“SIMPLE ELECTRONIC LETTER BOX FOR MAIL

NOTIFICATION SYSTEM ”

A PROJECT REPORT
Submitted by
Laveti Jaswanth Pitta Sai
Debashish Mallik Subudhi Ashish
University Regd. No.
22UG011293 22UG011324
22UG011301 22UG011320
in the partial fulfillment for the award of the
degree of
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING
Under the esteemed guidance of
Dr. Ami Kumar Parida
( Asst. prof, Dept. of ECE)
At

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION

ENGINEERING
GIET UNIVERSITY, GUNUPUR – 765022
2023-24

1
 DECLARATION

We hereby declare that the project entitled “SIMPLE ELECTRONIC

LETTER BOX FOR MAIL NOTIFICATION SYSTEM” submitted for the B.Tech.
Degree is our original work and the project has not formed the basis for the award of any
degree, associateship, fellowship or any other similar titles.

Signature of the Student:

Place:
Date:

2
.
ISO 9001:2000
GIET UNIVERSITY Certified Institute

GUNUPUR – 765 022, Dist: Rayagada (Odisha), India

(Approved by AICTE, Govt. of Orissa and Affiliated to Biju Patnaik University of Technology)

: 06857 – 250172(Office), 251156(Principal), 250232(Fax),

e-mail: [email protected] visit us at www.giet.org

ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project entitled “SIMPLE ELECTRONIC

LETTER BOX FOR MAIL NOTIFICATION SYSTEM” is the bonafide
work carried out by Mr. Laveti Jaswanth, University Regd. No.-
22UG011293, Mr. Pitta Sai, University Regd. No.-22UG011324 Mr.
Debashish Mallik, University Regd. No.-22UG011301 and Mr. Subudhi
Ashish, University Regd. No.-22UG011320 students of B. Tech (ECE),
GIET University, Gunupur during the academic year 2023-24 in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of
BACHELOR of Technology in Electronics and Communication
Engineering.

[DR. Ami Kumar Parida] [DR. Bibhu Prasad]

Project Guide HOD, B. Tech.
Asst.Prof. in Dept. of ECE, Department of ECE,
G.I.E.T University, Gunupur G.I.E.T University, Gunupur

3
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Any work has to have contributions and supports of a few at least and a bunch at
best. It gives us immense pleasure to have an opportunity to express our gratitude to
various people directly or indirectly related to our present project work.
We sincerely believe that we were fortunate enough to have come across a group of
human beings whose mere mode of living can inspire someone to work wonders.
Our project guide Prof. Dr. Ami kumar parida, Assistant Professor in Department
of ECE, GIET University, Gunupur, is paradigm of that suit. He not only
encouraged us to pursue our studies but also instilled the self-belief and
confidence, which helps us to take on various trivial, serious and inevitable hassles
of life.
We are very much thankful to the Head, Department of Electronics and
Communication Engineering, GIET University, Gunupur, Dr. Bibhu Prasad for his
valuable suggestions and supports during the project periods.
We would also grab the opportunity to thank entire faculty group for their moral
support and cooperation to make this thesis success.
Our family has been the axis of my mental strength and their support leaves me with
irreparable debt and honest gratitude. Sincere thanks to them for willingly accepting
my decision of opting for higher studies.
We would like to express our heartiest gratitude to the central library staff members
for their kind co-operation during our work.
We express our thanks to all our friends for their timely suggestions and
encouragements.
We might have missed a many more names and they all deserve the best of our
feeling for their selfless helps and supports in their own way.

Name of the student

1
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page i

Declaration by student ii

Certification by the Guide iii

Acknowledgment iv

Abstract 3

1. Introduction 4-6
Basic idea
History of project
Objective of project
Need of project

2. Literature Review 7

3.Working of project 8-11

Circuit diagram with description
Components description
i. Resistor
ii. LED
iii. LDR
iv. IC555

4. Performance Analysis 12-13

2
 5.Conclusion 14-15

6.References 16

ABSTRACT

What is Electronic Letter Box? Electronic letter box is basically a circuit which let us know easily
with help of a LED whether a letter is present in the letter box or not. If the letter is present in the box then
the LED will glow and if the letter is not present in the letter box then the LED will not glow. This is the
basic idea of electronic letter box. Thus electronic letter box is very efficient and a very easy circuitory to
get the letters. This circuit uses a popular timer I.C which is 555. I.C 555 is connected as comparator with
pin 6 connected with positive supply, the output goes high-1 when the trigger pin 2 is at lower than 1/3
level of the supply voltage. Conversely the output goes low-0, when it is above 1/3 level.
So small change in the voltage of pin 2 is enough to change the output of pin 3 from 1 to 0 and 0 to
1.The circuit illustrated below is used as an electronic letter box. When letter is put inside, a LED glows
which indicates the presence.

3
4
 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Basic Idea

What is electronic letter box?

Electronic letter box is basically a circuit which let us know easily with help of a LED
whether a letter is present in the letter box or not. If the letter is present in the box then the
LED will glow and if the letter is not present in the letter box then the LED will not glow.
This is the basic idea of electronic letter box. Thus electronic letter box is very efficient and a
very easy circuitry to get the letters.
This circuit uses a popular timer I.C which is 555. I.C 555 is connected as comparator with pin
6 connected with positive supply, the output goes high-1 when the trigger pin 2 is at lower than
1/3 level of the supply voltage. Conversely the output goes low-0, when it is above 1/3 level.
So small change in the voltage of pin 2 is enough to change the output of pin 3 from 1 to 0 and
0 to 1. The circuit illustrated below is used as an electronic letter box.
When letter is put inside, a LED glows which indicates the presence.This is the basic idea of
electronic letter box. Thus electronic letter box is very efficient and a very easy circuitry to get
the letters. This circuit uses a popular timer I.C which is 555. I.C 555 is connected as
comparator with pin 6 connected with positive supply, the output goes high-1 when the trigger
pin 2 is at lower than 1/3 level of the supply voltage.
Conversely the output goes low-0, when it is above 1/3 level. So small change in the voltage of
pin 2 is enough to change the output of pin 3 from 1 to 0 and 0 to 1. The circuit basically
consists of an IC 555. This is an 8 pin IC. The output of this IC is obtained from pin 6.This
circuit also has LED’S, LDR, Resistors, Battery as the main components. This is the basic idea
of electronic letter box. Thus electronic letter box is very efficient and a very easy circuitory to
get the letters.

5
1.2 History of project
A letter box, letter plate, letter hole, deed, mail slot, or mailbox is a receptacle for receiving
incoming at a private residence or business. For the opposite purpose of collating outgoing
mail, is generally used instead.
 Letterboxes or mailboxes consist of four primary designs:
 A box through which mail is delivered (through-door delivery)
 A letter box directly to the house.
 A box mounted at or near the street.
A centralised mail delivery station consisting of individual mailboxes for an entire building. A
centralised mail delivery station consisting of individual mailboxes for multiple recipients at
multiple addresses in a particular neighborhood or community. Thus in the past there were only
letter boxes which were manual. However the past have changed. Now-a- days these electronic
letter boxes are used which is completely user efficient. These letter boxes glow the LED
whenever the letter is inside making it very clear to the user as to well to open the letter box.
Thus the history of the letter box has changed completely. Modern inventions have been made
and the letter box has become more efficient.
When somebody drops letter in your letter box then LED connected to output stops glowing
indicating you that you have letter. To detect the presence of a letter we have used a LDR and a
source of light. It has resistance of about 1 mega ohm in total darkness and 2- 5kohm in bright
light. In this the source of light and LDR is so adjusted in letter box that light will fall directly
fall on LDR so that when letter is drop inside the box it will block the beam of light and LDR
will be under darkness. The circuit gives you a visual alarm when somebody drops a letter in
your drop box. This electronic letter box circuit is based on operational amplifier LM741,
CD4001 and LDR.An op-amp produces an output voltage that is hundreds of thousands times
larger than the voltage difference between the input terminals .

6
1.3 Objective of project
This circuit uses a popular timer I.C which is 555. I.C 555 is connected as comparator with pin 6
connected with positive supply, the output goes high-1 when the trigger pin 2 is at lower than
1/3 level of the supply voltage. Conversely the output goes low-0, when it is above 1/3 level. So
small change in the voltage of pin 2 is enough to change the output of pin 3 from 1 to 0 and 0 to
1. The output has only two states high and low and cannot remain in any intermediate stage. It is
power by 9V battery for portable use. The circuit is economic in power consumption. Pin 4,6&8
is connected to the positive supply and pin 1 is grounded.
The circuit which is explained below is been employed as an Electronic Letter Box.
When letter drop by someone into the letter box then the LED attached at the output stops
blinking which indicates that there is a letter in your letter box. To identify the presence of a
letter in the box we have connected a LDR as well as source of light. LDR is a special kind of
resistor whose action based on the intensity of light declining on it.In this circuit the light source
is adjusted with the LDR in such a way that the light will directly drop on the LDR so that when
any letter comes inside the letter box it will chunk the light beam and LDR will be beneath
darkness.

1.4Need of project
Electronic letter box is very important in today’s life. Electronic letter box glows an LED
whenever the letter is put inside and thus the person knows that a letter is waiting for him onside
the letter box. To identify the presence of a letter in the box we have connected a LDR as well as
source of light. LDR is a special kind of resistor whose action based on the intensity of light
declining on it.

7
 Literature Review
P.A. AMBRESH , Design and construction of an electronic letter box: The main advantage of an
electronic letter box is that you can tell if there is a letter in the box without opening it. When someone
drops a letter in the box, an LED attached to the output stops blinking. [1]Namuyomba Victoria, The
document discusses the development of an automated post office box detection and notification system in
Uganda. The system aims to notify box owners via SMS when they receive mail, addressing the
inconvenience of making unnecessary trips to the postal office. It was developed over a period of 5
months, designed in Proteus ISIS software, and tested using Arduino Uno board and digital multimeters.
[2] Shamim N. Pakzad, Implementation of Smart Letter Box System through the Wireless Sensor: A letter
box system is an indication system, describes a low-cost, time-saving, and safe Smart Letter Box System
using wireless sensor networks and obstacle sensors. It introduces a hardware kit with IR transmitter and
receiver for detecting objects. Unlike the existing system which sends text message notifications, this
system uses an Android application for internet-based notifications, reducing human efforts. It also
includes a battery backup to prevent power failure.[3] Prof. S.V.Telranndhe , A Novel Method to Monitor
and Alert System for A Letter Box: This article studies the attack susceptibility of voice assistants. It aims
to address the issue of neglecting to collect letters from the traditional letter box by allowing users to
remotely check the status of any new letters dropped into the letter box using cloud and mobile
applications. The system utilizes controllers, sensors, and cloud connectivity to provide efficient
monitoring with minimum human intervention. [4] David L. Chaum,"Electronic Mailbox System”, This
document describes the presents a technique based on public key cryptography that allows for secure
communication in an unsecured electronic mail system. It enables participants to communicate
anonymously and hide the content of their communication without the need for a universally trusted
authority. The technique also allows for the formation of rosters of untraceable digital pseudonyms for
various applications, including elections and correspondence with record-keeping organizations.[5]
Carlsen, John, Best Mailbox Alerts Review, They describes a system for remote mail delivery notification,
involving the use of RF transmitters on mail delivery vehicles and RF receivers for recipients of the mail.
The RF receiver is positioned so that the central mailbox is within its proximity region, and it is designed
to alert the recipient when the delivery vehicle is at the central mailbox.[6]

8
 WORKING OF PROJECT

3.1 Circuit diagram with description

Fig3.1: Circuit Diagram of Electronic Letter Box

To detect the present of letter we have used LDR and a source of light. LDR is a special type of
resistance whose value depends on the brightness of the light which is falling on it. It has a
resistance of about 1 mega ohms when in total darkness, but a resistance of only about 2-5 k ohms
when brightly illuminated. It responds to a large part of the light spectrum. The source of light and

9
LDR is so adjusted in the letter box that light will irectly fall on the LDR but when letter is kept
inside then it will block the beam of light and LDR will be under darkness. We have made a
potential divider circuit with LDR and 100 K variable resistance connected in series. Voltage is

directly proportional to conductance so more voltage we will get by this divider when LDR is
getting light and low voltage in darkness.
Divided voltage is given to pin 2nd of 555. As soon as LDR gets dark the voltage of the pin 2
drops 1/3 of the supply voltage and pin 3 gets high and LED glows.We can also use two LED at
output pin 3, for present LED 1 and for absent LED 2. For this method one LED is connected as
forward bias and other is connected as reverse bias to indicate both high and low conditions. To
limit the current of LED resistance is used in series.For source light, use Red or White LED. For
LED 2 and 3 you can use any other color- green, red, yellow or blue.Operation of this circuit is
very much easy, you just need to install the LDR as well as LED at the different corners of the box
so that LED light will regularly fall on the LDR as a effect of it, device stay off since light beam is
declining on LDR and its resistance will low which in turn the IC1 pin 2 moves to high.As quickly
as someone drops the letter in the box, light declining on the LDR is blocked and its resistance
reaches high. Due to which IC1 pin 2 moves to the low state which also turns pin 6 into low state
and this low is given to pin1 of NI1.
This circuit uses I.C 555 which is connected as comparator to pin 6. Connected with positive
supply, the output goes high-1 when the trigger pin 2 is lower than 1/3 level of the supply voltage.
Conversely the output goes low, when it’s above 1/3 level. So a small change in the voltage of pin
2 is enough to change the output of pin 3 from 1 to 0 and 0 to 1. The output has only two states
high and low and cannot remain in any intermediate stage. The circuit is economic in power
consumption. Pin 4, 6 & 8 is connected to the positive supply and pin 1 is grounded.

3.2 Components description in detail

1) Resistors( 100kΩ, 470Ω, 470Ω, 470Ω)

A resistor is a passive two-terminal electrical component that implements electrical resistance as
a circuit element. Resistors act to reduce current flow, and, at the same time, act to lower voltage
levels within circuits. Resistors may have fixed resistances or variable resistances, such as those
found in thermistors, varistors, trimmers, photoresistors and potentiometers. The current through
10
 a resistor is in direct proportion to the voltage across the resistor's terminals. This relationship is
represented by Ohm's law:
Where, I is the current through the conductor in units of amperes, V is the potential difference
measured across the conductor in units of volts, and R is the resistance of the conductor in

units of ohms (symbol: Ω).

The ratio of the voltage applied across a resistor's terminals to the intensity of current in
the circuit is called its resistance.

2) LED
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a two-lead semiconductor light source that resembles a basic pn-
junction diode, except that an LED also emits light. When an LED's anode lead has a voltage that
is more positive than its cathode lead by at least the LED's forward voltage drop, current flows.

Electrons are able to recombine with holes within the device, releasing energy in the form of
photons. This effect is called electroluminescence, and the color of the light (corresponding to
the energy of the photon) is determined by the energy band gap of the Semiconductor An LED is
often small in area (less than 1 mm2), and integrated optical components may be used to shape
its radiation pattern. Appearing as practical electronic components in 1962, the earliest LEDs
emitted low-intensity infrared light. Infrared LEDs are still frequently used as transmitting
lements in remote-control circuits, such as those in remote controls for a wide variety of onsumer
electronics. The first visible-light LEDs were also of low intensity, and limited to red. Modern

11
 LEDs are available across the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared wavelengths, with very high
brightness. Early LEDs were often used as indicator lamps for electronic devices, replacing small
incandescent bulbs.

3) LDR
A photoresistor or light-dependent resistor (LDR) or photocell is a light-controlled variable
resistor.The resistance of a photoresistor decreases with increasing incident light intensity; in
other words, it exhibits photoconductivity. A photoresistor can be applied in light-sensitive
detector circuits, and light- and dark-activated switching circuits. A photoresistor is made of a
high resistance semiconductor. In the dark, a photoresistor can have a resistance as high as a few
megaohms (MΩ), while in the light, a photoresistor can have a resistance as low as a few
hundred ohms. If incident light on a photoresistor exceeds a certain frequency, photons absorbed
by the semiconductor give bound electrons enough energy to jump into the conduction band.

The resulting free electrons (and its hole partners) conduct electricity, thereby lowering
resistance. The resistance range and sensitivity of a photoresistor can substantially differ among
dissimilar devices. Moreover, unique photoresistors may react substantially differently to
photons within certain wavelength bands.

4) IC555
The 555 timer IC is an integrated circuit (chip) used in a variety of timer, pulse generation, and
oscillator applications. The 555 can be used to provide time delays, as an oscillator, and as a flip-
flop element. Derivatives provide up to four timing circuits in one package.
Introduced in 1971 by Signetics, the 555 is still in widespread use due to its ease of use, low
price, and stability. It is now made by many companies in the original bipolar and also in low-
power CMOS types. As of 2003, it was estimated that 1 billion units are

12
 manufactured every year. Introduced in 1971 by Signetics, the 555 is still in widespread use due
to its ease of use, low price, and stability. It is now made by many companies in the original
bipolar and also in low-power CMOS types. As of 2003, it was estimated that 1 billion units are
manufactured every year.

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
4.1 Testing of project:
The testing of the project Electronic Letter Box was done with the help of “BRED
BOARD”. All the connections were properly connected on the bred board and was verified
whether the circuit is working or not. The connections were done properly and the circuit was
found working which is as shown below-

13
It allows for temporary assembly and testing of circuits. All the components of the Electronic
Letter Box circuit, such as resistors, capacitors, ICs, LEDs, LDR, and connecting wires, were
correctly connected on the breadboard. This involved placing each component into the
designated holes on the breadboard and ensuring proper connections were made.Once the circuit
components were connected, a thorough check was conducted to ensure that each component
was in its correct position and that all connections were secure and accurate.

After the initial setup, the circuit was powered up using an appropriate power supply. The
behavior of the circuit was observed to confirm that it performed its intended function.The
circuit was closely monitored to check for any abnormal behavior, such as unexpected LED
illumination or incorrect responses to input signals. Any discrepancies or issues were noted.It
was confirmed that the circuit operated as expected. This means that when a letter was
introduced into the simulated letter box, the LED responded accordingly, indicating the presence
of the letterThis successful test provides confidence in the functionality of the circuit.

14
15
 CONCLUSION
5.1 Features
The electronic letter box is very important in today’s day-to-day life. The electronic
letter box consists of two types of resistors, an LDR, LED’s and the important role is played by
the main component IC 555.Every component in the electronic letter box circuit has its own
unique feature which makes the letter box extremely easy and efficient to use. To detect the
present of letter we have used LDR and a source of light. LDR is a special type of resistance
whose value depends on the brightness of the light which is falling on it. It has a resistance of
about 1 mega ohms when in total darkness, but a resistance of only about 2-5 k ohms when
brightly illuminated. It responds to a large part of the light spectrum.
The source of light and LDR is so adjusted in the letter box that light will directly fall on the
LDR but when letter is kept inside then it will block the beam of light and LDR will be under
darkness. We have made a potential divider circuit with LDR and 100 K variable resistance
connected in series. Voltage is directly proportional to conductance so more voltage we will get
by this divider when LDR is getting light and low voltage in darkness. Divided voltage is given
to pin 2nd of 555. As soon as LDR gets dark the voltage of the pin 2 drops 1/3 of the supply
voltage and pin 3 gets high and LED glows.
We can also use two LED at output pin 3, for present LED 1 and for absent LED 2.
For this method one LED is connected as forward bias and other is connected as reverse bias to
indicate both high and low conditions. To limit the current of LED resistance is used in series.
For source light, use Red or White LED. For LED 2 and 3 you can use any other color- green,
red, yellow or blue. Operation of this circuit is very much easy, you just need to install the LDR
as well as LED at the different corners of the box so that LED light will regularly fall on the
LDR as a effect of it, device stay off since light beam is declining on LDR and its resistance will
low which in turn the IC1 pin 2 moves to high.

16
5.2 Applications

The electronic letter box is very efficient and easy to use circuit which has its
application in daily life. If one wants to know whether there is a letter present or not inside
the letter box, Electronic letter box project can be of help. The Electronic letter box is a very
useful gadget for homes and offices. The circuit uses single Monolithic -555 in dual in line
plastic package and a few external components.
The main advantage of the letter box is we can find out the presence and absence of
letter inside the box without opening the box. Here light depending resistor (LDR) is used as a
sensor to detect the presence of letter. Thus this circuit solves the problem of going again and
again to the gate of the house to check-up whether a letter is there in the box or not. In this
circuit, two LEDs are used to indicate if any letter is present in the letter box or not.

5.3 Future Scope

The electronic letter box is used very much in today’s life because of its easy working. This
circuit uses a popular timer I.C which is 555. I.C 555 is connected as comparator with pin 6
connected with positive supply, the output goes high-1 when the trigger pin 2 is at lower than 1/3
level of the supply voltage. Conversely the output goes low- 0, when it is above 1/3 level. So
small change in the voltage of pin 2 is enough to change the output of pin 3 from 1 to 0 and 0 to
1. The output has only two states high and low and cannot remain in any intermediate stage. It is
power by 9V battery for portable use. The circuit is economic in power consumption. Pin 4, 6&8
is connected to the positive supply and pin 1 is grounded. The circuit which is explained below is
been employed as an Electronic Letter Box. When letter drop by someone into the letter box then
the LED attached at the output stops blinking which indicates that there is a letter in your letter
box. To identify the presence of a letter in the box we have connected a LDR as well as source of
light. LDR is a special kind of resistor whose action based on the intensity of light declining on
it.

17
 References
[1] P.A. AMBRESH , Prof. Dharmendra Madke ,Guru Nanak Institute Of Engineering is Design
and construction of an electronic letter box: The main advantage of an electronic letter box is
that you can tell if there is a letter in the box.

[2]Namuyomba Victoria, prof. Mr. Odongtoo Godfrey,Engineering of Busitema University, An

Automated Post Office Box Mail Detection and Notification System, 2016-05.

[3]Shamim N. Pakzad ,they done Implementation of Smart Letter Box System through the
Wireless Sensor: A letter box system is an indication system

[4]Prof. S.V.Telranndhe ,they has done this A Novel Method to Monitor and Alert System for A
Letter Box: This article studies the attack susceptibility of voice assistants

[5]Untraceable Electronic Mail, Return Addresses, and Digital Pseudonyms David L. Chaum
University of California, Berkeley.

[6] Carlsen, John. "Best Mailbox Alerts Review." Top Ten REVIEWS. N.p., 18 Nov. 2016.
Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

[7]Goyal, H. (2015). Understanding of IC 555 Timer and IC 555 Timer Tester. International
Journal ofInventive Engineering and Sciences, 3(2), 4-6

[8]A. P. U. Siahaan, S. Aryza, R. Rahim, and A. H. Lubis, “Comparison Between Dynamic And
Static Blocks In Sequitur Algorithm,” IOSR J. Comput. Eng., vol. 19, no. 04, pp. 39–43

[9]G.P. Agrawal, Fiber-Optic Communication Systems, Joinery & Sons, Inc., second
edition ,1997

[10]B. J. Baliga, M. S. Adler, R. P. Love, P. V. Gray and N. D. Zommer, "The insulated gate
transistor: A new three terminal MOS-controlled bipolar power device",

18
[11]Hammoud, Hassan. "Electronic Mailbox System." Electronic Mailbox System. N.p., 13 June
2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2016

19