Build A One Transistor FM Radio

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Build this one transistor FM radio (my design)

or Build this one transistor FM radio (Designed by Patrick Cambre)

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My Design
A printed circuit board for this circuit is available through FAR Circuits. Ask them for "Andy Mitz's One transistor FM radio printed circuit board".

Introduction
AM radio circuits and kits abound. Some work quite well. But, look around and you will find virtually no FM radio kits. Certainly, there are no simple FM radio kits. The simple FM radio circuit got lost during the transition from vacuum tubes to transistors. In the late 1950s and early 1960s there were several construction articles on building a simple superregenerative FM radio. After exhaustive research into the early articles and some key assistance from a modern day guru in regenerative circuit design, I have developed this simple radio kit. It is a remarkable circuit. It is sensitive, selective, and has enough

audio drive for an earphone. Read more about theory behind this radio on the low-tech FM page.

Construction
parts source Except the the circuit board and battery, all parts are from Mouser Electronics. A complete parts list with stock numbers is listed below. The circuit board is available through FAR Circuits. The variable capacitor is available through Electronix Express. layout Because this is a superregenerative design, component layout can be very important. The tuning capacitor, C3, has three leads. Only the outer two leads are used; the middle lead of C3 is not connected. Arrange L1 fairly close to C3, but keep it away from where your hand will be. If your hand is too close to L1 while you tune the radio, it will make tuning very difficult. winding L1 L1 sets the frequency of the radio, acts as the antenna, and is the primary adjustment for super-regeneration. Although it has many important jobs, it is easy to construct. Get any cylindrical object that is just under 1/2 inch (13 mm) in diameter. I used a thick pencil from my son's grade school class, but a magic marker or large drill bit work just fine. #20 bare solid wire works the best, but any wire that holds its shape will do. Wind 6 turns tightly, side-by-side, on the cylinder, then slip the wire off. Spread the windings apart from each other so the whole coil is just under an inch (2.5 cm) long. Find the midpoint and solder a small wire for C2 there. Mount the ends of the wire on your circuit board keeping some clearance between the coil and the circuit board. a tuning knob for C3 C3 does not come with a knob and I have not found a source. A knob is important to keep your hand away from the capacitor and coil when you tune in stations. The solution is to use a #4 nylon screw. Twist the nylon screw into the threads of the C3 tuning handle. The #4 screw is the wrong thread pitch and will jam (bind) in the threads. This is what you want to happen. Tighten the screw just enough so it stays put as you tune the capacitor. The resulting arrangement works quite well.

Adjustment
If the radio is wired correctly, there are three possible things you can hear when you turn it on: 1) a radio station, 2) a rushing noise, 3) a squeal, and 4) nothing. If you got a radio station, you are in good shape. Use another FM radio to see where you are on the FM band. You can change the tuning range of C3 by squeezing L1 or change C1. If you hear

a rushing noise, you will probably be able to tune in a station. Try the tuning control and see what you get. If you hear a squeal or hear nothing, then the circuit is oscillating too little or too much. Try spreading or compressing L1. Double check your connections. If you don't make any progress, then you need to change R4. Replace R4 with a 20K or larger potentiometer (up to 50K). A trimmer potentiometer is best. Adjust R4 until you can reliably tune in stations. Once the circuit is working, you can remove the potentiometer, measure its value, and replace it with a fixed resistor. Some people might want to build the set from the start with a trimmer potentiometer in place (e.g., Mouser 569-72PM-25K).

Substituting other components

Many of the parts are fairly common and might already be in your junk box. Only certain component values are critical. The RF choke should be in the range of 20 to 30 uh, although values from15 to 40 uh might work. The tuning capacitor value is not critical, but if you use values below 50 pf you should reduce or remove C1. The circuit is designed for the high impedance type earphone. Normal earphones can be used, but the battery drain is much greater and the circuit must be changed. To use normal earphones, change R3 to 180 ohms. Q1 can be replace with any high-frequency N-channel JFET transistor, but only the 2N4416, 2N4416A, and J310 have been tested. A MPF102 probably will not work. C2 is not too critical; any value from 18 to 27 pf will work. C7 is fairly critical. You can use a .005 or .0047 uf, but don't change it much more than that.

Schematic diagram
Click here for a nice PDF version of the schematic.

Printed circuit board

The printed circuit board for the One Transistor FM Radio is available through: FAR CIRCUITS Printed Circuit Boards 18N640 Field Court Dundee, Illinois 60118 (847) 836-9148 Voice/Fax email: farcir@ais.net

Some wiring notes:

Unless you have experience with super-regenerative radios, I highly recommend using the FAR Circuits printed circuit board. Connect the two sections of the variable capacitor (C3) in series to linearize the tuning somewhat. That is, use the connections on either end of C3 and don't use the middle lead. L2, the RF choke should not be near a ground. The same is true for L1. Capacitance to ground will disturb the feedback. The gain is just enough to drive an earphone. If you live too far away from radio stations, you might have trouble hearing one. There is no option here for an external antenna (that would require and extra transistor). You can drive a speaker if you add an external audio amplifier. If you want a little more audio gain, or you cannot locate a TL431CLP chip, you can use some other audio amplifier in the circuit where pins 1 and 2 of D1 normally connect. You can use an LM386 or a TDA7052 audio amplifier. Quasar DIY project kit #3027 is a complete TDA7052 audio amplifier kit and it works fine in this application.

Parts list
All parts except the RF tuning capacitor can be obtained from Mouser Electronics www.mouser.com sales@mouser.com 1-800-346-6873 The RF tuning capacitor can be obtained from Electronix Express electron@elexp.com 1-800-972-2225 In New Jersey 1-732-381-8020 Part designator Part description C1a,C1b C2 10 pf, 50 v, ceramic disc capacitor 22 pf, 50 v, ceramic disc capacitor Vendor stock number 140-50N5-100J 140-50N5-220J

C3 C4 C5,C8 C6 C7 C9 D1 EPH1 L2 Q1 R1 R2, R3 R4 R5 R6 S1 screws for C3 nylon screw battery connector

RF tuning capacitor 330 pf, 50 v, ceramic disc capacitor 0.001 uf, 50 v, ceramic disc capacitor 0.22 uf, 50 v, film capacitor

N14VCRF10-280P 140-50P2-331K 140-50P2-102K 140-PF1H224K

0.0047 uf, 50 v, ceramic disc 140-50P5-472K capacitor 22 uf, 16 v, electrolytic capacitor TL431AIZ voltage control Zener (shunt regulator) High impedance earphone 22 uh RF choke 2N4416A JFET transistor 470K, 1/4 w, resistor 1K, 1/4 w, resistor 10K, 1/4 w, resistor 1M, 1/4 w, resistor 100 ohm, 1/4 w, resistor Small SPST switch screws for mounting C3 (2 needed) #4 nylon screw used for tuning C3 mini battery snap 140-XRL16V22 511-TL431AIZ 25CR060 542-70F225 510-2N4416A 291-470K 291-1K 291-10K 291-1M 291-100 10SP003 48SS03 561-T0440037 12BC025

Note: schematic shows slightly different capacitor values. Either will work.

Please feel free to send me questions and comments at arm@gnode.org

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Last updated 5 July 2002

Andrew R. Mitz arm@gnode.org

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