Category Archives: Recording preamp/limiter

Manual lives here
Link to Hackaday post: http://hackaday.com/2011/09/20/adding-an-external-audio-input-to-the-sansa-clip/

Prototype recording preamp mirror upgrade

Posted on October 20, 2012 by Jim

I’ve felt a little like the shoemaker’s shoeless kids:  The shiny new recording preamps I make for others have a little window so you can watch the LEDs from out on the floor, while the ones I use – slightly … Continue reading →

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Boards ordered from Seeed for recording preamp!

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Jim

I’m getting really close to my goal of having a solid, standardized, manufacturable square dance recording device.  I just sent out the Gerber files to have the first run of circuit boards made!  The earliest notes I can find about … Continue reading →

Posted in PCB Etching, Recording preamp/limiter | 2 Comments

Chasing recording preamp distortion

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Jim

I’m dragging my feet on making up the final boards for the ‘production’ Sansa recording devices.  Much of it is that I don’t really trust the new ones.  I think I heard some distortion in some of the Sansa recordings … Continue reading →

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First “production” recorder

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Jim

A dance weekend finally inspired me to actually get the first model of the “final” design put together.  It’s almost all SMT (including a thru hole 3914 with its legs bent under), so I soldered most of the components on … Continue reading →

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Recording preamp: new plan, better than ever!

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Jim

Wow – the little Sansa recorders have caused significant changes and clarifications to the plan for my square dance recorders.  I’m going to end up with almost everything I’ve asked for.  The new plan: The only supported recorder will be … Continue reading →

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What a difference 30 years makes!

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Jim

While I was testing the latest version of the recording preamp, I needed a simple audio amp.  A good old LM386 would be fine.  I’ve been making stuff on printed circuit boards and vector boards for quite a while, and … Continue reading →

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Sansa Clip+ recorder external input hack

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Jim

Here’s (one of) my shiny new $20 4 GB Sansa Clip+ MP3 recorder/players from Woot.  It’s smaller than I’d pictured – but that’s fine.  The little “R” melted into the back of the clip might well mark it as refurbished, … Continue reading →

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Recording preamp/limiter – with battery test

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Jim

(Post rebuilt – see footnote.) I’ve built several preamp/AGC/limiter boxes for square dance recording, each getting a little better than the last. (Well, the black one wasn’t so great.) I still aspire to a “perfect” device, answering all my needs. … Continue reading →

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Output amp daughterboard for recording preamp

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Jim

Here’s the small board that will implement the extra output amplifier to have the black prototype recording preamp/AGC/limiter thing put out enough that it works with the iRiver T30 recorder without the dumb empty files. I did go with the … Continue reading →

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Output amp for recording preamp?

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Jim

I may have been wrong about not being able to put an output stage in the prototype recording preamp before the weekend coming up Feb 18-20 in Washington DC. While I don’t have time to redo the whole board, including … Continue reading →

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