Automatic Bike Turning Indicator
The microcontroller (MCU)-based automatic turn signal system for bikes that is on the market is expensive and hard to program. Here is a circuit that is easy to build and doesn't cost muc…

Know the mission before touching a wire.
Understand what you are making, prepare the right tools, and make the workbench safe.
Project details
Automatic Bike Turning Indicator is a electronics project. The microcontroller (MCU)-based automatic turn signal system for bikes that is on the market is expensive and hard to program. Here is a circuit that is easy to build and doesn't cost muc…
- Source pages
- 252-254
- Named parts
- 6
- Build goal
- Working, tested prototype
Tools you need
- Digital multimeter
- Wire stripper and side cutters
- Soldering iron with a fine tip
- Current-limited bench supply
Use eye protection, good lighting, and a clean insulated surface throughout the build.
Safety precautions
- Disconnect every power source before changing a connection.
- Check component polarity, pinout, and supply voltage twice.
- Use a current limit for the first power-up.
- Keep liquids, loose metal, and uninsulated wires away from the bench.
Gather, identify, and understand every part.
Use the standardized inventory, then open What's this? to learn each part's role, advantages, limitations, handling, and specifications.
What's this?Image, role, pros, cons, handling & specifications
SEMICONDUCTOR LEARNING VIEWNE555
A semiconductor stage performs switching, amplification, regulation, rectification, or logic.
What it does hereIt controls current or signal flow at a defined point in the circuit.
Buy / compare this part ↗Advantages
- Fast and efficient
- Compact
- Can control larger loads from smaller signals
Limitations
- Pin order varies
- Sensitive to overvoltage and reverse polarity
- May need cooling or bias components
Handling
- Verify the datasheet pinout
- Avoid static and soldering heat
- Check notch, stripe, or flat-face orientation
Specifications to verify
- Use the exact model, value, package, and rating listed for NE555; similar-looking parts are not always interchangeable.
- Confirm pinout, maximum voltage/current, dissipation, gain or forward voltage, and package.
What's this?Image, role, pros, cons, handling & specifications

LM393
A semiconductor stage performs switching, amplification, regulation, rectification, or logic.
What it does hereIt controls current or signal flow at a defined point in the circuit.
Buy / compare this part ↗Advantages
- Fast and efficient
- Compact
- Can control larger loads from smaller signals
Limitations
- Pin order varies
- Sensitive to overvoltage and reverse polarity
- May need cooling or bias components
Handling
- Verify the datasheet pinout
- Avoid static and soldering heat
- Check notch, stripe, or flat-face orientation
Specifications to verify
- Use the exact model, value, package, and rating listed for LM393; similar-looking parts are not always interchangeable.
- Confirm pinout, maximum voltage/current, dissipation, gain or forward voltage, and package.
What's this?Image, role, pros, cons, handling & specifications
POWER LEARNING VIEW7805 - integrated circuit
A power component supplies, converts, stores, or regulates energy for the project.
What it does hereIt must provide the documented voltage, polarity, isolation, and sufficient current safely.
Buy / compare this part ↗Advantages
- Stable power improves reliability
- Current limiting protects first tests
- Regulation reduces resets and noise
Limitations
- Wrong polarity can cause immediate damage
- Underrated parts overheat
- Mains circuits require qualified supervision
Handling
- Measure output before connection
- Use a fuse or current limit
- Insulate exposed conductors
Specifications to verify
- Use the exact model, value, package, and rating listed for 7805 - integrated circuit; similar-looking parts are not always interchangeable.
- Confirm input/output voltage, current, polarity, connector, isolation, and thermal rating.
What's this?Image, role, pros, cons, handling & specifications

T1, T2 - transistor stages identified in the circuit
A semiconductor stage performs switching, amplification, regulation, rectification, or logic.
What it does hereIt controls current or signal flow at a defined point in the circuit.
Buy / compare this part ↗Advantages
- Fast and efficient
- Compact
- Can control larger loads from smaller signals
Limitations
- Pin order varies
- Sensitive to overvoltage and reverse polarity
- May need cooling or bias components
Handling
- Verify the datasheet pinout
- Avoid static and soldering heat
- Check notch, stripe, or flat-face orientation
Specifications to verify
- Use the exact model, value, package, and rating listed for T1, T2 - transistor stages identified in the circuit; similar-looking parts are not always interchangeable.
- Confirm pinout, maximum voltage/current, dissipation, gain or forward voltage, and package.
What's this?Image, role, pros, cons, handling & specifications

LED1, LED2 - indicator LEDs identified in the circuit
A named project component whose exact role is defined by the source circuit and build guide.
What it does hereIt performs a documented electrical, control, interface, or construction function in this project.
Buy / compare this part ↗Advantages
- Selected for this project
- Can be checked independently
- Supports modular troubleshooting
Limitations
- Substitutes may differ
- Generic names can hide variants
- Pinouts and ratings vary
Handling
- Compare the received part with the source
- Keep it labelled
- Do not force connectors or adjusters
Specifications to verify
- Use the exact model, value, package, and rating listed for LED1, LED2 - indicator LEDs identified in the circuit; similar-looking parts are not always interchangeable.
- Confirm dimensions, ratings, connection method, polarity, and environmental limits.
What's this?Image, role, pros, cons, handling & specifications
PART LEARNING VIEWVR1, VR2 - preset potentiometers identified in the circuit
A named project component whose exact role is defined by the source circuit and build guide.
What it does hereIt performs a documented electrical, control, interface, or construction function in this project.
Buy / compare this part ↗Advantages
- Selected for this project
- Can be checked independently
- Supports modular troubleshooting
Limitations
- Substitutes may differ
- Generic names can hide variants
- Pinouts and ratings vary
Handling
- Compare the received part with the source
- Keep it labelled
- Do not force connectors or adjusters
Specifications to verify
- Use the exact model, value, package, and rating listed for VR1, VR2 - preset potentiometers identified in the circuit; similar-looking parts are not always interchangeable.
- Confirm dimensions, ratings, connection method, polarity, and environmental limits.
Connect one verified path at a time.
Explore the named components and standardized signal flow, then use Source Check to verify exact physical pins, values, and topology before applying power.
Trace this circuit.
Automatic Bike Turning Indicator: interactive parts, standardized terminals, responsive anchored wires, student explanations, and the original circuit reference in one shared system.
Trace before wiring
Follow power, ground, inputs, processing, and outputs in that order. Never guess a pin from package shape alone.
Connect with power off
Make short, labelled connections and share a common ground only where the schematic requires it.
Inspect every joint
Check continuity, polarity, adjacent shorts, and loose connections before the first power-up.
Open all source diagrams and build views 1 visuals

Confirm the hardware-only control path.
This project does not include firmware in the source. The circuit itself provides the required behaviour.
How to connect
- Match every controller label to the circuit view and source pin map.
- Join grounds before signal wires when separate low-voltage supplies are used.
- Keep motors, relays, pumps, and other loads on a suitable driver and external supply.
Common mistakes
Reversed VCC/GND, board-label versus GPIO-number confusion, missing common ground, and charge-only USB cables.
Troubleshoot
Disconnect loads, continuity-test one path at a time, then test with a current limit.
Software preparation
No IDE, board package, library, or firmware upload is required for this project.
If you add a programmable controller as an extension, document its pin map separately.
How to upload code
The original design is implemented entirely in hardware, so proceed after verifying the circuit and supply.
Assemble, deploy, test, and troubleshoot.
Use the complete source notes in build order, then pass the final checks before calling the project finished.
Build in functional stages
- Power and regulation
- Controller or processing stage
- Inputs and sensors
- Outputs and loads
- Enclosure and strain relief
Power up safely
- Inspect unpowered continuity first
- Apply the lowest safe current limit
- Measure supply rails before signals
- Add one load at a time
- Record expected and actual results
Work from simple to complex
- Confirm power, ground, polarity, and orientation
- Compare each pin with the source
- Test inputs separately from outputs
- Replace only one variable at a time
- Power off before every correction
Follow the documented instructions.
These notes come from this project's source and remain in their original order.
Project overview
Project build noteThe microcontroller (MCU)-based automatic turn signal system for bikes that is on the market is expensive and hard to program. Here is a circuit that is easy to build and doesn't cost much. The circuit is used to tell a bike or two-wheeler to turn left or right. There must be two identical circuits, one for the left and one for the right. The circuit is made up of an ADXL335 accelerometer sensor, a voltage regulator 7805 (IC1), an LM393 comparator IC (IC2), two NE555 timer ICs (IC3 and IC4), and a few other parts. ADXL335 is a small, thin, low-power, 3-axis (X, Y, and Z) accelerometer with signal-conditioned voltage outputs. It can measure acceleration in the X, Y, and Z directions. In this project, only the Y direction of the ADXL335 is used. The device has a full-scale range of at least 3 volts and can measure acceleration. It can measure
both static accelerations, like the force of gravity, and dynamic acceleration, like the force of motion, shock, or vibration. Circuit diagram of bike turning signal system Dual comparator LM393 is an IC with 8 pins. Pins 1, 2, and 3 make up one comparator, and pins 5, 6, and 7 make up another. The two comparators are used to watch for signals from the left turn and right turn indicators. We use two NE555 timer ICs (IC3 and IC4) set up as a monostable multivibrator, one for the left signal and one for the right signal. IC voltage regulator is used to turn a 9V-12V battery into +5V DC (IC1). Left signal When the bike handle is turned to the left, a voltage between 1.2V and 2.6V is sent as a tilt angle output. The pin 2 of IC2 is connected to the Y signal from the ADXL335 sensor, and the pin 3 is connected to the preset signal (VR1). The left tilt angle signal
comes out of pin 1 of IC2. Use preset to set the reference voltage to 2.2V at pin 3. (VR1). At first, when the bike handle is turned 90 degrees to the right, the voltage at pin 3 of the comparator will be 2.2V and the voltage at pin 2 will be about 2V. So, the output of the comparator will be high (5V). Pin 2 of IC3 gets this high output signal. Because of this, IC3 won't be able to do much. When the bike handle is turned to the left, IC2's pin 2 will have 2.6V. This means that pin 1 has a low output. The low output signal is linked to IC3's pin 2, which is a trigger. The high signal at pin 3 of IC3 is caused by the low signal at pin 2. When transistor T1 works, LED1 lights up. The width of a pulse made by monostable IC3 is given by the following equation: t=1.1×R2×C4 seconds Right signal When the bike handle moves to the right, it sends a voltage of 2.6V to 1.2V as a tilt angle output (decreases from high to low). Pin 6 of IC2 is connected to the preset (VR2), and pin 5 is connected to the Y signal from the ADXL335 sensor. VR2 is used to set the voltage reference at the inverting terminal to 1.6V. At first, when the bike handle turns 90 degrees, there will be 1.6V at pin 6 and 2V at pin 5. This means that the output of the comparator will be high (5V). This output goes to IC4's pin 2, which makes its pin 3 output low.
The following equation describes a monostable output pulse
Project build notet=1.1×R3×C7 seconds When the bike handle is turned to the right, 1.2V will be at pin 5 of IC2. This is less than pin 6's reference voltage of 1.6V. This turns pin 7 of IC3 into a low output. When the output is low, monostable multi-vibrator IC4 starts to vibrate. This causes pin 3 of IC4's output to be high, transistor T2 to conduct, and LED2 to light up.
You built Automatic Bike Turning Indicator.
You followed the full workflow from understanding the mission to testing the finished project. That is a real engineering achievement - well done.
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