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Where To Get Sets and Parts For discussions about swapmeets, rallies, NVCF and BVWS, car boot sales, antique and charity shops, dealers, newspaper adverts, the local tip and just about any other source of equipment (other than eBay). |
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29th May 2014, 2:41 pm | #1 |
Octode
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Bath, Somerset, UK.
Posts: 1,804
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Maplin retro FM Radio kit
Just spotted this under the projects kits and modules section:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/make-your-own-fm-radio-n37dp Rather a nice design which would not look out of place in our collections. Neil
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29th May 2014, 5:44 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
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Re: Maplin retro FM Radio kit
And it's "genuine retro" [sic] too!
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29th May 2014, 6:30 pm | #3 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,787
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Re: Maplin retro FM Radio kit
I wonder what the circuit is. I bet it uses a generic scanning chip, and the tuning dial doesn't do anything
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29th May 2014, 6:37 pm | #4 |
Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Fife, Scotland, UK.
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Re: Maplin retro FM Radio kit
Might be as good as a real steepletone when finished.
They could at least have built one for the photo or do you stick little fingers in the knob holes to push scanning buttons? David
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29th May 2014, 6:51 pm | #5 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
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Re: Maplin retro FM Radio kit
The pic of the components seems to show two conventional pots and knobs, and the mounting holes have provision for anti-rotation lugs.
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29th May 2014, 7:00 pm | #6 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,787
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Re: Maplin retro FM Radio kit
At a guess, one is a volume control and the other controls the scanning - turn to the right and it scans up, turn to the left and it scans down.
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29th May 2014, 7:12 pm | #7 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
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Re: Maplin retro FM Radio kit
Good point, Paul.
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29th May 2014, 7:19 pm | #8 |
Nonode
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Resolfen, Wales; and Bristol, England
Posts: 2,588
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Re: Maplin retro FM Radio kit
Looking at the photo of the inside of the case, there's no dial pointer mechanism, so I suspect that the nice scale on the front is printed and non-functional.
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29th May 2014, 9:08 pm | #9 |
Octode
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Willand, Devon, UK.
Posts: 1,023
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Re: Maplin retro FM Radio kit
There is another FM radio kit from Maplin that uses a pot for tuning, it works quite well, but it is like tuning a radio by turning the tuning cap shaft. A multi-turn pot would make tuning much easier. I imagine this radio works in a similar way.
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29th May 2014, 9:54 pm | #10 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Aberystwyth, Wales, UK.
Posts: 358
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Re: Maplin retro FM Radio kit
The kit appears to be made by Franzis. Conrad electronics seem too sell a few variants of this including a valve FM kit.
http://www.conrad-electronic.co.uk/c...=detview1&rb=1 Dave GW7ONS |