connecting radio to computer - Electronic Circuits Projects Diagrams Free

Hesam Kamalan · 24th July 2006, 04:42 PM

hi
i want to connect one radio to my computer (with parrallel or USB port) and change stations from my computer. i want to lessen to the radio via computer and speekers. is it practical or no?

**Nigel Goodwin** · 24th July 2006, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hesam Kamalan

hi
i want to connect one radio to my computer (with parrallel or USB port) and change stations from my computer. i want to lessen to the radio via computer and speekers. is it practical or no?

You can buy radio cards for computers, either internal or USB, simply plug one in!.

Hesam Kamalan · 24th July 2006, 04:53 PM

no thanks dear Nigel. i do not want to buy it. i want to build for fun not professional

**Nigel Goodwin** · 24th July 2006, 08:33 PM

In that case you're talking a LOT of expense, it's NOT really a trivial project, for a start you've got to build a PLL digitally controlled radio, then an interface to either parallel or USB.

upand_at_them · 24th July 2006, 09:35 PM

It wouldn't be that expensive. He could use a 4066 analog switch or just a few transistors.

Mike

hjames · 25th July 2006, 06:47 AM

Ripping apart an old analog radio and mechanically driving the tuning knob would be amusing in an odd retro sort of way. When dealing with a cheap off-the-shelf "normal" radio, the ugly part would probably be trying to hack around the human interface.

Buttons are likely in a matrix configuration, so that's the first "ouch", the second is trying to interpret any user output from something like a LCD - which would be pretty tricky. Probably impossible without having a microcontroller directly parsing the LCD control lines.

Might be easier to splice in/ hack directly into something that resembles a varactor in the tuning section. If there is one - that is.

James

akg · 25th July 2006, 07:18 AM

Quote:

no thanks dear Nigel. i do not want to buy it. i want to build for fun not professional

connect the tunnig dial to a stepper motor controlled from the pc

desperadogear · 25th July 2006, 09:04 AM

its a good idea to get the analog signal from FM radio and convert it into digital interface it to computer and play it using a program. That way the output would be better and less noisy. Lets say we got the digital data some how and theres a stepper motor interface to control the frequency knob. Which program would be appropriate for the rest of digital signal processing? Matlab?

JRoque · 25th July 2006, 02:21 PM

Hello. Silabs has a reference design for an USB enabled FM radio. It can be purchased for $35 from Mouser.

You can also buy the radio chip and interface to your own ucontroller. Philips also has a numbers of AM/FM tuners that might be useful.

JR

bsodmike · 26th July 2006, 04:53 AM

What about a servo, that gives accurate position control? Or a motor with PID control, but that only makes sense if the knob rotates round and round (sorta like a slipper dial...what do you call these?).

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24th July 2006, 04:42 PM	(permalink)
Hesam Kamalan	connecting radio to computer hi i want to connect one radio to my computer (with parrallel or USB port) and change stations from my computer. i want to lessen to the radio via computer and speekers. is it practical or no? __________________ http://www.kamalan.com/default.aspx?lang=En Illegal free books links deleted - moderator.

24th July 2006, 04:53 PM	(permalink)
Hesam Kamalan	no thanks dear Nigel. i do not want to buy it. i want to build for fun not professional __________________ http://www.kamalan.com/default.aspx?lang=En Illegal free books links deleted - moderator.

24th July 2006, 08:33 PM	(permalink)
Nigel Goodwin	In that case you're talking a LOT of expense, it's NOT really a trivial project, for a start you've got to build a PLL digitally controlled radio, then an interface to either parallel or USB. __________________ PIC programmer software, and PIC Tutorials at: http://www.winpicprog.co.uk

24th July 2006, 09:35 PM	(permalink)
upand_at_them	It wouldn't be that expensive. He could use a 4066 analog switch or just a few transistors. Mike

25th July 2006, 06:47 AM	(permalink)
hjames	Ripping apart an old analog radio and mechanically driving the tuning knob would be amusing in an odd retro sort of way. When dealing with a cheap off-the-shelf "normal" radio, the ugly part would probably be trying to hack around the human interface. Buttons are likely in a matrix configuration, so that's the first "ouch", the second is trying to interpret any user output from something like a LCD - which would be pretty tricky. Probably impossible without having a microcontroller directly parsing the LCD control lines. Might be easier to splice in/ hack directly into something that resembles a varactor in the tuning section. If there is one - that is. James

25th July 2006, 09:04 AM	(permalink)
desperadogear	its a good idea to get the analog signal from FM radio and convert it into digital interface it to computer and play it using a program. That way the output would be better and less noisy. Lets say we got the digital data some how and theres a stepper motor interface to control the frequency knob. Which program would be appropriate for the rest of digital signal processing? Matlab? __________________ impossible says i'm possible

25th July 2006, 02:21 PM	(permalink)
JRoque	Hello. Silabs has a reference design for an USB enabled FM radio. It can be purchased for $35 from Mouser. You can also buy the radio chip and interface to your own ucontroller. Philips also has a numbers of AM/FM tuners that might be useful. JR

26th July 2006, 04:53 AM	(permalink)
bsodmike	What about a servo, that gives accurate position control? Or a motor with PID control, but that only makes sense if the knob rotates round and round (sorta like a slipper dial...what do you call these?). __________________ "Ambition is the last refuge of failure..." --Oscar Wilde "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." -- Winston Churchill