BERNARDS RADIO MANUALS No.

168

I. S. B. N. 0 900162 17 1

FIrat publ.ishedDecembef, 1'960 Reprinted Novamber. 19-64 Repnnled January, 1966 RepI'rnted May, 1967 Reprinted January, 1969 A:epri nted May, 1970 Repri.nted February, 1972 Repri.nted November, 1972

all Pagt II

TAPe, AND PICK-UP PRE·AMPLlFIBR

III third paragra.ph of text:, third line sno1l1drea.d : 8 volts,. not 2VMtIJ.

On Page 1'2, Fig. J

The 330 K resiS(or between the base of Te. I and the emitter ·of Tr, 2 should be of pre-set type.

©1960.

Printed by Krisson Printing Ltd., 184 Acton Lane, London. N.W.IO,

for Bernards (publishers) Ltd., The Grarnpians, Western Gate, London, W.6.

CONTENTS

Page
1. Two Transistor Superhet ••• 4
2- IIi·Pi Tape and Pick-Up Pre-amplifier ••• 6
3. Hi-Pi 3-wattA!nplifier ... 11
4. Miniature Mains Power Packs ... 13
5, 5 Kc/s to 2 mc/s Signal Injector ••• 15
6. Sensitive Subminiature Loudspeaker Radio 17
7. Tho .. Mighty Atom" SiDgle Transistor Receiver 19
8. U-Watt Public Address Amplitkr ... , ....... II
9. Transistor Voltmeter 26
10. Simple ~ece Refiex R.eceiver ... 28
11. Simple Transmitter 32 TWO TRANSISTOR SUPERHET

The average transistor superhet on the market uses six transistors in a citcuit which varies very little from one" manufacturer to another. The first St3g.6 is usually an autodyne converter, which combines the fnnctfensof local oscillator, mixer and I.F. amplifier. the second and tlii.rd are LF, amplifiers and the remaining two stages provide the necessary A.F. gain, the last stage using two transistors in a push-pull circuit to drive the speaker, When loudspeaker operation is not req uired the finalstage, can be dispensed with and the driver used to drive an earpiece. This results in the saving of fwo transistors. Using two OCI69':s for the first two stages makes the second I.F. transistor unnecessary because of tho extra gain provided. Finally, the A. F. Driver may be eliminated by reflexillg the I.E stage to fulfill this Function. Our original six transistors have now been whittled down toonly two without loss of performance. Sensitivlty and selectivity remain very much the same the only difference'being that the set now drives an earpiece instead ofa speaker.

'The advantages of thlstype of set over the less expensive regenerative detector type of receiver are it's superior quality, Sensitivity and ease of operatiolL Whilst the ttgen. can. ofteo.gi.ve ex~l1ent results it has insufficient R.F~gain for really tri~ areas and in these areas a superhet suchas this one should operate perfectly well.

The complete circuit diagram for the receiver is illustrated in Fig, 2, Trl is an .a,utodyne frequen.cy changm' using an OC169 which provides a conversion .gain otabout 40 dB tbroqgbout the broadcast band. The LF •. signalis selected by I.F.TJ. which feeds it to the second transistor. Tr2. serves both as LF •. amplifier and as the A.F. stage. Detection ill bymeam of an OA10 point contact diode which also supplies the A.G.C. voltage for Tr2. TIiis A. G.c. is sufficjenUy strong to keep the signal level from overJoadingthe stage on 'large signals.

To avoid the use of a large tuning capacitor, the receiver is tuned by means of trimmers. Four trimmers are used, each bav~g a vaJuc or 100 pf. As there are two. circuits to be tuned the number of programmes that maybe received, without adjustment being: made to the set, is limited to two. As most people will only wish to receive the Home and lightprogramme:s most of the time. this may not be a very severe disadvantage. If 3. third station is likelY to be required frequenUY, however, a further pair of trfmrners may be added.

Adjustrne.n.t of the receiver is fairly simple because no serious .Llignment problems arise. Connect an aerial to the top of the:. primary of Ll via a 1O.pfcapacitQr. Now, with switches 81 and S2 open, adjust C2 and CS to receive the station you require with the bigher frequency. Adjust IFrland lFT2 in tum to obtain

4

j

R I.

IQI(..

15.2. r

I

I

I

I I

I I

L -'

FIG'. 2. TWO TRANSI 5TO R SUP~RHET.

'2.,..x o·

0.1. r

0.1..70.

+

-

T

maximum vo.lumeand then readjust C2 and C5 if necessary. S1 and 82 may now be closed! and CI and C6 adjusted for reception of the lower: frequency station. The aerial may now be removed and minor adjustments made to the four trimmers to ensure maximum sensitivity.

Should you find the sensitivity of the receiver ir:sufficent in your area it may be increased by applying regeneration to Tr2. As this transistor always amplifies at the same frequency no adjustmera need be .made to the setting of the regeneration control when switChing from one station to the other. The simPlest way of applying the required positive feedback is' to connect a 15 pf, beehive trimmer between pin 4 of IFJ'2 and pin I of lFfl adjustment being made for maximum gain short of oscillation.

The receiver uses cnly a 3 volt battery for it's power supp!y and this will aid the constructor who wishes to build a really compact set. The smallest 3 volt battery on the market is the Ever Ready D22 which may be ordered through Boots the Chemists

and which is only Ii"" long by," in diameter. As the current t

consumption oCtbe set Is only I ma, even this tiny battery will give

a reasonable life

Components List for two transistor superhet

Rl

R2

R3

R4

RS Cl,C2;C5,C6 C3,C4,C8

C7

Tr1;Tr2

Ll

Osc

IFTl

IFT2

Dl

E

Battery

10 K ohms 2.7 K ohms I Kohm 2()'KbhmS

5 K ohms variable with single pole switch' All 100 pf. trimmers, postage stamp type All 0,01 mu.f

0.05 mu.f

OCl69 drift transistors

Slab aerial type FS 3 made by Repanco Repanco oscillator coil type X08 Repanco [P. transformer type XT6 Repanco I.P. transformer type XT1

Point contact diode type GA70 or similar

250 ohm d .. c .. earpiece such as Ardente ER.250 3V Ever Ready type D22 or larger type

TAPE AND PICK-uP PRE-AMPLIFIER

This pre-amplifier was designed by the General Electric Company for use either with a tape recorder or with a magnetic gramophone pick-up, 'giving NARTB correction in the case of the former and RJAA compensation to the latter. The total harmonic distortion of the pre-amp. is-less than i%.

6

M"9ftetie Tape or p~o~o

P IcI<.u,p.

FIG. 3.

PREAMPLIFIER

TAPE ~ART~

330.1<.

Tr.3.

2N 332/0C 45.

15.jJ., IS.v,

p-----=-l~

FOR TAPE OR

MAGNETIC

PICK-UP.

'The pre-amp is suitable for virtually any impedance magnetic pick.up because the input impedance of the amplifier will be generally higher than, that of the pick-up. Variations in the impedance of the pick-up due to changes in frequency will. therefore, be unimportant.

The first two stages are stabilised against temperature changes of up to 40D C by CIJIlOOt feedback via R2. This resistor should be varied. until the collector voltageoC T.r2 is 2 volts.

The voltage feedback from the collector of Tr2 decreases at low frequencies because of the increasing reactance of the feedback: capacitor in series with the treble control, This is done to achieve frequt[)cyselectivecompensation for the standard NARTB recording characteristic for tape or the standard RIAA for gramophone records, The level response fmm a standard NARTB pre-recorded tape occurs with tbe treble control (RI2) at mid. position or

12 Kohms -

The output stage, fanned by Tc3, is an emitter follower or common collector amplifier and has, therefore, a very low output impedance which makca It Imitable for feeding into virtually any length of cable 10 driVe a translstorol'valvt powerampl16el'.

For optimum .operation. the treble control should have a linear track and the volume control or level control an audio or semi-log track. For the powersuppty two PP3 batteries may be used in series to give extremely long life as the current consumption is only 3.5 rna.

If the pre-amp;. is required for use with a tape deck operaijng atn i.p.s., R12 should be set at 2.5 K ohms, the feedback capacitor should be raised from 0,0} mf. to 0.02 inf. and. the 47 ohm resistor from the emitter ofTrt to ground Should be shunted with a 0.5 mf. capacitor to. obtain a flat response beyond 10 Kc/s.

Components lIst for pre-aID.plifier

Resistors:- 15K,41 ohm, 1.5K ><.2, 12K,. 8.2K-aU! watt fixed. 500K, 15K, 5K-variable.

Capacitors:- 20mf. x 2-----20V.W., lOOmf, lOV.W" lOmf. 15V.W., O.DlmS. x 2, O.03mf.

Transistors:- Trl 2N508

Tel 2NSOB A suitable equivalent for any of

lr3 2N322 these is the Mullard OC4S.

One of the many problems associated with home listening is the need for operation of the Hi~Fi equipment at a lower sound level than would be found in a normal concert hall. The trouble arises because the human ear is far from linea. in it's response to dlfferent frequencies and this response varies considerably with the intenslty of the sound. The.Heteher-Munsen curves show that as the intensity of the sound is reduced the base frequencies. have to be boosted to maintain the same subjective listening level. This boost is fairly

8

5.K. lnel.

_805'1

B(tost.

50. Ie

0·1. Henry. 50.n. d.c.

+ 10.jl.

IS.V.

output.

FIG. S. BASS BOOST CIRCU,IT FOR FIG., 3.

le.l.

1 .. 50.:1-,

_.,; 1:1, v.

3, mAo

-,-- 1

6.\/. I

L.!:.{~. n) ...

uot~~,

fiG. 6. CIRCUIT

DIACRAM

Of THE3W. AMPLIfiER.

o

considerable and amounts to about m dB. per octave below 300 cIs when the overall listening level drops 40 dB. TG achieve this bass boost in the pre-amp. just described the circuit shown in Fig. 5. may be added to the output.

For the 0.7 Henry choke the primary of an Ardente transformer type D122 is suitable,

Components List for Bass Boost Cir€uit

50 K ohm linear potentiometer for bass control.

0.7 Henry choke approx. 50 ohmd.c. (Primary ofD122 Ardente),

10 mf. electrolytic 15 V.W. .

3 ,VATT HI-FI AMPIJFIER.

In Transistor Circuits Manual No.2, I described a high performance one watt amplifier designed by G.E_C. From the number of letters and telephone calls I received concerning this circuit it evidently proved very popular but many readers asked for an amplifier with bigher output power. Well, G.E£. have once again produced an excellent design, this time for an amplifier with a clear 3 watts output, and have even improved on the frequency response and other characteristics of their smaller-unit.

1f the amplifier is used with the pre-amplifier of Fig. 3., the first transistor, Trl , may be omitted and the output from the pre-amp .. connected to the base of Tr2 ..

T0 avoid the use of an output: transformer, which would be 1.1 ther bulky because of the low d.c. resistance that would be required, a single ended output stage is used, directly coupled to the loudspeaker which 'should have a voice coil offrom 3 to.5 ohms.

The output transistors are in series across the power supply so that each operates from only 6 volts, Forward bias of between 2 and .5 rna. is applied by means of R12 and Rl3 to prevent crossover distortion. 6 ,dB of negative feedback at 400e/s is applied from the loudspeaker to the base of the driver. The output transistors are GETl15's mounted on 3" x 3" fins to act as heat sinks.

The driver transistor, a GET1l6, operates as a class A amplifier dissipating 320mW .. with a collector current of 35roA. Coupling to the output stage Is by means of a :3 : 1 + 1 phase splitting transformer which may be either a Caine Electric 05009 or a Parmeko P2943 (se'!:l components list). Because of the high current level at which this stage operates the input and output impedances are very low, making It necessary to use a 250 mu, [electrolytic for deeeupling in the emitter. A lower value than this should not be. used. as it would reduce the low frequency gain by providing frequency selective negative feedback.

The pre-amplifier stage,. which, as mentioned above,. may be omitted, uses a GET1l6 biased to a collector current of 2.5mA. The un-bypassed emitter resistor gives rise to a small amount of

11

negative feedback and increases the input impedance to about 5K ohms, thus providing a suitable Ioad for the second detector of a conventional transistor broadcast receiver.

The performance fi~1'es given for this amplifier by G.E.C. are

as Iollows.->

Input resistance of pre-amplifier at 400 cIs SIC ohms

Input voltage to pre-ampllfrer for 3 Woutput 150 mY.

lnput resistance of driver at 400 cis 75 ohms

Input voltage to driver for 3 W ousput 80 mY.

Power gain with preamplifier stage 58' dB.

Power gain without preamplifierstage 45 dB.

Total quiescent current at 2O~C 65 mAo

Total current at 3 W output 400 rnA.

Peak power dissipation of each output transistor 800 mW. Frequency response 20 cIs. to 30 Kc/s ± 1 t em. Total harmonic distortion at 400 cis, 3 W output less than 5 %

As no output transformer is used problems of component layout do not arise, there being no components to Jnteract, With the transistors specified, stable operation is possible up to a. tern .. perature of 5SoC assuming normal use on speech. and music.

O:Imponents List

Resistors all * watt 10% unless

otherwise stated. .

RISK ohm log. variable R2 22Kohm

R3 15K ohm

R4 l.5KQhrn

R5 lOOohm

R6 1.5K ohm

R7 2.ZK ohm

&8 11( ohm

R9 150 ohm

RIO 82 ohm

Rll 4.7Kohm RI2 270 ohm 5% RI3 270 ohm 5% R14 0.5 ohm

R15 0.5 ohm

CapacitorS

CI Srou.f.l2,V.W. C2 8mu.f.. 6V. W. CJ SOmaL 6V.W. C4 8mu.f.9V.W. C5 2S0mu.f. 6V.W. Transistor« (O.E.C.) 'Trl GETll4 Tr2ClETIl6

Tr3 GET. H.5} .. tehed Tr4 GETI1S :rna ..•.

Speaker

Voitcecoil 3 to .5 ohms

TRANSFORIVIER

Thetransformer should have the lowest possible d.c.resistance consistent with a high primary inductance. Cross over transients at high frequencies ~ reduced if bifilar secondaries arc used ..

Thetl'lll}Sformer in the prototype had the following characterbtics:-

1'2

Turns ratlo

Primary inductance Primary resistance Secondary resistance

Suitable commercial types are Come Electric Limited Parmeko Limited

• Bifilar windings.

3 : 1 + 1 l.I Henries 18 ohms

8.5 ohms each half

05009·

P. 2943 *

MINIATURE I\.1AINS POWER SUPPLIES FOR TRANSISTOR EQUIPMENT

Experimentors who use transistor and other low power equipment often' find it infuriating to have to use batteries all the time. One never really knows whether or nota particular battery is fresh and one of the exact voltage one requires is rarely on hand. These simple power supply circuits are designed to overcome this problem and, in addition, may be permanently installed into radios or other equipmel!:_t wbich would normallyrequire batteries.

To keep the cost of the units low a standard 6.3V heater transformer has been used in every case and the diodes are the ordinary germanium point contact types which can often be bought from surplus stores for as little as a shilling. Despite the fact that the output voltage of the transformer is always 6.3, the output from the power pack may be anything from 6.3 to 15V depending on the circuit configuration used and the load on the circuit.

The amount of current that can be drawn from the circuit is limited by the max. permissible forward current of the diode used, this figure being obtainable from the manufacturers specifieation, In the case of the Mullard OA70 and OAB1 the maximum forward current is. 50 rnA. which is more than sufficient fOI the average transistor circuit. Usually the current required wifl be less than SmA.

The choke of transformer is completely non-critical. Any type or make wiU be able to handle the power concerned and it will usually be convenient to select thesmallest size available.

The circuit diJigrams for the power supply circuits are given in Fig, 7. Five different circuits are shown the choice of the one most suited to the constructors requirements being mainly a matter of the voltage desired in relation to the current consumption. The table below was compiled from measurements made using DA81 diodes, The GEX44 diode gives similar results.

13

D.C. Voltagc

o IItp ut. Quad rapl er C Ire uit.

FIG. 7. MINIATURE MAINS POWER SUPPLY CIRCUITS.

+

D.C.

Output.

+ nCo

OutPlit.

+

D.C.

Output.

+

Mllir Wave Circuit.

Bridgc Circuit.

Voll<:lgc

D <:I ublc,r Cit e lIit.

Voltagc

Tr ipl. r C I reu It.

14

Circuit

Half wave arid Bridge Half wave and Bridge Half wave and Bridge Half wave and Bridge Half wave and Bridge Ha1f wave and Bridge Voltage doubler Voltage doubler Voltage doubler Voltage doubler Voltage doubler Voltage doubler Voltage tripler Voltage tripler Voltage tripler Voltage tripler Voltage tripler Voltage tripler Voltage quadrvpler Voltage quadruplet Voltage quadrupler Voltage f).uadrupler Voltage quadrupler Voltaae quad.rupler

Current Drawn OmA. ImA. 2mA. 3mA. 4mA. SmA. OmA. ImA. 2ntA. 3mA. 4mA. SmA. OJM. ImA. 2mA. 3mA. 4mA. SmA. 0ntA. ImA. 2mA. 3mA. 4mA. SmA.

Voltage Output

- 8.5 7.5 7.0 7.0 6.8 6.5

17.5 16 15 14.5 14 13.5 27 22.S 20 17.5 15 13 35 30 26 22 18 14

Many types of diode, other than the point contact germanium types used here, may be used to advantage in this type of circuitrY. Silicon junction diodes, when available. are ideal because of their high power handling capacity and small size. The output voltage for a given current will vary considerably with tho type of diode used and care should be taken to ensure that the voltage is never higher than the transistors in the equipment can withstand.

The values given for the electrolytic smoothing capacitors are not particularly critical but be careful not to exceed the working voltage of the type used.

5,000 cis TO 1 me/s SIGNAL lNJEcrOR

This little device is one of the most valuable assets a service engineer or home constructor can have for testing or fault tracing. It may be used for R.F., I.F. or A.F. equipment and is, therefore, ideal for testing radio sets. As a high voltage is not produced the unit cannot harm transistorised equipment.

The circuit diagram of the signal injector is shown in Fig. 8.

This type of circuit is known as a rmrltivibrator and it operates as folIows:- When the unit is switched on both transistors conduct a relatively high level of current, about 6mA., this causes a sharp

1:5

Output Voltage.

--

R.1. 1·8.k.

Prab •.

- 3. to 4'5. 'l

FIG. B. 5,000 e/I. TO :I; M c/.. SI GNAI.. INJECrOR.

drop in collector voltage and a positive going pulse is sent to the other transistor which counteracts the effect of the base bias resistor and switches the transistor off. 'This causes a negative going pulse which switches the fitst transistor on again. The output waveform should, iotbeozy, be a square wave but in practice .it will resemble the curve on the left hand side of Fig. 8 .. because of delayed collector conductivity.

As the voltage rises very steeply to its maximum level. the output is very dch in harmonics of the fund:amentalfre.Q.uency and as. these extend throughout the broadcast band the osciUator may be used up to about 2 mc/s.

The fundamental frequency of the multivibrator is determined by the products Cl x R4 and 0 x R3 which should be equal.

1 1

0.77 The frequency will be approximately equal to ---

. Cl R4

The ftequetl:cy will be sUghtly reduced by the leakage currents Qf the transistors and as these are temperature depende.ttt, the frequency will drop very slightly with an increase in temperature.

The upper frequency limiter the harmonics in the output will be deterIpined by the rise. Wne. .. of thetran~istor used, .th. at is •. by the cot off frequency. Use of an R.F. transistor such as the OC4S or OC169 will considerably increase this limit,

CompoDelUs IJst

RI UK

R2 47 ohms

R3 41K

R4 47K

RS 1.8K

R6 470hms

ct 0..005 mf.

C2 O.OOSmf.

C3 100 pf.

Ttl 0C70.,OC71,0C450rOCl69

Tr2 OC70.0071,0C4SorOCl69

Battery 3 or 4 .. SV.

1 1

SENSITIVESUB:MINIATURE RADIO USING A LOUDSPEAKER

Byusin,g the OCl69 a receiver of small size but high sensitivity can be constructed without too many components. To obtaia sufficient R.F. gaina regenerative detector is used feeding abigh gain two transistor-A.F. Amplifier. As a new 1 I" speaker is used the external dimensions of the receiver may be 3'"' x 2" xi· inch or even less.

The speaker is the new TSL/Lorenz LP4SF whi.cb is a moviog coil type and has a depth of only t". The magnet is made from ferrite instead of the more usual alnico and this results in the incredibly highfield strength of 9,.500 gauss, The voice coil impedance is 10. ohms and the output transformer should have a turns ratio of 10 : 1 to match thiS. This figure is not, however;

particularly .critical, ~

17

C.l. 30 to 100.)10.

-6. V.

II ,--:---_-..:~~~---....I II 11'-...;;;..;;;..--4--+-----, 11---....,

II 1...1. II "5. T. II

II C.I.

II 400. p.

II II ~--..:}-~--+---f-[

II laT.

11_--t---'---.J

T.2. 10:1

ItS. 47.K.

FIG. q CIRCUIT FOR 3. TRANSISTOR RECEIVER,

The cireuit diagram ot: the receiver is shown in Fig. 9. The aerial coil should be wound on i" or -i" ferrite rod baying a length of I tOO or more, Wind a layer of paper over the rod wide enough to hold Ll, Now wind on Ll providing a tap at the tenth tum as shown in the circuit diagram. Use 26gauge enamel wire and wind the turns side by side. The whole assembly should be wound sufficiently freely to enable it to be slid along the rod, This makes it possible to alter the inductance vf the coil so that the m.w. band can be covered accurately. L2 should be wound. with the same gauge wire 00. a separate strip of paper and should also be able to slide freely along the rod.

The turns ratio of the interstage transformer, T.t may lie between 4.5 : 1 and 10 : 1 the latter providing slightly more gain thaa tae former, The value of the electrolytic Capacitors is not at all critical, 8 or 10 mf. types being perfectly suitable for C4 and C5.

When the assembly of the receiver is completed jt should be aligned as follows:~et Cl and RI roughly to- their mid positions and slide L2 with respect to Ll until the receiver just oscillates. If no oscillations are obtained,. reverse the connections to LZ.

n wiilnow be possible to bring the receiver in and out of oscillation by adjusting RI. Cl is used to tune in the station and Rl to aqjust the amount of regeneration. It may be necessary to move Ll in order to cover" the band properly in which case L2 will also have to be moved.

Components List

RI 50K volumecontrol with switch for battery,

R2 lS0K ohm subrnla. Cl 400 pf, tuning cap. miniature

R3 270K ohm subrnin, solid dielectric type or post-

R4 5K ohm submin. age stamp trimmer with knob.

R5 47K ohm subrnin, C2 0.1 rof.

R6 IK ohm submin, C3 30 to 100 rnf 6 or more

Tl 4.5 : 1 or 10 : 1 interstage working volts.

transformer. C4 6 rnf,

T2 10 : 1 output transformer C5 6 inL

Trl OC169 Ll and 2 See text.

Loudspeaker,

Tr2 DC71 or equivalent. If3 oen or equivalent ..

THE " MIGHTY ATOM" SINGLE mANSISTOR RECE]YER

This simple receiver was designed by Weyrad for use with one of their coils and is an interesting example of the excellent results obtainable from a regenerative detector which has been carefully designed.

Many simple transistor receiver circuits are disappointing because they will only receive the local station owing to poor sensitivity. In this design, however, regeneration and. a novel form of aerial

19

R.2.. 100'.K.

AI! Ih.l,l(lu 1/8. W. ± 20"10

Capa.cllo' Toler (lne.. nl.'l Critic" I.

"Of':

-,.- [ 4'5 I I

to .1

t.v.... I

-g_~I:" T !

p~o"C~ ~. I

40-100(1 alb.

\ I

'~

t I

L ~ ~

R.I. 4.1"K.

5

V.I.

X,A 1,0'.

C.2. 'OS.p.

,.1",

~ ~ '~.S.

:, JIOQ.n.

~T'

----..I

C.5. 0-1 jj.

I_~.

FIG. 10. ~MJGHTY Al'OM~ TRANSISTOR RECEIV:ER CIRCUIT DIAGRAM.

C<lpocitor

R.t 4·7.K.

All R ... islors 1/8. W. ± 20"10

Tol.ranon not Critical.

5 t.I S.:Za.

L
4 ;/ '\
°
::I
3 02 . 40
~ 2 0
01 50
t-,
.0
0: Bau of Tag Ring 01
t.I Ct.lRI Coil. HH I CoH. WAVECHANGE SWITCH.

C." 0·001. .....

FIG. II. ADDITION OF LONG,-WA'IE COIL

AND

coupling are employed to improve both seositivily and selectivity which are good enough to permit tile rec¢ption of Continental stations. The high performance will also prove attractive to the more experienced constructor who is looking fora simple feeder unit to be used with an .e"isting amplifier or tape recorder. In Such applicazions the overall size may be reduced by careful re-arrangement of the component layout.

ThetircuH diagram of the receiver is shown in Fig. 10, and in Fig. II. areshown the modifu;ations req uired for Jong wave operation. Before starting work the constructor is advised to look carefully at the diagrams so as to ha vea cleat idea of'the sequence of assembly.

Operating Instructions

Although a six volt battery can be used the set will work well on the 4.5 volt type.

Plug in an aerial (a foot or two of wire should be sufficient for the local station) and the best possible earth to the appropriate sockets, The headphones should be of the low resistance type preferabl;f between 40 and 100 ohms.

The receiver requires careful tunjng because it is very selective and stations can easily be missed. Switch on and swing the tuning control until the local station is heard. The potentiometer may be used as a volume control but for best reception itshould be advanced until oscillation starts. This is shown bya howling noise. Reduce the control untiloscillation just ceasesas evidenced 'by the clearer reception of the desired station. This setting Q( the potentiometer will need to be changed as the tuning is varied and each control has a slight effect on the other. Best results will be obtained by slightly resetting the tuning capacitor after tho most sensitive positlon of the potentiometer has been found.

ls.:WATf PUBLIC ADDRESS AMPLIFIER

The advantages of transistors in public address systems. are, of course, reduced weight, size and power consumption.

This amplifier was designed by Mullard Limited and I would like to thank them for their permission to include it in this manual.

The frequency response, sensitivity and output power are more than sufficient for the application for which the amplifier is intended, the sensitivity being quite high enough to enable a low impedance microphone to be used.

Tbeqrcuit

The circuit diagram of the unit is shown in Figs. 12. and 13. The output stage consists of a matched pair of OC26's in symmetrical class B push-pull. Despite the fact that both collectors are connected directly to the negative side of the battery, the transistors operate as common emitter amplifiers because the input is between base and emitter and not collector and emitter. The reason for using

..

n

\

this type of circuitry is that both collectors are at the same potentia! and may therefore be connected to a common heat 'Sipk.

0.5 ohm emitter resistors are used to provide thermal stability at high ambient temperatures, RY19 and RV20 provide a forward bias to avoid crossover distortion and these should beindividually adjusted to give a quiescent collector current of 30 rnA. in each stage, The output transformer should be in the form 'Of a centre tapped choke having a total. d.c, resistance of less than 02 ohms and an inductance ofmore than 100 mHo This component maybe home made.

The driver stage uses an.OC26 as a.class A amplifier dissipating a total of about L 7 watts. The collector current should be adjusted to theeorrect level, 125mA .. , by means of RVI4. The transistor

should be mounted with a mica washer between it and the chassis. The specifications for the driver transformer are- as follows:-'

Turns "ratio 2.5 : I + 1 (bifilar secondary)

Primary Inductance >500 mH at l20mA d.c.

Primary d.e .. resistance <6 ohms

Secondary d.c, resistance 5 ohms + 5 ohms

Jf the resistance or each of the secondary windings is Jess .th.an 5 ohms ± 10% they should be brought up to. this Value oy the addition of a series resister as shown in Fig. 13.

The fhree preamplifier stages are faidy conventional, the most unusual part of the circuit being the use of direct coupling between the second and third transistors, The higb frequency response is limited to 7 KC/S by including C6 inthe feedbaeknetwork. Thereis no. point in amplifying frequeacies of more than '7 Kc/s particularly when to do so results in an Increase incross over distortion in the output stage. As reproduction below 150 cis is not desirable in a public address amplifier, the low frequency response is limited by making ClO 4 mu.I, instead. of 10 rnu.f,

The supply voltage of 14Y was chosen because tl:iis is tile typical value for a ful1ycbarged 12v. accumulator as used in. cars. The amplifier will, of course, still operate properly when the supply vol tage drops below this value.

The performance, figures supplied by Mullards fot thisarnplmer are as Iollowst-«

Current consnmption=no signal speeeh ze music Sensitivity (for: full output)

Input impedance Dlstortion at full output Frequency response

22QmA.

800 rnA. approx, Q.2uA.

O.2mV.

IK ohm

less than 4%

150 to 7,000 cIs ± 3dB ..

23

R. 6.

C.9. IOO.,JI..

U.v.

FIG. 12. FIRST ! STAGES OF IS WATT PUBL.IC-ADDRESS AMPLIFIER.

s

c

AU

•• C..,I do ••

c

FIG. 1,3. DRIVER

e.ru,

1, .. '0 .••.

-I".V.

output

I.

~--------------------~

3'3:](.

ST4COES

+

Of

ADDRESS

AMI!'L .. lfIER.

PUBLIC

·TRANS!STOR VOL'IMEI'ER

When measurements of voltages are made in high resistance circuits care must always be taken to ensure thatthe resistance of the meter used. is greater than that of the circuit being measured, preferably by a (act{lr of ten. The conventional moving coil or ]lloving iron meter rarely has a sufEiciently high reslstaaee and. electronic and service engineers almost invariably use a- valve \,oltme:ter in place of this.

Valve voltmeters are rather expensive pieces of equipment and are usually priced beyond the range of the average nomeeonstructOl'. However. a transistor v.oltmeter, such as this one, may have an .equally highi:Qput ~ista.nce_andbe. in every way, comparable with its valve counterpart. In addition, it has several advantages 'being far smaller .• lighter and, above all, independent of external power supplie~.

The circuit diagram of the unit is shown in Fig. 14. The input resistance IOn the highest range is 15 M ohms and is generally lSOK ohms per volt,

The mode of operation is simply explained; when a voltage. 1s applied to the input it will cause a small current to fl.ow through the input resistor and the base-emitter circuit. A considerably amplified version of this current will flow through the cclleetor-emlttsr circuit and wilt deflect. the needle of the micro-ammeter •. Taking a typical example let us assume that the input voltage is 1 volt and that the switch is ill the position shown in. the diagram. The bese-amiuer resistance is low enough to be ignored so the current this generates will be, by ohm's Jaw •. 6.7 nrieroamps, Assuming a current gain of 40 times, which is typical foran DC71. this will result in a collector eurren t of 268 microarnpa, This will be sbared between the meter and the sensitivity control so that only 100 microamps actually ftows thr.ough the meter to produce .full scale QeJlection. III the absence of an input voltage the transistor wlU stiH have a collector cerrent which would tend to defl.ect the meter and make accurate readings impossible, so a cancelling current in· the opposite direction Is provided by R5, R6 and B2.

Defore using the meter, short circuit the input and adjust R6 until the meter reads zero. If zero balance cannot be obtained in the (":00) position of 52,. close this switch to the warm position, but make sure that R6,is not turned to too Iowa value or the meter will be damaged. Now connect a kn.own voltage to the input (such as a Mallory mercury cell which is LJ4V) and. adjust R4 so that the dial indicates this value ..

If you already possess a multimeter, with a 100 mlcroarnp rangethis may be used and the rest of the components may either be built into the case or incorporated as an add on unit.

Components List

RI 15 M .ohm

26

+

ru,

roo, v.

B,I. -+

1<-5. 4"1:](

10.V.

0071

R. 6, 50.K, Set Zero.

I'S,V,

I·'S.V.

FIG. 14. HIGH, INPUT

M

RESISTAN CE

VOLTMETER.

R2 1.5 M ohm

R3 150K ohm

R4 10K ohm potentiometer

RS 47K ohm 20%

R6 SOK ohm potentiometer

S I Single pole. three way switch

S1 Single pole, on/olf switch

Bl &. B2 Single penlight or slim penUght cells

Transistor OC71 or equivalent

M 100 microamps F.S.D.

The two batteries may be .soldered into the Circuit and wilfIast as long as their normal shelf life because of the tinycurrent drain of the unit.

SIMPlE, EARPIE(:E REFLEX RECEIVER

The regenerativelreflex type of receiver bas now become gui.le commonplace and, because of the small number .of components ~uired for a good level oFperfonnance, is almost jovariably used in the cheaper type of kit. The principle of thecitcuit is simply that the ~st transistor, besides amplifying at R.F. is refipxed to amplify. at A.F. and act as the driver for the output stage. In addi~ion to this,regeneprtion is often employed to increase the R.F. gain and sensitivity as in the receiver described here.

Many of the designs that have been produced and described in books and journals giveexcellent performance but they rarely lend themselves to miniaturisation because they use R.F. chokes wbich are only available in rather largesizes, This set, however. bas been designed specifically to avoid the use of any transformers or chokesand may, therefore, be built "ery compactly.

The tuned circuit. consists of a small ferrite rod aerial, L. and a postage stamp trimmer with a. knob fitted to WS 6BA screw, CI. The aerial coil is tapped to match the input jrnpedance of Ttl. an 0044. The ·stgnal is Jed to the base from the end of the coil rather than from the tap so that feedback [rom the collector. which is 1800 out of phase with the base, maY be applied to the other end. The phase change resulting from the finite transit time in the 0C44 is small enough to be ignored at medium waveband frequencies so this arrangement results in positive feedback.

The R.F. output from TTl is mainly fed to the two diodes via C4. A small proportion, however, is fed back to the tuned circuit via Rl and C2 to provide regeneration, The collector load for Trl is resistive and has a total value of 10 J( ohms,split into two 5 K ohm resistors to separate the R.F. and A.F.outputs front the transistor. The R.F. output is demodulated by D1 and D2and the resultant AF. signal applied to the base of the transistor. The ou;l:put from Dl also contains a D.C. component which is pro-

28

OA70

+

0.2.

OA 10

E _

I 10 8,1( Imp.dQnce.

SIMPLE

EARPII;CE

C.5.

I. p..

REFLEX

RECEIVER.

FIQ. 15.

portional to the signal and tends to reduce the base bias on Trl thereby reducing thecollector current, since the gain is very dependent upon .operating current in. this type ofcircuit this system provides .3 high degree of A.G.c. and also prevents oscillation at high signal levels.

The A.F. output from Trl is R.e. coupled. 10 tho output stage.

This stage drives a hearing aid type eMJ)iece or a pair of high impedance headphones. The impedance is not very critical and reasonable results win be obtained even witb..low impedance units but high impedance types certainly pmvide more volume .

. The total current dl1l.wn from the battezy with this set is only about.! rnA so the type of battery you need will depend upon the

case size, For very small receivers the Ever Ready D22 is ideal

(IS it is only 1 tIt lang X i" diameter.

Constructional Details

The only component that has to be hom.e made is the ferrite rod aerial. Thjs consists of a total of 55 tums Of 34 gauge enamelled wire wound on a 2J;'"length of ferrite rod with a tap at the 10th tum. A.single layer of paper should be wound between tb~rod and the

~. ~

The layout is not critical and may be arranged to suit the constructor. An idea. of how small the set may be made is given by the diagram in F1g~ 16. This diagram just shows the positioning of the main component and may be used as a guide by the constructor.

Varying the value of R2 may Improve the performance. With some transistors 800 K or 500 K may give better results.

In operation Rl is used to control tbll' regeneration and. ~ence The volume. Before tuning in a station. it should be adjusted j list short of the point of oscillation and then readjusted for maximum performance when the required station has been selected: by Cl.

Like all receivers using ferrite rod aerials this set. is directloaal and will receive signals best when turned at right angles. to the direction of the transmitter.

If the size of the receiver does not matter, performance being a II

major coasideratlcn, R4 may be replaced by an R.F. choke of

1 to 5 mHo inductance and R5 by an A.F. choke the value cf which

is not critical. If these additions are made, care must be taken to

ensure that no inductiveeoupllng occurs between the R.F.C. and

L. For all reasonable signal strength areas, however, these additions

axe unnecessary.

ComIMlnents List

Rt & s 50 K ohm volume control with switch (Fortiphone

. type VSZ6 is suitable)

R2 1 M ohm or less (see text)

R3 &R4 5Kohm20%

R.5 220 K ohm 20 %

)0

.... -

R.I. and S Type VS2

/FERRITE ROD AERIAL L.

~r-'
I
;~ ~ 00 ®®
t' n .C1
1-
2 I.
~ 4 ~ 0

~ Batt. Type 022. ~
-'-' I"

~----------~-22-----------------~

/Poltoge Stamp Trimmer C.I.

Drawing Is Is times Actual Size.

FIG. 16. POSSIBLE LAVOUT FOR SIMPLE REFLEX RECEIVER.

In Transistor Circuits Manual No. 2 details and the circuit diagram for a simp!c 3 transistor transmitter are given. That unit used a variable frequency oscitlator and a modulator amplifier. An even simpler transmitter can be built for use with a mome ke¥ and wjth a crystal contrelled oscillator.

The circuit diagram of such a unit is shown in Fig. 17. It is not only simple to baUd buf simple to operate as well because the crystal ensures oscillation at the correct frequency. The circuit is a variation of the Colpitts type: of oscillator with the crystal and Cl forming a capacitative tap across the collector load which is a 1.S or 2.5 rnilli.lIenzyR.F. choke. This system provides positive feedback from collector to base and sustains oscillatiQR in the crys1al. Cl controls the degree. of oscillation and does not alter the frequency of operation.

The transmit&er may be operated by a normal transmitter key or, if a really small unit is required, by a microswitcb. The aerial may be a rod type having a length of between 1 and 2 feet. The czyatal has, of course, to be chosen to .lUit. the frcqucncy required which should be somewb.eIe in the top amateur band, that is from 1.11.5 - 2mc/s.

The l'Ilngc obtainable depends on the n.ature of' the district,and on th.c sensitivity of the receiver but will ge:nerally be up to 1 rolle. Increasing the length of the aerial will increase the ran,ge.

Compoaeats 1Jst

RI 1 Mohm20%

Cl C2 C3 C4 CS

L E B

DI &D2 Trl

Tt2

OR2 TTL R.F.C. Battery

250 pf. postage stamp trimmer 5pf.

0.001 mu.f. 100 pr.

1 mu.f. 3 volts working or more. Any higher value of capacitor will be satisfactory.

55 turns. 34 gauge wire on i" ferrite rod (see text) Hearing aid type earpiece. 1 to 8 K ohm impedance 3 volt battery

MullardOA70

Mu[]ardOC44

Mullard OCll

SIMPLE TRANSM1TI'ER

Cl 3~30pr. tuning capacitor or

• beehive trimmer

XtaJ. Quartz crystal between L 71$ and 1mr;fs

lOOKobm20% 0C44 DE OClS Between 1.5 & 2.5 milli. Henries

Ever Ready type PP3. 9 volts

32

Rod or .Whlp Acrlal . ....,..:.-""

ICTAL

C.I. 3-30.P.

R.1. I.M.

Key

I

Tr.I.

OC 44.

_...-_ Balt.

9.Y. pp 3.

FIG. 17. SIMPLE TRANSMITTER CIRCUIT.

BPJ
BP2
BP3
BN
BP5
BP6
B1'7
Bp8
E1>9
:SP)O
BP11
B1'12
BPl3
I BP14
96
100
121
126
129
13B
141
143
145
147
149
150
156
15'1
160
161
163
]68
nO
17~
174
175
176
17'1
l'nl
183
185
187
191
195
196
197
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