Hourly Chime Function Generator

Though IC UM3484 performs the hourly chime function, it is not easily available in the market.
The circuit presented here performs similar function of providing hourly chime, making use of
the hourly pulse output from your existing digital clock. The number of times the circuit chimes
hourly equals the time in hours (12-hour clock basis). The circuit can function over a wide
supply voltage range of 5 to 12V DC and is compatible with TTL and CMOS families. The
working of the circuit is explained below.
IC1 (CD4585) is a 4-bit magnitude comparator and IC2 is a dual 4-bit counter. Timer IC3
(NE555) is configured as an astable flip-flop whose threshold pin 4 is controlled by IC1 output
pin 12 (A<B). As long as magnitude of 'A' input is less than 'B' input, pin 12 of IC1 will remain
high and timer IC3 will remain enabled. (Here 'A' and 'B' denote the weightage of the two 4-bit
binary words A0, A1, A2, A3 and B0, B1, B2, B3 at the input of IC1.) During positive half cycles
of the timer output, transistor T1 will conduct and piezo buzzer will sound. Thus the number of
times the buzzer sounds will equal the number of output pulses from timer IC3.

Assume that initially at '00' hours, both counters of IC2 are reset and as such the 'A' output
(pins 3 through 6) and 'B' output (pins 11 through 14) are at logic '0' state. Now at '01' hour,
when the first hourly input pulse, after differentiation by capacitor C2 and resistor R2, is
applied to clock pin 9 of counter B and master reset pin 7 of counter A, output 'B' is
incemented from previous count of 0 to 1 whereas counter A output is still 0 (reset condition).

As a result A < B condition is satisfied and pin12 of IC1 goes to logic high state, enabling timer
IC3. The output at pin 3 of IC3 goes high for a period determined by combination of resistors
R4, R5 and capacitor C4, and the piezo buzzer produces a musical chime. Simultaneously count
of counter A of IC2 increments to 1 since output of IC3 is connected to clock A (pin 1). Thus A <
B condition is no more satisfied and timer pin 4 (reset) goes low and hence a single chime is
produced. On the next hourly pulse, counter B of IC2 is further incremented ( to binary
equivalent of decimal 2) while its counter A is again reset to 0. Pin12 of IC2 and pin 4 of IC3
again go high as count A=0 while count B=2. Thus timer IC3 will now reset after producing two
clock cycles (on-off-on-off) and thus the buzzer chimes twice. Thus the number of times the
clock chimes equals the number of hours elapsed since reset of both counters of IC2. At the
12th hourly pulse input, counter B count increments to binary equivalent of decimal 12 and
after generation of 12 cycles by timer IC3, counter A output equals binary equivalent of 12. The
modulus of second counter is selected as 13 by AND gate formed by diodes D1, D2 and resistor
R1. Hence after 12th hour the counter again starts counting from 1.