Microcontroller interfacing to relays using ULN2003

Microcontroller interfacing to relays using ULN2003, In this article, you will learn how to interface microcontroller to relays using ULN2003 relay driver circuit.  If you want to know more about relay driver circuit ULN2003,  relay working and relay interfacing with Arduino check these articles:

Why we need UL2003 relay driver IC?

In this tutorial of ULN2003 relay driver circuit interface to microcontrollers today we shall see how in relay that is electromagnetic relay or a number of relays can be interfaced to a microcontroller. Microcontroller as we know gives in its output a particular fixed voltage and logic voltage usually about 5 volts it’s not practicable for using a relay directly from the microcontroller. So the interface that we use is called a relay driver IC and this still a driver IC is called ULn200. There are other really drive ICs available in marker also in different name.  We will discuss today about you’ll in ULN2003. ULN2003 is nothing but a set of inverters which is there inside this IC as shown in picture below:
pin configuration of ULN2003
pin configuration of ULN2003

Working of ULN2003 IC

For example if you look at the pin number 1 the inverter input and VIN number 16 is the inverter output. In pin number 2 is the inverter input to pin number 15 is the inverter output and the pin number 3 is the inverter input pin number 14 is the inverter output. what does the inverter mean an inverter as we know if I give 0 here I will get 1 here if I give 1 here I will get 0 here that is the purpose of inverter or that is the function of inverter. A picture of relay is shown below:

relay
                                                             relay
This is a relay. A relay is somewhat similar to a switch many students in engineering in particular electrical have a wrong notion that relay means protection relay. This is actually called electromagnetic relay but in short we call it a relay. Circuit we are using in this tutorial is shown below. Now I will explain you the working of this circuit.
microcontroller interfacing with relays using ULN2003
you see this is written here 12 volts and this 12 volt given at the coil.  There is a coil over an iron piece which is wound and so what happens when the current flows in this coil,  this is just a switch and the switch gets activated we will see while we do the simulation,  this switch gets activated an external circuit like for example we have a alternator here we have a switch here and then once we close this power is reaching to the lamp and only thing this switch when it is activated the lamp will glow.  where a switch is connected in a different fashion particularly these switches of this nature this is called a common point this is called a normally open point and this sorry normally close point and this is called normally open point similarly here you see this is the common point and this is the normally closed point and this is the normally open point normally open means when there is no power given this is the situation so in these two circuits what we have done in this 2 for these two relays what we are done we are taken one lamp in series with its a no connection this is a no connection and the other lamp in series with NC connection to avoid confusion let us see only first for the first delay and see how it operates now we’ll go to simulation prior to simulation let us see how the

power supply is fed to this IC usually synthesis simulation software the ground is already given ground means the negative terminal negative terminal is already given to the IC here the positive terminal that is did relay will operate a 12 volt so this 12 volt is given to pin number 9 and this 12 volt is also given to the coil so what happens so this is high because this is 12 volt this is high and if this point goes low the current starts flowing and a relay will be activated but when will this go low this will go low when this becomes high similarly when this becomes high this will go low well let us first see before the first relay and let us now try to simulate and during the course we will also discuss about this relay and we will see what is the difference between this type of connection and this type of connection now we similar to this okay now we see there is a alternator here that you switch here the moment I switch on the power from the alternator let us see how this circuit is complete now first of all the power will flow this way this way this way pass through the lamp and stop here because this is open but in this situation for this lamp let us see what is happening the power will comes this way this way this way pass through this way this way the switch is closed it reaches this way the power has to start from this point and end at this point then the circuit is called circuit complete this lamp to grow that means the power should flow this way in this way this way this way this way this way this way this way this way this way this way this way I reach here unless it starts from here and reaches here

this circuit is not complete okay now let us see which lamp is glowing when I start simulation I switch on this you see this lamp is started going why because this path is complete mind it we are still not activated any of the relay because there is no current flowing in this relays because this is 0 this is 0 so this is 1 this is also 1 this is 1 and this also is 1 because I have connected this is also 2 12-volt connecting a coil this side 12 volt or the side 12 volt doesn’t make a difference okay now once we operate this relay once we make this logic from 0 to 1 you see what happens oh sorry yeah now what happens at this switch which was normally in this place has now switched over to this place so the path is complete now for this lamp also this is how the path is complex so this lamp is glowing but if I make this high what happens similarly this will also go to this side once this goes to the side what will happen the circuit will open and this lamp will stop let’s see ok

The lamp is stopped glowing because when this is high this is real high I said if when this is high this is low yes and the power flows this way on the power flows this way this relay is activated once this relay is activated this is this comes to this position like this this has come to this position this has come to this position let us see it frequently operating so that you can get an idea you see this see this see see I make it one zero one zero one zero okay now stop it now let make this zero see this one zero one zero one so like that this particular IC ul and 2003 has got seven such inputs at that means I can use seven relays in any combination at its output you see this output is a switch output means it’s not exactly output it is a switch and you can connect any external circuit any external circuit with any voltage particularly as per the rating of this switch if the switch rating is usually the switch rating that you will be using your project is about four amperes so you can put any load if this is a load you can put any load of four amperes it it could be a lamp it could be anything

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