Stuff&hash=item2ec8efa919&_uhb=1
http://www.ebay.in/itm/6V-Mini-SOLAR-Energy-PANEL-Hobby-KIT-DIY-Mobile-BATTERY-Charger-CELL-TOY-GIFT-/200869962116?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_203&hash=item2ec4c86184&_uhb=1 etc. in chennai ritchie street as my friends house is near ritchie street.

And how much would a small dynamo cost. can it convert wind energy to electricity.

It would be nice if anyone could give us anyother ideas.

we are planning to make a mini city and add mini led in traffic lights so there are going to be multiple leds will a single solar panel or dynamo be able to power atleast 15 leds

or is there any way to diy a solar panel or dynamo
I know its not rc related but I need urgent help btw the last date for submission is 14.11.13

You need to first list down the electrical components you'l be using for the project, find out how much power they consume and then choose a solar panel of appropriate rating. For example, if the LEDs & other ccomponents consume 1A at 5V, you need to get a panel that can source atleast 1A at 5V.

If you're planning to use a bicycle dynamo, remember that it's made to be driven by bicycles and will have quite a bit of friction, you'll need a wind turbine almost as big as  a bicycle wheel and a fairy good wind speed for it to start working and they generate AC current which you'll have to convert to DC.
Here in Bangalore, I paid 250/- for a typical 12V dynamo and 200/- for a 6V one with built-in rectifier circuit.
You can however purchase small dynamos that are made specifically for model windmills and water turbines, they come with a DC conversion circuit and save you the hassle of making a AC-DC circuit. Again, watch the power rating of the dynamo.

You can find a ton of schematics for traffic light models on the internet, do you're homework on that.

Hello anjan babu So I did little bit of homework and found out this http://www.555-timer-circuits.com/traffic-lights.html http://www.instructables.com/id/traffic-lights-1/

Could you please tell me where can I get all the parts for things like these preferabely in one shop and do you know any robotics store in chennai also in what type of shops do we get all these parts
and is there any way that i could make 5 traffic lights with a single setup

This one also came in my mind http://www.555-timer-circuits.com/traffic-lights-4-way.html

The 555 timer IC, LEDs, cpacitors and resistors are common stuff, will be available in any shop that sells electronic components.

but one problem. I have plenty of electronics shop near my house but i bet they don't know what 555 timer is but they surely stock it

Dude, first go ask!
Make a list of components and purchase two nos of each component, you might need spares.

Take any brushed motor, put a propeller on it and you will get dc power when the propeller blade turns. Main disadvantage with these motors is the need for them to turn fast to produce any appreciable amount of current/voltage.

DC power or AC?

DC man DC. PMDC motors generate DC
http://www.wikihow.com/Produce-Electricity-from-a-DC-Motor

Or you can use a 600rpm geared motor to generate around 9v. i used this to make a Handcrank radio. this doesnt have much friction.

Hi... The Four way circuit might work fine. You are planning to use the dynano or solar pannel for the power supply. Solar pannels or dynamos are used to generate power but they cannot store power. Rechargable Batteries are needed to do that and these batteries are charged by the power source that might be the solar or dynamo. You can take the example of the solar street lights. they don t glow during day, when sunlight is present. they glow during night when it is dark and in dark, the solar panels donot generate power. In case of wind mill, the rate of air flow might be more or less, so will be the voltage.
 

I am doing it alone those guys are not ready to help.
I am not going to use dynamo or a solar panel planning to use a battery

what type of batteries can i use for getting 12v
can i use a 9v battery and two aa cells in parallel
also instead of a 12v battery could i use 9v for this http://www.555-timer-circuits.com/traffic-lights.html
any instructables on the same.
what about using an 12v 1amp dc
could someone suggest me an forum for circuits I'll be going shopping in another 5 minutes and start my work

Don't ever do that, You cannot connect different types of batteries with one another like that.
Also, get your basics right, if you connect four 1.5v 1Ah cells in parallel, the total voltage remains 1.5V but the Ah rating adds up to 4Ah. If the same four cells are connected in series, the total voltage adds up to 6v--1.5*4 but Ah rating remains at 1Ah.

You can use eight AA cells in series-- 1.5*8=12v or a 3S LiPo, if you have.
you can also go with a 12v DC wall adapter, which is much simpler.

what about going with 12v 1amp power supply

I fully aggree with Anjan...... You cannot connect the batteries that way.... If you want to make the 4 way traffic light then you try with just 9v battery instead of 12 first.... It will work... Else you can go for a 12v dc, 1A wallmount adapter which will cost you around Rs 130.

For the circuit which has only 3 traffic lights and two 55 ICs, 5v also works..... 9v is more than enough

but in the original circuit it says u need 12v

Just give a try and see.... The ICs which are given in your circuit diagram work on voltages ranging from 5v to 12v. So nothing will be damaged if you try it with voltages between that value.... But you can confirm it to yourself that it will work or not.... I do the same thing.... Just use some other voltage and see if it works...

ok thanks will try but one question. even the led also needs current right

Standard 5mm LEDs draw between 10mA to 20mA depending on the color.

Yes. they do...

Yes they do.... But the battery can provide at least 300ma..... You can try connecting four LEDs in series and connect it to the 9v battery.... If all the LEDs glow, then your circuit will work fine.... but how long it will be working, i cant assure. Because the battery might get drained soon. In the circuit, there are 12 LEDs but only 4 will be ON at a time.....

hello to all I am just going to do only one traffic light. I have all the parts for this thing including so many spares. I want to construct it on a bread board.
If anyone could help me and have a skype or a oovoo or a yahoo messenger account and are willing to help me in this project please pm your skype or oovoo or yahoo messenger id
need to submit it tommorow.

Just follow the connections and it should work. For one traffic light system.

thanks a lot

should i insert all the wires deep inside the breadboard or just a little bit going inside is enough

Remove 1/4" of insulation from each wire. this 1/4" bare wire should go into the breadboard.

Nitesh, your breadboard's positive and ground rails might be split into two sections, in that case you need a couple of jumps in betwee, where the're split.

You can find out the split point with the buzzer mode on the multimeter, just check for continuity/conduction on those two rails.

I did all the connection as mentioned by anjan bhai but it didn't run I was so sad but still i am going to finish it although the last date for the submission is over. I think the isssue is with the connection the wires are not at all going inside

Bro go here this is how the breadboard is internally wired, you will need to make jumps between connections.
http://apcmag.com/images/2012/internal_wiring_of_840_hole_breadboard.jpg

Follow anjan bhaiyas connection diagram and dont insert the wire with insulation inside the breadboard, remove 5mm - 10mm insulation off each wire end before inserting how in you go doesnt matter but the deeper you put the wire in the better the connection.

I would suggest prototyping it on a veroboard/stripboard so you will have a good connection for sure. Though if you dont have basic soldering skills stick to the bread board and push the wire end in as much as possible for a good connection.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stripboard  - for info on veroboard.

Strip the insulation off the wires to expose at least 5mm of conductor. Use single strand wire.

You're problem might be caused by what I have mentioned in Reply #28
Here's the edited schematic, only 4 extra connections.

After you do the necessary modifications to the circuit, If you have spare 555 ICs, replace both the ICs and triple check your connections before connecting the battery.
Gently touch the components to make sure nothing is getting hot.

Good luck.

Added the jumps between power rails anjan bhaiya
Should have let nitesh figure that one out

I didn't put the wire with insulation I have little bit of brain to know that i should not put it with insulation .I have the veroboard with me actually two of them and i am ok in soldering but I want to finish this in the breadboard and not on the pcb board or the veraboard.
One question do we get jumper wires in india i saw them in an youtube video one guy used it on the breadboard.

Thanks anjan bhaiya but I already added the jumps.
there is no relation of jumps with the first led not lighting there is surely connection problem with my wire. Actually some wire went inside totally but some just went only one or two mm so i think the issue is with those wires.  I am going to buy another wire today and do it again.

You can get male-male jump wires for breadboard. It's cheaper for you rather get some single strand wires, mention to shopkeeper that you need it for breadboard.

Except the first one, did the rest of the LEDs light up?

not even a single led lit i waited some minutes but they didn't

The first LED does have relation to the jumps. Pin8 on the first 555 is connected to the +ve power rail on the other side so all four jumps are required.

ok but my thing didn't light I'll try it again
so lets wait for sometime

Go to your local hardware shop and buy single strand copper wire.
Use that in bread board as jumper wire, works well.

The jump wires are even available on ebay. Saw it yesterday while doing random search.

Nitesh Man,
It shouldnt be that Hard to make this connection. its the simplest one and you should be doing this already with your knowledge.
Okay now, there isnt any special wire for jumper, if you live nearby adyar, go to Mercy electronics and ask for breadboard wires. get 2 meters for 20rs. use it to connect breadboard.
make sure you have a quality breadboard, cheapos will give all sort of troubles.
Chek your batt voltage. is it from 6-9volts. chek the basic blink LED circuit for 555 to make sure the IC and everything is working fine and then complicate it.
Best of luck buddy.

Sir yesterday I went to jency electronics this is the shop from where i buy most of my electronics this is situated in eldams road very near to my house just a five minutes walk.
So yesterday I went there and asked for breadboard wires but that guy told it is not available with him so i just asked him to give me single strand copper wire and he gave me some hook up wire which are just awesome they go deep inside the breadboard.
Also the breadboard I am having is this one http://www.ebay.in/itm/Breadboard-840-points-Solderless-DIY-Project-circuit-test-Bread-board-/121085654742?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_203&hash=item1c314476d6&_uhb=1is this good or bad i got it from ritchie street. also the wire is this one http://www.ebay.in/itm/Single-strand-breadboard-hookup-jumper-wire-for-Hobby-or-Academic-Projects-/221315599355?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_203&hash=item3387700bfb&_uhb=1#ht_1909wt_1271 I got it for 30 rs. for 5 colours this is the exact one as I can identify it from the pic on ebay and the one which I am having especially from the tape in which it is written conel.

The breadboard is good. I've been using a couple of those for 3 years now and they're okay.

I finished everything but now one more issue
only one light is lighting that is the red light other lights are not even lighting.
will try putting a video

Keep running through the circuit connections. Check for the polarity of the LEDs.

my video https://www.dropbox.com/s/gwj3yau3dedykto/20131115_201921.mp4
couldn't upload to youtube don't know why

Thanks to everyone for their help my project worked out very well I found that there is some issues with the ic and the connection was loose.
now it is working very well although the lights are very dim.

Special thanks to Anjan Babu and ak.stunns