Plans set for electronic receiver

Still have about a half hour of work in my yard, but I hit it hard and got a good work-out. And now I got it out of my hair. Never knew where that saying came from but I think they were talking about the posterior, not the hair on your head. LOL

So today I'm going to give it another try. Have to get some more parts, but all shouldn't take too long to find out. I've got a small circuit board i can just wire up. If I had known, I could have made room for the extra components, so if it works I will re-design the board, take #2.
 

I'm making some headway but still have problems. First off, I found I do not need the extra components, so that's nice. But getting a lot of distortion. The gain control I can only turn it up a slight amount. I don't know, must not have the correct transistors. I got the second part of the circuit barely working, but that's mainly where the distortion is coming from. Got some resistors that read a bit low. So I'll just keep trying to figure it out. Nothing is as easy as it first appears.
 

I'm trying everything as I go but so far not much improvement. Got some other parts ordered. No telling if it's the one thing to make a difference. Next plan is to use bigger resistors with the hopes that this will reduce some of the distortion down the line. As long as I have more parts to replace, there is some hope left. After that I don't know what to do. LOL
 

Where there's a will, there's a way. I want to get this solved, and I have made some progress. But haven't figured out why the excess power level. I found out the second part of the circuit is working (big relief), just that the first amplifier is drowning it out. So that's the next step.
 

It might not seem like much but i am inching my way through this quagmire. I did find a resistor with the wrong value. Had a red band but needed an orange, so it was only 10 times off. LOL So now i am going back to check everything. Sometimes the best way is to just measure each component. That's how I found that one problem. Kinda like snakes, you see one, you know there are others nearby. Yeah, it's embarrassing, but maybe next time i will have learned. I know this much when you build a faulty circuit it really teaches because it forces you to go through every little thing.
 

It's working, but just barely. Only when I get the controls set right and that's very touchy. So what is wrong, I am still working on that one. It's possible the controls got damaged during soldering. So, will try some new ones. Basically, just trying to eliminate the possibilities. Then my next step will be to trace all the electrical signals and look for something not right. Pretty sure I won't have to search too far. LOL
 

This is going to be my last post for a while, until I can make some real progress. Not even sure I'm headed in the right direction. Things are not going too well.
 

Just a quick update. I found what i think is the problem. Ordered parts so will know for sure when they arrive. It's always the last place I check. LOL Poor eyesight--got appointment for new eye glasses.
 

Well, more heartbreak. Guess I should expect it by now. I was hoping the new transistors would solve all my problems. Not the case. The exact same thing is happening, zero then full power. Looks like my senses need even more sharpening. LOL Guess i need to start doing some measuring, voltage, current, signal, etc.
 

Whoever named this technique of threading the wires all over the circuit board a "rat's nest", they really got it right. LOL I finally got this circuit working but so far every time I've tried to stuff it into a container, something gets disconnected or shorted. Man, now is the wrong time to have to "rethink" things. I wish i could just stuff it in squeeze the lid shut like an overfull suitcase. It doesn't ork--I tried several times. LOL BTTF'ingDB--Back to the drawing board.
 

It seems so uneventful but I got the thing working, sort of. I still haven't addressed the "too much power" problem, so it is a bit fussy when first tuning. And I have a couple switches and jacks that need longer wires for installing. So hopefully I'll have something soon. Seems like I've said that before, like day one of this project Aug. 2015. LOL
 

Signal, I started out my professional life as an Avionics technician. I know radio transmitters and receivers really well, RADAR too.

I have read some of your posts and it is clear to me that you have no idea what you are doing.

If you want some help, ask.

For starters, if you are going to prototype something, use as few wires as you can. Your 'rats nest' comment told me all I need to know about your knowledge of Radio, RF and electronics in general.
 

Yeah, you got that right--would not survive in Avionics industry. LOL That would be nice if it did. I can imagine all this might seem like Orson Wells' "War of the Worlds". The anxiety and frustration is real and i do tend to overreact at times. I throw terms around, sometimes not even proper usage. "Rat's nest", well, that's what I call it. The components are pretty much placed so it's just the wiring on the perfboard that is not all that neat and tidy. As for having "no idea what you are doing", I have never stated otherwise and it hasn't brought this project to a complete stop yet. So it's too early to sign any death certificate. But still have some issues to work out. Obviously I think I know more than you think I do. LOL

Thanks for your offer to help. I'm still trying to go this on my own. I probably wouldn't even know what to ask. LOL
 

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Here's a photo of the electronic receiver. You scan the area that the transmitter is pointed towards and narrow down the beeping until just a few clicks as you sweep past the target.
00aaa.jpg
 

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A schematic would be a better thing to post, since that is what is relevant here.
 

Maybe I could sell them at the auction site for $10 each. Then I'd only have to sell about ten-thousand sets. LOL
beerguy said:
A schematic would be a better thing to post, since that is what is relevant here.
Click to expand...
 

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With more careful tuning, I have the power level down somewhat, like maybe even one quarter what it was. I'm thinking a simple solution would be a multi-turn precision pot. But anyway, the tuning seems to be stable once I set it. Haven't had to adjust it. So guess I'll order one as it should make tuning easier.
 

I hope to have a little nicer design on the next attempt. You know, something that looks more like it came from this planet. LOL So I should have something put together tomorrow once i get some more parts.
 

As usual, nothing is going right. So in other words, nothing is new. And like a multi-millionaire sings "You can't always get what you want." So I'm going to anguish some more over how I can change this to look a little better...and hope I don't make it look worse. LOL Or else just leave it as is. Just more stuff to add expenses and building time. This is where some investment money could be used to pay someone to design a nice "Star Wars" housing.
 

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