I have received a number of emails regarding schematics for crystal
radios. After about the third email, I figured that I may as well put
one on my page. So here it is. The circuit is very simple with only 5
parts, but performs very nicely when used with the right size antenna.
Circut Schematic
| C1 | 1 | Tuning Capacitor (See Notes) | ||||
| D1 | 1 | 1N34 Germanium Diode | ||||
| L1 | 1 | Loopstick Antenna (See Notes) | ||||
| SPKR1 | 1 | Crystal Earphone | ||||
| MISC | 1 | Wire, Board, Wire For Antenna, Knob For C1 |
- C1 and L1 can be bought, or salvaged from an old AM radio (which is where I got mine). You may need to experiment with the connections on L1 in order to get the best (or any) signal.
- You may or may not need the ground connection. I never use it and the radio usually works fine without it.
- The bigger the antenna, the more stations you pick up and the louder you hear them. On my radio, I get about 10 stations, 3 of which are very loud in the earphone. Of course, not everyone has room for a 60' antenna...
- A 47K resistor in parallel with the earphone will help properly load the detector (This suggestion from Kb8tej1@aol.com)
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