Help with 4017 Circuit for 8V IR Sensor Pulse Counting

[dunar21]

[URL]http://www.aryanduntley.com/images/4017trial.png[/URL]
If the image doesn't show, it's here:
http://www.aryanduntley.com/images/4017trial.png"
I am trying to piece together a circuit that counts a certain number of pulses and sends out a charge after that number occurred (I need enough power to run a small printer motor) then reset and begin counting again. The picture shows my attempt at a schematic depicting the connections I have in a circuit that is controlled by a 4017 IC. The pulses come from an IR sensor that puts out about 8V. The circuit is not working. I would appreciate any assistance, thanks.

 

[schip666!]

If it is indeed counting something you are probably on the right track. I would bet that there is some kind of noise or multiple firing on the edges of your sensor signal. You could try putting a small capacitor, say .1uf, across the sensor input to see if it smooths stuff out. Going to far in that direction (a way big capacitor) your signal may be too slow such that it remains in the switching range of the 4017 input and causes it to dither. In that case you may need to use a "schmidt trigger" buffer to clean it up.