Ramsey AF1 - E-Z CW Audio Filter PDF
Ramsey AF1 - E-Z CW Audio Filter PDF
Ramsey AF1 - E-Z CW Audio Filter PDF
AUDIO FILTER
• Four selectable bandwidths - 750 Hz, 500 Hz, 250 Hz, and 100 Hz -
all with digital accuracy.
AF1 • 1
RAMSEY TRANSMITTER KITS
• FM100B Professional FM Stereo Transmitter
• FM25B Synthesized Stereo FM Transmitter
• MR6 Model Rocket Tracking Transmitter
• TV6 Television Transmitter
RAMSEY MINI-KITS
Many other kits are available for hobby, school, Scouts and just plain FUN. New
kits are always under development. Write or call for our free Ramsey catalog.
COPYRIGHT 1994 by Ramsey Electronics, Inc. 590 Fishers Station Drive, Victor, New York
14564. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be copied or duplicated without the
written permission of Ramsey Electronics, Inc. Printed in the United States of America.
AF1 • 2
Ramsey Publication No. MAF1
Price $5.00
KIT ASSEMBLY
AND INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR
AF1 CW
AUDIO FILTER
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction to the AF1.................. 4
How it works.................................. 5
Parts list ........................................ 6
AF1 Assembly instructions............ 8
Schematic diagram ..................... 10
Parts Layout diagram .................. 11
Hook-up configurations ................ 13
Troubleshooting ........................... 14
Ramsey kit warranty .................... 15
AF1 • 3
INTRODUCTION
Radio men know that the CW signal is the most reliable mode of
transmission when operating on the amateur radio bands. There are,
however, some inherent problems that exist in CW reception.
In an attempt to limit the number of carriers heard through the receiver one of
the easiest solutions is to filter the received audio to only allow a single CW
tone to be heard. That's where the Ramsey AF1 filter comes in to help.
AMPLITUDE
BANDPASS
FILTER
DESIRED SIGNAL
UNDESIRED
SIGNAL
FREQUENCY (Hz)
The audio filter board creates an audio frequency bandpass filter to remove
the undesired tones. It also has a selectable bandwidth (the width of the
bandpass filter) of 100, 250, 500, or 750 Hz. The center frequency of this
filter is also tunable from 400 - 1000 Hz, so you can tune the radio to
frequency that you would like to hear, not to whatever frequency the filter
wants to “listen to”.
AF1 • 4
THEORY OF OPERATION
Let’s have a look at what makes our audio filter so special. Have a look at the
schematic diagram and follow along.
First, having a look at the power supply section of the AF1 notice that diodes
D3, 6, 7,and 8 form a full wave bridge rectifier. We used this configuration so
that an AC or DC power source may be used for the unit (and the polarity
connection for a DC supply can be either way). This “raw” voltage is smoothed
by several large capacitors and routed to the voltage regulator IC to provide a
crystal clear source of DC voltage for the filter IC’s. You’ll also notice a few
bypass capacitors on the supply in case any of those nasty RF signals try to
get in and mess up the power supply.
At the heart of our kit is a pair of the MF8 switched capacitor bandpass filter
IC’s. Without these little marvels of technology this kit would not even exist!
Included on each chip is a pair of bandpass filters which can be cascaded to
provide sharper filter characteristics, a “Q LOGIC” binary input to set the filter
bandwidth, an adjustable internal oscillator to provide the center frequency for
our filter, and an extra op-amp to boot! Even the usually stingy data book
devotes 16 pages to the design possibilities for this hard working IC. The
overall bandwidth is controlled using switches S2 and S3 to provide a binary
input at the B, C, and D inputs of the MF8 IC. Resistors R12 and R13, along
with capacitor C8 provide the RC timing component necessary for the CMOS
oscillator.
The rest of the circuit is pretty straight forward - with whatever features could
be built in. The power switch doubles as an audio bypass, or feed through
when in the “OFF” position. Input protection diodes D1 and 2 limit the audio
input voltage to protect the valuable filter IC’s. Headphone jack J2 is set up to
accommodate either stereo or mono headsets, and headphone use will switch
the external speaker output off when the jack is inserted.
The headset / speaker output is from the LM380 audio amp IC. This chip
provides about 3 watts of noise free audio with a minimum of external
components.
AF1 • 5
AF1 PARTS LIST
Please check the boxes after the components have been identified, and now
is a good time to “sort” the like components into groups or bins (an egg
carton does nicely) to avoid using the wrong component during assembly.
Please note that the kit contains some “special” 1 % tolerance resistors.
They can be easily identified by the fact that they contain an extra color
band, due to their more specific values. When identifying the resistors, first
we’ll sort the “normal” resistors, followed by the closer tolerance parts.
CAPACITORS
AF1 • 6
MISCELLANEOUS PARTS
There are numerous solder connections on the AF1 printed circuit board.
Therefore, PLEASE take us seriously when we say that good soldering is
essential to the proper operation of your transmitter!
We have a two-fold "strategy" for the order of the following kit assembly
steps. First, we install parts in physical relationship to each other, so there's
minimal chance of inserting wires into wrong holes. Second, whenever
possible, we install in an order that fits our "Learn-As-You Build" Kit building
philosophy. This entails describing the circuit that you are building, instead of
just blindly installing components. We hope that this will not only make
assembly of our kits easier, but help you to understand the circuit you’re
constructing.
For each part, our word "Install" always means these steps:
AF1 • 7
Now, let's get building!
AF1 • 8
polarity. See the parts diagram for proper placement. The capacitor
should fit snugly down to the PC board.
When installing the components be sure to save some of the longer clipped
leads to use later as “jumper” wires.
12. Install C11, another 1000 uF electrolytic capacitor. Be sure to
observe the proper polarity.
13. Install C19, 10 uF electrolytic. Again, remember that polarity!
14. Identify VR1, the 7808 voltage regulator [marked 7808]. This
component, too, has a right and wrong way to be installed. Be sure the
writing on the component faces inward toward the center of the PC
board. Using gentle pressure push the part about 1/4” from the circuit
board, and solder. See the parts diagram for proper installation.
15. Install C20, 10 uF electrolytic capacitor. Is that polarity correct?!
16. Using some of the scrap component leads, form and install jumper
wire JMP1 in the holes provided in the PC board. Jumper wires act like
little electronic “bridges” carrying signals from the bottom to the top side
of the circuit board, and then back to the bottom side again.
17. Grab some more scraps of leads, form and install JMP2, 3, 4. Hey,
this is better than recycling - if we keep this up there won’t be anything to
throw away!
18. Install C9, the last large 1000 uF electrolytic capacitor. Be sure to
observe the proper polarity.
19. Install D5, 1N4002 type diode. Note that the part stands up, and,
watch which way the banded end is pointed.
That wasn’t so bad, now was it! You’ve just completed the bridge
rectifier, filter, and regulation of your AF1 power supply. Take a moment
now to check parts placement and inspect the solder side of the board
for any solder opens or “bridges” between components or foil runs.
Touch up any solder connections that are less than perfect. Now its time
to get building the audio path through the AF1.
20. Install C16 (its adjacent to J3 towards the rear of the PC board),
.01 uF disc [marked .01 or 103 or 10nF].
21. Install C15, .01 uF disc [marked .01 or 103 or
10nF].
22. Install R19, 1K ohm [brown-black-red]. Note that
this component is mounted standing up. Resistors
aren’t polarized, so you can install it either way.
AF1 • 9
23. Install R22 and R21, both 100 ohm [brown-black-brown]. They are
also mounted standing up.
24. Install stand up resistor R20, 1K ohm [brown-black-red].
25. Form and install diode D1, a 1N4148 type small signal diode [small
glass case with black band]. Be sure to orient the part as shown in the
parts placement diagram.
26. In the same manner, install diode D2, another 1N4148. Note that the
polarity of this diode is reversed.
27. Install C4, .1 uF disc capacitor [marked .1 or 104].
28. Install R8, 47K ohm [yellow-violet-orange]. Remember to stand up
the component.
29. Install C5, .001 uF disc capacitor [marked .001 or 102].
30. Form and install R9, 147K ohm [brown-yellow-violet-orange]. Figured
out that 4 band code yet? The colors are the same value, just one more
in the sequence i.e. brown (1)-yellow (4)-violet (7)-orange (000) = 147K !
AF1 • 10
AF1 PARTS LAYOUT DIAGRAM
AF1 • 11
31. Using a scrap component lead, form and install JMP11.
32. Install C13, .1 uF disc [marked .1 or 104].
33. Install C2, .001 uF disc capacitor [marked 102 or .001].
34. Install R1, 47K ohm [yellow-violet-orange]. I’ll bet you didn’t forget to
stand it up.
35. Install C10, .01 uF disc capacitor [marked .01 or 103 or 10nF].
36. Install C12, .01 uF disc cap (that's snazzy electronics lingo for
capacitor). Again, its marked .01 or 103 or 10nF.
Seems like we put this off forever, but it is now time to install the LM380
audio amplifier IC. Be advised that an IC socket IS NOT advisable in this
application as the large copper trace acts as a heat “sink” for the IC. This
prevents the chip from overheating when in use.
37. Now that you’re all warmed up with your soldering iron (pun
intended), install the LM380 14 pin IC. Notice that one end of the chip is
marked with a dot, notch, or band. Be sure to orient this end as shown in
the parts diagram.
38. Install C1, .1 uF disc capacitor [marked .1 or 104].
39. Install R6, 100K ohm [ brown-black-yellow].
40. Install C6, 10 uF electrolytic. Check polarity when installing this part.
41. Using some more of your scrap component leads, form and install
JMP5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Circuit board space gets pretty tight underneath the
MF8 IC’s so a few jumpers are needed to complete the necessary
connections to the chip.
42. Install C3, 10 uF electrolytic. Did you check the orientation?
43. Install C8, 100 pF mica type disc cap [marked 100 or 101].
44. Install R12, 100K ohm [brown-black-yellow].
45. Install R4, 294K ohm [red-white-yellow-orange]. It is mounted lying
down - I sure hope it doesn’t fall asleep on the job!
46. Install R16, 15, and 11; all 10K ohm stand up resistors [brown-black-
orange].
47. Install C7, 10 uF electrolytic capacitor. Check the polarity.
AF1 • 12
51. Install R3, 47K ohm [yellow-violet-orange].
52. Install R2, 750K ohm [violet-green-yellow].
53. Install R5, 100K ohm [brown-black-yellow].
54. Install R7, 49.9K ohm [yellow-white-white-red].
55. Install C14, .01 uF disc capacitor [marked .01 or 103 or 10nF].
56. Now we’ll install the two MF8 switched capacitance bandpass filter
IC’s. If you prefer to use an IC socket, you may install one if you wish.
Be aware, however, that our techies find more repair problems due to
sockets than due to chips burned out from overheating with a soldering
iron. Be extra careful not to “bridge” the printed circuit traces together.
Notice that one end of the chip is marked with a dot, notch, or band. Be
sure to orient this end as shown in the parts diagram.
57. Install R23, 1K ohm [brown-black-red]. It mounts
standing up.
Long
57. Lastly, we have to wire the power “on” indicator
LED. LED’s are polarized, so be sure to orient the long Lead
lead as shown in the diagram. The leads will slide
through the holes on the top of the switch contacts. Be
sure to leave enough lead length on the diode so it can
“poke through” the front panel.
CONGRATULATIONS
You have just completed your AF1 CW audio filter unit. Take a well
deserved break now. Give your eyes a rest. When you return, be sure to
check over your work on the
entire circuit board. Energizing the circuit board with solder “bridges” or
misplaced components can damage your kit. Five minutes well spent now
can save hours of troubleshooting time and dollars in expensive replacement
components.
We know that your itching to use your audio filter, so here are the testing
instructions to verify the operation of your filter.
AF1 • 13
Connect an audio output device such as a speaker or headset to the
appropriate jack (J1 or J2, respectively). With switch S1 in the off
position you should be able to hear the tone under test.
Set switches S2 and S3 in the “out” position for maximum bandwidth.
Push in switch S1 to energize the circuit.
Adjust R14 for the proper volume level. Bandwidth S2 S3
(Hz)
You can now experiment with your kit by
changing the tone frequencies with the audio 100 IN IN
generator and following with the center
frequency adjustment of the AF1. 250 IN OUT
You should be able to “hear” the differences in the bandpass filters. Try and
plot a few data points for frequency vs loudness and you should be able to
plot the different bandwidths. This is by no means an exact measurement but
it is impressive that this digitally controlled switched capacitance filter is
responding to your commands -and - you did it yourself!
TROUBLESHOOTING INSTRUCTIONS
While we had hoped that it wouldn’t come to this, if you’re having trouble with
your kit here are a few suggestions. Use a methodical trouble shooting
technique - a clear head and a voltmeter are all that are usually required to
correct any problem. Rest assured that both of the MF8 IC’s have been pre-
tested before they were included in your kit. More times than not a part in
the wrong place causes the problem, so ask a friend to check your work as
well. Try not to be discouraged, working backwards through the assembly
steps will usually lead you to the problem.
CONCLUSION
We sincerely hope that you have enjoyed the construction and use of this
Ramsey Kit. As always, we have tried to compose our manual in the easiest,
most “user friendly” format that is possible. As our customers, we value your
opinions, comments, and additions that you would like to see in future
publications. Please submit comments or ideas to:
Ramsey Electronics Inc.
Attn. Hobby Kit Department
590 Fishers Station Drive
Victor, NY 14564
And once again, thanks from the folks at Ramsey!
AF1 • 14
The Ramsey Kit Warranty
Please read carefully BEFORE calling or writing in about your kit. Most
problems can be solved without contacting the factory.
Notice that this is not a "fine print" warranty. We want you to understand your rights and ours too! All
Ramsey kits will work if assembled properly. The very fact that your kit includes this new manual is
your assurance that a team of knowledgeable people have field-tested several "copies" of this kit
straight from the Ramsey Inventory. If you need help, please read through your manual carefully, all
information required to properly build and test your kit is contained within the pages!
1. DEFECTIVE PARTS: It's always easy to blame a part for a problem in your kit, Before you conclude
that a part may be bad, thoroughly check your work. Today's semiconductors and passive components
have reached incredibly high reliability levels, and it’s sad to say that our human construction skills
have not! But on rare occasions a sour component can slip through. All our kit parts carry the Ramsey
Electronics Warranty that they are free from defects for a full ninety (90) days from the date of
purchase. Defective parts will be replaced promptly at our expense. If you suspect any part to be
defective, please mail it to our factory for testing and replacement. Please send only the defective part
(s), not the entire kit. The part(s) MUST be returned to us in suitable condition for testing. Please be
aware that testing can usually determine if the part was truly defective or damaged by assembly or
usage. Don't be afraid of telling us that you 'blew-it', we're all human and in most cases, replacement
parts are very reasonably priced.
2. MISSING PARTS: Before assuming a part value is incorrect, check the parts listing carefully to see
if it is a critical value such as a specific coil or IC, or whether a RANGE of values is suitable (such as
"100 to 500 uF"). Often times, common sense will solve a mysterious missing part problem. If you're
missing five 10K ohm resistors and received five extra 1K resistors, you can pretty much be assured
that the '1K ohm' resistors are actually the 'missing' 10 K parts ("Hum-m-m, I guess the 'red' band
really does look orange!") Ramsey Electronics project kits are packed with pride in the USA. If you
believe we packed an incorrect part or omitted a part clearly indicated in your assembly manual as
supplied with the basic kit by Ramsey, please write or call us with information on the part you need
and proof of kit purchase.
4. REFUNDS: You are given ten (10) days to examine our products. If you are not satisfied, you may
return your unassembled kit with all the parts and instructions and proof of purchase to the factory for
a full refund. The return package should be packed securely. Insurance is recommended. Please do
not cause needless delays, read all information carefully.
AF1 • 15
AF1 CW AUDIO FILTER
Quick Reference Page Guide
REQUIRED TOOLS
• Soldering Iron (WLC100)
• Thin Rosin Core Solder (RTS12)
• Needle Nose Pliers (MPP4 or RTS05)
• Small Diagonal Cutters (RTS04)
ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED ITEMS
Price: $5.00
Ramsey Publication No. MAF1
Assembly and Instruction manual for:
RAMSEY MODEL NO. AF1
CW AUDIO FILTER