easy kit build: fm radio receiver

[@frankowalker4662]

What a neat little kit. And it's so compact when built. Brilliant.

[@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject]

Very nice step-by-step assembly! Very impressive. You are a man of great patience! Thanks for the fascinating video!

[@granpawa]

When soldering SMD, the secret is FLUX. Good quality flux (think AMTECH) will not only help in soldering but will also prevent most bridges. And if you ever bridge two or more pins, just add more flux, clean your tip and touch the bridge with your iron.

[@Johadart]

Totally agree with you, flux flux flux and more flux, can’t be stressed enough. 🤙🏼🇦🇺

[@HappyHermitt]

For the folks that absolutely need instructions for these: You can use a picture of one completed to use as a reference. Especially if youre not familiar with the parts and their correct polarity and the correct resistor values and locations. You can use a multimeter to read your resistor values to ID them as well. I have a couple shoeboxes full of these fun little kits. Its fun to go back and mod them if you're itching to build or play.

[@iceberg789]

like it, when there is a kit build

[@DubiousEngineering]

Aha!! The TDA FM Receiver chip! - WHat a lovely package... and quite sensitive too! :-) Glad to see everything is going well in Canadia! :-)

[@jjbing3]

I built this for my kids. They loved them. They were $5 each

[@electroniquepassion]

Thank you for presenting this very nice little kit 👍👏👋

[@captcraig777]

Well that little kit gets some good reception! Thanks for sharing!

[@pileofstuff]

I was surprised it could receive anything down in my basement.

[@HazeAnderson]

I recently purchased an HDMI microscope and I have been soldering by looking at a TV screen. My eyes got really bad in my middle age and, despite getting the microscope for working with SMT, it has been a big help for me when soldering simple thru hole components too.

[@DavidPlass]

Nice BigClive imitation there

[@pileofstuff]

I'll take any comparison to Clive as a compliment.

[@onecircuit-as]

SMD soldering ninja level skills! 😀👍

[@GnuReligion]

Sent you an RDA5807 welded to a DIP adapter years ago, along with a watch crystal and ferrites. Went the i2c/Arduino route with my own projects. It is interesting to scan the local radio stations, map out which ones are strongest, and store that info in EEPROM. The thing may be able to pick up data text with artist and title of the song playing, but never got that far. Amazing what they can put on silicon for $0.23.

[@englishrupe01]

Great stuff.....these are amazing bargains and really fun kits to build. Many thanks for another great video.

[@albanana683]

So, you have built both an FM transmitter, and an FM receiver. The next episode should pretty much write itself. As you plant the transmitter in your older sisters bedroom to figure why Brad is so dreamy.... Maybe I've said too much.

[@pileofstuff]

I think I watched that show in 1982.

[@HappyHermitt]

An antenna wouldve been a great addition 😂

[@Johadart]

Hi Kent, flux would help you more often than never using it mate, great video buddy, keep up the awesomeness 🤙🏼🇦🇺

[@IanSlothieRolfe]

Interesting radio. I think with a better antennae you'd get less noise; perhaps thats a route for experiment. I love these tiny radios, I might see if I can make one of these. I'd like to make one of those matchbox radios that were so popular back in the 70's!

[@SpeccyMan]

... with a better antennae ... (you used a with a plural?) 🤣

[@IanSlothieRolfe]

@@SpeccyMan Hey 2 is better than 1....

[@wrxs1781]

Good video and build.

[@pileofstuff]

Thanks

[@fredflintstone1]

neat kit nice video🙂

[@retireeelectronics2649]

I butchered the first SMD soldering but it worked. Long term viabiltiy ? Did buy a new soldering iron, hope it is better or me.. Manitoba is nice, lived in Lynn Lake, later worked in Flin Flon, living on the west coast now sweet but miss the northern lights.

[@pileofstuff]

That's nice country up there. My brother used to work at cranberry Portage for a few years, so I spent some time slapping mosquitoes in the area.

[@markfergerson2145]

Nice reception considering there's no visible antenna. Output leads?

[@pileofstuff]

The antenna is just a trace on the board

[@kyleallred984]

There was a resistor at 2:30. Anyways how hard would it be to use the chip with a MCU.

[@pileofstuff]

As usual, the software is the tricky part. The hardware connection is only 2 wires. It looks like someone has already done the research: create.arduino.cc/projecthub/xuansangdanggalaxy/make-radio-with-touch-control-by-rda5807m-0050f8

[@steubens7]

flux makes solder bridges survive less, like you can start drag soldering and not have any bridges

[@tenminutetokyo2643]

223s! Them there caps are all over that there TRS-80 thing.

[@malcolmgibson6288]

Beer and radio, what could be better?

[@markclark787]

I use a cloth pin for SMD chips

[@pileofstuff]

That's clever.

[@jyvben1520]

2:43 resistor is just above the power button, marked R1.

[@pileofstuff]

I found it eventually.

[@pleasecho2]

I built that. As you might expect with kits like these, the sensitivity was awful. Make mine superhet ;)

[@SpeccyMan]

You do seem to be very good at missing things on schematics. Missing the power LED on the transmitter and now missing R1 on this receiver. Be assured they are definitely on the schematics.

[@rolvs]

Where is the antenna?

[@englishrupe01]

I think it uses the headphones cord.

[@justinelliott3529]

Should have modified it for 2m add ctcss