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Building an AM Radio Circuit with LM386 and Various Detector Diodes

Recently, I experimented with building a simple AM radio circuit using the LM386 audio amplifier. The circuit was powered by a 6V power supply, and I used a 100µF capacitor between pin 5 of the LM386 and the speaker for smooth audio output. For signal detection, I placed a 10µF capacitor in series with a diode at pin 3 of the LM386.

To test the performance, I tried different detector diodes: 1N34A, 1N60, 1N4148, and 1N4007. Here’s what I observed:

1N34A & 1N60: These germanium diodes provided clear audio output and worked well at 6V.

1N4148: This silicon diode caused some audio distortion, requiring an increase in power supply to 9V for better performance.

1N4007: Although this high-voltage rectifier diode produced a louder sound, it introduced significant distortion in the audio.


From my tests, germanium diodes (1N34A & 1N60) proved to be the best choices for AM signal detection in this low-power circuit. The silicon diodes (1N4148 & 1N4007) required higher voltage and resulted in distorted sound.

This experiment highlights the importance of choosing the right detector diode for an AM radio circuit. Germanium diodes perform better due to their lower forward voltage drop, making them ideal for weak AM signals.