The circuit described here is of a dual audio-signal tracer. An audio-signal tracer is a simple device used to troubleshoot for audio signals in radio and other electronic circuitry. The device is a battery-powered stereo amplifier with two loudspeakers, packaged into a small handheld unit with test probes. An optional diode detector can be incorporated for the detection of amplitude-modulated signals. A test signal (audio) is injected into the tracer at CON1/CON2 from various points of the circuit under test. So long as the signal is heard, the circuitry up to that point is (at least minimally) functional. However, if the signal disappears, a fault can be assumed to be present in the stage of the circuit just preceding it. Fig. 1: Circuit diagram of the dual audio-signal tracer The simple external diode detector is not only sensitive to amplitude modulation but even circuits that are normally used for other modulation schemes (such as FM radios) can be tested in some cases. Circuit an...
Forget about flea power A-V links. This one has an output of 0.5W for a range of about 200 meters using simple "whip" antennas. You will have seen adverts for devices of this type - they've become quite popular in recent years. Operating on a frequency of 2.4GHz (that's 2,400,000,000Hz for the uninitiated!), most have about 10mW or so output and while they work well over a short range, the range is limited by the low power. This design has much higher power - around 0.5W output, in fact. So as you might expect, the range is very significantly extended. With the simple coax cable "whip" antennas shown here, the range is reliably 200m or more. But if you use a simple dipole antenna, you could expect much more range - maybe 10 times or more. Perhaps a word or two about how and why this is possible is in order. It is sometimes difficult for people to understand how changing antennas can give longer range. The simplest analogy I can think of is using your own vo...
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