Control by sound may be very useful, not just on a robot but also for a bit of home automation, for example a sound activated light responding to a knock on the door or a hand clap. The light will be automatically switched off after a few seconds. An alternative use is burglar protection — if someone wants to open the door or break some-thing the light will come on, suggesting that someone’s at home. The circuit can work from any 5– 12 VDC regulated power supply pro-vided a relay with the suitable coil voltage is used. Circuit diagram : Sound Activated Switch Circuit Diagram When you first connect the supply voltage to the circuit, the relay will be energised because of the effect of capacitor C2. Allow a few seconds for the relay to be switched off. You can increase or decrease the ‘on’ period by changing the value of C2. A higher value results in a longer ‘on’ period, and vi...