Step-by-Step Guide to Building the FM Radio Receiver HEX 3653 Chip Kit
UPDATE: Thank you Mr. Peter Todd Decker and Mr. Gord G Rabjohn for pointing out that I had incorrectly identified the piezoelectric tuning crystal which vibrates at about 32kHz and provides a "clock" to the FM receiver. The antenna is in fact the auxiliary cord (headphones) plugged into the radio, unless an external antenna is attached. I will update the guide in the future to correct this error.
The HEX 3653 Radio Chip Kit is a great way to dive in to circuits and soldering. Unfortunately, the guides that are presently available are very limited and do not do a good job of clearly explaining to beginners how to assemble the radio, and very little information exists about how the radio actually works. This in-depth guide walks through how to turn a pile of components into a foundation of knowledge about soldering, radio, and a to top it off a working FM radio of your very own! Topics covered include:
Circuit Diagrams
Components
Soldering Techniques
Assembly (step-by-step)
Radio Operation and Troubleshooting
What is Radio? Including how this radio works!
Extensive Reference List
Download the guide here.
If you just want a quick reference, a color-coded circuit diagram is below:
