PLL FM Transmitter LMX2322-PIC870

PIC Controller BoardThis FM transmitter circuit is PLL controlled and still very easy to build. Frequency is set with 4 buttons and a LCD display show you the frequency. Print your own display text on first line. The smallest step size is 50kHz and the transmitter will work from 88 to 108 MHz.

PIC870 Controller
This is the main controlling unit for the FM transmitter>. This part is very important since the transmitter frequency is digitally controlled and thereby very stable. The heart of this unit is a called PIC16F870, a 2 x 16 char display and four buttons. As you can see I have chosen a PIC16F870 because it is easy to find and cheap to buy.

PIC870 FM Controller

PIC870 FM Controller Componen Layout

PIC870 FM Controller PCB

FM PLL Controlled VCO

LMX2322 FM Voltage Controlled Oscillator

FM PLL Board

Voltage Controlled Oscillator(VCO) range is 88 to 108 MHz. You can see that the PLL can control the frequency of the VCO. What the PLL do is that it compare the VCO frequency with the reference frequency (which is very stable) and then regulated the VCO voltage to lock the oscillator at desired frequency.

LMX2322 FM VCO Component Layout

The last part that will affect the VCO is the audio input>. The amplitude of the audio will make the VCO change in frequency FM (Frequency Modulation).

It is not good to load or “steal” to much energy from the oscillator because it will stop oscillating or give bad signals. Therefore I have added an amplifier.

LMX2322 FM VCO PCB

The oscillator give about 15mW of energy and the following amplifier will bring up the power to 150mW.
The amplifier can be pressed a bit more (maybe 400mW-500mW) but that is not the best solution.

PIC16F870 Programs (INHX8M format)
The zip file contains hex file made for this project.
I have made two programs, each one are made for different crystal frequency of the PIC.

PIC Controller LCD Display

You should use the first hex file, when you drive the PIC with a VCTCXO of 16.8 MHz.
You should use the second hex file, when you drive the PIC with a crystal of 2-5MHz.
You should use the third hex file, when you drive the PIC with a crystal of 13MHz.

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