an IC overriding Manual operation

[mstechca]

Since I had some success in changing stations with a push-button, I'm thinking of soing something almost similar with the regen control of my superregen receiver.

I just read on the internet that the howling (that I am getting now) can be caused by the resistance feeding to the transistors base (regen control).

So, rather than having me fiddle with another control (which is probably what I did for the last month now), I'm wondering if there is a disadvantage if I made a push-button control using resistors connected to a counter.

 

[audioguru]

The squegging of a super-regen is supposed to automatically adjust the RF oscillator so that it is at the threshold of oscillation where the gain is very high without actually oscillating. If the transistor begins oscillating a little, the squegging capacitor in its emitter circuit charges, which cutsoff the transistor. When the capacitor discharges then the transistor begins conducting until it approaches oscillation again. The squegging is designed to occur at an ultrasonic frequency so that it can't be heard.

Super-regen circuits that don't have squegging require a regen pot.
I think they are called "regen" receivers and the term "super" refers to circuits with squegging.

A counter can't insert a resistance into a biased circuit to replace a pot without diodes in series with its outputs to turn off the resistors not wanted. Without using the diodes, at a certain count some resistors will pull high as desired but the others will be pulling low. 8)