Category: Glue Sticks

Paul WA1MAC GETS DOWN TO BRASS TACKS with his FB GLUE STICK SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver

Wow, look at that beautiful build of the SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver. We haven’t received a “proof of life” video from Paul yet, but we trust that his receiver does in fact work. Paul has some heavy care-giver responsibilities that keep him in his home. We do not want to complicate his life by asking for outside antennas or videos.

We are also not going to complicate Paul’s life my insisting that he build it our way. First, his life is already complicated enough, and second, the innovations he introduced are really cool. The use of brass tacks and conducive copper tape is really ingenious. And the glue stick has brought him to the Joy of Oscillation (JOO). In fact the glue stick has given him JOVO — the Joy of Variable Oscillation. FB Paul.

Paul writes:

Hi guys

I’ve been gettin down to brass tack here at the mac-shack! Fits in nicely within my new caregiver role.
Been having a ball with the brass thumbtack breadboarding from SPRAT on your DC Receiver challenge!
Gluestick PTO, check, alive with the joy of oscillation!
BPF, check (need to tune once I find the nano VNA here somewhere)
DBM and diplexer, check, there was room on the board left over so I cheated and snuck the BPF on that board too
3 BJT audio amp with transformer, check, alive and passes the finger test, loudly!
Since I currently have no 40m antenna here guess it’s time to finally put that active antenna I’ve been meaning to build…………Any how thanks for all the fun and hair pulling, oh wait, I’m already bald!
73
Paul WA1MAC, get it the mac-shack 🙂
JOVO!
Glue Stick!
Brass tacks!
Congratulations Paul! Welcome to the Hall of Fame!

Amazingly Cool MONTV Video on Direct Conversion Receivers with Glue Stick PTOs

I think this is one of Nick’s best videos. And he has made a lot of good ones.


This is a really excellent description of how a Direct Conversion receiver works. But more importantly Nick really captures the joy of building one of these receivers using discrete, analog components, including a Permeability Tuned Oscillator made from our beloved Glue Sticks.

Extra mojo comes in the form of a mixer designed by Pete Juliano using J310s to simulate a 40673 dual gate MOSFET. Fantastic. Icing on the cake comes from a W8DIZ AF amp out of SPRAT magazine.

There is a grand finale. I won’t spoil it. Watch the video. Suffice it to say that Farhan would be pleased with this.

Great stuff. Thanks Nick!

A Treasure Trove of Permeability Tuned Oscillator (PTO) Info and Links (Plus Info on Direct Conversion Receivers)

There is really great info on this page, and even more in the links at the bottom of it. While the page is about PTOs, the links often discuss their use in Direct Conversion Receivers. I really liked the Tin Ear receiver. And it was great to again come across the work of Alan Yates VK2ZAY. Alan very admirably admits that laziness caused him to use an LM386 audio amplifier in place of a more virtuous discrete transistor design.

https://qrpbuilder.com/pto_mechanism

I bought one of the qrpbuilder PTO kits and I will soon put it together. I have been having good results with a Glue Stick PTO and with a brass screw PTO form designed by Farhan and 3D printed for me by Dean KK4DAS.

LET’S GO PTO!