QRPGuys K8TND Regenerative Receiver

First, familiarize yourself with the parts and check for all the components. If a part is missing, please
contact us at [email protected] and we will send you one.

Please read all the instructions before starting to assemble the receiver.

Parts List

1 – QRPGuys K8TND Regen Receiver PCB, 4 pieces

1 – U1, LM386 DIP IC
1 – Q1, 2N3904 transistor
1 – Q2, J310 FET
1 – D1, 1N4001-7 diode, black, silver band on one end
1 – D2, ISV149 varactor diode
1 – D3, 1N4737A, 7.5V zener diode, small glass, band on one end
1 - D4, high intensity led
1 – R1, 2.2K resistor (red-red-red-gold)
2 - R2,8, 1 meg ohm resistor (brown-black-green-gold)
3– R3,7,11 10K resistor (brown-black-orange-gold)
1 – R4, 5.6K resistor (green-blue-red-gold)
1 – R5, 1K resistor (brown-black-red-gold)
1 – R6, 10 ohm resistor (brown-black-black-gold)
1 – R9, 51 ohm resistor (green-brown-black-gold)
1 – R10, 4.7k ohm (yellow-violet-red-gold)
7 – C1,2,5,7,11,12,15, .01uF mono capacitor, marked 103
1 – C3, 560pF NP0/C0G capacitor, marked 561

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1 – C4, 100pF capacitor, marked 101
1 – C6, .001uF mono capacitor, marked 102
1 – C8, 470pF NP0/C0G capacitor, marked 471
1 – C9, 4.7uF electrolytic capacitor
2 – C10,14, 100uF electrolytic capacitor
1 – C13, 1uF electrolytic capacitor
3 – VR2,3,4, 10K pcb mounted potentiometer
1 – VR1, 10K panel mount pot
1 – RFC1, 1mH molded inductor, marked (brown-black-red-silver)
1 – J1, DC power jack
1 – J2, 3.5mm stereo jack
1 – S1,2, SPDT slide switch
1 – 8 pin DIP socket
1 – 9V battery clip-female
1 – 9V battery clip-male
1 – 48” 26awg magnet wire
1 – T68-2 toroid core (red)
2 – 8-32 x 3/4”L SS Phillips pan head screw
4 – 8-32 SS hex nut
2 – 8-32 SS wing nut
2 – 8-32 SS internal tooth lock washer
1 – 4-40 x .50L Phillips nylon screw
1 – 4-40 nylon hex nut
1 – #4 nylon washer
4 – 3/8” dia. rubber foot
1 – 8” hook-up wire
1 – control knob

First item to assemble is the PCB chassis.

Even if you have done radio kit assembly before, please read through all the instructions before you
start. This kit is a little different, in that the mechanical components are the part of the printed circuit
board. The instructions give you the scope of the project and an understanding of the techniques we
have employed. You will be assembling the kit from four pieces of PCB material. The base contains all
the circuitry for the receiver. There are solder pads, and letter coded parts, that match each other.
When you tack and then solder the components it will make a sturdy mechanical assembly. Refer to the
figure below for identification of the individual PCB parts.

BASE FRONT PANEL

GUSSETS

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On all the mechanical assembly soldering, you will use the same technique. You tack a
single tiny point first, and then check to see that it is square and aligned with the
registration points and assembly notes. It is easy to re-heat the joint and adjust the
alignment when there is only a single point. You will tack all the other pads, before you
do the finish soldering.

When soldered, the completed chassis will look like this, with all the holes and circuitry needed for the
assembly. There will be no drilled holes to be added.

Soldering the chassis together:

One of the physical properties of solder is that it contracts when it cools. Knowing this, we can allow for
it. If two pieces of the pcb material are clamped 90° apart, and you apply solder at the joint, the joint will
close about 1°-2°, no matter how well you clamp it, the PCB material will flex and you will end up with
an 88° corner. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but you don’t want that to happen. If you try to straighten it
cold, you will lift off the solder pad from the PCB. To counteract this, you position the front panel at
slightly greater than 90º. When it’s tacked it will pull back to square (90º). Finally, adding the gussets
maintain this position and make a strong assembly.

You will need to work on a flat surface. I use a 1 foot square piece of a Formica counter top, but any flat
surface will do. The first task is to position the front panel and the base with the “C’s” matching, so that
both side edges are flush with each other against something you have that is square. It can be a small
piece of angle iron, or a square piece of wood with sharp corners. Position a short piece of 1/32”
diameter solder or wire 4” long against the bottom of the square corner and lean the front panel back.
This gives you the greater than 90º you are looking for. See figures below.

[ ] A small “tack” at one of the “C” pads is all that is required at this time. Check for squareness,
flush on both sides, and flush on the bottom. If not all these conditions are met you only have to
reheat the one tack and reposition the two pieces. When you are satisfied, “tack” the other “C”
pad. Do not completely solder the pads.

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Position either of the side gussets against the inside edge of the previous assembly. Match the letters.
You can hold the small triangle of PCB material while you put a small “tack” on one of the pads. As
before, check for squareness, and a flush joint. See the figure below.

[ ] “Tack” the other pad on that side. Do not completely solder the pads.

[ ] Use the same technique with the other gusset.

[ ] When you are satisfied with the alignment and squareness of the “tacked” assembly you can go
back and complete the soldering of all the pads. Alternate between different pads and add a
small amount on each pad until the joints are complete.

This completes the chassis.

Now that the chassis is complete. Refer to the graphic below and the PCB silk screening for the
placement of the components.

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[ ] Install VR 2,3,4, 10K pcb mounted potentiometer

[ ] Install R1, 2.2K resistor (red-red-red-gold)

[ ] Install R2,8, 1 meg ohm resistor (brown-black-green-gold)

[ ] Install R3, 7,11, 10K resistor (brown-black-orange-gold)

[ ] Install R4, 5.6K resistor (green-blue-red-gold)

[ ] Install R5, 1K resistor (brown-black-red-gold)

[ ] Install R6, 10 ohm resistor (brown-black-black-gold)

[ ] Install R9, 51 ohm resistor (green-brown-black-gold)

[ ] Install R10, 4.7k ohm (yellow-violet-red-gold)

[ ] Install RFC1, 1mH molded inductor, marked (brown-black-red-silver)

[ ] Install D1, 1N4001-7 diode, match the band on the diode with the outline

[ ] Install D3, 1N4737A, small glass diode, match the band on the diode with the outline

[ ] Install D4, D4, high intensity led, observe polarity, the long lead is positive

[ ] Install D2, ISV149, marked V149, polarity sensitive, match the board outline

[ ] Install C1,2,5,7,11,12,15, .01uF mono capacitor, marked 103

[ ] Install C3, 560pF NP0/C0G capacitor, marked 561

[ ] Install C4, 100pF capacitor, marked 101

[ ] Install C6, .001uF mono capacitor, marked 102

[ ] Install C8, 470pF NP0/C0G capacitor, marked 471

[ ] Install 8 pin DIP socket

[ ] Install J2, 3.5mm stereo jack

[ ] Install S1,2, SPDT slide switch

[ ] Install Q1, 2N3904, match the board outline

[ ] Install Q2, J310 transistor, match the board outline

[ ] Install C9, 4.7uF electrolytic capacitor, observe polarity, the long lead is positive

[ ] Install C10,14 100uF electrolytic capacitor, observe polarity, the long lead is positive

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[ ] Install C13, 1uF electrolytic capacitor, observe polarity, the long lead is positive

[ ] Install J1, DC power jack

[ ] Install 9V battery clip-female, as shown below

[ ] Install 9V battery clip-male, as shown below

[ ] Install VR1, 10K panel mount pot. Connect to the pcb using the hook-up wire provided as shown
below.

[ ] Mount the control knob on VR1. It may have a removable tab to clock for mounting in a certain
position. Break it off so the pot mounts flush.

[ ] Use the T68-2 toroid core (red), the supplied magnet wire, and wind T1 as shown below, start
winding at the 5 o’clock position. Push 1” of the wire down the hole from the top and hold it, feed
the remaining turns up from the bottom. Every time the wire goes thru the center counts as one
turn. Wind a total of 10 turns, and form a 1” loop, wind another 7 turns, and form another 1”
loop, then finish with 21 more turns. If you have your own special technique for winding toroids,
use it. The wires must be over the core or under the core for each group of turns as shown
below. If the wound core does not look like the picture below, it will not align with the pcb holes.
Be sure to verify the turn counts on each group before you cut the loops.

A yellow core is shown for clarity.

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Note: Now is a good time to mention a good way for counting the turns on your toroids. Many times on
a toroid with a lot of turns, you can lose track going around, as some are quite small. A good trick is to
take a digital picture of it before you trim the leads and enlarge it on your computer screen. Counting is
clearly a lot easier.

Yellow core is shown for clarity

[ ] Cut the loops and straighten the wires. It should look like the picture above. If you have wound
it properly, when the leads are bent down, they will align with the six pcb pads shown in the
graphic above. The magnet wire has Thermaleze enamel, and can be removed with a hot
soldering iron. Remove the insulation, and tin the leads before installing on the pcb. Now install
T1 flat with the pcb, and solder the six leads.

[ ] Retain T1 with the nylon hardware as shown in the graphic below. Feed the screw from under
the pcb.

[ ] Attach the four self adhesive rubber feet to the corners on the bottom of the board where
indicated by the silkscreen.

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[ ] Install the antenna and ground connection hardware as shown in the graphic below.

[ ] Next, power up the receiver with a 9V battery or 12V via the DC power jack. Anytime the 12V
power jack is used, be sure to remove the 9V battery. The center pin is“+” on J2. Check for
~+8.5V if using a 9V battery, and ~+11.5V if using a 12V power source on pin #6 of the U1
socket. If all is ok, install The LM386 into the socket noting the position of pin 1 shown in the
graphic below.

When inserting IC the pins are flared so that they can be retained by automatic insertion tools. Gently
rock it on a flat surface so the pins are parallel and it will insert into the socket more easily.

Alignment:

It is easiest to mark the approximate locations of the SWL bands, WWV, etc. by using another receiver.
Loosely couple the antenna with that of a nearby receiver and it will pick up the local oscillator in your
regen receiver. Note the frequency or band of interest and mark with a pencil on the front panel. Make
sure your fine tuning pot is in the middle of its range and you will have fine tuning either side of the
frequency or band you marked. The “Fine Tuning” will cover a range of about 30Khz.

Using a Regenerative receiver:

AM stations are best heard with the Regen control to the counterclockwise side of the knob travel, and
the advanced clockwise just before sidetones are heard. CW/SSB stations are best heard with the
Regen control to the clockwise side of the knob travel, as they require the sidetones to be present. The
Regen and both Tuning controls interact with each other so a little tweaking is required.

When changing frequency by any appreciable amount, it will be necessary to re-adjust the “Regen”
control for maximum signal strength. Adjustment will also be necessary if the “Regen” starts to oscillate.
If you cannot get the regen to stop oscillating, squeeze the winding groups closer together and
separate them from each other. Use the minimum amount of volume for comfortable listening. With a
regenerative receiver a little back and forth is necessary, and you will get the hang of it after a few tries.

Other tips on regenerative receiver tuning can be found here at the ARRL site,
http://www.arrl.org/tuning-a-regenerative-receiver

If you use an external 12V power source, be sure to remove the 9V battery.

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Schematic:

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Notes:

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