04/2026/Analog Electronics
Wireless
Dual-Channel Analog Audio Equaliser with Optical Transmission
01 / Overview
The project
Discrete-component analog processor. Stereo split into independent L/R op-amp stages for clean gain and balance, passive RC networks shape treble and bass equalization, then the analog voltage modulates high-speed LEDs across an air gap into IR photodiodes that drive the speakers.
- Role
- Operation Catapult — Rose-Hulman
- Year
- 2026
- Discipline
- Analog Electronics
02 / The why
Why.
Prove out a fully analog audio chain — gain, EQ, and wireless transmission — using only discrete components and an optical link across air, with no digital encoding anywhere in the path. I really love guitar, and play often. The purest form of music is unaltered, with no encoding or steps.
03 / Toolkit
Skills used
- 01Op-Amps
- 02RC Filters
- 03IR Transmission
04 / In depth
How it came together
- 01
Designed independent L/R op-amp stages for stereo gain and balance control.
- 02
Built high and low pass filters with gained signals to alter the signal without using external processors
- 03
Modulated high-speed IR LEDs with the analog audio voltage to transmit across an air gap.
- 04
Recovered the signal at the receiver with IR photodiodes feeding the speaker stage, preserving the analog waveform end-to-end. and cleaning the signal using a capacitor
Signal
Fully analog
Link
Infrared
Stages
Gain · Bass · Treble
05 / Result
Outcome
A working stereo system that transmits high-fidelity audio over an optical link entirely in the analog domain.
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