Making a bell sound cheaply.

Thread Starter

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
M8021-2 IC

This is a simple chip that will generate a bell sound. I tried Google, it shows lot of circuits using this chip, but no vendors. Anyone know sources for this part?

I am also interested in other cheap circuits to generate a simple bell tone. I know sonalert has a series that does it, but I would rather not spend the $14 I saw quoted.
 

Thread Starter

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
OK, second try. Evidently the chip I named is pretty close to unobtanium. Rather than start a second thread I've renamed this one.

Does anyone have another idea, such a op amp circuit or other?

Just trying not to reinvent the wheel.
 

AnalogKid

Joined Aug 1, 2013
10,987
A piezo beeper - not the bare piezo sounder disc that requires a drive waveform, but a complete beeper that needs only DC volts for power - can come close. It you put about 100 uF across the power terminals, and then hit them with 100 ms of +12V through a diode, the beeper tone decays exponentially like a bell. There are no harmonics to give a true bell sound, and the pitch changes slightly toward the end of the ding, but the acoustic envelope is there for next to nothing. I whipped this up about 20 years ago for an ambulance company. About 10 years after that I bought a new clothes dryer, and the "I'm finished" chime has the exact same sound.

ak
 

Nykolas

Joined Aug 27, 2013
115
Google SAB0600. This obsolete Siemens IC is still available on ebay nand comes in 1, 2 and 3 chime tones. Also google chime tone generator circuit. E
 

KMoffett

Joined Dec 19, 2007
2,918
What would the supply voltage to the chime be? What triggers the chime...voltage...period? Could be as simple as a Radio Shack buzzer (electronic, not electromechanical) and an electrolytic capacitor.

Ken
 

ian field

Joined Oct 27, 2012
6,536
OK, second try. Evidently the chip I named is pretty close to unobtanium. Rather than start a second thread I've renamed this one.

Does anyone have another idea, such a op amp circuit or other?

Just trying not to reinvent the wheel.
There was a fad for melody chips during the 80s - these days you have to trawl through the poorly translated/printed component brochures coming out of China itself.

Hobby electronics is very much up and coming in India, their domestic magazine is; Electronics For You - these types of chip are more in evidence there than in present day Western publications.
 

Thread Starter

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
I'll try the capacitor across the piezo buzzer idea. It sounds interesting.

Might even work for a 555 circuit.
 

KMoffett

Joined Dec 19, 2007
2,918
Bill,
It worked best with the Sonalert tone sounders. It varies a lot with the type of sounder and capacitance. I use a 555 for a pulse generator.

Ken
 

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
You can get one of those wireless door bells for less than the chips referenced so far.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-Wireles...224?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item418baf98f8


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003E...-10&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=door+bell

Just a couple of examples. You might even find cheaper.

Bonuses:
10 or more different chimes.
Free RF actuator circuit with purchase of already 1/2-1/3 priced chip.
Free shipping.
If you change your mind about tearing it apart, you can always just default to using it as a doorbell. One can never have too many doorbells. I have one on every door of my house, even the interior ones (even the guest bathroom (even on the indside wall of the guest bathroom)).
 
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