This is a schematic for recording the conversation in telephone. One constructed, this switch will allows you to automatically turn on your tape recorder when you pick up the handset of your telephone. This circuit is designed to work for the newer 1.5V and 3V tape recorders as well as the usual 6V or 12V ones. This circuit is control based on transistor and FET’s. Looking in the figure of schematic.
The circuit is fall into two part and these can be easily seen in the schematic. On the left are the connections to each telephone line and to the MIC socket of the tape recorder. The diode and capacitors ensure that no DC voltages pass through to the input of the MIC while the RC network clips large transients. On the right is the circuit which detects when the handset has been lifted and which then turns on the FET. The trim pot adjusts the voltage level of this circuit. The voltage of the normal telephone line is between 40 to 60 volts (depending on country and telephone system.) When you pick up the handset of the telephone the voltage falls to between 6 and 12 volts. It is this drop in voltage which is used to control the tape recorder through the REMOTE connector. When the line voltage is high the base of the BC548 is pulled high so the transistor is turned on. This pulls the gate of the FET down to less than 1 volt. This shuts off the FET.
When the line voltage falls (that is, the handset is picked up) the BC548 will turn off, adjust the variable resistor if it does not. So the FET gate potential rises to the 10 volts set by the zener diode. This turns the FET on to high efficiency conduction mode. Different recorders may have different polarities in their REMOTE sockets. To allow for this a PCB mounted switch has to be added to the board which will reverse the polarity of the REMOTE switch just by switching it.
The circuit is fall into two part and these can be easily seen in the schematic. On the left are the connections to each telephone line and to the MIC socket of the tape recorder. The diode and capacitors ensure that no DC voltages pass through to the input of the MIC while the RC network clips large transients. On the right is the circuit which detects when the handset has been lifted and which then turns on the FET. The trim pot adjusts the voltage level of this circuit. The voltage of the normal telephone line is between 40 to 60 volts (depending on country and telephone system.) When you pick up the handset of the telephone the voltage falls to between 6 and 12 volts. It is this drop in voltage which is used to control the tape recorder through the REMOTE connector. When the line voltage is high the base of the BC548 is pulled high so the transistor is turned on. This pulls the gate of the FET down to less than 1 volt. This shuts off the FET.
When the line voltage falls (that is, the handset is picked up) the BC548 will turn off, adjust the variable resistor if it does not. So the FET gate potential rises to the 10 volts set by the zener diode. This turns the FET on to high efficiency conduction mode. Different recorders may have different polarities in their REMOTE sockets. To allow for this a PCB mounted switch has to be added to the board which will reverse the polarity of the REMOTE switch just by switching it.