This is a very easy to use, single layer coil calculator: www.circuits.dk/calculator_single_layer_aircore.htm VIDEOS: Crystal Radio & Resonant Coil Design (4K) ua-cam.com/video/Fw9eb-aB-XU/v-deo.html Best/Easiest DIY Crystal Radio - No Batteries, No External Power (4K) ua-cam.com/video/fLVCqZGpv3U/v-deo.html
@tsbrownie: Thank you for the link. From a different communication. This sort of technical information is much more detailed than many video makers will share, but it's extremely helpful to beginners. Thanks for taking the extra time and effort. The 160 Meter ham band is just a little higher in frequency than the AM Broadcast band. It's from 1.8 mHz to 2 mHz. Some hams communicate there using the AM mode, mainly at night, and maybe using only a few hundred watts of power as opposed to the commercial broadcasters who can use kW of power. Also, that band won't be as well populated as the AM Broadcast band. A few Crystal radio builders might find it a novelty to try getting their crystal radio to tune up there. Mostly hams will use morse code and single sideband voice there. Only AM can be inderstood on those frequencies. In passing hams can also now use frequencies that are below the AM Broadcast band. Crystal radios generally won't hear those few hams who go there. Their transmitting power is limited down there. I think maybe you already gave some information about short wave listening on frequencies far removed and well above the AM broadcast band. Some prople are avid short wave listeners.
Are there any quick cheat graphs floating around where you can look at the gauge of wire, scroll across to the pipe size and determine the number of turns required? Similar to the mutiplication cheat graphs we used in school to learn multiplication.
Do you have AM stations in your area? That can be a problem. I have a video on what to look for when they don't work. Google "tsbrownie my crystal radio does not work"
@@tsbrownie Yes, WWL 870am is near me and i should pick them up with no problem. I think maybe i didn't get the specs right when i ordered all the components for my builds.
One question, the diodes used has a threshold before they conduct a signal that can be detected, of from 0.2 to 0.6 Volts, so they should be biased. If not, the set is cut off from the radio waves that creates signals below the floor of the diodes. I dont get this.
@stighenningjohansen I'm not sure I understand. Do you mean they are clipping the signal? Maybe, but you can't hear it. The diode does not have a sharp on / off. In fact it has measurable reverse flow. If you are concerned about having enough voltage to operate, I have measured 0.5 to 3 volts output.
@@tsbrownie Yes, they are clipping the signal, and you cant hear it because your radio cuts off most of the signals. The diode do not conduct untill the signal is 0.2-0.6V from negative to positive.,The diodes must open at this voltage before audio can be reconstructed from the carrier wave? If diodes conducts in any other way. they are not diodes, but fakes.
Good morning. I have a wire with a diameter of 2 mm, could you tell me the diameter and length of the tube and how many turns to make for the antenna? Thanks
I have to know what available sizes for the tube you have to the nearest millimeter. I think your coil is going to be way too long to be practical. Even 1mm wire makes for a long coil. I'd recommend 0.8 mm.
Could you pour some kind of resin over the top of the coil, and sand it, to produce a smooth, non rough surface to move the wiper over smoothly for less wear and more precise tuning?
I don't have that skill, but if someone does, that should work. It would be cool to have a coil embedded in a clear resin block! Wrap it on clear glass, do the resin thing. Cool! And the smoothness would very likely make tuning smoother.
What should I base my radio at Should I try to find the exact size coil and vary the wire gage and number of turns, or should I keep wire gage and vary the coil size and amount of turns How did u get to this figures is there a good calculator (or formula) The onlything constant is that I have 24AWG wire (sadly I cannot get anything bigger in this short time frame) I tried finding the right coil at home, but cannot (can I wrap the coil in something non conductive to increase outer diameter of it?) Sadly the nearest AM station I have is about 150KM away, only using 20kW (I am in Europe) of power, so I need to optimize every part of my radio, just to have sucsess)
It's best to stay with what I have shown, unless you want to build from scratch. I have videos on doing the coil calculations if that's of interest. All they details are in the description. I'm not sure that wrapping a pipe to make it bigger would work well. Coils take a long time and they're tedious, so having to re-do was is not fun. Since you are far from the station, a good antenna, high up will help a lot. Be sure to take precautions for lightning, working at height, etc!
You should NOT be using your house electrical grounding! It is very dangerous, especially if there's any ground loops or other in your wiring/appliances. You need a separate ground rod. In fact, when I lived in apartments or otherwise could not have a ground, I just strung up a second antenna and that often works as well (and sometimes better.)
@@tsbrownie update: i was experimenting with three 1n34a diodes in series to reduce 50hz hum and i heard something inaudible saying "call now" for 3 times.
Thanks for al this information. I would like to add one more pipe item. and also ask for the turn length? I have tubing off a plastic Walmart shelf.38mm or1.495 inches roughly, my caliper is a little touchy. So my question is how many turns will I need for this? i do not have any other tubing I can use without buying more?
I'm not sure about your dimensions. 0.38mm is a fraction of 1.495". I'll assume the 1.495 is correct. Your coil needs to be 326.0647226 mm (32.6 cms or almost a foot long!) and 358 turns. This does not sound right, and even if the calculations are good, it would be real hard to make a wiper radio with an tuner arm long enough to cover that much coil! Maybe you have friends / neighbors / coworkers with some scrap blue PVC water pipe laying around. 2" or 2.5" is best.
@gturner57 This blue signifies it's safe for drinking water. The color is not important as long as the pipe does not contain metals or other that will interfere with the coil's EM properties.
Is there an online guide to building coils that shows this relationship if someone uses an odd sized form or wire? Also, I have never seen any recommendations for using aluminum wire in case you were to unwind a transformer with aluminum wire to use on a crystal radio coil?
I show radios that are easy to build and work well. Not always the highest tech. Can you give me links to the videos of the people who are telling you it's wrong? I'd like to learn how they did it.
I have done a bit of research and the only thing I see is that there is a model that is set up like yours but for the ground wire crosses over to connect just before the resistor. The left end of the coil wire is not shown, so I don't know if its open or not. But your design makes more sense to me. The circuit runs from antenna to ground. BTW I may have figured out the issue. Its also one that you may want to do a video on. There is only a couple of places I found the info and one was a video that does not come up in my normal search. The Piezo Electric ear piece that I have is made in Taiwan. These seem to have about a 35% fail rate. The Japan made ones seem to be better built. I also found on Amazon where I bought mine and it is a Taiwan made ear piece that they now have one from Taiwan that says "upgraded, brass diaphragm soldered on both sides. " The one video I found shows them both the Taiwan and Japan made versions taken apart or cut apart. The Taiwan made is soldered on the back of the diaphragm and and glued on the front and the two plastic ear pieces are glued together. The thing that was the issue is the glue. It seems that sometimes the glue is too much and glues down the diaphragm. He shows how you can drill a hole in the back and poke it with a pin to try to loosen it. He also said he got the percent when someone ordered 100 of them for a boy scout project type thing and that is how many did not work. I will leave a link to the video and the one about the ground going over to the resistor. I would like to know if the coil on that model is left open. Here is a link to the questionable ear piece I bought. BTW I have two new upgraded ones coming in. www.amazon.com/dp/B071JWPTT9?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details Link to the video of the alternate wiring of crystal radio. www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Elec_p014/electricity-electronics/crystal-radio Here is the link to the bad earphones from Taiwan. ua-cam.com/video/yBxo8CaY4HY/v-deo.html BTW I was not accusing your wiring of being wrong, just passing on what some had replied to me, that the wiring was wrong and that I should look at other videos. @@tsbrownie
@@jaybabcock4557 Thanks for all the good info. I don't know why, but youtube did not notify me of your response. They seem to be kind of random about it.
I just want to make a working version. I put up a 100 foot line antenna but it did not do what I wanted it to. I think because it was only about 6 feet off the ground. I need to put it up higher. But I need a warm spell to do that. LOL@@tsbrownie
@@jaybabcock4557 6 feet is not too bad for height and 100 feet long is more than twice mine! Higher is better so someone does not run into it. You might already know this, but just in case... Orientation makes a difference. Bare wire or enameled is preferred. Also, make sure your ends are well insulated and you don't coil up any spare wire.
This is a very easy to use, single layer coil calculator: www.circuits.dk/calculator_single_layer_aircore.htm
VIDEOS: Crystal Radio & Resonant Coil Design (4K) ua-cam.com/video/Fw9eb-aB-XU/v-deo.html
Best/Easiest DIY Crystal Radio - No Batteries, No External Power (4K)
ua-cam.com/video/fLVCqZGpv3U/v-deo.html
@tsbrownie: Thank you for the link. From a different communication. This sort of technical information is much more detailed than many video makers will share, but it's extremely helpful to beginners. Thanks for taking the extra time and effort.
The 160 Meter ham band is just a little higher in frequency than the AM Broadcast band. It's from 1.8 mHz to 2 mHz. Some hams communicate there using the AM mode, mainly at night, and maybe using only a few hundred watts of power as opposed to the commercial broadcasters who can use kW of power.
Also, that band won't be as well populated as the AM Broadcast band. A few Crystal radio builders might find it a novelty to try getting their crystal radio to tune up there. Mostly hams will use morse code and single sideband voice there. Only AM can be inderstood on those frequencies.
In passing hams can also now use frequencies that are below the AM Broadcast band. Crystal radios generally won't hear those few hams who go there. Their transmitting power is limited down there.
I think maybe you already gave some information about short wave listening on frequencies far removed and well above the AM broadcast band. Some prople are avid short wave listeners.
Are there any quick cheat graphs floating around where you can look at the gauge of wire, scroll across to the pipe size and determine the number of turns required? Similar to the mutiplication cheat graphs we used in school to learn multiplication.
There are the online calculators I list in the description. I haven't seen any tables.
Built 3 radios so far, none have worked ... i'll get this right one day! Thanks for the video.
Do you have AM stations in your area? That can be a problem. I have a video on what to look for when they don't work. Google "tsbrownie my crystal radio does not work"
@@tsbrownie Yes, WWL 870am is near me and i should pick them up with no problem. I think maybe i didn't get the specs right when i ordered all the components for my builds.
@joel6221 The diode, earphone, and coil are key. Get those right, and it's going to work. Watch out for fake 1n34a diodes. I have a video on that too.
Hi, if you are using one of those crystal earphones put a resistor across it.
47k to 100k not critical. It removes charge building up.
my fathera always tried to make one as a child this video is going to make me try to make one with him ty
Let me know if you have questions. The following video explains how to build this type of crystal radio.
ua-cam.com/video/mt-s7pf-U5Q/v-deo.html
@@tsbrownie tysm
Awesome tutorial thanks for posting!
One question, the diodes used has a threshold before they conduct a signal that can be detected, of from 0.2 to 0.6 Volts, so they should be biased. If not, the set is cut off from the radio waves that creates signals below the floor of the diodes. I dont get this.
@stighenningjohansen I'm not sure I understand. Do you mean they are clipping the signal? Maybe, but you can't hear it. The diode does not have a sharp on / off. In fact it has measurable reverse flow. If you are concerned about having enough voltage to operate, I have measured 0.5 to 3 volts output.
@@tsbrownie Yes, they are clipping the signal, and you cant hear it because your radio cuts off most of the signals. The diode do not conduct untill the signal is 0.2-0.6V from negative to positive.,The diodes must open at this voltage before audio can be reconstructed from the carrier wave?
If diodes conducts in any other way. they are not diodes, but fakes.
Good morning. I have a wire with a diameter of 2 mm, could you tell me the diameter and length of the tube and how many turns to make for the antenna? Thanks
I have to know what available sizes for the tube you have to the nearest millimeter. I think your coil is going to be way too long to be practical. Even 1mm wire makes for a long coil. I'd recommend 0.8 mm.
Could you pour some kind of resin over the top of the coil, and sand it, to produce a smooth, non rough surface to move the wiper over smoothly for less wear and more precise tuning?
I don't have that skill, but if someone does, that should work. It would be cool to have a coil embedded in a clear resin block! Wrap it on clear glass, do the resin thing. Cool! And the smoothness would very likely make tuning smoother.
What should I base my radio at
Should I try to find the exact size coil and vary the wire gage and number of turns, or should I keep wire gage and vary the coil size and amount of turns
How did u get to this figures is there a good calculator (or formula)
The onlything constant is that I have 24AWG wire (sadly I cannot get anything bigger in this short time frame)
I tried finding the right coil at home, but cannot (can I wrap the coil in something non conductive to increase outer diameter of it?)
Sadly the nearest AM station I have is about 150KM away, only using 20kW (I am in Europe) of power, so I need to optimize every part of my radio, just to have sucsess)
It's best to stay with what I have shown, unless you want to build from scratch. I have videos on doing the coil calculations if that's of interest. All they details are in the description. I'm not sure that wrapping a pipe to make it bigger would work well. Coils take a long time and they're tedious, so having to re-do was is not fun. Since you are far from the station, a good antenna, high up will help a lot. Be sure to take precautions for lightning, working at height, etc!
I made many crystal radios but there is a problem with my house grounding, it has 50hz hum making it barely hear the station
You should NOT be using your house electrical grounding! It is very dangerous, especially if there's any ground loops or other in your wiring/appliances. You need a separate ground rod. In fact, when I lived in apartments or otherwise could not have a ground, I just strung up a second antenna and that often works as well (and sometimes better.)
@@tsbrownie update: i was experimenting with three 1n34a diodes in series to reduce 50hz hum and i heard something inaudible saying "call now" for 3 times.
Thanks for al this information. I would like to add one more pipe item. and also ask for the turn length? I have tubing off a plastic Walmart shelf.38mm or1.495 inches roughly, my caliper is a little touchy.
So my question is how many turns will I need for this? i do not have any other tubing I can use without buying more?
I have the 19 awg
I'm not sure about your dimensions. 0.38mm is a fraction of 1.495". I'll assume the 1.495 is correct. Your coil needs to be 326.0647226 mm (32.6 cms or almost a foot long!) and 358 turns. This does not sound right, and even if the calculations are good, it would be real hard to make a wiper radio with an tuner arm long enough to cover that much coil! Maybe you have friends / neighbors / coworkers with some scrap blue PVC water pipe laying around. 2" or 2.5" is best.
I have never seen blue PVC. Is it a special order item or can I buy it from Ace or Home Depot?
@gturner57 This blue signifies it's safe for drinking water. The color is not important as long as the pipe does not contain metals or other that will interfere with the coil's EM properties.
GREAT INFO THANKS
Dear Tsbrownie, can i use Graphite and Razor Blade instead of 1N34A Diode?
Yes, but it is trickier to get a good, clear output. I prefer iron pyrite or galena.
@@tsbrownie Okay, Thank You Sir
Is there an online guide to building coils that shows this relationship if someone uses an odd sized form or wire? Also, I have never seen any recommendations for using aluminum wire in case you were to unwind a transformer with aluminum wire to use on a crystal radio coil?
There are a lot of calculators online, most are not easy to use. I found a good one the other day, let me see if I can find it again.
This is a very easy to use, single layer coil calculator: www.circuits.dk/calculator_single_layer_aircore.htm
@@tsbrownie Thank you sir.
What is the difference if you use silver wire?
For the same diameter wire, the coil could have lower resistance than copper, but the inductance should be the same.
Do you happen to be from the Philippines?
I am American.
I built a Radio just as your video shows and other are telling me this is wired wrong. To look at other crystal radios.
I show radios that are easy to build and work well. Not always the highest tech. Can you give me links to the videos of the people who are telling you it's wrong? I'd like to learn how they did it.
I have done a bit of research and the only thing I see is that there is a model that is set up like yours but for the ground wire crosses over to connect just before the resistor. The left end of the coil wire is not shown, so I don't know if its open or not.
But your design makes more sense to me. The circuit runs from antenna to ground. BTW I may have figured out the issue. Its also one that you may want to do a video on. There is only a couple of places I found the info and one was a video that does not come up in my normal search. The Piezo Electric ear piece that I have is made in Taiwan.
These seem to have about a
35% fail rate. The Japan made ones seem to be better built. I also found on Amazon where I bought mine and it is a Taiwan made ear piece that they now have one from Taiwan that says "upgraded, brass diaphragm soldered on both sides. "
The one video I found shows them both the Taiwan and Japan made versions taken apart or cut apart. The Taiwan made is soldered on the back of the diaphragm and and glued on the front and the two plastic ear pieces are glued together. The thing that was the issue is the glue. It seems that sometimes the glue is too much and glues down the diaphragm.
He shows how you can drill a hole in the back and poke it with a pin to try to loosen it. He also said he got the percent when someone ordered 100 of them for a boy scout project type thing and that is how many did not work. I will leave a link to the video and the one about the ground going over to the resistor. I would like to know if the coil on that model is left open.
Here is a link to the questionable ear piece I bought. BTW I have two new upgraded ones coming in. www.amazon.com/dp/B071JWPTT9?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Link to the video of the alternate wiring of crystal radio.
www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Elec_p014/electricity-electronics/crystal-radio
Here is the link to the bad earphones from Taiwan.
ua-cam.com/video/yBxo8CaY4HY/v-deo.html
BTW I was not accusing your wiring of being wrong, just passing on what some had replied to me, that the wiring was wrong and that I should look at other videos.
@@tsbrownie
@@jaybabcock4557 Thanks for all the good info. I don't know why, but youtube did not notify me of your response. They seem to be kind of random about it.
I just want to make a working version. I put up a 100 foot line antenna but it did not do what I wanted it to. I think because it was only about 6 feet off the ground. I need to put it up higher. But I need a warm spell to do that. LOL@@tsbrownie
@@jaybabcock4557 6 feet is not too bad for height and 100 feet long is more than twice mine! Higher is better so someone does not run into it. You might already know this, but just in case... Orientation makes a difference. Bare wire or enameled is preferred. Also, make sure your ends are well insulated and you don't coil up any spare wire.