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Morse Code Astable Oscillator

This document describes a simple Morse code practice oscillator circuit built using 2N3904 transistors. The circuit uses an astable multivibrator to generate an oscillation at approximately 700 Hz. The oscillation frequency is determined by the resistor and capacitor values in the RC network connected to the base of each transistor. The output of the multivibrator is buffered by an emitter follower transistor to prevent changes to the oscillation frequency from load variations. Additional amplifier stages provide volume control and allow the circuit to drive headphones.

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495 views2 pages

Morse Code Astable Oscillator

This document describes a simple Morse code practice oscillator circuit built using 2N3904 transistors. The circuit uses an astable multivibrator to generate an oscillation at approximately 700 Hz. The oscillation frequency is determined by the resistor and capacitor values in the RC network connected to the base of each transistor. The output of the multivibrator is buffered by an emitter follower transistor to prevent changes to the oscillation frequency from load variations. Additional amplifier stages provide volume control and allow the circuit to drive headphones.

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Feher Catalin
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Morse Code astable Oscillator

Astable or free-running multivibrators have been used in home-built amateur radio equipment for many
years. The basic circuit is a two stage amplifier with AC-coupled feedback from output to input. One
transistor stage is on ( conducting current ) while the other is off ( not conducting current ) until the stages
switch conducting states repeatedly at a specific frequency. The oscillation frequency is set by the resistor
and capacitor values connected to the base terminal of each stage. This RC network determines how long
the transistor stays in the off position. Presented are two projects which utilize astable multivibrators built
using the ubiquitous 2N3904 BJT. The first project is a code practice audio-frequency oscillator while the
second is a simple , no-frills electronic keyer for keying a transmitter. Either circuit would be a great first
project to learn how to build circuits using Ugly Construction. visit page.

Above is the schematic for a simple Morse code practice oscillator. This circuit was originally built with
2N3904 transistors, however many different NPN transistors could be substituted as required. Tracing the
circuit from left to right first brings us to the multivibrator circuit which is composed of Q1 and Q2. The
oscillation frequency of the multivibrator is ~ 700 hertz and is set by the RC network formed by the 100K
resistor and the 0.01 uF capacitor connected to each transistor base terminal. The approximate time off for
each transistor is given by the following formula: [ Time 0ff = 0.7 * R * C ] with R in ohms and C in
farads. It maybe more practical to leave the resistance value fixed and vary the capacitor value to obtain a
desired oscillation frequency. Rearranging the above formula allows this : [ Total Time Off = 1 /
Frequency ] with Total Time Off being the total number of seconds that both transistors are off and
Frequency is in hertz. Once the total time off is known, you must divide that answer by 2 as each
transistor is off half of the total time off in this symmetrical circuit. Then you simply solve for the

capacitor value: [ Time Half = Total Time Off / 2 ] [ Capacitor = Time Half / ( 0.7 * R )] with Capacitor
answer in farads. Lets run the numbers to solve for the capacitor values in the schematic; R = 100K,
desired frequency = 700 hertz. Total Time Off = 1 / F ----> 1 / 700 = 0.00143 seconds. Time Half = Total
Time Off / 2 ----> 0.00143 / 2 = 0.00071 seconds. Capacitor = Time Half / ( 0.7 * R ) ----> 0.00071 / ( 0.7
* 100000 ) = 0.0000001 farads = 0.01 microfarads. For 600 hertz, the capacitors would be 0.012 uF and
for 400 hertz, 0.018 uF. As you can see it is maybe necessary to adjust the base resistor value to achieve a
specific oscillation frequency. The rule of thumb is that the base resistor should be ~ten times the value of
the collector resistor assuming the base-bias resistor is connected to VCC as shown. The output of the
multivibrator is buffered by the high input impedance of an emitter follower Q3. This serves to prevent
the oscillation frequency from changing when the output load is changed. The AF stage connected to the
emitter-follower is a standard high gain common-emitter amp that has been used in many of the projects
on this web site. As the multivibrator is buffered by 2 amplifier stages, good frequency stability is realized
and frequency changes are negligible when turning the volume control pot. The final stage is a commoncollector amplifier which can drive low impedance headphones with reasonable volume. visit page.

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