Here we learn how to build a simple motion detector sensor circuit using ordinary parts such as LDRs and opamps, reasonably accurately.
What are Motion Detectors
Motion detector or sensor alarm is a device which detects the presence of a motion or movement within a certain fixed range and raises an alarm on doing so.
You might find many electronic circuits related to motion sensing but most of them incorporate shadow detection through a single LDR, which does not work very effectively.
Because a shadow might not always be very sharp enough and at times the circuit may just fail to interpret it.
The present motion detector/sensor circuit is also based on similar principles but it detects a motion by differentiating the light level using two LDRs, this makes the system more sensitive and works irrespective of the shadow intensity.
Simulation and Working
The circuit diagram shows a simple configuration consisting of a couple of opamps from the IC LM324.
The two opamps are arranged in a differential mode and as comparators.
Both the comparators consists of their own discrete light sensing components in the form of LDRs.
The presets provided with the opamps decide at what point the outputs of the both the opamps remain on the same level, that is at zero potential.
Also the above condition is met when the light level over both the LDRs are approximately at the same levels.
However the moment the light level (or the shade level) on the LDRs differ even slightly, the comparators instantly detects this and one of the relevant opamp outputs goes high.
The transistor at the output immediately triggers and activates the relay and the connected alarm mechanism.
The LDRs must be positioned at least a feet apart for proper optimization of the detection level.
Also the LDRs and the nit itself must be positioned in such a way that the ambient light directly become incident over the sensors.
How to Set Up the Circuit.
You will require a lot of dexterity for setting up the circuit accurately. It may be done as follows:
Let a constant source of light fall on the LDRs with uniform intensity.
Now without letting any of your body part disturbing the light source, gently and skilfully adjust the two presets such that both the LEDs just shut off.
That's it, your circuit is now all set and ready to detect even the slightest of motions across any of the LDRs.
However it must be ensured that the light source intensities on the LDRs does not change, or else the set up could get rattled.
francis j. c silvzz says
Hi Sir!
Does this circuit works even without the inductor??
Prince Ghotra says
Sir, Leds are glowing fully and are not turning off by rotating the pots when pots are connected same as in circuit diagram..
But when i reconnected the poted in another way as you told ABDUL BASIT It also gives no result. Plzz help meee
Swagatam says
Prince, if you have built it exactly as shown in the circuit then definitely it should produce the intended results.
Check the circuit connections and polarities there could be something wrong with them.
Follow the setting instructions very carefully and do it exactly as it's mentioned.
Swagatam says
note: pin3 and 6 of the IC are not linked with the presets….
Swagatam says
there was a missing resistor (R6) in the circuit which was creating all the problems, it has now been put into place, please take a note of it.
I indeed regret the mistake a lot.
Prince Ghotra says
Sir please evaluate the circuit completely and the value of the ldr sensors
I used 12v ac to dc charger as it has positive charge inside the pin and negative charge outside the pin. As i give negative charge to positive terminal the circuit works. But when i connect positive terminal to positive charge it does not works .
Plzzz guide me
Swagatam says
Prince,I could not understand your problem, the above circuit has all the details you need.
LDRs should have around 10k to 50k resistance when exposed to ambient light, check this without connecting them to the circuit.
Check the output of your adapter/charger with a meter and then connet the terminals as per the polarity shown in the diagram.
ABDUL BASIT says
sir circuit is working now but transister is not triggering .so alarm does not working.
what should i do????
Swagatam says
If you connect everything correctly as shown in the diagram the transistor and the relay will surely function. check transistor polarity, relay diode polarity, transistor base voltage etc.
Swagatam says
there was a missing resistor (R6) in the circuit which was creating all the problems, it has now been put into place, please take a note of it.
I indeed regret the mistake a lot.
ABDUL BASIT says
SIR NOW CIRCUIT IS WORKING OPPOSITE.WHEN LDR'S DETECT LIGHT IT STARTS ALARM AND VICE VERSA.
Swagatam says
Connect LEDs as shown in the diagram to see the response….
ABDUL BASIT says
sir problem is coming that only led corresponding to A1 IS GLOWING.. LED 2 IS NOT WORKING..
Swagatam says
replace P2 with a 4.7k fixed resistor and then check by varying P1.
ABDUL BASIT says
OK SIR… I WILL DO THAT CHANGING & INFORM YOU
ABDUL BASIT says
THANKS SIRR ..
MY PROJECT IS READY ONLY BECAUSE OF ""YOU"".THANKS SIR.
SIR I WANT TO INCREASE ITS SENSITIVITY, WHAT SHOULD I DO BECAUSE ITS SENSITIVITY IS LOW. IWANT TO ENHANCE IT
Swagatam says
you are welcome Abdul,
actually the circuit is very sensitive, but unless & until some kind of shadow falls on any of the LDRs the circuit won't sense….so it's important for the object to block some light at least, for making the circuit sense it….use slightly powerful lights or place the LDRs wide apart to make it more responsive.
Anonymous says
Does anyone on here know how to make a wireless system?
ABDUL BASIT says
SIR WHAT ARE THE VALUES OF P1 & P2 FOR SETTING UP????
AND SIR TELL ME ARE ALL POTENTIOMETER'S LEGS CONNECTED?
IF YES SIR , THEN HOW THEY ARE CONNECTED??
Swagatam says
You will have to adjust P1 and P2 such that both LED stay shut-off. Read the set up procedure given above.
Only the center and any outer terminal is used, the remaining third is not used. for example connect R1 to center terminal of P1, then connect any one of the outer terminal of P1 to ceter terminal of P2, finally connect any one of the outer terminals of P2 with ground and pin5 of A2
Anonymous says
Good Day..
I would like to inquire if this is only a one (1) diagram circuit, i mean are there more of this circuit diagram in making a home made motion detector/sensor??
And also can you please estimate how much would be the total cost in USD if i make this?
Thank you…
Swagatam says
Good day,
The above design is a simpler option, but you can find many other more accurate ones on the net which are a bit more complex, though.
The above circuit would cost around $2 without the power supply.
Anonymous says
I've made this circuit. Now when I connect +12 source, under the illumination condition LED2 turns on. When I change P1, LED1 turns on and LED2 turns off.
please tell me how should I adjust the P1 and P2 under illumination condition.
what should be the values of P1 and P2 under illumination?
Swagatam says
Adjust it very carefully so that both the LEDs remain switched OFF under the given light conditions.
Make sure your shadow or any other interruption does not come across the light source.
If possible I'll try to modify the circuit with a different output parameter so that the above difficult setting can be avoided.
Anonymous says
it's not happening. When LED1 turns on, LED2 turns off nad vice versa.
Also under illumination condition the relay is switched on and although the LEDs give some response when shadow occurs on LDRs but the relay is not giving any response.
Swagatam says
Relay will NOT switch OFF as long as any of the outputs are high, both should be completely off for making the relay off.
Anyway, I have present a modified output relay stage in the above article which you can integrate with the top circuit.
With this circuit you won't need to adjust the presets too much, the relay will operate as soon as a movement is detected.
In the given circuit DO NOT connect LEDs at the outputs of A1/A2, connect the 0.22u ends directly with A1/A2 outputs. You can connect an LED parallel to the relay coil with a series 1K resistor.
Swagatam says
there was a missing resistor (R6) in the circuit which was creating all the problems, it has now been put into place, please take a note of it.
I indeed regret the mistake a lot.
Anonymous says
can you please explain the working principle of this circuit? I mean, what happens when the resistance of LDR decrease? What's the purpose of transistor and diode here?
Please explain in detail.
Swagatam says
A1 and A2 are positioned as voltage comparators which trigger as per the resistances of the LDRs, you can Google how 741 comparators work to learn more.
Anonymous says
can I use ua741cn instead of lm324?
can you please explain the pin config according to this diagram? Please.
www.google.com.pk/imgres?imgurl=www.hobbytronics.co.za/content/images/thumbs/0001617_ua741cn_opamp_dip.jpeg&imgrefurl=www.hobbytronics.co.za/p/452/ua741cn-opamp-dip&h=135&w=337&sz=10&tbnid=FDySuEPqt41z4M:&tbnh=54&tbnw=134&zoom=1&usg=__xl5sIi-Vr9EFV61cLgv1X2NOz_c=&docid=XH7NYp6z-I32IM&sa=X&ei=OEo0UvieOPHb7AblzIBY&ved=0CDkQ9QEwAg&dur=364
Swagatam says
A1 pins are same as 741, for A2 pin6 is pin2 of 741, and pin5 is pin3 of 741.
Anonymous says
Are P1 and P2 potentiometer? Why are we using potentiometer here?
Can you please tell us the exact arrangement of LEDs and LDRs that where should we place them? It would be very helpful if you can upload a picture of actual circuit, showing us how to arrange LDRs and LEDs. Please.
Thank you.
Swagatam says
P1 should be a preset, while P2 can be a pot for fine adjustments.
The above adjustments should be such that the output LEDs and the relay stay shut off under the specified light or illumination conditions over the LDRs
The angle or the position of the illumination over the LDR must not change once the adjustments are done.
The position of the LDRs is not critical but should be at least a foot apart which again must not be changed once the presets and the pot are adjusted as explained above.
Anonymous says
what should be the distance between LDR and LED? How should I arrange them so that the lights from LEDs directly fall on LDRs?
It would be very helpful if you'll provide us with a picture of actual project.
I am confused.
Swagatam says
The above circuit does not require an LED ight, the normal house light or a night lamp will be enough to keep the circuit in detection mode, when somebody comes in between one of the LDRs and the light, the output will trigger.
It was built long time ago, the prototype was dismantled for a different project so cannot provide the pictures.
Anonymous says
12V battery is connected with NC and RL 1 with NO? but then where is SPDT connected?
can you please provide another circuit diagram?
Swagatam says
12V is connected with the relay coil (the square box),
N/C (the upper contact) is open, not connected to anything.
N/O(the lower contact) and the central pole goes to the load which needs to be activated such as an alarm etc. via the AC supply.
Anonymous says
so the central pole will be connected to one end of AC source and the N/O will be connected to one end of Alarm?
and the other ends of AC source and Alarm would be connected with each other?
Swagatam says
yes that's correct.
You can replace AC suply with the existing 12V DC, if the alarm is a DC operated unit.
Anonymous says
can you please provide a clearer circuit diagram? please.
Swagatam says
Please click the above diagram to enlarge, you will see a clearer and a much bigger diaram
Anonymous says
Can we use op amp 741 instead of lm324?
I have to make the same project using two 741 op amps.
Swagatam says
yes 741 can be used here.
Anonymous says
anyone can help, what type of sensor can detect rf tags 2 meters range.
pm me at wilfredo_batoy5@yahoo.com
sam woo says
Hi, what is the component for the A1 n A2??
Swagatam says
IC lm324
Salman Ahmed says
plz tell me how to connect the relay?
Mahad says
Hi, is this 12v in AC or DC? if its DC, then is there anyway make it work on AC?
Thanks,
waiting for your reply.
Swagatam says
use a 12v AC/DC adapter for operating the circuit.
Mahad says
Thanks Swagatam
Salman Ahmed says
plz explain the connections of relay pins in this circuit
Swagatam says
you can refer to the following article:
https://homemade-circuits.com/2012/01/how-to-understand-and-use-relay-in.html
Salman Ahmed says
Thank you very much sir..
Salman Ahmed says
If i give 24v dc to the circuit instead of 12v what will happen?
Swagatam says
relay transistor will burn…
Hasan Sarıdağ says
Hallo,
Would you help me for shadow sensor alarm analysis ?
Swagatam says
please provide more info…
Hasan Sarıdağ says
for example, which sides how many curent is going, when is going 2A but we will give greater then 2A what will be suitable ,etc… I hope this imformation will proide for you information . And I am doing a search, and I have not more time would help me a little quickly if this informations are enough for you ? Already now, thank you for evrything.
Swagatam says
the circuit will work at 12V, current should not be less than 500mA, higher current will not do any harm as long as voltage is maintained at 12V
Anonymous says
Hi Sir,
Can you please help me how can I use this circuit as a switch that automatically switches off light when there is no motion? My purpose is to conserve energy.
Thanks a lot!
Swagatam says
Hi,
You can refer to the following article, it explains the circuit, and the method for achieving the desired results.
https://homemade-circuits.com/2012/10/how-to-understand-and-connect-passive.html
Anonymous says
Thank you!
half an engineer says
wow this is really ingenious stuff but wud'nt an electro magnet wit its output connected to an inverter n then to a circuit wit a transistor switch n a lamp be easier
Swagatam says
thanks! but I failed to understand your point…
Jason says
Can this be made to run on 9 volts?
Anonymous says
can you please tell what are pins 1, 2 and 3?
op amp pins have names, can you please name the all 1-3 and 4-6 pins??