"k3Ps

47n

TRANSISTOR
441.11,

Ot
*

ij
4
By Louis E. Garner, Jr.
IT'S only a few years since transistors
were heralded as the electronic won-
PARTS LEST
ders of the future, but that future has
moved in with a rush. These surprising TM N.P.N
JUNCTION TRANSISTOR
SPIN
SUBMINIATURE
crystals-popping up in new commercial TYPE 2N35 TUBE SOCKET'
applications every day-have started to
compete with vacuum tubes in real earnest.
Whether you are interested in electronics
as a professional, an experimenter, or a
ri Ca
50 ppFD.
C6

casual hobbyist, the time has arrived to CERAMIC CAPACITORS 005 St

t
make friends with transistors. 112 101000 OHMS
This series of easy -to -assemble projects CR1

is designed to demonstrate basic applica- R3 COO OHMS

....:
tions at minimum cost. The circuits are 1N34
GERMANIUM S.P.S.T
constructed from a handful of standard, '/ .WATT CARBON
RESISTORS
DIODE SLIDE SWITCH

inexpensive parts and because of the knock-

down construction you can use most of SP1 RI
them over and over. Whether you build TYPE C3
one or all these projects, you will get a B2M
1.MEGOHM 0.1 OD.
better feel for transistor circuitry and op- SELENIUM
("SUN BATTERY")
PHOTOCELL POTENTIOMETER
(LINEAR TAPER)
PAPER
CAPACITOR
eration.
The projects, however, aren't just dem-
onstraticn circuits; each one is a practical
LI
CS O.
device that is interesting to assemble and
fun to use. 365.ppFD.

Gettirng Ready. To simplify assembly, TRANSISTOR ANTENNA COIL

MINIATURE VARIABLE
CAPACITOR (LAFAYETTE
the projects are put together breadboard - (LAFAYETTE NO. MS.166)
NO. MS.215)

fashion on a chassis of perforated Ma-

sonite. Fats are mounted with machine B1
STANDARD.
KEY
screws and nuts to eliminate the labor of
chassis design and redesign.
Mount standard rubber feet in the cor- 1,000 -OHM
ners of the 8" by 12" Masonite panel. The R-YOLT BATTERY 8' x 12- PERFORATED MAGNETIC

feet will provide clearance for the mount - (SEE TEXT) MASONITE PANEL HEADPHONE

March, 1956 3t
 ing screws and keep the chassis from slip-
ping while you're wiring the parts.
Make up a 9 -volt power supply by fitting
six penlite cells into standard clips or
taping them together as shown at the
right. Connect the cells in series by solder-
ing short leads from the cap, or positive
terminal, of one cell to the negative outer
shell of the next. Use 8" wire lengths for
the two end connections so you can hook Power pack is a 9 -volt battery made up of six se-
the power supply into the circuit. If you ries -connected penlite cells.
You can tape the cells
have taped up your power pack, you also Together as shown or fit them into standard clips.
have to bend an aluminum strap around it
to serve as a chassis hold-down.
While you're about it, make another Parts Substitution. A good set of work-
scrap -aluminum bracket as shown in the ing components is shown in the parts list,
project photos and at the top of the next but you can make a number of substitu-
page. Drill it to take a 5 -pin subminiature tions without altering the circuitry in any
tube socket for the transistor and a 3 -lug important way. Note, for example, that
terminal strip. Wire the terminal lugs to in some photos tubular ceramic capacitors
the first, third, and fifth socket pins as are shown while in others the same units
shown. You can then make-and unmake appear as discs. The two types are, of
-connections directly to the lugs without course, interchangeable with each other as
any risk of damaging the fragile socket or well as with paper or mica capacitors of
transistor leads. equivalent value.
Still another bent -aluminum bracket will In place of the miniature variable capac-
come in handy as a "control panel." Drill itor, C5, you could use any standard 365-
%" shaft -clearance holes so you can mount Aufd. broadcast -band tuning capacitor, or
a tuning capacitor or potentiometer as even a screwdriver -tuned padder. And for
necessary. the 1000 -ohm magnetic headphone, you

rage...0 wean- wawa- -

"

ANT. iN35rep
TR]
3 RI C2 in I
-,GNP
MEG.
sea ft.,
0IPfd. 00
KZ
R . OZ
CI o-3
a
okra -0 w
MN

I C3 -
.0Ipfd.
R 2 K;,7. . I wfd,
R3 Nor - R2

\'Ve 4 10K

ft. KEY e.

2N35 EMITTER (31

BASE
COLLECTOR 9V. 4.7K
r Pi

For learning the sound and touch of a This circuit is an adaptation of the fa-
radio ham's second language, nothing takes miliar vacuum -tube Colpitts oscillator. Ca-
the place of a code -practice oscillator. This pacitors C2 and C3 in series are shunted
simple job has as good a tone as any you'll across the inductance of the headphone.
find, and being transistorized, it can keep The combination forms both a tuned cir-
pouring out dits and dahs practically for- cuit and an impedance -matching network.
ever on its original power supply. The latter matches the high impedance of
It takes fewer than a dozen connections the collector -emitter output to the low
to put the whole thing together, so invest impedance of the base -emitter input. The
a few extra minutes double-checking all bias current is fixed by R2 and the tone
connections before you fit the transistor control, Rl. Resistor R3, in series with the
into its socket and press the key. When power supply, isolates the tuned circuit
you do get to it, close the key and adjust from the battery and serves also to limit
R1 for the most pleasing tone. the collector and base currents.
32 POPULAR ELECTRONICS
 Each time you wire in the 1N34A diode,
pinch the lead you are soldering with a
pair of pliers. Holding pliers somewhere
between the body of the diode and the wire
tip being soldered serves to trap the heat
and keep it from damaging the delicate
crystal.
For safety, install the transistor last in
all projects-after you've double-checked
Transistor -mounting assembly can be made by the wiring. Make sure, also, that battery
bending a piece of scrap aluminum to hold 3 -lug polarity in every case follows that indicated
terminal strip and 5 -pin subminiature tube socket. in the diagrams.
An n -p -n junction transistor (type 2N35)
is used in this first group of experiments.
could substitute any magnetic phone of It requires battery polarity just opposite to
high impedance. that of the more familiar p -n -p units.
Miscellaneous items, such as knobs, rub- Schematic symbols are similar for the two
ber feet, binding posts, machine screws, types except that in this one the arrow
solder lugs scrap metal, and the like aren't identifying the emitter electrode points
listed and you can use whatever type you away from the base line.
have on hand. The common -emitter circuit - roughly
Wiring. In these experimental circuits similar to the grounded -cathode vacuum -
the parts layout and lead dress aren't crit- tube circuit-is used in all these experi-
ical. You can follow the illustrations or ments. As you might imagine, the hookup
rearrange :he pieces in any way. gets its name because the emitter electrode
If you want to reuse the parts in several is common to both the input and output
projects, it is best to leave the leads and sides of the transistor. When it is con-
pigtails full length except or. the transistor. nected directly to circuit ground, this basic
These should be trimmed to about '4" so arrangement is sometimes called the
they'll fit the socket. grounded -emitter configuration.

ANTEHNA

50 ppf4. I000.n.

II
HEADPHONES
2N35 .,"
LI
- Er 0
r
T RI
If
CR i

r CS
Is
Is ... F 8
- A K
-, y365
rd. 1N34 L ,
A
E
81
9V.

Though this simple receiver has a lot Signals picked up by the antenna -ground
more gain than a crystal set, it still needs system are coupled-through C4-to the
a good antenna and a ground for best re- tuned circuit made up of L.1 and C5. Vari-
sults. A commercially available "transistor able capacitor C5 is used for station selec-
antenna coil"-tapped to provide a good tion as in any conventional receiver. The
impedance match to the input of the tran- tap on L.1 is designed for good selectivity
sistor-is used in the tuned circuit. as well as maximum energy transfer to the
When you wire up the set, pay special transistor circuit. Detection-the separa-
attention to the polarity of the diode. On tion of the audio and radio components of
some 1N34's the cathode end is marked by the tuned signal-takes place in the 1N34
a broad stripe or the letter "K"; on other diode and the base -emitter circuit of the
diodes the terminals are identified by a transistor. The program that comes through
small schematic diagram similar to the should be heard clearly and with good
one which is used here. volume in the headphone.
March, 1956 33
 1 - ,

ANTENNA.

yC 4

Transistors are so efficient they can op-

erate in radio receivers on electrical power
taken from the sun. If you'd like to test
this for yourself, you only have to substi-
tute a selenium photocell for the 9 -volt
power -supply used in project 2. The unit
shown (marked SP1 in the diagram) is the
B2M "sun battery" made by International
Rectifier Corp.
GNO.
In addition, you may want to substitute
C3 for the germanium diode. Whether this
extra change will improve reception de -

ANTENNA

C4

r
.010fd. C6
005
pfd.

TR I
r-3 8 9V
a/Sit/11Ni

You can greatly increase the sensitivity Circuit operation is similar to that' of
of the receivers shown in projects 2 and 3 other regenerative receivers. Signals picked
by adding regenerative feedback. A couple up by the antenna -ground system are
of simple wiring changes will do the trick. coupled through C4 to the tuned circuit
One, new part-"tickler" winding L2- consisting of C5 and Ll. Varying the fre-
appears in the diagram and photo above quency of C5 selects the desired signal
but not in the parts list because you make which is then transferred (through C/) to
it yourself by winding 10 to 15 turns of the base -emitter of the transistor. This
plastic -covered hookup wire around the circuit amplifies the radio frequencies and
middle of Ll. detects the audio.
Two other parts-R/ and C6-are added But as the name "regenerative" suggests,
to the circuit of project 2, and a .01-µfd the amplified r.f. signal is routed back to
coupling capacitor (C/) is substituted for the tuned circuit through the feedback
the 1N34 germanium diode. winding of the coil. On its repeated jour-
After you have completed the wiring neys through the transistor it picks up
changes, slip on the headphones and slowly ever greater amplitude.
turn potentiometer R1 through its entire The resistance across potentiometer R1
range. At some point you should hear a governs the amount of energy that is fed
"putt -putt" or oscillation tone. If you don't, back through the "tickler." Advancing the
reverse the connections from L2. setting of the potentiometer-that is, in-
This feedback tone is a sign that the set creasing its effective resistance-boosts the
is regenerating the way it should. Back off r.f. feedback and thus increases the gain.
the potentiometer until the "putt -putt" Capacitor C6 serves to bypass any r.f. that
sound just disappears, then carefully tune tries to sneak off in the wrong direction
the station you want by adjusting capaci- (through the headphones and battery). and
tor C5. Readjust R1 for maximum volume, carries it back to the transistor circuit.
34 POPULAR ELECTRONICS
p _lids on the characteristics of the indi-
vidual transistor and on the antenna and
ground that you use. The only way to make
sure is to try both arrangements and see
which gives better results. Keep in mind
that a sun battery doesn't deliver as much
power as six penlite cells-don't expect
as much output from the receiver.
And notice that the circuit doesn't in-
clude a switch. When you want to turn this
set on, you just expose the battery to direct
sunlight.

74lasnitalefac #
4 ,

'ANTENNA KEY

0 <I

TR

0
4-,,:
1_2 (SEE TEXT)

r er I MREIG. C

II CI
.01
pfd.
2N3 -t
TRI 81 9V
-re-. CND
91.31111MT
_s

If you've ever built a regenerative re- from home base. To hold the range down,
ceiver like the one shown opposite, you use only a short antenna lead.
know that misadjustment of the feedback To set up the -transmitter, place its an-
potentiometer can make the set squeal like tenna a few feet from any broadcast re-
a stuck pig. ceiver. Turn the receiver volume full on
Squealing occurs when the circuit is and tune it to a dead spot near the middle
thrown into oscillatior. The high-pitched or the lower end of the dial.
noise can be a bit of a nuisance in a re- Next, switch on the transmitter, close
ceiver, but it does have this use-it per- the key, and set R1 at nearly maximum
mits you to turn a receiver into a trans- resistance. Tune C5 gradually till you hear
mitter by making a few minor changes. a high-pitched tone in the loudspeaker of
As you can see by comparing the circuit the receiver. You can now adjust the sound
above with the one at the left, the most im- to your taste by resetting R1 and sharpen-
portant alteration is that a hand key and ing receiver and transmitter tuning.
resistor R3 tAke the place of the head- The transmitter works just like a regen-
phone. In addition, capacitors Cl and C6 erative receiver that has gone into oscilla-
have been interchanged to improve the tion. It puts out a modulated signal, how-
tone quality of the broadcast signal. ever, because of a blocking action in the
Sirrpl?. as it is, this transmitter is ca- base -emitter circuit of the transistor. The
pable of radiating a weak modulated signal frequency of the audible signal is governed
at almost any frequency in the standard by the amount of feedback plus the time
broadcast band; you can pick your fre- constant of the RC circuit composed of C6
quency by adjusting tuning capacitor C5. and the input resistance of the transistor.
Keep it mind, however, that the circuit Since the potentiometer determines the
isn't stable enough for :Ise as a ham trans- amount of feedback, it serves as a simple
mitter,. so don't let it broadcast too far control over the modulation tone. --130r-

March,, 1956 35
 FIVE NEW JO
FOR TWO
TRANSISTORS
You'll find many practical
uses for these simple,
low-cost circuits
1

.4
PART II
fiat

It

By Louis E. Garner, Jr. In an n -p -n transistor (such as the 2N35

Used in the first group of projects), the
were born with a couple base or central layer is a p -type semicon-
of important advantages that vacuum
TRANSISTORS ductor and the outer layers are both n -type
tubes never enjoyed. They're tiny and they material. The p -n -p transistor (like the
draw very little current you can use two, Raytheon CK722 added to these circuits)
three, or a dozen with a very modest is exactly opposite-its n base is flanked
power supply. by two p -type layers.
Each of the five projects described last As you've probably guessed, the letters
month was built around a single tran- p and n stand for positive and negative. In
sistor. Most of the circuits on the follow- a p -type semiconductor, one or more elec-
ing pages employ a second transistor and trons are missing from the crystal struc-
a few additional parts. The small increase ture; each missing electron leaves a posi-
in bulk and cost makes possible a great tive charge that is known as a "hole." In
increase in the range, the power, and the the n -type semiconductor there is a sur-
variety of new devices you can build. As plus of electrons which are free to move,
before, these breadboard units are de- or "diffuse," through the material.
signed for knock -down construction. Aside from polarity, the two types of
Transistors-p and A junction
n. transistors are very much alike and can be
transistor is a sort of sandwich made up used in similar circuits. In general, n -p -n
of three layers of semiconductor material units have somewhat better high -frequen-
(a material which is neither a good con- cy response.
ductor nor a good insulator) such as ger- From a construction point of view, the
manium. The center of the sandwich, main difference between these two kinds
known as the base, is flanked on one side of junction transistors is that they need
by the collector and on the other by the opposite d.c. voltages on their electrodes.
emitter. The two types of junction tran- As you'll see in the projects that follow,
sistors available to hobbyists can be distin- this fact can actually simplify coupling
guished by the way the layers are ar- circuits, when n -p -n and p -n -p transiistors
ranged. are used in combination.
54 POPULAR ELECTRONICS

J
 \:k\ \\. \\ '

1/44
ANT:
ANT
4 RiC14
IC R2
104
365
PPM.
I

Eb
GAO
,

HEADPHONE
(USED AS QTR_
250d. igalcaW- --
HEADPHONE
A4 IDOK mowase.a

Good party fun and serious electronics emitter current flows through both units.
experimenting have a happy meeting Normally, current variations in one would
ground in this wireless mike. For with the appear in the other. Bypass capacitor C8,
low -powered voice transmitter, you can however, grounds r.f. variations in the
surprise or amuse your friends by broad- common emitter. It thus keeps r.f. out of
casting hum e-gr own announcements the audio stage while permitting the signal
through any AM receiver in the house. The developed in TR2 to modulate the r.f. in
headphone, generally used for listening, TR1. This arrangement eliminates the
doubles here as an inexpensive microphone. need for a modulation transformer.
The circuit requires a feedback winding To use the wireless mike, connect it to
(L2) in addition to the store-bought parts; a good ground and run an antenna lead to
make this coil by winding 10 to 15 turns within a few feet of a standard receiver.
of ordinary hookup wire around the center Tune the receiver to a dead spot near the
of antenna coil LA. middle or lower end of the dial. Set Ri at
The n -p -n transistor, TR1, serves here as nearly maximum resistance. Then gradu-
an r.f. oscillator, and its frequency is deter- ally tune C5 and listen for either a live
mined by the tuned circuit made up of Li background hiss or a motorboating "putt -
.and variable capacitor C5. "Tickler" wind- putt" sound. If you get no signal, reverse
ing L2 provides the feedback needed to the connections to L2 and tr.), again.
start and sustain oscillation. Base bias If the set "putt -putts," back off R1 until
current-governing amount of feedback- the sound just disappears. Then recheck
can be regulated by potentiometer R.I. the tuning of the receiver, and you should
The p -n -p transistor, TR2, acts as both he ready to go on the air.
audio amplifier and modulator. Since the Use the headphone as a mike. It's not
two transistors are effectively in series tremendously efficient, hOwever, so hold it
across the d.c. power supply, the same close to your mouth and talk up.

P LIST OF_
'BI -9 -volt battery (6 series -con-. *CRI-IN34A germanium diode Battery" (International Rectifier
nected penlite cells) 'LI-Transistor antenna coil (La- Corp. Type B2M)
112, 83-Penlite cells (divided into fayette No. MS -I66) *TRI-Junction transistor, n -p -n
7.5- and 1.5 -volt batteries; see 12-Feedback winding (10-15 turns (Sylvania Type 2N35)
Project 2, "Photocell Relays") hookup wire; see Project TR2-Junction transistor, p -n -p
*CI, C2 -0.131 -pfd. capacitor "Wireless Microphone") (Raytheon Type CK722)
*C3-0.1-µfd., 200 -volt paper ca- R1-1-megohm potentiometer, lin-
pacitor ear taper "*I -1000 -ohm magnetic headphone
*C4-50-gmfd. capacitor `R2 -10,000 -ohm 1/2 -watt resistor I-8" x 12" perforated Masonite
*C5-365-gµfd. miniature variable R3 -4700 -ohm, *ft resistor 2 -5 -pin subminiature tube sockets
capacitor (Lafayette MS -215) R4 -100,000 -ohm, att resistor I-Sensor plate (see Project 3,
*C6-0.005 µfd. capacitor 125 -100 -ohm, 1/2-wAtt resistor "Rain Alarm")
C7-25-ftfd., 25 -volt electrolytic RLI-S.p.d.t. relay, 4000 -ohm coil
capacitor (Advance No. SO/IC/4000D or I-Flashlight lens
C8-0.005 fifd capacitor equivalent.) I-Piece of cardboard tubing
C9 -0.25-4c1. 200 -volt paper ca - 91-S.p.s.t. slide switch Misc. solder, binding posts, rub-
pacitor *SPI-Selenium photocell or "Sun ber feet, knobs, machine screw;
*Asterisks in parts list and diagrams indicate components used in Part I of this series.

TRANSSTOUR' spintojters
 WIRING HINTS
Make a breadboard 6,1
wiring assembly for
each transistor by Would you like your porch lamp to
mounting a 5 -pin sub- blink on automatically when the sun goes
miniature tube socket down? It's no trick to use light-or the
and a 3 -lug terminal absence of it-to flip a switch.
strip on an L-shaped A selenium photocell-used in the sun -
strip of scrap alumi- powered receiver last month as a power
num. Wire the lugs to the first, third, and source-does a little switch of its own in
fifth socket pins. Make al circuit connections
I
these layouts and becomes a signal source.
to the lugs.
Actually, of course, the sun battery con-
e Trim transistor leads to I/4" to fit the tinues to do exactly what it did before: it
sockets. Leave the pigtails of other com- generates current when it is exposed to
ponents full length so you can wire-and light. After it's amplified, the current
rewire-them in different circuits. triggers a relay.
Pay special atten-
Two photocell units are shown here:Un-
ED
DOT tion to the wiring of der strong light conditions, the one -tran-
the two transistors. sistor amplifier is all you need. However,
CK722 4:: CB Socket connections the two -stage circuit will give better re-
can be identified by sults over a wider range of applications.
tV-1
2N35' \ 1. :
B
lead spacing on the
2N35 and a red dot
on the CK722.
Adjustment screws on the relay switch
allow you to vary both spring tension and
the spacing of the contacts. In general,
Always install transistors last-after dou- lowering spring tension and narrowing the
ble-checking the wiring. Don't switch on gap between armature and pole pieces
the power until you're sure the right tran- make the relay responsive to smaller sig-
sistor is in the right socket. nal impulses. It is worth noting, however,
Each time you wire
that relay adjustment can be very tricky.
the I N34 diode
If you haven't worked with these switch-
(CRI ), grip the lead ing devices before, you will probably find
with a pair of long - it best to go along with the "factory ad-
nose pliers to carry justment" of the spring and gaps.
off the heat of the Under "no -light" conditions (with either
soldering iron. of these circuits), there is very little base
Use simple lap joints when soldering ledds.
current flow in TR1. The emitter -collector
circuit of the transistor therefore has a
Make up a 9 -volt high resistance and current in the coil
power supply (BI) by isn't enough to operate the relay.
wiring six penlite cells However, when light strikes the selen-
in series. Batteries B2 ium cell, current in the base -emitter cir-
and B3 (in the photo- cuit increases and is amplified by the
cell relay on the op-
posite page) are made transistor so it can close the relay.
by using one cell sep- Any interruption of the light source re-
arately and five in se- stores the circuit to a no -current condition
ries. and lets the relay drop open. Resistor R5
and capacitor C7 are connected across the

our

P
°°..
56 POPULAR ELECTRONICS

r-i 1
 J

\\N
relay's coil to absorb any inductive "kicks"
that may develop because of sudden
changes in coil current.
Because of its greater sensitivity, the
two -stage layout can be used where it is
necessary to focus on a single source of
light. Thus, if you want sunlight to switch
some appliance, you can shield the photo-
cell from surrounding glare that might Make a bracket for the relay from scrap metal
give a false signal. Use a cardboard tube Space mounting holes to match your relay and
for a shield. Mount it over the cell and leave top screws accessible for adjustment.
point its open end at the "control" light.
To allow for a wide range of operating
adjustments, a potentiometer is included
in the two -stage circuit and the 9 -volt bat-
tery pack is tapped to provide a 71/2 -volt
(5 -cell) "B" supply and a 11/2 -volt (1 -cell) CLOSED'
bias voltage. To set up the switching
mechanism, close battery switch S/ and OPEN-
focus the control light on the photocell. SPRING
You should be able to set the potentiome- 'ADJUSTMENT
ter to an almost hairline balance that will
close the relay as soon as light strikes the COIL
cell and open it when the beam is broken. 0j- it-LS1::
TERMINALS
You can also "tune" RI to a less sensi-
tive spot. With the right adjustment. the Screw adjustments vary the relay's sensitivity.
Center screw alters spring tension; outer ones
unit should operate as if it were a change gaps on "open" and "closed" contacts.
"latched" switch. That is, once the con-
tacts are closed, they will stay closed even
if the light beam is Or conversely.
the relay will open when the light goes off
and stay open after it comes on again.
To control a lamp, snip one conductor in
the power cord and wire the cut ends
across the relay's output terminals. Plug
the altered appliance cord into a 117 -volt
outlet as usual.
If you want the controlled device to turn
on when no light strikes the photocell,
connect the lamp cord in series with the
"normally closed" contacts. For a directly
opposite switching service that is. if you Light -shield tube can be 3" to 12" long. Paint
want a lamp to turn off when light readies the inside flat black. For maximumsensitivity, in-
the photocell-use the "NO" pair. sert a flashlight lens in tube to concentrate rays.
ed ki4-1Pr,

c;, RIO
2N
T
FRS.
i71(
CM 727
t13.2

. ..arrk...
giis)

p
SPI RS tO 0 ITRII
100fq 0 I
RI I

-.07. 6
/.5Y
62
a SI

FG
MFG.
.4
o
I
83
SY. 441:" I'
4183-1.
Ir u1.1
.3- :ow" lose

,1
 \
\

2N35 IRS oc 722

!URI OTK TR2

R2 JI
a.
10K
0
NO

a
a
0

It's no fun getting up in the middle of signal source in place of the light-sensitive
the night to close windows, but it's a lot source.
less fun when you have to mop the floors You can make a suitable rain "sensor" in
in the morning because you slept through several ways. The basic plate consists of
a rainstorm the night before. two exposed, narrowly separated conduct-
You don't have to be caught with your ing elements on an insulating board. A
windows up, however, if you provide your- drop of moisture that bridges the gap be-
self tx ith an electronic rain watcher. This tween the conductors completes the circuit
one will flash a warning when moisture and causes the relay to snap closed.
short-circuits its "sensor" plate. One way to make the moisture detector is
The transistorized relay circuit, similar to start with a sheet of copper -clad plastic
to that of the two -stage photocell layout of the kind used for printed circuits. With
on the preceding page, has a rain -sensitive an etching compound made for this pur-

If you built the simple battery -powered doesn't need the tickler winding (L2 of the
receiver described last month, you need "Wireless Microphone" project). However,
only make a few additions to complete this if you have added these extra turns of wire,
de luxe version. To the earlier model it just leave its two leads unconnected.
adds a direct -coupled stage of audio am- The most interesting feature of this cir-
plification for greatly increased station cuit is the direct coupling between the col-
pickup, sound power and clarity. lector of the n -p -n transistor (TR1) and
Since the receiver isn't regenerative, it the base of the p -n -p unit (TR2). This

4 R3
4.7K
$
CO rOmill 2N35 CK 722
TRZ
PNT C
IN34
CRI
X 05 B'
" FA K
365 1
'LI

P.

TR2i GNI)

HEADPHOW

58 POPULAR ELECTRONICS
 it
Music students-and even advanced per-
formers-can make good use of this elec-
tronic timekeeper. Its tempo beat, heard
Yh' through a single headphone, is clearly sep-
arated from distracting outside sounds.
Rain "sensor" can be made by etching cop- Essentially, the metronome is an oscilla-
per -clad plastic as above, or by painting or tor circuit similar to one you might use for
cementing conductive strips on a non-conductor. practicing code. The frequency of the met-
ronome's "beat rate" is determined by the
pose, you can cut a narrow insulating it feedback capacity and the total resistance
canal through the metal face. in the return path of TR1. To bring the
Or you can turn the procedure upside operating frequency well below that of a
down and "print" conducting lines on a code oscillator, two feedback capacitors-
base of non-conductive plastic. Use a C3 and C9-are wired in parallel.
silver paint (such as General Cement's Potentiometer R/ can be used to tune
No. 21-1) or cut strips of aluminum foil the metronome; its, series resistor, R4, is
and cement them to the base. Leave a included merely 10 limit the frequency -
narrow insulating gap between the con- adjustment range. If R4 were omitted (or
ductors and lay them out in a winding rather replaced by a direct -wire connec-
pattern to increase the total area of ex- tion), tuning might be slightly more criti-
posure. cal. Otherwise there should be no differ-
Wire the leads from the "sensor" ence under normal operating conditions.
plate to the terminals marked "control." Resistor R3, between the collector of the
For the alarm, connect a lamp, bell, or first transistor and the base of the second,
buzzer to the "normally open" relay plays a similar role. It could also be re-
contacts. The alarm itself, of course, placed by a direct -wire lead. But while it
must be plugged in to a suitable power does not affect operation, it does protect
source. the transistors against excess current.
If you can't get the metronome to pulse
out the beat rate you want by adjusting
WW,1-WE _ "tki-t rern,4.-tr's!'''' potentiometer R1, experiment with slightly
different values for fixed -resistor R4 and
simple hookup is made possible by the feedback capacitors C3 and C9.
opposite d.c. characteristics of the two
types of transistors. As far as operation
is concerned, in fact, you could omit RI.
the coupling network consisting of R3
and C7 and wire the collector of TR1
directly to the base of TR2. Resistor 9 I

R3 is used for safety only; it serves to

limit the current on the electrodes
which might otherwise run too high
under some conditions. When it is in- 4` Ns+
cluded, bypass capacitor C7 is also need- -
ed to minimize the effect of the resistor
on the signal level. ,_CW; '
Broadcast signals picked up by a good Le

antenna -ground system are coupled C9 I(.25 old.

through CI, to the tuned circuit. Vari-
able capacitor C5 selects the desired SC3 I .11.1a.

signal and the low -impedance tap on Li 2N35

II TR!
CK722
TR2
transfers it to the base of TR1. 7K
R3

The germanium diode detector (CR1)

and the base -emitter circuit of the first
transistor separate the audio signal t New 4 I HEADPHONE
from the r.f. The sound is amplified by 91 21.0
TR1 and is fed through capacitor C7 to
the input of TR2. In this audio -amplifier
stage, the signal is given a further boost R
V4 L -g 001(
and is then routed to the headphone. 4)
April, 1956 59

7 a