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G8MNY  > TECH     10.03.23 12:00l 93 Lines 4799 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 42480_GB7CIP
Read: GUEST
Subj: AM TRF Radio
Path: IW8PGT<LU4ECL<ED1ZAC<GB7CIP
Sent: 230310/0809Z @:GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO #:42480 [Caterham Surrey GBR]
From: G8MNY@GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO
To  : TECH@WW

By G8MNY                                           (New Nov 08)
(8 Bit ASCII graphics use code page 437 or 850, Terminal Font)
In a recent construction contest, we all had to build this QUASAR project kit
No 3063 "One Chip AM Radio". Here I have redrawn the circuit in a more logical
way.
                   ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄ>+9V
                  4K7                               5K6    ³    ³
                   ÃÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿              ³   ³/BC  +³100u
                   1K  ³              ³              ÃÄÄÄ´ 548 ===
         ÚÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄ´   ³             10K            _³_  ³\e    ³
        100K  ³    ³   ³ u47          ³             \_/   6R8   ³
Rod      ³ ÚÄÄÁÄÄ¿ ÃÄÄÄ)Ä´ÃÄÄÂÄÄ150KÄÄ´       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄ)ÄÄÄÄÄ´    ³+ 100u
  ÚÄÄÂÄÄÄ)Ä´MK484³ ³   ³     ³        ³      820K   _³_    ÃÄÄÄÄ)Ä´ÃÄ>LS
||(  ³_  ³ ÀÄÄÂÄÄÙ ³   ³     ³   ÚÄÄÄÄ´       ³     \_/   6R8   ³
||(  ³/| ³    ³    ³   ÃÄÄ¿  ³ ³/     ³       ÃÄ´ÃÄÄÄ´   ³/e    ³     8ê
||( ===  ³    ³   ===  ³ _³_ ÀÄ´BC548 ³       ³n47   ÃÄÄÄ´ BC   ³
||( /³   ³    ³  u1³   ³ \_/   ³\e    ³   u47 ³    ³/    ³\558  ³
  ÀÄÄÁÄÄÄ´    ³    ³  === ³      ³   10K<Ä´ÃÄÄÁÄÄÄÄ´       ³    ³
   160pF ³    ³    ³u47³ _³_    100   ³Log       BC³\e     ³    ³  ÚÄ>LS
        ===   ³    ³   ³ \_/     ³    ³Volume   548  ³     ³    ³  ³
      u47ÀÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÁÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÁÄ>0V

Construction was easy, about 30 min to do a good job. Most kits work OK.

The Tuned Radio Frequency Rx is fairly sensitive, but the high RF gain in this
not flat & there is a tendency to get RF oscillation at the high frequency end
of the band. Selectivity is surprisingly good. N.B. the IC runs at 1.2V
maintained by the 2 diodes. 1.5 of an LED is a bit too high. The 1k load & 100k
bias are said to be the optimum values for the IC's detecting & AGC action.

The AF amp is very poor, why they did not use an IC I don't know. The 1st class
A stage in run on next to no voltage so it distorts. The following class A
driver stage has too little standing current to drive the output NPN BC548 to
deliver +ve current swings into the 8 ohm LS.

There is no LW option, Ideally a 2nd coil on the ferrite rod is needed.

MY IMPROVEMENTS 
                       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÂo\ÄÄ>+9V
                       ³                  ³    bootstrap 1K    ³    ³ ON
                      4K7                 ³       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄ´     ³    ³
                       ÃÄÄÄ¿              ³      +³     3k3  ³/BC  +³100u
                       1K  ³             10K     ===     ÃÄÄÄ´548  ===
           ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄ´   ³ u47          ³       ³15u  _³_  ³\e    ³
          100K    ³    ÃÄÄÄ)Ä´ÃÄÄÂÄÄ150KÄÄ´       ³     \_/   6R8   ³
Rod    Cd  ³   ÚÄÄÁÄÄ¿ ³   ³     ³        ³       ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄ)ÄÄÄÄÄ´    ³+100u 
  ÚÄÄÂÄÄÂÄÄ)ÄÄ´MK484³ ³   ³     ³   ÚÄÄÄÄ´      820K   _³_    ÃÄÄÄÄ)Ä´ÃÄ>LS
||(  ³_=== ³  ³ÀÄÄÂÄÄÙ ³   ³     ³   ³   10K      ³     \_/   6R8   ³
||(  ³/|³  ³ ===  ³    ³   ÃÄÄ¿  ³ ³/     ³       ÃÄ´ÃÄÄÄ´   ³/e    ³    32ê
||( === ³  ³  ³n82³   ===  ³ _³_ ÀÄ´BC548 ³       ³n47   ÃÄÄÄ´BC    ³
||( /³ Rd  ³  oLW ³  u1³   ³ \_/   ³\e    ³   u47 ³    ³/    ³\558  ³
  ÀÄÄÁÄÄÁÄÄ´  \   ³    ³  === ³      ³   10K<Ä´ÃÄÄÁÄÄÄÄ´       ³    ³
   160pF   ÃÄÄÙ   ³    ³u47³ _³_    100   ³Log       BC³\e     ³    ³  ÚÄ>LS
          ===     ³    ³   ³ \_/     ³    ³Volume    548 ³     ³    ³  ³
        u47ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÁÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÁÄ>0V

Oscillation at HF end of MW.
By adding a light damping CR across the tuned circuit stops the oscillation,
the Cd is kept very small, a 10pF, & Rd = 330k did it OK without degrading the
performance.

1st AF amp distortion fault.
Running this AF amp from +9V gives lots more unclipped gain, but the
unregulated DC feed can lead to instability with a high gain output stage, so I
cut the track to the pot & added a 10k in series to attenuate the gain a bit.

Bootstrap.
I added a bootstrap to the output by changing the 5k6 for a 1k from +9V & a 3k3
to the NPN base, with the centre tap connected to a new cap to the output NPN /
PNP. This provides a lot more +ve output drive current, without increasing the
standing current & also increased the gain.

LS.
Using a higher 32 ohm LS reduces the LS current by 4, but I did not have one &
had to make do with the 8ê, which worked OK once boxed up.

LW.
Adding a switched 820 or 910pF gave tuning over 1 LW station @ 198kHz OK. I put
it across the unused 60pF tuning cap section & switch both in circuit to gain
the max tuning range. It is not very sensitive done this way, switching the
coil to a bigger one would me much better!

ON OFF
I added an ON-OFF switch too.


Why Don't U send an interesting bul?

73 De John, G8MNY @ GB7CIP


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