Here i-St@r comes with a simple and automatic fire

alarm and detection system. This fire detection

alarm circuit is based on thermistor. What is a
thermistor? A thermistor is nothing but a variable
resistor whose resistance changes with
temperature. Fire detection is simply possible via this
low-cost alarm circuit.

A simple potential divider arrangement using thermistor

is capable of sensing the temperature (presence of fire)
and alerting us with a warning signal. This is suitable
for your home security systems. Also school students
can do this fire detector circuit as their high school
science fair projects. Here I will explain in detail about

fire alarm circuit wiring with animation/ simulation

of fire alarm.

Circuit diagram of simple fire alarm

Components required
1. Power supply

2. Resistors (1k)
3. Potentiometer (10K)
4. Capacitor (10F, 16V)
5. BC548 transistor
6. High resistance thermistor (NTC)
7. Diode (1N4001)
8. 6V Buzzer

Working of fire alarm circuit

Working is based on the switching property of
transistor.
The thermistor and R1 forms a potential divider
network which drives the transistor.

 The heart of this circuit is a thermistor. Thermistors

are low-cost, easily-available temperature sensors
widely used for uncomplicated temperature
measurements.
Thermistors are temperature sensitive resistors.
When temperature increases resistance offered by
the thermistor decreases and vice versa. At normal
temperature, the resistance of the thermistor is
around 10k.
All resistors vary with temperature, but the
semiconductor materials used for thermistors are
especially sensitive to temperature.

 The transistor is turned ON by the voltage drop

across the resistor R1.
Consider the temperature of the atmosphere is
around 25C, and then the resistance of thermistor
is high so the voltage across the thermistor is also
high according to the basic ohms law V=IR.
The threshold voltage can be set by varying the
potentiometer (R1).

 At this situation voltage across resistor R1 is low

and it is not sufficient to turn on the transistor.
As temperature rises, the resistance of thermistor
decreases so that the drop across the resistor R1
increases which turns ON the transistor.

When the transistor is turned ON, the current from

Vcc starts to flow via 6V buzzer which produces a
beep sound.

 Diode is used for enabling unidirectional conduction

and the capacitor removes sudden transients from
the thermistor.

Simulation of the fire alarm project

We have used an LED instead of buzzer for the
simulation of fire alarm system.

Pinout of BC548
BC548 pinout

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