Hi.
First, I would describe myself as being a complete novice (almost). That said I have time, and I have some successful builds lurking in my distant past.
My partner has a lot of records and would like to be able to play them but we only have a turn table and we live in a small apartment so don’t have a lot of room for more items in the place.

This got me thinking, we are not audiophiles so....
What if I got something like this, attach it to the turntables outputs then connected it to a wireless device; http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...yer pre amp&qid=1450968837&ref_=sr_1_4&sr=8-4

As for the wireless, I first thought of one of those Bluetooth send or receive devices (e.g. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ve&qid=1450937897&ref_=sr_1_sc_1&sr=8-1-spell ) but this may be a problem/increased expense if we want to include something like self powered speakers and I figured there is a limit to the number of Bluetooth devices in a house.

I then moved to the idea of building an FM transmitter (I once built one that worked surprisingly well) and have it play through anything with an FM tuner.

I would appreciate peoples thoughts about this, I suspect this idea isn’t unique, but a stand alone turntable would solve the space issue and (for me) it might be fun.



Thanks.

 

Yes, the first device should convert and equalize the low level signal from the record player (presumably generated by a moving-magnet magnetic cartridge) to the higher level required by the transmitter.

The bluetooth device should work okay as a transmitter with a bluetooth receiver.

You could also use an FM transmitter (you can buy ones designed for use in automobiles such as here) if you already have an FM receiver.

 

There is even a word for it. An old term for modulated oscillators on the broadcast band used to transmit the output of phonographs to a nearby radio is "phono oscillator".

You already know you can make an FM transmitter that is one option. Unless you make one using a phase-locked loop you will probably experience some drift which could be an inconvenience. You can also buy stable transmitters intended to be used for listening to portable music players through car radios and they are usually pretty inexpensive.
http://www.amazon.com/Transmitter-A...F8&qid=1451010095&sr=8-3&keywords=fm+wireless

Personally, the Bluetooth transmitter that you found looks like a very clean and simple solution and probably a good choice if your intent is to solve your listening problem rather than learn about radio.

 

Hi
Thanks for the replies.

The plan (today) is to get (and hide) a small amp with a tuner, remote and a couple of bookshelf speakers in the living room and use it for video and phono sound.
I am thinking about using a Bluetooth solution for the audio side of an itx HTPC I am currently gathering the parts for (the mobo has onboard wifi/Bluetooth) and trying a FM transmitter on the turntable so the phono audio can be accessed in other rooms.

I have been looking for phase-locked loop FM transmitters and have found one available in kit form which may save some work... Its only €10 so in the absence of something better/proven I might give a try.
http://www.ebay.de/itm/BH1417F-Digi...7cdbb5&pid=100009&rk=2&rkt=10&sd=131348479860

On a slightly different note, I see the phono preamps I have found are all 12v and around 3-500mA, at least that’s the case for the ones I have found specific data about. It is unfortunate the days are gone where I could go to a local shop talk to a knowledgeable person and pick from their merchandise.
I am thinking that because these power units are so small, perhaps it may be an idea to include a 240-12v power supply, something like (but not limited to) this http://www.dx.com/p/xinyuanyang-s-2...tching-power-supply-silver-ac-110-220v-337739
The idea being that because these types of supplies are quite small I “might” be able to add a fuse and mount it with the preamp and have a slightly tidier setup. But how to pick a good one, I mean, who wants a cheaply made power supply in anything.

I would appreciate anyone’s thoughts about a suitable/good fm solution and what are the expert opinions about my power supply idea/thoughts.

Thanks again for your responses;
Regards.

 

Right path. Thanks to Rohm there are a bunch of small FM transmitters on ebay based on their chips. I've built some and bought some, and they just plain work. The one you show has an extra output RF amplifier, and should reach down the street.

What do the outputs of the turntable connect to now? If it is the inputs of a standard component amplifier, then the amp might have outputs that are equalized and at line level. Make/model/photo front and back?

ak

 

You could also use a 12Vdc wall-wort to power the preamp.

 

Hi
Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

The old amp does have the necessary connections for the record player but it is the size of a small building and doesn’t have a tuner or a remote. I have access to one of these, it is still large but the one we can get does have a remote and a tuner http://www.ebay.de/itm/Sony-STR-DE-...317866?hash=item488766f8ea:g:OWAAAOSwHnFV04mQ

The power supply(s);
The phono preamp and transmitter setup will require 3 different power supplies (with different voltages). This got me thinking that perhaps I could mount/house the preamp and transmitter together with their PSUs. I know it isn’t necessary but it does appeal to my sense of aesthetics and putting stuff together is always fun...
My problem is that although finding above average quality wall warts is relatively easy, I don’t know how to choose a good internal psu for this type of application, so any thoughts/pointers on this will be helpful.

Another FM question;
In general terms, am I correct in thinking that it is possible to decrease the area covered by a higher output transmitter by reducing the size/length of the antenna.

Thanks.