KITS

Build an inexpensive radio out of an oat meal box. The pack includes 1 Spool (100 feet) #24 wire, 1 IN34 Diode, 1 100 pf Capacitor, 1 47K Resistor, 3 alligator clips, 1 ceramic, hi impedance ear piece, 56-32 by ½ machine screws, 10 6-32 nuts, 5 #6 solder lugs -- you provide the box (eat the oatmeal, it's good for you!) and an antenna. The plans for this radio are on our website at www.midnightscience.com/oat-box-project.html. Great for classes, scouting, and science fairs -- easy for kids to put together, with adult supervision.

If you need an antenna, then order the Oatbox Pack 2. This pack includes everything in Pack 1, above, plus another spool of 24 gauge hook-up wire (100feet). The extra wire can be used to make a bigger coil, to cover more of the broadcast band, or it can be used as antenna wire. You'll need to buy and eat the oatmeal.

Attention beginners and mentors. J. K Fenton has written "Building Your First Crystal Radio," See picture and to order below.

XS-402 The Little Wonder Crystal Radio Kit

Our “Little Wonder” is a super starter kit for kids and beginning adult builders! It tunes the entire broadcast band. The extra large solder pads make it easy for beginning builders to have a successful first radio. There are only a few solder joints, and the pads are spread out making it clean and simple to assemble. The “Little Wonder” was designed especially for the XSS by our founder, Grampa Phil, WØXI. We tried to combine everything we’ve learned about building radios with beginners and kids to create a radio that everyone can build the first time. There is no coil to wind, a high resonant frequency molded choke have been used in place of the coil. A nice photo diagram is included showing all the parts and their placement on the printed circuit board (PCB) . This radio is perfect for parents and grandparents to build with kids. It is also priced right for classroom use, and can be used to teach basic radio theory, soldering, and handling of electronic parts and PCB’s. Kit includes a high impedance crystal earplug. A super performer and a great little kit; you’ve got to have one! XS402 $16.95.

XS-500 Basic Crystal Radio

The XS-500 Basic Crystal Radio is a tapped-coil crystal set, designed for those who wish to wind their own coil and for solder or non-solder assembly. Set tunes the AM broadcast band and requires, as usual, an antenna and grounding (antenna wire not included). One-hundred foot wire spools are available via mail order or our web site. We like the assembly flexibility of this set: a bit of a challenge in winding the coil and the alternative for non-solder assembly. This basic kit includes a pre-drilled wood base, pre-drilled PVC coil form, 50 feet of enamel wire, 1N34 detector diode, ear piece, capacitors and a resistor, alligator clips, Fahnestock clips, 6-32 mounting hardware, and manual. Cat # XS500 $16.95.

my marconi kit XSS-MM My Marconi Radio Kit

The My-Marconi 2106 Crystal Radio Kit is described in some detail in the May issue of the Xtal Set Society Newsletter. It’s a double-tuned set using toroid-wound coils and includes an antenna tuner. You can obtain the My-Marconi kit in three flavors: crystal set with chassis, parts, and panel including lexan with graphics; the kit without lexan front sheet, the lexan front sheet only but with full manual, and a separate cabinet enclosure kit. These pictures present a quick snapshot.

The kit tunes the AM band. The primary and secondary LC “tank” circuits each utilize a 365 pf air variable capacitor with a 250 uH coil wound on an FT82-61 ferrite toroid core. A third air variable cap is used for antenna matching. The tank caps and coils mount on a 10 x 7 x 1/8th inch hardboard chassis. The antenna cap and ¼-inch phone jack mount on the 10 x 6.625 by 1/8th inch hardboard front panel. Nylon shaft extenders connect the tuning caps to the front panel knobs. The kit includes: chassis, front panel (with or without lexan front panel sheet), side rails, metal and nylon hardware, pointer knobs, 3- 365 air variable capacitors, 2 FT82-61 toroids, hookup wire, two earplugs, and composite manual, including kit instructions, mechanical drawings, circuit detail, and operating instructions.

The 10 mil thick Lexan Panel plastic sheet, with screened graphics and (3M) peel-off adhesive matches up with the front panel. The textured surface includes white and black graphics screened on the back side. If you like to design and build your own crystal radio sets this may be the only hard to come by part you’ll need. We ship the composite manual with the lexan.

If you wish to wrap a case around the bottom, sides and top but don’t want to cut out and bevel your own boards, the cabinet kit is for you. Simply screw it together, paint it, and slide the radio in! Case dimensions are: Top: 8.25 x 7 x 0.75 pine, Two Case Sides: 7 x 5.875 x 0.75 pine, and Beveled Case Bottom: 11 x 8.5 x 0.75 pine.

XS-801 Crystal Radio Kit

This kit is an ideal transition for those who’ve finished an Oat-Box or other starter crystal radio and desire to learn more and hear more stations. In building this radio you'll learn about antenna matching, winding an advanced coil, coil and system Q, and accommodating an ear piece or hi-impedance phones. Features include antenna matching, dividing the AM band into two sections, variable capacitor station tuning, a circuit to reduce audio distortion, and a large coil. Parts include two air variable capacitors, a 4.2 diameter by 5.2 inch long coil form, a spool of #18 insulated stranded wire, 2 diodes, an ear piece, and assorted components. The chassis, panel, and coil form are predrilled and ready for assembly. The manual covers assembly, installation, and operation of the radio, and includes suggestions for further adaptation and experimentation. The XS-801 is described in the May, 2008 issue of the Xtal Set Society bi-monthly newsletter. A brief summary can also be found on the XS-801 Page and some mechanicals on the downloads page (article-index).

XSS-SA8: 8-Step Attenuator Kit

A step attenuator is a very useful tool and good addition to your radio bench. We were motivated to develop this kit for several reasons. It’s an integral part of equipment required when using the Trap Coil Q Measurement Method - see the articles-index page - and commercial units for HF hobby use are expensive. It’s also useful in isolating or buffering between circuits and reducing effects of circuit mismatches during tests. As pictured eight DPDT switches are included, each enabling the connection or bypassing of one pi-network resistive pad. Pads included are: 20, 20, 20, 10, 5, 3, 2, and 1 dB respectively, based on a 50-ohm system. PCB thickness, copper ground plane, and trace sizes enable a flat response to 10 MHz. As such any insertion loss (reduction in voltage) from 0 to 81 dB in 1 dB increments is available for measurements. BNC connectors provide input/output. All resistors are 1% metal film. The Kit is available with PCB, parts and manual or as PCB only.

XS-W Crystal Set

This is our smallest crystal set yet, measuring 1.5 by 2 by 0.5 inches. It’s small enough to wear on your wrist, and includes jacks for plugging in an antenna and ear piece. Set is tuned by selecting a set of capacitors wired in parallel with the miniature molded coil. Kit is constructed by soldering the parts onto the printed circuit board provided. Plugs to match the jacks, along with an ear-piece are provided. As with all sets, it requires an antenna, not provided. Cat # XS-W,
$ 16.95.

XS-EAK Ear-Piece Transistor Amp Kit

This ear-piece transistor amplifier kit (EAK), designed to work with a crystal set, boosts the signal you can hear by up to x14. Parts assemble on PCB; step-by-step instructions included; 9-V battery not included. Assembly time is about 45 minutes. Cat # XS-EAK $19.95

XS-DE Dual Ear Kit

This kit features binaural listening by interconnecting two traditional crystal ear pieces. By utilizing both of your ears, a signal heard will sound as if it is inside your head, less "brassy," and you'll hear less background noise! The kit may be used with crystal sets or other radios or audio devices with 8-ohm or "phone" outputs, thus giving you inexpensive headphone listening. The kit features a 2 by 2-inch printed circuit board, three 3.5 mono-jacks, a toggle switch, back-to-back 1N914 diodes, and a thumb potentiometer. The DPDT-switch enables a series or parallel connection of the ear pieces. The pot and diodes are used to limit volume; and the pot has some effect on the "timber" of voices heard. The kit includes two crystal ear-pieces and three mono-plugs but does not include cable and connectors for your crystal set or radio. Assembly time is roughly 25-minutes. Cat # XS-DE, $ 19.95.

XS-TGK Test Generator Kit

This test generator kit (TGK) produces an AM test signal and tunes the 550-1600 kHz AM BC Band with a thump pot on the PCB. The audio is a fixed at 1 kHz; ideal for checking out your crystal set or kit. The signal is low-level and must be clipped to the insulation of the set coil. Parts assemble on PCB; manual included; 9-V battery not included. Assembly time is about 45 minutes. Cat# XS-TGK $19.95

cw filter pcb QRP CW Filter

For QRP Amateur Radio use. This active CW Filter - constructed with op-amps - was conceived within a few days of bringing home a new IC-703 from Dayton in 2004. The 703 is a great little radio but it didn't come with a narrow CW filter installed. Expensive IF CW Filters can be purchased, but you can save some money and have fun at the same time, building this external 500 Hz filter centered at 750 Hz. the first think I noticed when operating was that the audio background noise is simply cut out. The PCB is just 2.9 by 3.5 inches and can be fit in a case less than 1.2 inches high (case not included but offered as one of our "specials" while supply lasts). Kit includes PCB, parts, and manual.

XS-SDLK Smart Dummary Load- 10 Watts.

picture of

For QRP Amateur Radio use. This kit and our passive CW filter kit were inspired by our enthusiasm for non-powered - no batteries - electronics. The “smart” dummy load, assembled on a 1-1/4 by 4-1/2 inch PCB, features a 10-watt dummy load with power levels acheived denoted by four LEDs. The circuit includes six 3-watt metal film resistors, four detector diodes, four zeners, four LEDs, and bias resistors. The four LED circuits denote power achieved: 1, 2, 5, or 10-watts. The signal measured supplies the power. No batteries Mom! Assembly time is about 25 minutes. Coax not included.

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Xtal Set Society, Inc Kit Index:

KITS

Xtal Set Society, Inc
Kit Index: