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This supplies 1.5 volts to IC1 because the maximum supply voltage for

the ZN416 is 1.6 volts.

Battery pack for 4 AA batteries to supply 6 volts to IC2

ZN416E AM radio receiver IC1

14–365 picofarad variable air capacitor (C2)

You could also use a variable capacitor that goes up to 500 picofarad.

^3 ⁄ 8 "-diameter × 31 ⁄ 2 " ferrite rod

You can also use a ferrite rod with a^1 ⁄ 2 " diameter and longer lengths of

either^3 ⁄ 8 " or^1 ⁄ 2 " diameter as long as they fit in the box that you’re using

for the radio. Longer ferrite rods should give you higher sensitivity to

weak radio signals than shorter ferrite rods.

We found the preceding three radio-specific items above at Ocean State

Electronics (www.oselectronics.com). We noticed that it was less

expensive to buy this vendor’s part #LA-540 — a ferrite rod already

wrapped with a wire coil — slip off the coil, and then wrap wire to the

number of turns we needed on that rod. Buying a ferrite rod by itself

was about three times as expensive!

Battery pack for IC 1 Resistor

Electrolytic capacitor

Ferrite rod

Battery pack for IC 2 Ceramic capacitor Terminal blockIC

Figure 8-3:

Key

components.

170 Part II: Sounding Off!