Page |1

Fire Alarm
A BACHELOR’S THESIS
Submitted in 7th semester

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
In
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY/ECE
(B.Tech in IT/ECE)

Submitted by
1. Ajit Kumar (IEC2006019)
2. Anjani Kr. Singh (IIT2006120)

Under the Guidance of:

Prof. G.N.Pandey

IIIT-Allahabad

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

ALLAHABAD – 211 012 (INDIA)

Dec, 2010
 Page |2

CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the work presented in this report entitled “Fire Alarm”, submitted in the 7th
semester of the degree of Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech), in IT/ECE at Indian Institute of
Information Technology, Allahabad, is an authentic record of my original work carried out under
the guidance of Prof.G.N.Pandey due acknowledgements have been made in the text of the
report to all other material used. This thesis work was done in full compliance with the
requirements and constraints of the prescribed curriculum.

Place: Allahabad Ajit Kumar (IEC2006019)

Date: Anjani Kr.Singh (IIT2006120)

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the above statement made by the candidate is correct to the best of my
knowledge.

Date: Prof.G.N.Pandey
Place: Allahabad IIITA

Committee on Final Examination for Evaluation of the Thesis

_______________________ _______________________

_______________________ _______________________
 Page |3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Prof.G.N.Pandey.

Place: Allahabad Ajit Kumar (IEC2006019

Anjani Kr.Singh (IIT2006120)
Date: B Tech Final Year, IIITA
 Page |4

Table of Contents
1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….5
2. Literature survey……………………………………………….………………………6
3. Plan of work……………………………………………………………………………8
4. Results and discussion ………….………………………………..................................19
5. Conclusion and future prospective……………….…………………………………..20
6. Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………....21
 Page |5

Introduction

An automatic fire alarm system is designed to detect the unwanted presence of fire by
monitoring environmental changes associated with combustion. In general, a fire alarm system is
either classified as automatic, manually activated, or both. Automatic fire alarm systems can be
used to notify people to evacuate in the event of a fire or other emergency, to summon
emergency services, and to prepare the structure and associated systems to control the spread of
fire and smoke.

Fire alarm systems have become increasingly sophisticated and functionally more capable and
reliable in recent years. They are designed to fulfill two general requirements: protection of
property and assets and protection of life. As a result of state and local codes, the life-safety
aspect of fire protection has become a major factor in the last two decades.

There are a number of reasons for the substantial increases in the life-safety form of fire
protection during recent years, foremost of which are

1. The proliferation of high-rise construction and the concern for life safety within these
buildings.

2. A growing awareness of the life-safety hazard in residential, institutional, and educational

occupancies.

3. Increased hazards caused by new building materials and furnishings that create large amounts
of toxic combustion products (i.e., plastics, synthetic fabrics, etc.).

4. Vast improvements in smoke detection and related technology made possible through
quantum advances in electronic technology.

5. The passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),

signed into law on July 26, 1990, providing comprehensive civil rights protection for individuals
with disabilities. With an effective date of January 26, 1992, these requirements included
detailed accessibility standards for both new construction and Renovation
toward the goal of equal usability of buildings for everyone, regardless of limitations of sight,
hearing, and mobility. This had a significant impact on fire alarm system signaling devices,
power requirements, and device locations.
 Page |6

Literature survey

engg-project2.blogspot.- fire-alarm-using-thermistor-

In this fire alarm circuit, a thermistor works as the heat sensor. When temperature increases, its
resistance decreases,and vice versa. At normal temperature, the resistance of the thermistor
(TH1) is approximately 10 kilo-ohms, which reduces to a few ohms as the temperature increases
beyond 100°C. The circuit uses readily available components and can be easily constructed on
any general purpose PCB.

Fire Safety Management-

This paper explores several key concepts related to Fire Safety Management. Specifically, the
paper looks at the following concepts in greater detail: Fire protection/suppression systems,
building construction, exit drill in the home (EDITH), and other home safety programs.

Research Paper # 46036

Fire Prevention in the Oil Industry

This paper begins with an introduction stating why fire prevention is necessary. It then discusses
the different classes of fires and provides information on the source of combustion and ignition
of each class of fire. Next, the paper describes the common causes of fires in the oil industry and
provides facts and statistics that support these claims. The paper also takes a closer look at
electrical problems, malfunctions, and lightning strikes that cause fires. Training programs, types
of fire alarms, and extinguishing methods are also discussed. The paper concludes with
recommendations on fire prevention.
 Page |7

555 timer IC-

The 555 Timer IC is an integrated circuit (chip) implementing a variety of timer and
multivibrator applications. The IC was designed by Hans R. Camenzind in 1970 and brought to
market in 1971 by Signetics (later acquired by Philips). The original name was the SE555 (metal
can)/NE555 (plastic DIP) and the part was described as "The IC Time Machine".

Thermistor-

A thermistor is a type of resistor whose resistance varies significantly(more than in standard

resistors) with temperature. The word is a portmanteau of thermal and resistor. Thermistors are
widely used as inrush current limiters, temperature sensors, self-resetting overcurrent protectors,
and self-regulating heating elements.

Assuming, as a first-order approximation, that the relationship between resistance and

temperature is linear, then:

\Delta R=k\Delta T \,
 Page |8

PLAN OF WORK
We have used following components in our project.

RESISTORS

R1 (+5% CARBON,1/4W)
R2 33KΩ
R3 470Ω
R4 560Ω
R5 47KΩ
R6 2.2KΩ
(PRESET) H 100KΩ

CAPACITORS

C1, 2
0.01μF 2NOS.

MISC.

IC555 1NOS.

BC548 1NOS T1
-
2 ½” 8Ω/1W SPK/. 1NOS .
-
DR25 GER DIODE 1NOS .
 Page |9

About the components used:

IC555 TIMER:-
The 555 Timer IC is an integrated circuit (chip) implementing a variety of timer and
multivibrator applications. The IC was designed by Hans R. Camenzind in 1970 and brought to
market in 1971 by Signetics (later acquired by Philips).

Internal block diagram

 P a g e | 10

NE555 from Signetics in dual-in-line package

The 555 has three operating modes:

 Monostable mode: in this mode, the 555 functions as a "one-shot". Applications include
timers, missing pulse detection, bounce free switches, touch switches, frequency divider,
capacitance measurement, pulse-width modulation (PWM) etc
 Astable - free running mode: the 555 can operate as an oscillator. Uses include LED and
lamp flashers, pulse generation, logic clocks, tone generation, security alarms, pulse
position modulation, etc.
 Bistable mode or Schmitt trigger: the 555 can operate as a flip-flop, if the DIS pin is not
connected and no capacitor is used. Uses include bounce free latched switches, etc.

In this project we are using IC555 in astable mode.

 P a g e | 11

Astable mode

Standard 555 Astable Circuit

In astable mode, the 555 timer puts out a continuous stream of rectangular pulses having a
specified frequency. Resistor R1 is connected between VCC and the discharge pin (pin 7) and
another resistor (R2) is connected between the discharge pin (pin 7), and the trigger (pin 2) and
threshold (pin 6) pins that share a common node. Hence the capacitor is charged through R1 and
R2, and discharged only through R2, since pin 7 has low impedance to ground during output low
intervals of the cycle, therefore discharging the capacitor.

In the astable mode, the frequency of the pulse stream depends on the values of R1, R2 and C:

[7]

The high time from each pulse is given by

and the low time from each pulse is given by

 P a g e | 12

Where R1 and R2 are the values of the resistors in ohms and C is the value of the capacitor in
farads.

To achieve a duty cycle of less than 50% a diode can be added in parallel with R2 towards the
capacitor. This bypasses R2 during the high part of the cycle so that the high interval depends
only on R1 and C1.

Pinout diagram

The connection of the pins is as follows:

Pin Name Purpose

1 GND Ground, low level (0 V)

2 TRIG OUT rises, and interval starts, when this input falls below 1/3 VCC.

3 OUT This output is driven to +VCC or GND.

4 RESET A timing interval may be interrupted by driving this input to GND.

5 CTRL "Control" access to the internal voltage divider (by default, 2/3 VCC).

6 THR The interval ends when the voltage at THR is greater than at CTRL.

7 DIS Open collector output; may discharge a capacitor between intervals.

8 V+, VCC Positive supply voltage is usually between 3 and 15 V.

 P a g e | 13

Thermistor

A thermistor is a type of resistor whose resistance varies significantly(more than in standard

resistors) with temperature. The word is a portmanteau of thermal and resistor. Thermistors are
widely used as inrush current limiters, temperature sensors, self-resetting overcurrent protectors,
and self-regulating heating elements.

Thermistors differ from resistance temperature detectors (RTD) in that the material used in a
thermistor is generally a ceramic or polymer, while RTDs use pure metals. The temperature
response is also different; RTDs are useful over larger temperature ranges, while thermistors
typically achieve a higher precision within a limited temperature range [usually −90 °C to
130 °C].

Thermistor symbol

Assuming, as a first-order approximation, that the relationship between resistance and

temperature is linear, then:

Where

ΔR = change in resistance

ΔT = change in temperature

k = first-order temperature coefficient of resistance

 P a g e | 14

Thermistors can be classified into two types, depending on the sign of k. If k is positive, the
resistance increases with increasing temperature, and the device is called a positive temperature
coefficient (PTC) thermistor, or posistor. If k is negative, the resistance decreases with
increasing temperature, and the device is called a negative temperature coefficient (NTC)
thermistor. Resistors that are not thermistors are designed to have a k as close to zero as
possible(smallest possible k), so that their resistance remains nearly constant over a wide
temperature range.

Instead of the temperature coefficient k, sometimes the temperature coefficient of resistance α

(alpha) or αT is used. It is defined as

For example, for the common PT100 sensor, α = 0.00385 or 0.385 %/°C. This αT coefficient
should not be confused with the α parameter below.

NTC thermistor, bead type, insulated wire.

 P a g e | 15

Working of fire alarm system:-

Circuit diagram:-

In this fire alarm circuit, a thermistor works as the heat sensor. When temperature increases,
its resistance decreases, and vice versa. At normal temperature, the resistance of the thermistor
(TH1) is approximately 10 kilo-ohms, which reduces to a few ohms as the temperature increases
beyond 100°C. The circuit uses readily available components and can be easily constructed on
any general purpose PCB. Timer IC NE555 (IC1) is wired as an astable multivibrator oscillating
in audio frequency band. Switching transistors T1 and T2 drive multivibrator NE555 (IC1).
 P a g e | 16

The output of IC1 is connected to npn transistor T3, which drives the loudspeaker (LS1) to
generate sound. The frequency of IC1 depends on the values of resistors R5 and R6 and
capacitor C2. When thermistor TH1 becomes hot, it provides a low-resistance path to extend
positive voltage to the base of transistor T1 via diode D1 and resistor R2. Capacitor C1 charges
up to the positive voltage and increases the „on‟ time of alarm. The higher the value of capacitor
C1, the higher the forward voltage applied to the base of transistor T1 (BC548). Since the
collector of transistor T1 is connected to the base of transistor T2, transistor T2 provides positive
voltage to reset pin 4 of IC1 (NE555). Resistor R4 is used such that IC1 remains inactive in the
absence of positive voltage. Diode D1 stops discharging of capacitor C1 when the thermistor
Connected to the positive supply cools down and provides a high-resistance (10-kilo-ohm) path.
It also stops the conduction of T1. To prevent the thermistor from melting, wrap it up in mica
tape. The circuit works off a 6V-12V regulated power supply. LED1 is used to indicate
that power to the circuit is switched on.

Sensitivity of thermistor

Steinhart-Hart equation

In practice, the linear approximation (above) works only over a small temperature range. For
accurate temperature measurements, the resistance/temperature curve of the device must be
described in more detail. The Steinhart-Hart equation is a widely used third-order approximation:

where a, b and c are called the Steinhart-Hart parameters, and must be specified for each device.
T is the temperature in kelvins and R is the resistance in ohms. To give resistance as a function of
temperature, the above can be rearranged into:

where

and
 P a g e | 17

The error in the Steinhart-Hart equation is generally less than 0.02 °C in the measurement of
temperature. As an example, typical values for a thermistor with a resistance of 3000 Ω at room
temperature (25 °C = 298.15 K) are:

B parameter equation

NTC thermistors can also be characterised with the B parameter equation, which is essentially
the Steinhart Hart equation with a = (1 / T0) − (1 / B)ln(R0), b = 1 / B and c = 0,

where the temperatures are in kelvins and R0 is the resistance at temperature T0 (usually 25 °C =
298.15 K). Solving for R yields:

or, alternatively,

where . This can be solved for the temperature:

The B-parameter equation can also be written as . This can be used to

convert the function of resistance vs. temperature of a thermistor into a linear function of lnR vs.
1 / T. The average slope of this function will then yield an estimate of the value of the B
parameter.

The Steinhart-Hart equation introduces errors of less than 0.1°C over a temperature range
of -30°C to +125°C, and errors of less than 0.01°C between -20°C to +50°C.
 P a g e | 18

Temperature Sensitivity – Thermistors achieve their highest sensitivity at low temperatures,

where the resistance vs. temperature curve is steepest. This sensitivity drops rapidly as the
temperature increases. For a typical 10 kΩ thermistor, the sensitivity varies as follows:

Temperature Sensitivity
-20°C 5,600 Ω/°C

25°C 439 Ω/°C

50°C 137 Ω/°C

75°C 65 Ω/°C

100°C 20 Ω/°C

R-T slope changes for differing thermistor.

 P a g e | 19

Results and discussion

With the onset of summer, chances of fire accidents increase. Such fire accidents can be
prevented if timely alarms are available. The circuit presented here warns the user against such
fire accidents. The circuit should be placed in fire-prone areas such as a kitchen.

In our fire alarm project , a thermistor works as the heat sensor. When temperature increases, its
resistance decreases, and vice versa. At normal temperature, the resistance of the thermistor
(TH1) is approximately 10 kilo-ohms, which reduces to a few ohms as the temperature increases
beyond 100°C. The circuit uses readily available components and can be easily constructed on
any general purpose PCB. Timer IC NE555 (IC1) is wired as an astable multivibrator oscillating
in audio frequency band. Switching transistors T1 and T2 drive multivibrator NE555 (IC1). The
output of IC1 is connected to npn transistor T3, which drives the loudspeaker (LS1) to generate
sound.

The system is installed throughout the building - the objective being to call the fire brigade as
early as possible to ensure that any damage caused by fire is minimized. Detection should be
provided in parts of the building where the risk of ignition is high and/or the contents are
particularly valuable. Systems provide fire detection in specified parts of the building where
there is either high risk or where business disruption must be minimized.
 P a g e | 20

Conclusion and future perspective

A fire alarm is a device that detects the presence of fire and atmospheric changes relating to heat
change. In some cases, a firm alarm is a part of a complete security system, in addition to a
burglary protection system. The fire alarm operates to alert people to evacuate a location
in which a fire or smoke accumulation is present

When functioning properly, a fire alarm will sound to notify people of an immediate fire
emergency. Fire alarms can be found in homes, schools, churches and businesses, and function
as the catalyst to saving lives. For most fire alarms, when sounded, a beep, bell or horn noise is
made. This distinct sound exists to allow the notification to be heard .The fire alarm constructed
by this project work is reliable at low cost

In our future work we can use computer system which can be used to indicate situations of
the system composed of 4 modes of working state, regular working mode, short circuit mode,
open circuit of wiring signal mode, and fire mode. Graphic output states are displayed on
personal computer, PC, by using software delphi, interfacing with microcontroller.
 P a g e | 21

Bibliography
1.http://www.nicet.org/nicetmanuals/alarms.pdf

2.http://wtc.nist.gov/pubs/NISTNCSTAR1-4CDraft.pdf

3.http://www.circuitstoday.com/low-cost-fire-alarm-circuit.

4.http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/mostRecentIssue.jsp?punumber=5472906

5.http://www.docstoc.com/docs/9481547/Fire-Alarm-Systems

6.http://www.slideshare.net/guestdbe029/automatic-fire-detection

7.http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/obj/irc/doc/pubs/nrcc48321/nrcc48321.pdf

8.http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/obj/irc/doc/pubs/rr/rr252/rr252.pdf

9.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V37-481DSG1-
16&_user=5610621&_coverDate=12%2F31%2F1989&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_or
igin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1575903713&_rerunOrigin=google
&_acct=C000067884&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=5610621&md5=ed666e9cb02ba1b
e32b4e0785c2fd20c&searchtype=a

10.http://www.fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/fire93/PDF/f93021.pdf

11.http://www.tollesonaz.org/DocumentView.aspx?DID=300

12.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/555_timer_IC

13.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermistor

14.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/555_timer_IC

15.http://www.google.co.in/images

16.http://www.electronicsforu.com/electronicsforu/default.asp

17.“Fire Alarm System Standard” The Engineering

 P a g e | 22

18.Institute of Thailand Under His Majesty The King‟s

19.Patronage Standard (E.I.T. Standard), June 1992.

Fred Bulback “Programming Delphi Custom

Components” M&T Books, 1996.

19.Sunthron Vitusutrapoj “Advance Microcontroller

8051 Series” Se-ed Education Co, Ltd.

20.Su-jet Juntarang “Introduction to Digital Circuit”

Mahanakorn University of Technology, 1996.