CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Project Overview

The GSM based e-notice board also called Campus Display System (CDS) is aimed at
the colleges and universities for displaying day-to-day information continuously or at regular
intervals during the working hours. Being GSM-based system, it offers flexibility to display
flash news or announcements faster than the programmable system. GSM-based campus
display system can also be used at other public places like schools, hospitals, railway stations,
gardens etc. without affecting the surrounding environment.

The CDS mainly consists of a GSM receiver and a display toolkit which can be
programmed from an authorized mobile phone. It receives the SMS, validates the sending
Mobile Identification Number (MIN) and displays the desired information after necessary code
conversion. It can serve as an electronic notice board and display the important notices
instantaneously thus avoiding the latency. Being wireless, the GSM based CDS is easy to
expand and allows the user to add more display units at any time and at any location in the
campus depending on the requirement of the institute.

1.2. Information Transfer

A coordinated sequence of user and telecommunication system actions that causes

information present at a source user to become present at a destination user. An information-
transfer transaction usually consists of three consecutive phases called the access phase, the
information-transfer phase, and the disengagement phase.

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1.2.1. Broadcast

A term to describe communication where a piece of information is sent or transmitted

from one point to all other points. There is just one sender, but the information is
simultaneously sent to all connected receivers In networking, a distinction is made between
broadcasting and multicasting. Broadcasting sends a message to everyone on the network
whereas multicasting sends a message to a select list of recipients.

One of the most common examples is broadcast through a cellular network service.
This serves multiple end users at different locations in a simulcast fashion. Practically every
cellular system has some kind of broadcast mechanism. This can be used directly for
distributing information to multiple mobiles, commonly, for example in a mobile telephony
system, the most important use of broadcast information is to set up channels for one to one
communication between the mobile Trans-receiver and the base station. This is called paging.
The details of the process of paging vary somewhat from network to network, but normally we
know a limited number of cells where the phone is located (this group of cells is called a
location area in the GSM system). Paging takes place by sending the broadcast message on all
of those cells.

1.3. Components Overview

This system uses the following components.

1.3.1 Microcontroller
The Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328. It has 20 digital
input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs and 6 can be used as analog inputs),
a 16 MHz resonator, a USB connection, a power jack, an in-circuit system programming (ICSP)
header, and a reset button. It contains everything needed to support the micro controller; simply
connect it to a computer (or appropriate wall power adapter) with a USB cable or power it with
a AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started.

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The Uno differs from all preceding boards in that it does not use the FTDI USB-to-serial driver
chip. Instead, it features an ATmega16U2 programmed as a USB-to-serial converter. This
auxiliary micro controller has its own USB boot loader, which allows advanced users to
reprogram it.

1.3.2 LCD

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen is an electronic display module and find a wide range of
applications. A 16x2 LCD display is very basic module and is very commonly used in various
devices and circuits. These modules are preferred over seven segments and other multi
segment LEDs. The reasons being: LCDs are economical; easily programmable; have no
limitation of displaying special & even custom characters (unlike in seven
segments), animations and so on.
A 16x2 LCD means it can display 16 characters per line and there are 2 such lines. In this LCD
each character is displayed in 5x7 pixel matrix. This LCD has two registers, namely, Command
and Data.

1.3.3 GSM Modem

The SIM900A is a complete Dual-band GSM/GPRS solution in a SMT module which can be
embedded in the customer applications. Featuring an industry-standard interface, the SIM900A
delivers GSM/GPRS 900/1800MHz performance for voice, SMS, Data, and Fax in a small
form factor and with low power consumption. With a tiny configuration of
24mmx24mmx3mm, SIM900A can fit in almost all the space requirements in user applications,
especially for slim and compact demand of design.

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1.4. System operation

The operation of the system is very simple. Sending message from any of the remote
area to the distant located e-notice board using GSM mobile. For sending the text message
from remote area we need to interface the mobile phone with GSM Modem. For developing
some of GSM based applications we need to have some commons peripherals including GSM
MODEM, SIM, microcontroller, LCD (Liquid crystal display), power supply and also some
connecting wires. Moreover GSM based applications could be easily developed and enhanced
due to easily accessibility of components in local markets at very pocket friendly prices.

1.5 Literature Survey

The word GSM Refers to Global System for Mobile Communications. Nowadays many people
are showing lot of interest to know more about GSM related concepts. So, here we have
surveyed a list of various GSM based projects ideas which are having more demand and very
interesting to learn. The following projects based on GSM technology we surveyed would give
better idea about the GSM technology practically.

1.5.1 GSM Based Display Toolkit

Presently, the wireless communication has announced its arrival on big stage and the world is
going mobile. We want to control everything and without moving an inch. This remote of
appliances is possible through Embedded Systems. The main aim of this project will be to
design a SMS driven automatic display toolkit which can replace the currently used
programmable electronic display. It is proposed to design receive cum display toolkit which
can be programmed from an authorized mobile phone. The message to be displayed is sent
through an SMS from an authorized transmitter. The toolkit receives the SMS, Validates the
sending Mobile Identification Number (MIN) and displays the desired information after
necessary code conversions.

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1.5.2 GSM Based Data Acquisition System

GSM based data acquisition is a process control system that enables a site operator to
monitor and control processes that are distributed among various remote sites. This project is
designed to monitor various parameters like humidity, rainfall, wind direction, temperature,
light intensity, etc. This system saves time and money by eliminating the need for service
personnel to visit each site for inspection and data collection. They are used in all types of
industries, from electrical distribution systems, to food processing, to facility security alarms.

1.5.3 Development of SMS Based Teaching And Learning

System

The Short Message Service (SMS) technology is one the most stable mobile
technologies around. Most of our tertiary students carry mobile phones with SMS facilities and
can be used for teaching and learning. There are many projects using SMS technologies in
education as outlined in the literature survey, but many publications do not provide the possible
underlying technologies to implement such as the teaching and learning systems. The system
is capable of supporting administrative teaching and learning activities via the SMS
technology.

1.6 EMBEDDED SYSTEM

An Embedded System is a combination of computer hardware and software, and perhaps

additional mechanical or other parts, designed to perform a specific function. An embedded
system is a microcontroller-based, software driven, reliable, real-time control system,
autonomous, or human or network interactive, operating on diverse physical variables and in
diverse environments and sold into a competitive and cost conscious market.

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An embedded system is not a computer system that is used primarily for processing, not a
software system on PC or UNIX, not a traditional business or scientific application. High-end
embedded & lower end embedded systems. High-end embedded system - Generally 32, 64 Bit
Controllers used with OS. Examples Personal Digital Assistant and Mobile phones etc .Lower
end embedded systems - Generally 8,16 Bit Controllers used with an minimal operating
systems and hardware layout designed for the specific purpose. Examples Small controllers
and devices in our everyday life like Washing Machine, Microwave Ovens, where they are
embedded in.

Figure 1.1:Embedded system design calls on many disciplines

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 Figure 1.2: “V” diagram (Embedded system design life cycle)

1.6.1 CHARACCTERSTICS OF EMBEDDED SYSTEM

• An embedded system is any computer system hidden inside a product other than a computer.
• They will encounter a number of difficulties when writing embedded system software in
addition to those we encounter when we write applications.

– Throughput – Our system may need to handle a lot of data in a short period of time.
– Response–Our system may need to react to events quickly.
– Testability–Setting up equipment to test embedded software can be difficult.
– Debug ability–Without a screen or a keyboard, finding out what the software is doing wrong
(other than not working) is a troublesome problem.

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– Reliability – embedded systems must be able to handle any situation without human
intervention.
– Memory space – Memory is limited on embedded systems, and you must make the software
and the data fit into whatever memory exists.
– Program installation – you will need special tools to get your software into embedded systems.
– Power consumption – Portable systems must run on battery power, and the software in these
systems must conserve power.
– Processor hogs – computing that requires large amounts of CPU time can complicate the
response problem.
– Cost – Reducing the cost of the hardware is a concern in many embedded system projects;
software often operates on hardware that is barely adequate for the job.

• Embedded systems have a microprocessor/ microcontroller and a memory. Some have a serial
port or a network connection. They usually do not have keyboards, screens or disk drives.

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 Chapter 2 : SYSTEM DESIGN

2.1 Working

Step 1: We delete the memory initially to store the new message.

Step 2: The GSM modem gets activated once it is in the range and also activates the LCD
Display.
Step 3: Send the message using a GSM mobile phone
Step 4: The GSM Modem receives the message and sends it to the microcontroller for
processing. The message gets stored in the memory which is shown as above on the LCD.
Step 5: The final message then gets displayed
Step 6: The complete final message gets displayed on the HyperTerminal along with the Date
and Time and also the number from which it is received.

2.2 BLOCK DIAGRAM

Figure 2.1 Block Diagram

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2.3 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

Figure 2.2 Circuit Diagram

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2.4 FLOW CHART

Figure 2.3 Flow Chart

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 CHAPTER 3: SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

The main aim of this project is to design a SMS driven automatic display
board which can replace the currently used programmable electronic display. It is
proposed to design receiver cum display board which can be programmed from an
authorized mobile phone. The message to be displayed is sent through a SMS from
an authorized transmitter. The microcontroller receives the SMS, validates the
sending Mobile Identification Number (MIN) and displays the desired information.

3.1 Hardware Requirements

3.1.1 ARDUINO UNO

Arduino is an open-source prototyping platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software.

Arduino boards are able to read inputs - light on a sensor, a finger on a button, or a Twitter
message - and turn it into an output - activating a motor, turning on an LED, publishing
something online. We can tell your board what to do by sending a set of instructions to the
microcontroller on the board. To do so we use the Arduino programming language (based on
wiring), and the Arduino Software(IDE), based on Processing.

Figure 3.1:Arduino UNO Board

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The Arduino Uno can be powered via the USB connection or with an external power supply.
The power source is selected automatically. External (non-USB) power can come either from
an AC-to-DC adapter (wall-wart) or battery. The adapter can be connected by plugging a
2.1mm center-positive plug into the board's power jack. Leads from a battery can be inserted
in the Gnd and Vin pin headers of the POWER connector. The board can operate on an external
supply of 6 to 20 volts. If supplied with less than 7V, however, the 5V pin may supply less than
five volts and the board may be unstable. If using more than 12V, the voltage regulator may
overheat and damage the board. The recommended range is 7 to 12 volts.

Figure 3.2:Arduino Uno Architecture

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 Feature and Specification

Table 3.1:Feature and Specification of Arduino UNO Board

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 What Does it Do?

The Arduino hardware and software was designed for artists, designers, hobbyists, hackers,
newbies, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments. Arduino can
interact with buttons, LEDs, motors, speakers, GPS units, cameras, the internet, and even your
smart-phone or your TV! This flexibility combined with the fact that the Arduino software is
free, the hardware boards are pretty cheap, and both the software and hardware are easy to learn
has led to a large community of users who have contributed code and released instructions for
a huge variety of Arduino-based projects.

 What's on the board?

There are many varieties of Arduino boards (explained on the next page) that can be used for
different purposes. Some boards look a bit different from the one below, but most Arduinos
have the majority of these components is common.

 Power (USB / Barrel Jack)

Every Arduino board needs a way to be connected to a power source. The Arduino UNO can
be powered from a USB cable coming from your computer or a wall power supply (like this)
that is terminated in a barrel jack. In the picture above the USB connection is labeled (1) and
the barrel jack is labelled (2). The USB connection is also how you will load code onto your
Arduino board.

 Pins (5V, 3.3V, GND, Analog, Digital, PWM, AREF)

The pins on your Arduino are the places where you connect wires to construct a circuit
(probably in conjuction with a breadboard and some wire. They usually have black plastic
„headers‟ that allow you to just plug a wire right into the board. The Arduino has several
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different kinds of pins, each of which is labeled on the board and used for different functions.

GND (3): Short for „Ground‟. There are several GND pins on the Arduino, any of which can
be used to ground your circuit.

5V (4) & 3.3V (5): As you might guess, the 5V pin supplies 5 volts of power, and the 3.3V pin
supplies 3.3 volts of power. Most of the simple components used with the Arduino run happily
off of 5 or 3.3 volts.

Analog (6): The area of pins under the „Analog In‟ label (A0 through A5 on the UNO) are
Analog In pins. These pins can read the signal from an analog sensor (like a temperature sensor)
and convert it into a digital value that we can read.

Digital (7): Across from the analog pins are the digital pins (0 through 13 on the UNO). These
pins can be used for both digital input (like telling if a button is pushed) and digital output (like
powering an LED).

PWM (8): You may have noticed the tilde (~) next to some of the digital pins (3, 5, 6, 9, 10,
and 11 on the UNO). These pins act as normal digital pins, but can also be used for something
called Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM). We have a tutorial on PWM, but for now, think of
these pins as being able to simulate analog output (like fading an LED in and out).

AREF (9): Stands for Analog Reference. Most of the time you can leave this pin alone. It is
sometimes used to set an external reference voltage (between 0 and 5 Volts) as the upper limit
for the analog input pins.

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 Reset Button

Just like the original Nintendo, the Arduino has a reset button (10). Pushing it will temporarily
connect the reset pin to ground and restart any code that is loaded on the Arduino. This can be
very useful if your code doesn‟t repeat, but you want to test it multiple times. Unlike the
original Nintendo however, blowing on the Arduino doesn‟t usually fix any problems.

 Power LED Indicator

Just beneath and to the right of the word “UNO” on your circuit board, there‟s a tiny LED next
to the word „ON‟ (11). This LED should light up whenever you plug your Arduino into a
power source. If this light doesn‟t turn on, there‟s a good chance something is wrong. Time to
re-check your circuit!
 TX RX LEDs

TX is short for transmit, RX is short for receive. These markings appear quite a bit in
electronics to indicate the pins responsible for serial communication. In our case, there are two
places on the Arduino UNO where TX and RX appear – once by digital pins 0 and 1, and a
second time next to the TX and RX indicator LEDs (12). These LEDs will give us some nice
visual indications whenever our Arduino is receiving or transmitting data (like when we‟re
loading a new program onto the board).

 Main IC

The black thing with all the metal legs is an IC, or Integrated Circuit (13). Think of it as the
brains of our Arduino. The main IC on the Arduino is slightly different from board type to
board type, but is usually from the A Tmega line of IC‟s from the ATMEL company. This can
be important, as you may need to know the IC type (along with your board type) before loading
up a new program from the Arduino software. This information can usually be found in writing
on the top side of the IC. If you want to know more about the difference between various IC‟s,
reading the datasheets is often a good idea.

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 Voltage Regulator

The voltage regulator (14) is not actually something you can (or should) interact with on the
Arduino. But it is potentially useful to know that it is there and what it‟s for. The voltage
regulator does exactly what it says – it controls the amount of voltage that is let into the Arduino
board. Think of it as a kind of gatekeeper; it will turn away an extra voltage that might harm
the circuit. Of course, it has its limits, so don‟t hook up your Arduino to anything greater than
20 volts.

 The Arduino Family

Arduino makes several different boards, each with different capabilities. In addition, part of
being open source hardware means that others can modify and produce derivatives of Arduino
boards that provide even more form factors and functionality.

3.1.2 ATMEGA 328P MICROCONTROLLER

Figure 3.3: ATMEGA328P Microcontroller

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The Atmega 328P is a low-power CMOS 8-bit microcontroller based on the AVR enhanced
RISC architecture. By executing powerful instructions in a single clock cycle, the Atmega 328P
achieves throughputs approaching 1 MIPS per MHz allowing the system designer to optimize
power consumption versus processing speed The Atmega 328P provides the following
features: 4K/8K bytes of In-System Programmable Flash with Read-While-Write capabilities,
256/512/512/1K bytes EEPROM, 512/1K/1K/2K bytes SRAM, 23 general purpose I/O lines,
32 general purpose working registers, three flexible Timer/Counters with compare modes,
internal and external interrupts, a serial programmable USART, a byte-oriented 2-wire Serial
Interface, an SPI serial port, a 6- channel 10-bit ADC (8 channels in TQFP and QFN/MLF
packages), a programmable Watchdog Timer with internal Oscillator, and five software
selectable power saving modes. The Idle mode stops the CPU while allowing the SRAM,
Timer/Counters, USART, 2-wire Serial Interface, SPI port, and interrupt system to continue
functioning.

The Power-down mode saves the register contents but freezes the Oscillator, disabling all other
chip functions until the next interrupt or hardware reset. In Power-save mode, the asynchronous
timer continues to run, allowing the user to maintain a timer base while the rest of the device
is sleeping. The ADC Noise Reduction mode stops the CPU and all I/O modules except
asynchronous timer and ADC, to minimize switching noise during ADC conversions. In
Standby mode, the crystal/resonator Oscillator is running while the rest of the device is
sleeping. This allows very fast start-up combined with low power consumption. The AVR core
combines a rich instruction set with 32 general purpose working registers. All the 32 registers
are directly connected to the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), allowing two independent registers
to be accessed in one single instruction executed in one clock cycle.

The Idle Mode stops the CPU while allowing the RAM, timer/counters, serial port, and
interrupt system to continue functioning. The Power-down mode saves the RAM contents but
freezes the oscillator, disabling all other chip functions until the next interrupt or hardware
reset.The device is manufactured using Atmel‟s high density non-volatile memory technology.
The On-chip ISP Flash allows the program memory to be reprogrammed In-System through an
SPI serial interface, by a conventional non-volatile memory programmer, or by an On-chip
Boot program running on the AVR core. The Boot program can use any interface to download

19
the application program in the Application Flash memory. Software in the Boot Flash section
will continue to run while the Application Flash section is updated, providing true Read-While-
Write operation. By combining an 8-bit RISC CPU with In-System Self-Programmable Flash
on a monolithic chip, the Atmel Atmega 328P is a powerful microcontroller that provides a
highly flexible and cost effective solution to many embedded control applications. The Boot
program can use any interface to download the application program in the Application Flash
memory. This allows very fast start-up combined with low power consumption.

Even though there are separate addressing schemes and optimized opcodes for register file and
I/O register access, all can still be addressed and manipulated as if they were in SRAM. In the
ATMEGA variant, the working register file is not mapped into the data address space; as such,
it is not possible to treat any of the ATMEGA's working registers as though they were SRAM.

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Figure 3.4: Arduino Microcontroller Pin Mapping

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3.1.3 LCD

A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other electronic visual display that uses
the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly.

Figure 3.5: 2X16 LCD Display

LCDs are available to display arbitrary images (as in a general-purpose computer display) or
fixed images with low information content, which can be displayed or hidden, such as preset
words, digits, and 7-segment displays as in a digital clock. They use the same basic technology,
except that arbitrary images are made up of a large number of small pixels, while other displays
have larger elements.

LCDs are used in a wide range of applications including computer monitors, televisions,
instrument panels, aircraft cockpit displays, and signage. They are common in consumer
devices such as DVD players, gaming devices, clocks, watches, calculators, and telephones,
and have replaced cathode ray tube (CRT) displays in nearly all applications. They are available
in a wider range of screen sizes than CRT and plasma displays, and since they do not use
phosphors, they do not suffer image burn-in. LCDs are, however, susceptible to image
persistence.

Each pixel of an LCD typically consists of a layer of molecules aligned between two

22
transparent electrodes, and two polarizing filters (parallel and perpendicular), the axes of
transmission of which are (in most of the cases) perpendicular to each other. Without the liquid
crystal between the polarizing filters, light passing through the first filter would be blocked by
the second (crossed) polarizer.
Before an electric field is applied, the orientation of the liquid-crystal molecules is determined
by the alignment at the surfaces of electrodes. In a twisted nematic (TN) device, the surface
alignment directions at the two electrodes are perpendicular to each other, and so the molecules
arrange themselves in a helical structure, or twist. This induces the rotation of the polarization
of the incident light, and the device appears gray. If the applied voltage is large enough, the
liquid crystal molecules in the center of the layer are almost completely untwisted and the
polarization of the incident light is not rotated as it passes through the liquid crystal layer. This
light will then be mainly polarized perpendicular to the second filter, and thus be blocked and
the pixel will appear black. By controlling the voltage applied across the liquid crystal layer in
each pixel, light can be allowed to pass through in varying amounts thus constituting different
levels of gray.

As most of present-day LCDs used in television sets, monitors and smart phones have high-
resolution matrix arrays of pixels to display arbitrary images using backlighting with a dark
background when no image is displayed, different arrangements are used. For this purpose, TN
LCDs are operated between parallel polarizer‟s, whereas IPS LCDs feature crossed polarizer‟s.
In many applications IPS LCDs have replaced TN LCDs, in particular in smart phones such as
iPhones.

Both the liquid crystal material and the alignment layer material contain ionic compounds. If
an electric field of one particular polarity is applied for a long period of time, this ionic material
is attracted to the surfaces and degrades the device performance. This is avoided either by
applying an alternating current or by reversing the polarity of the electric field as the device is
addressed (the response of the liquid crystal layer is identical, regardless of the polarity of the
applied field).

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This is a basic 16 character by 2 line display.16×2 LCD module is a very common type of LCD
module that is used in 8051 based embedded projects. It consists of 16 rows and 2 columns of
5×7 or 5×8 LCD dot matrices. The module were are talking about here is type number
JHD162A which is a very popular one . It is available in a 16 pin package with back light,
contrast adjustment function and each dot matrix has 5×8 dot resolution. The pin numbers, their
name and corresponding functions are shown in the table below

Table 3.3:Pin and Their Function of LCD Display

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More microcontroller devices are using 'smart LCD' displays to output visual information. The
following discussion covers the connection of a Hitachi LCD display to a PIC microcontroller.
LCD displays designed around Hitachi's LCD HD44780 module, are inexpensive, easy to use,
and it is even possible to produce a readout using the 8 x 80 pixels of the display. Hitachi LCD
displays have a standard ASCII set of characters plus Japanese, Greek and mathematical
symbols.

For an 8-bit data bus, the display requires a +5V supply plus 11 I/O lines. For a 4-bit data bus
it only requires the supply lines plus seven extra lines. When the LCD display is not enabled,
data lines are tri-state which means they are in a state of high impedance (as though they are
disconnected) and this means they do not interfere with the operation of the microcontroller
when the display is not being addressed.

Figure 3.6: Pin diagram for LCD Display

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The LCD also requires 3 "control" lines from the microcontroller

Read data from data lines (if it is reading). Reading data from the LCD is done in the same
way, but control line R/W has to be high. When we send a high to the LCD, it will reset and
wait for instructions. Typical instructions sent to LCD display after a reset are: turning on a
display, turning on a cursor and writing characters from left to right. When the LCD is
initialized, it is ready to continue receiving data or instructions. If it receives a character, it will
write it on the display and move the cursor one space to the right.

The Cursor marks the next location where a character will be written. When we want to write
a string of characters, first we need to set up the starting address, and then send one character
at a time. Characters that can be shown on the display are stored in data display (DD) RAM.
The size of DDRAM is 80 bytes.

The LCD display also possesses 64 bytes of Character-Generator (CG) RAM. This memory is
used for characters defined by the user. Data in CG RAM is represented as an 8-bit character
bit-map. Each character takes up 8 bytes of CG RAM, so the total number of characters, which
the user can define, is eight. In order to read in the character bit-map to the LCD display, we
must first set the CG RAM address to starting point (usually 0), and then write data to the
display. The definition of a 'special' character is given in the picture.

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3.1.4 GSM Module

Introduction

This is an ultra-compact and reliable wireless module. The SIM900A is a complete Dual-band
GSM/GPRS solution in a SMT module which can be embedded in the customer applications.
Featuring an industry-standard interface, the SIM900A delivers GSM/GPRS 900/1800MHz
performance for voice, SMS, Data, and Fax in a small form factor and with low power
consumption. With a tiny configuration of 24mmx24mmx3mm, SIM900A can fit in almost all
the space requirements in user applications, especially for slim and compact demand of design.

Features

Figure 3.7 GSM Module

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 Dual-Band 900/ 1800 MHz
 GPRS multi-slot class 10/8GPRS mobile station class B
 Compliant to GSM phase 2/2+Class 4 (2 W @850/ 900 MHz)
 Class 1 (1 W @ 1800/1900MHz)
 Control via AT commands (GSM 07.07 ,07.05 and SIMCOM enhanced AT Commands)
 Low power consumption: 1.5mA(sleep mode)'
 Operation temperature: -40°C to +85 °C
 Status indicator (D5): It will flashes continuously whenever the call arrives otherwise it is
left ON.
 Network LED (D6): This led will blink every second which indicates that the GSM module
is not connected to the mobile network. Once the connection is established successfully, the
LED will blink continuously every 3 seconds.

How to connect SIM 900A Module with Arduino UNO

Hardware and Software Required

 SIM 900A Module

 Arduino UNO
 Arduino IDE(1.0.6V)

Hardware connections

The SIM900A module has 6pins in which two pins for Vcc and Gnd and the rest are
3VR&3VT(3volt Rx & Tx) and 5VR,5VT(5volt Rx & Tx) and the connections are made as
follows:

 Vcc to 5V
 Gnd to Gnd
 5VR digital pin 7
 5VT digital pin 8

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Before getting into the program part,we need to look into the AT commands which are
discussed in the following used by this module.With the help of these AT commands,the user
can send or receive messages,make a call and so on.

3.14 Adapter

Specifications: -Type:12V 2A -Input: 100-240V AC 50/60Hz -Output : 12V 2.0A -

Dimensions:80(L) x 45(W) x 30(H) mm -Condition: Brand New 100% Applications: For the
Security Cameras, Led Strip, Led string lights, Wireless Router, ADSL Cats, HUB,
Switches.Audio/Video Power Supply. package list: 1 X MBRO 12V 2A AC Power Adapter
with Ferrite Bead for quality output.

[12:22 PM, 5/30/2019] Harshit: AC Input: 100V to 240V, DC Output: 12 volt at 2 amp rating

High quality commercial grade AC to DC power adapter for manufacturer of all type.

12v 2a Power Supply Wall Plug.

Max Wattage: 24W

This is a industry proven and a rugged products, offered for exceptionally low rates.

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3.2 SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

3.2.1 Arduino Software (IDE) :

The open-source Arduino Software (IDE) makes it easy to write code and upload it to the board.
It runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The environment is written in Java and based on
Processing and other open-source software. This software can be used with any Arduino board.
For latest software refer to link. https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software

Arduino was born at the Ivrea Interaction Design Institute as an easy tool for fast prototyping,
aimed at students with or without a background in electronics and programming.

Arduino is an open-source prototyping platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software.

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Arduino boards are able to read inputs - light on a sensor, a finger on a button, or a message -
and turn it into an output - activating a motor, turning on an LED, publishing something online
and many more.
You can tell your board what to do by sending a set of instructions to the microcontroller on
the board.

To do so you use the Arduino programming language (based on Wiring), and the Arduino
Software (IDE), based on Processing.

Inexpensive - Arduino boards are relatively inexpensive compared to other microcontroller

platforms.

Cross-platform - The Arduino Software (IDE) runs on Windows, Macintosh OSX, and Linux
operating systems. Most microcontroller systems are limited to Windows.

Simple, clear programming environment - The Arduino Software (IDE) is easy-to-use for
beginners, yet flexible enough for advanced users to take advantage of as well.

Open source and extensible hardware - The plans of the Arduino boards are published under a
Creative Commons license, so experienced circuit designers can make their own version of the
module, extending it and improving it.

Open source and extensible software - The Arduino software is published as open source tool
and the language can be expanded through C++ libraries.

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 3.2.2 DESCRIPTION

How to use Arduino IDE Tool

 Step 1: Get an Arduino board and USB cable:

In this tutorial, we assume you're using an Arduino Uno you also need a standard USB cable
(A plug to B plug): the kind you would connect to a USB printer, for example.

 Step 2 : Download the Arduino environment:

(https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software)
Get the latest version from the download page. When the download finishes, unzip the
downloaded file. Make sure to preserve the folder structure. Double-click the folder to open it.
There should be a few files and sub-folders inside.

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 Step 3 : Connect the board:

The Arduino Uno, Mega, Duemilanove and Arduino Nano automatically draw power from
either the USB connection to the computer or an external power supply. If you're using an
Arduino Diecimila, you'll need to make sure that the board is configured to draw power from
the USB connection. The power source is selected with a jumper, a small piece of plastic that
fits onto two of the three pins between the USB and power jacks. Check that it's on the two
pins closest to the USB port. Connect the Arduino board to your computer using the USB cable.
The green power LED (labelled PWR) should go on.

 Step 4 : Install the drivers:

Installing drivers for the Arduino Uno or Arduino Mega 2560 with Windows7, Vista, or XP

 Step 5: Launch the Arduino application:

Double-click the Arduino application. (Note: if the Arduino software loads in the wrong
language, you can change it in the preferences dialog. See the environment page for details.

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 Step 6: Open the blink example

Open the LED blink example sketch: File > Open > Temp_and_humid.ino

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 Step 7: Select your board:

You'll need to select the entry in the Tools > Board menu that corresponds to your Arduino.

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 Step 8: Set Programmer as ArduinoISP:

You’ll need to select the entry in the Tools>Programmer>ArduinoISP

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 Step 9: Select your serial port :

You’ll need to select the entry in the Tools>Port>COM.

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 Step 10 : Upload the program:

Now, simply click the "Upload" button in the environment. Wait a few seconds - you should
see the RX and TX leds on the board flashing. If the upload is successful, the message "Done
uploading." will appear in the status bar.

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 CHAPTER 4: TESTING

1. Click Start | Programs | Accessories | Communications | HyperTerminal.

2. Once HyperTerminal opens, it will automatically prompt you to create a new
connection if none exist. If no connection exists, you can click File | New
Connection to create a new one.
3. Specify a name for the connection, choose an icon, and click 0K.
4. In the Connect to dialog box, choose the COM port being used by your modem.
5. In the port properly sheet that appears, choose a port speed (bits per second) that
matches the device.
6. Then, choose communications parameters that match the device that is the number
of Data Bits, Start Bits, Stop Bits and Parity Bits.

7. When you click 0K, HyperTerminal will immediately open a connection to the port.
You'll then be ready to troubleshoot. Now, when you can type AT and press [Enter]
in the HyperTerminal connection to test communications. You should receive a 0K
message if your settings are correct and the modem is working.

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 CHAPTER 6. FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS

The use of microcontroller in place of a general purpose computer allows us to theorize

on many further improvements on this project prototype. Temperature display during periods
wherein no message buffers are empty is one such theoretical improvement that is very
possible. The ideal state of the microcontroller is when the indices or storage space in the SIM
memory are empty and no new message is there to display. With proper use of interrupt routines
the incoming message acts as an interrupt, the temperature display is halted and the control
flow jumps over to the specific interrupt service routine which first validates the sender‟s
number and then displays the information field. Another very interesting and significant
improvement would be to accommodate multiple receiver MODEMS at the different positions
in a geographical area carrying duplicate SIM cards. With the help of principles of TDMA
technique, we can choose to simulcast and /or broadcast important notifications. After a display
board receives the valid message through the MODEM and displays it, it withdraws its
identification from the network & synchronously another nearby MODEM signs itself into the
network and starts to receive the message. The message is broadcast by the mobile switching
center for a

continuous time period during which as many possible display board MODEMS “catch” the
message and display it as per the constraint of validation.

Multilingual display can be another added variation of the project. The display boards are one
of the single most important media for information transfer to the maximum number of end
users. This feature can be added by programming the microcontroller to use different
encoding decoding schemes in different areas as per the local language. This will ensure the
increase in the number of informed users. Graphical display can also be considered as a long
term but achievable and target able output. MMS technology along with relatively high end
microcontrollers to carry on the tasks of graphics encoding and decoding along with a more
expansive bank of usable memory can make this task a walk in the park.

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 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION

The prototype of the GSM based display toolkit was efficiently designed. This prototype has
facilities to be integrated with a display board thus making it truly mobile. The toolkit accepts
the SMS, stores it, validates it and then displays it in the LCD module. The SMS is deleted
from the SIM each time it is read, thus making room for the next SMS. The major constraints
incorporated are the use of „*‟ as the termination character of the SMS and the display of one
SMS as a time. These limitations can be removed by the use of higher end microcontrollers
and extended RAM. The prototype can be implemented using commercial display boards. In
this case, it can solve the problem of instant information transfer in the campus.

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REFERENCES AND BIBLOGRAPHY

WEBSITES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

https://www.slideshare.net/GaneshGani5/main-project-report-on-gsm-based-wireless-
notice-board

https://www.electronicshub.org/wireless-electronic-notice-board-using-gsm/

https://circuitdigest.com/microcontroller-projects/wireless-notice-board-using-gsm-and-
arduino

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