IC 4060 is an excellent integrated circuit for timing applications. Its ten active high outputs can give a time delay of few seconds to hours. With a few components, it is easy to build a simple yet reliable time delay circuit.
IC 4060 is a binary oscillator counter frequency divider. Its built-in oscillator is based on three inverters. The basic frequency of the internal oscillator is determined by the value of the capacitor connected to its pin 9 and that of the resistor in its pin 10. By increasing or decreasing the value of the capacitor / resistor, the time delay can be changed. Each output is high after completing the timing cycle. To obtain a maximum time period, output Q10 is omitted in the IC itself, so that the double time is available between Q9 and Q11.
Inside the IC, there is an oscillator and 14 flipped series connected. Internally, the oscillator signal is applied to the first flip-flop which drives the second flip flop, and so on. Since each flip divides its input signal by two, a total of fifteen signals are available, each half the frequency of the previous one.
Ten of these fifteen signals are available on output pins Q3- Q13.HEF 4060 is the CMOS version that can operate at 3 volts while the CD 4060 is a high voltage type that can operate between 5 to 15 volts. It is necessary to add a capacitor near IC pin 16 so that minute voltage changes do not affect the timing cycle. The reset pin 12 resets the timing cycle once it is grounded. The outputs can provide almost complete supply voltage to drive light loads. Heavy loads such as the relay can be driven through a conductor transistor. When the high output is connected to pin 11 (clock input) via a diode, the oscillation stops and the IC remains locked in high state until it is reset. The pin 11 may be used to give clock pulses from an external source.