Asked by: Paul
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Description
Please note - This product is only available while stocks last, it has now been replaced by the 2157 Radio Kit V2.
The FM radio kit uses an industrial surface mount IC (the TDA7010T). The FM radio kit is supplied with the IC mounted on the board. The students have to add the remaining resistors, capacitors and amplifier IC to finish the kit.
The radio has controls for tuning and to adjust the volume. The circuit includes an audio amplifier and output is via a 66mm diameter speaker that is supplied with the kit.
This FM radio kit includes:
- 1 x FM radio PCB with TDA7010T FM radio IC, varicap diode and inductor pre-mounted
- 1 x TBA820M audio amplifier IC
- 1 x 8 pin IC holder
- 1 x TS9011PCT voltage regulator
- 1 x 10K linear rotary potentiometer
- 1 x 100K linear rotary potentiometer
- 1 x 39pF capacitor, ceramic disc
- 3 x 180pF capacitors, ceramic disc
- 1 x 220pF capacitor, ceramic disc
- 1 x 330pF capacitor, ceramic disc
- 1 x 2.2nF capacitor, ceramic disc
- 4 x 10nF capacitors, ceramic disc
- 4 x 100nF capacitors, ceramic disc
- 1 x 220nF capacitor, ceramic disc
- 2 x 3.3nF capacitors, ceramic disc
- 1 x 470pF capacitor, ceramic disc
- 2 x 470uF capacitors, electrolytic
- 1 x 220uF capacitor, electrolytic
- 1 x 100uF capacitor, electrolytic
- 1 x 1ohm resistor
- 1 x 100ohm resistor
- 2 x 10Kohm resistors
- 2 x 100Kohm resistors
- 1 x 4.7Kohm resistor
- 1 x 15Kohm resistor
- 1 x aerial wire
- 1 x PP3 clip lead
- 1 x speaker (8ohm, 66mm) and connecting wire
The board can be powered from a 4V to 12V battery supply and works nicely off a 9V battery (available separately).
Please note this product should only be used with a battery supply and should not be used with a mains DC power supply.
Same Day Dispatch
- Orders placed online before 3:00pm Monday - Friday (excluding public holidays and our Christmas shutdown period) are always dispatched the same day provided the goods are in stock. If the goods are not in stock we will endeavour to contact you as soon as possible to discuss a dispatch date.
UK Deliveries
- If you live on the UK mainland and don't have any large materials or lithium batteries in your order it will cost £3.95 (£4.74 including VAT) if you spend less than £40 (£48 including VAT).
- If you spend between £40 and £200 (£48 - £240.00 including VAT, excluding large materials or lithium batteries) delivery is free to most locations, £12 (£14.40 including VAT, excluding large materials or lithium batteries) to Northern Ireland and £15 (£18.00 including VAT, excluding large materials or lithium batteries) to UK remote locations. For a list of postcodes that will be charged the remote location rate: remote area list.
- If you spend over £200 (£240.00 including VAT, excluding large materials or lithium batteries) delivery is free within the UK.
Rest of the world
- These orders are sent via UPS, and the cost is dependant on the service you choose at checkout. Alternatively you can choose the free collection option and have your own courier collect it from us. International orders can only be shipped to the registered card address. Please note: International orders may be charged import duty dependant on local import laws and duty rates. These charges are usually billed to you directly from UPS.
- Delivery times vary for international orders depending on the service selected and the destination. You can see the delivery time and cost at the shipping stage, or by using the shipping estimator from within the shipping basket.
Collection
- If you would like to collect your order, or use your own courier then there is an option you can select during checkout. We do not charge a packaging or handling fee for this service, and you will receive an email when your order has been processed, you can collect half an hour after receipt of this email.
Further Information
- For information about all of the delivery options we offer see full delivery details.
How to solder - an introductory guide: If you're new to soldering our Soldering School will have you up and running in no time. What is soldering? Soldering is a...
How to solder - an introductory guide: If you're new to soldering our Soldering School will have you up and running in no time. What...
Q:
My son is using this FM radio kit along with some other powered devices and he wants to power all the devices with a 12VDC power supply, what problems will he have if he used a 12VDC power supply instead of the 9V PP3 battery? If it is OK to use the 12VDC power supply will I need to step the voltage down to 9VDC and if so what resistor should I use to do so?
A:
Hi Paul, the FM radio doesn't work from a normal mains transformer. The reason isn't the voltage however, it's to do with the frequency modulation of the radio IC and it messes with the tuning. We are currently making a new radio kit that will work from mains as well as a battery. It should be available by summer!
Answered by: Aaron Sturman
26-May-14
Q:
Dear Aaron Sturman, I built yesterday night the radio. Works well. Really nice Kit. I only have a questions about a problem I have or maybe I should call it a doubt. When I soldered the antenna I didnt really positioned the wire in a way that you mention in your slide (the white part is almost attached to the pcb). I have part of the cable (around 10mm) free lets say and then the white part start. I noticed that sometimes when I switch on the radio and I do it in specific position it start a big noise. In order to get a more stiff/not bending part I put some solder on that 10mm but I dont know if is enough. Could be the problem of this random noise I get, because of this aspect? I think the same condition is for the speaker. In case this can be the reason, can I take out the antenna and solder it again in the proper way?if yes how is the best approach to desolder? thank you again, Luca
Asked by: Luca
A:
Hi Luca! Yes the problem you describe sounds like a loo
se connection.You should try unsoldering, then resoldering the antenna and speakers if you think they are where the problem is. You can heat the solder until it melts then use a solder sucker or some solder mop to remove the solder. With the antenna you may be able to melt the solder, then push the wire into position. If the wire have been damaged though you may be better off just cutting it near the pcb, stripping a bit of it then re soldering.
Answered by: Aaron Sturman
13-Sep-13
Q:
Hello, l have just ordered this kit from you and before it arrives and l start assembly, I need to overcome a potential problem. I am building my second I pod player and your radio is going into it. The question is , can I use a different type of tuning pot to aid fine tuning as l will not have room in the cabinet for pulleys Ect. . Also , if l can , can l wire it., OFF the circuit board and into the side of my cabinet. Many thanks. James.
Asked by: James Stockwell
A:
Hi James, You can put a potentiometer knob like this one http://www.kitronik.co.uk/products/components/resistors/potentiometer-knobs/potentiometer-knob-bluegrey1/ on to the end of the tuning pot, that would make it a bit easier to tune ( it would give you roughly twice as much control). It is possible to tune the radio without any additions, the pulley system is just a suggestion for making it easier. If you are talking about wiring the pot to the board rather than soldering it into the PCB its
elf then that works fine. Hope that helps!
elf then that works fine. Hope that helps!
Answered by: Aaron Sturman
13-Aug-13
Q:
hi, i connected a 7watt mono amp to this radio in the way mentioned in the comments and it works ok at lower volumes but when i turn the volume up i get a very loud humming, i am using a regulated 9v power pack (guitar effects powersupply) so im not sure if that could be causing the hum, could you suggest anyway to protect the circuit from this noise ? also would changing the potentiometers help any ? im thinking of using a 10 turn pot to make the tuning more precise would changing the volume pot for a higher value have any effect on the performance ? regards martin
Asked by: Moose
A:
Hi Martin, I would try swapping the power supply for a 9V battery to see if that solves the problem. I think it could be the case that the 9v power pack isn't providing a clean enough supply and that is messing with the decoding on the chip.
Answered by: Aaron Sturman
01-Jul-13
Q:
Hi I'm interested in your FM radio kit BUT WANT TO USE 12 VOLT DC BATTERY SUPPLY THAT MAY GO UP TO DAY 14 v DC when fully charged . I think the 5V regulator TS 9011 wont take this - can you replace this with something that can ? - Are there any other components that 12 v/14v would cause a problem to ? Any ideas considered as the main Amp looks ok for this - But caps etc ? best regards Ian
Asked by: ian abel
A:
The TDA7010T FM radio IC has an absolute maximum rating of 12V in addition to the regulator you spotted. I haven't checked the capacitors but I think the best thing to do would be to regulate the power coming from the battery, you could use a potential divider to ensure only 80% of the voltage of the battery is used to power the circuit, that would ensure that no more than 11.5V could be put across the circuit.
Answered by: Aaron Sturman
13-May-13
Q:
Would it be possible to modify this radio to work on 30Mhz for a project I am currently working on. many thanks
Asked by: Steve
A:
It should be possible however it would require several components to be altered according to the specification sheet that I will email over to you.
Answered by: Aaron Sturman
15-Apr-13
Q:
Could an alternative/additional power circuit be added so that a mains DC supply could be used with this kit? Many thanks, Alan.
Asked by: Alan
A:
While it is possible, it isn?t as simple as it would seem. The circuit depends on a very clean steady power supply, such as that provided by a battery, if you were to connect a standard mains to 12V DC converter in place of the battery then noise from the power supply would prevent the chip from functioning properly. If you can get a very clean DC supply then it will work.
Answered by: Aaron Sturman
21-Mar-13
Q:
Dear Sir or madam, Have used lead solder for many years can i use it on your kits . if not can you recommend a soldering iron that good with the higher temperature of lead free without burning components and also a good lead free solder. regards bernard
Asked by: bernard
A:
We recommend lead free solder due to the safety issues of using lead on a regular basis. We offer lead free solder and both 18W and 25W Antex soldering irons on the website. Either of which will be fine for any of our kits. http://www.kitronik.co.uk/products/tools-and-test-equipment/soldering/real-of-lead-free-solder/ http://www.kitronik.co.uk/products/tools-and-test-equipment/soldering/mains-soldering-iron-18w-version/ http://www.kitronik.co.uk/products/tools-and-test-equipment/soldering/mains-soldering-iron-25w-version/
Answered by: Aaron Sturman
11-Feb-13
Q:
I have built the radio kit and it is very good, with very easy to follow instructions. However it is very quite, can you suggest how to make it louder?
Asked by: Adam
A:
When built correctly you should have a similar volume to a pocket radio. If you still think it is quiet then it's likely to be to do with the assembly, in which case I'd check the following components, both the value and for dry joints: R1 ? 10K C13 ? 220nF R8 ? 10K R3 ? 100K R9 ? 100 ohms C21 ? 100uF C23 ? 200uF R10 ? 1 ohm C15 ? 100nF If you would like it to be louder then there are two possibilities, increase the voltage you are running the device off. The following lists the output power at different voltages/ battery combinations: 3x AA, 4.5V, 0.5W 4x AA, 6V, 0.75W PP3, 9V, 1.6W 8x AA, 12V, 2W If you are using 9V then you will only get 25% more volume out of it by going up to 12V. The only option left then would be to use a higher powered amplifier. In which case you would remove R8 fro
m the radio board and connect the end of R8 that connects to C13 in to the audio in of the high power amplifier board. You will also need to connect the 0V on both boards together. You will find a high power amp kit complete with speakers and power supply under IC based kits.
m the radio board and connect the end of R8 that connects to C13 in to the audio in of the high power amplifier board. You will also need to connect the 0V on both boards together. You will find a high power amp kit complete with speakers and power supply under IC based kits.
Answered by: Geoff Hampson
28-Aug-12
Q:
2 questions please Does it have an on /off switch and could you incorporate some sort of solar charging panel maybe to extend the battery life ? Thanks
Asked by: George
A:
There isn't an on / off switch on the board, however you can easily add one by only soldering one of the PP3 clip lead wires in to the board. The other one goes to the switch, you then just need a short length of wire to go from the other terminal on the switch to the power connection on the board. Presuming you are using 9V, you would need to use a rechargeable 9V battery. Then you need to find a solar cell that has a voltage of more than 9V, since most solar cell manufactures are very optimistic as to what their cell does I?d go for at least 12V probably more and a specified current of at least 100mA. If the solar array isn?t supply with a diode, you need to add one to stop the power flowing out of the battery and in to the cell when there is no light present.
Answered by: Geoff Hampson
19-Jun-12
Q:
How loud is the speaker? And roughly how long does the battery last if the radio was left on all the time?
Asked by: Adam
A:
The amplification section of the kit is based on the TBA820M IC and that can output 1.2W. Which is plenty loud enough to be heard by a few people in a room. The question of how long the battery lasts will depend on what battery / batteries you use and how loud the volume is. As A guide a 9V PP3 battery on full volume will last about 4 or 5 hours. Swap it for 6 C cells and it will run continuously for a week.
Answered by: Geoff Hampson
10-May-12
Q:
What is the frequency range available with the kit?
Asked by: Josh Murton
A:
The radio will receive the whole FM commercial radio station range from 87MHz to 108MHz. In fact due to component tolerances it is designed to include a bit more at both ends of the range to be sure that no stations are missed off.
Answered by: Geoff Hampson
10-Oct-11
Q:
I have another speaker to attatch to a radio kit. Is it possible to attatch another speaker too this product?
Asked by: Naomi
A:
The FM radio uses the TBA820M IC to drive the speaker. According to the datasheet at 9V it will drive 1.6W in to an 8 ohm load (one speaker) or 1.2W in to a 4 ohm load (two parallel speakers). So yes you can add a 2nd speaker provided it goes in parallel with the first speaker. This would be of benefit if you are doing a radio for product design and want it to have two speakers for its looks. Please note that adding a 2nd speaker wont give you stereo sound or twice the volume.
Answered by: Geoff Hampson
05-Apr-11
Q:
I have another speaker to attatch to a radio kit. Is it possible to attatch another speaker too this product?
Asked by: Naomi
A:
The FM radio uses the TBA820M IC to drive the speaker. According to the datasheet at 9V it will drive 1.6W in to an 8 ohm load (one speaker) or 1.2W in to a 4 ohm load (two parallel speakers). So yes you can add a 2nd speaker provided it goes in parallel with the first speaker. This would be of benefit if you are doing a radio for product design and want it to have two speakers for its looks. Please note that adding a 2nd speaker wont give you stereo sound or twice the volume.
Answered by: Geoff Hampson
01-Mar-11
Q:
Dear Sirs, I'm looking for a good FM radio kitset to be built by 150-200 children. Can you kindly advise will you export to NZ and what supporting materials are supplied for use with the kits. David
Asked by: David Searle
A:
Yes we can ship outside the UK, however it's not something we promote. When we do export shipments we charge delivery at cost and at the moment use parcels 2 go to do the shipping. At the moment the best price to ship this package would be ?150, for a 5 day service. On exports we take payment up front.
Answered by: Geoff Hampson
14-Feb-11
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