DTMF GENERATOR/RECEIVER

Dual-tone-multi-frequency (DTMF, also known as touch-tone) are the audible sounds you hear
when you press keys on your phone.

A DTMF generator refers to any electronic device capable of generating dual tone multi-frequency
(DTMF) signals used for dialing touch-tone telephones. The DTMF dialing system operates by configuring
a keypad in a three column by four row grid representing the numbers 0 through 9 and other special
characters such as the # and * keys. The touch pad grid is arrayed by assigning a specific high frequency
for each column and a designated low frequency for each row.

When a user presses a digit on the keypad, a dual tone is generated that represents the intersection of
the two distinct frequencies assigned for each column and row on the grid. For example, when the "2"
digit is pressed on the keypad, a unique audio sinusoidal tone is emitted by mixing a pure high frequency
of 1,336 Hz with a pure low frequency of 697 Hz. The DTMF signal tone generated by the keypad is then
transmitted to the local office of the phone company where it is translated or decoded into the
appropriate corresponding digits which allow the designated phone number to be dialed

A computer equipped with a sound card and digital audio software is capable of acting as a DTMF
generator by producing the dual tone multi-frequencies used on touch-tone telephone keypads. The
software program interprets the phone digits and then generates the appropriate audio files that
conform to the standardized DTMF paired frequency tones. The dialing process can be activated either
by a mouse click or through keyboard commands. This allows for rapid automated computer dialing of
outgoing telephone numbers and is used by many businesses.
DTMF was designed for optimal performance with each tone being very distinct. This makes
decoding the tone very easy even in surrouding noise. It is this performance that makes DTMF
ideal for clear transmission and reception in remote control (wireless or through phone lines)
applications.

The first commercial application of a DTMF generator was the introduction of the touch-tone
pad dialing system, first offered by AT&T to its customers in 1963. The touch-tone dialing
system was demonstrably faster and more convenient than the mechanically based rotary dial
pulse system, which it supplanted. After its introduction, touch-tone became the standard dialing
system for telephones in the United States and was eventually adopted worldwide.

Touch-tone dialing permits activation and communication with DTMF-compliant equipment.

The main system is the user interface and control system. The phone line was chosen as the
method of interfacing because it has distinct advantages over other systems in communicating
information from a distance. The next image serves as a block diagram for not only the remote
access interface but the overall system as a whole.
System flow and activation begins at the top left of the block diagram with the answering
machine picking up a call from the user dialing in remotely. The answering machine controls the
connection and disconnection of the phone line to the DTMF decoder automatically.

The user presses the keys on their touch tone enabled telephone in a specific sequence. The
DTMF decoder circuit is connected to the phone line and it interprets the DTMF signals on the
line and forwards them to the main microcontroller in the form of a four bit binary number. The
controller running the main firmware determines if the correct input sequence was entered by the
user and interfaces directly with the individual subsystems. The subsystems also have a local
activation capability such as a pushbutton switch to control its functionality.

The subsystems are independent of one another and can operate in parallel if an activation signal
is given from either the controller or from the local activation switches.

The RS-232 interface with the computer and the decoded DTMF display are both examples of
future work for the system and are not implemented on the prototype. The open air microphone
also shown in the block diagram has been removed for lack of relevance and because of the noise
it introduces on the line. The flow of the microcontroller software is shown below.
When a user dials into the system remotely they are in the user interface portion of the system
flow. DTMF signals are decoded and forwarded to the microcomputer processor. The
microprocessor stores the last four signals received in memory. If more than four button presses
are detected the microprocessor begins again writing over the first button press stored in
memory. For example, if the sequence entered by the user was:

1, 7, 5, 3, 6, 2

The microprocessor would see this sequence in memory as:

6, 2, 5, 3

This is because of the previously described wrap around effect built into the program software.
When the user has entered what they believe to be the correct code the pound key (#) is pressed
on the phone pad and the microprocessor looks at the code it has stored in memory as described
above. The received code is then compared against a firmware defined code. If the code does not
match, the software begins counting the failed access attempts.

If the failed attempt count reaches three, the microprocessor enters a three minute lockdown
mode where further remote access to the system is denied. This lockdown mode is designed to
discourage unauthorized access to the system. If the user believes that they have pressed a wrong
key, they can clear the code stored in memory by pressing the star (*) key with no penalty. If the
pound button is pressed and an incorrect code was entered, there is no way for the user to delete
the failed attempt, except by hanging up and redialing. If the system is in lockdown mode when a
person attempts to dial in the system, it will not respond until the three minute lockdown has
finished running its course.

Once the correct code sequence has been entered and confirmed correct by the microprocessor,
the user is granted access to activate any number of the desired subsystems. The subsystems are
numbered 0-9, *, and #.The subsystem to activate is chosen by DTMF decoding just as the code
was entered. At this point in the program any key press will activate a subsystem and a
subsystem can be activated multiple times if the user desires. As the subsystems are self
contained, they only require a pulse to begin their respective tasks.

To disconnect from the system, the user simply hangs up the phone that they are calling from.
The subsystems will finish their jobs with no need for the user to stay on the line.

DTMF Component Sizing & Specifications

The DTMF decoder chosen for this project is a CM8870 made by California Micro Devices
(CMD). This chip is used in many pre-constructed systems that have little or no functionality
greater than that provided by the chip itself. The CM8870 requires a small external component
count and is more reliable, easier to use and implement, than software defined DTMF decoders.
Although now discontinued by CMD the CM8870 has had many pin for pin knock off chips
created to fill its wake and are available for as little as fifty cents. At the time of this writing the
original chip is still available through various online and after market distributors for a cost of
approximately $3.

The CM8870 is a CMOS device and has a 5 Volt binary output for easy interfacing to a
microprocessor. This chip is capable of decoding all sixteen DTMF tones, including A, B, C, and
D which are more commonly used in European countries. It has low power consumption and an
on chip amplifier for weak inbound DTMF tones. The greatest boon to using this chip is the
adjustable acquisition and release times of decoded DTMF signals. This allows the chip to be
used with a variety of microprocessors and is ideal for future upgrades. As this is an after market
product ten have been purchased for testing and future implementation. They are also available
for use in the case that replacements are required.

By using a band-split filter, the signal is broken into two sine wave components. The peaks of
each sine wave are counted over some known time frame. This will tell the user the period of
each sine wave. By knowing the period, users can know the operating frequency of each sine
wave. Once the frequencies are calculated, they are compared against valid DTMF frequency
ranges. The next figure shows the valid frequency combinations for DTMF signals.
If a valid frequency is found to correspond to the row and column of a DMTF tone, a binary
output is placed on the output of the CM8870. A control line is driven high on the chip to
indicate that a valid code has been decoded and is present on the four bit binary port. This
decoded DTMF tone will remain present on the output port until the CM8870 receives an enable
signal from the microprocessor controlling circuitry. At this point, the CM8870 will start the
DTMF decoding process over. A table listing the binary output for a decoded DTMF signal is
given below in the next image