OT: Simple electronics question...

From: Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
Date: Wed Aug 4 18:41:53 2004

>
> I do realize that this doesn't really apply here, but I know some of
> the electronic geniuses here can help me out...

Not a genius, but anyway...

> I have a little Timex clock radio. Works great, except when I want to
> fall asleep to the radio, I need to turn it down so as not to disturb my
> wife. Problem is, that the volume control isn't sensitive enough at the
> low volume I want.
> So, my thought is to put a resistor on the positive lead of the
> speaker, which (I think) would lower the overall volume output, and give
> me a wider range to adjust the volume to a quiet level.

That would work, I think, but what I'd do is find the 'top' end of the
volume control pot (not the silder, not the end that goes to earth), and
stick a resistor in series with it. Something of about the same
resistance as the control would probably be a good start.

> I'm just not sure what size resistor to use, or if that is even the
> right way to go. I haven't cracked it open yet, but I'm fairly certain
> it's only a single speaker in there, and it's probably a 16 ohm one at
> that. Am I on the right track?

More likely to be 8 ohms. If you want to try a resistor in series with
the speaker (and it doens't matter which wire you insert it in, of
course), try something of a few 10's of ohms to start with.

[YEs, I know that mis-natching an output stage to its load can be a bad
thing, but I don't think it'll do any harm at all in this sort of device]

-tony
Received on Wed Aug 04 2004 - 18:41:53 BST