8 Year Remix: Crystal Radio Build-Start To Finish (480p to 1K)
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- Опубликовано: 21 окт 2024
- These are the main things a beginner wants to know when building a crystal radio. It is a remix from the past 8 years and all the key things I have learned, remixed into one video.
It includes building a simple crystal AM radio, details on each component, and antennas and grounds.
Begins with how to make a robust crystal AM radio. DIY step by step. No special tools or skills needed. Most parts can be had from recycled things. The purchased parts run about $3. Good during power failures, when batteries are not available, for prepping and similar.
Depending on your design (coil mostly) it can receive in the AM broadcast band, approximately 535 to 1700 kHz.
See Warnings below.
This one is loosely based on the Cub Scout / Wolf Scout / Boy Scout crystal radio design.
OPERATION TIPS & TRICKS
A good antenna is important. Longer is usually better (see antenna warning below), a good ground is next most important. More below
With some stations, you can put a finger or 2 or 3 inside the tuner coil to improve reception. Move them around for best reception.
A finger near the coil can also improve reception. Touching the coil directly usually lowers sound volume, BUT a piece of paper or thin plastic between finger and coil often improves sound / tuning. Move finger around.
Touching different parts of the radio or getting near them can affect performance.
TOOLS TO BUILD
Screw driver
Knife
Sandpaper (small piece, fine)
(Optional) Saw, if you do not have the wood & tube already cut
(Optional) Hand drill for screw holes
(Optional) Soldering iron, solder
MATERIALS
1 x Germanium Crystal Diode (1N34A)(bought: Amazon, Radio Shack 276-1123, Digikey, Jameco, Mouser...)
1 x Resistor (10k ohm, carbon, not wire wound)(bought: ditto)(see note below)
1 x Crystal earphone (can NOT be other type)(bought: Amazon, Jaycar, Jameco?) MUST be like the type in the video. Regular iPod or similar will NOT work.
1 x Base 21 x 17.5 cms x 2 cms thick or more (wood scrap)
1 x PVC pipe 15 cms long or stiff cardboard tube x 2.5 inch diameter
1 x motorcycle / bicycle spoke, 2mm diameter or brass rod or stainless rod
Enameled bell wire (can be from old transformer, solenoid, ...) 0.3 to 1.5mm (note: I used 0.5mm or roughly 19-20 AWG, the number of turns and length of pipe change with wire size.) Bigger wire has lower resistance (better sound), BUT you get fewer turns per centimeter (less tuning).
Screws, stainless or brass (6 for wire hold downs, 2+ for coil mounting),
Fahnestock clips (6) (bought: Amazon & electrical shops). OR brass washers (13) (bought, hardware store)
2 bigger washers for wiper.
1 bigger, large head screw for wiper.
ANTENNA & GROUND
The antenna is just a long piece of wire (I use scrap wire from old transformers, fluorescent light ballasts and such). The longer the better.
Try different lengths and orientations (vertical, horizontal)
A good ground helps. A wire to a ground rod is good. Metal water pipes also work well.
NOTES:
The resistor is necessary to get the best sound from these "new" crystal earphones. The new ones are piezoelectric and have lots of capacitance. Without the resistor the charge builds up then discharges so you get constant "static" sounds. The resistor bleeds off charge so you get louder, and much clearer sound.
Also called a foxhole radio.WARNINGS:
NEVER CONNECT RADIO TO ANY SOURCE OF POWER. Not house current, nor batteries, nothing! DO NOT USE HOUSE ELECTRICAL GROUND!
Never use the radio during lightning storms.
Never run an antenna over or near power lines.
Disconnect antenna when not in use.
Never ground to electrical items, plugs or similar.
If you don't know, don't do it.
OTHER:
An excellent website by an avid and skilled builder:www.lessmiths.c...
INTERESTING LINKS
Air Core: www.circuits.dk...
OTHER CRYSTAL RADIO VIDEOS
Updated Video: Best/Easiest DIY Crystal Radio - No Batteries, No External Power (4K)
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Updated Video: Best/Easiest DIY Crystal Radio - No Batteries, No External Power (4K)
ruclips.net/video/fLVCqZGpv3U/видео.html
I'm going to build one for my physics class. I've watched your videos about crystal radio and its upgrades and it really helped me understand a lot about electrical physics. It's my last year in high school and I hope it goes well and I achieve my dream of entering a good engineering college. Thank you sir for helping me understand the working of crystal radio ❤
Let me know if you have questions. Good luck with your studies!
Updated Video: Best/Easiest DIY Crystal Radio - No Batteries, No External Power (4K)
ruclips.net/video/fLVCqZGpv3U/видео.html
Cool stuff. Crystal radio always fires up my imagination.
Me too!
Radios like this are a lot of fun. I'd love to come back to them, best regards
I like how you held the spool of wire when winding the coil. I will have to use this method when i try building mine.
It really helps.
Nice compilation. Good job. The demonstration coil you made looks about right to use as a short wave receiver I mentioned in a different post.
Thanks. My latest video is how to build a crystal radio in 2023 with all the upgrades and improvements from the past 8 years.
Now i built several when i was young and they worked.
I didn't know what i was doing but kept on trying.
A good ground and good long outside longwire antenna are key.
Crystal Radio Antenna (Shortwave Also) ruclips.net/video/G8AsgZbncW4/видео.html
Does the antenna have to be copper? And can the length of the wire be insulated and just bare at the ends?
Thank you for sharing
i will try this ... AGAIN lol. None of my builds seem to work.
Let me know if you have questions.
Very interesting video! I've just finished my first build using the RimstarOrg design (2 coil with wiper and variable capacitor), but disappointingly no joy even after completely rebuilding it to check everything. I've just ordered a different 1N34A diode in case that's to blame (I measured the voltage drop as 0.3V, which I understand indicates it is germanium and not silicon, but I also understand there are some other considerations) . However, I now fancy giving your boy scout design a go, as it looks fool-proof!! Your explanation of the coil length to wire diameter was very useful, as well as the description of the resonance (understanding how it works is my next exercise). Do you have a link please to the calculator you used to determine the the number of coils needed? This would be interesting! Many thanks.
There's lots of good info in the description. Here's the calculator: Air Core: www.circuits.dk/single-layer-air-core-inductor-calculator/
I've only found 1 design using a variable cap that works and I've got a video on that. The reason I push this style is that it pretty much works anywhere there are AM stations. The schottkey diode will "work", just not very well. Sound will be choppier and much quieter.
@@tsbrownie Awesome, many thanks.
I just completed, similar to ur design. Only nuts , screws and tuning rod with base is different. Tuning rod I'm taking a copper one with cycle spoke thickness.. Due to unavailability im using 24 AWG wire for the coil with 120 turns on a 2 inch pipe piece.
I will test tomorrow n let you know. Wish only I could show u.
@@beatlesadeye4912 I'd like to see it. You can make a video and post it on your channel. Leave the link here under this comment.
I don't have a RUclips channel 😆
@@beatlesadeye4912 You get one when you register.
I have tested the crystal radio. I'm surprise that sound is clear .N catching 5 Or 6 transmissions. But there are more stations I can hear but they are overlapping. And one thing I noticed local stations in 529/600/700khz sound is low, but in a batt radio sound is high. But I'm getting 800/100/1600khz sound more louder in my crystal set. But in batt radio it's lower. Means I'm receiving overseas transm. like radio china, Philippines etc. Which they also broadcast in MW.
It's amazing but I don't have AM broadcast in my country
There are several countries that have turned the AM band over to other functions. The US has talked about several options for the Am BAND (digital/FM), but so far has not.
Could I use choke to make such radio?
Not any choke I have seen.
What can I do if I can’t find a single length of copper wire? I have several 5 meter lengths, anything I can do?
You can solder them together. I have done that. It lowers the inductance a bit for each joint. 5 pieces, 4 joints would not be too bad if you keep the rest of the winding tight.
@@tsbrownie thank you so much
I dont have crystal earphone which earphone should i use
Don't know because everything else I have tried works badly if at all.
Which diode should i use
I use the 1n34a or d9k. Many diodes won't work or work poorly.
Can i use doide 4007 is it work
It's a power diode and will not give good sound volume.