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Irfd Update

This document provides update notes for a chapter on oscillators in a book on radio frequency design. It details an error in the original analysis of the effect of emitter bias current in an NPN Colpitts oscillator. Specifically, the original analysis incorrectly assumed the impedance was constant, when in reality the resonance is altered by loading from the emitter current through the Colpitts network. New figures from MathCad provide a more accurate analysis, showing the phase now goes through zero at a bias current of around 0.3mA. Continuing the frequency sweep analysis with a simulator verifies the original assumptions were incorrect.

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58 views4 pages

Irfd Update

This document provides update notes for a chapter on oscillators in a book on radio frequency design. It details an error in the original analysis of the effect of emitter bias current in an NPN Colpitts oscillator. Specifically, the original analysis incorrectly assumed the impedance was constant, when in reality the resonance is altered by loading from the emitter current through the Colpitts network. New figures from MathCad provide a more accurate analysis, showing the phase now goes through zero at a bias current of around 0.3mA. Continuing the frequency sweep analysis with a simulator verifies the original assumptions were incorrect.

Uploaded by

kalimbalo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Update Notes for Introduction to Radio

Frequency Design
October 31, 2001, returned to web on Nov 9, 2005.

I got an e-mail the other day (that is, in 2001) that pointed out an error in
Chapter 7 dealing with oscillators. This had to do with Figure 7.4 which
shows the effect of emitter bias current in an NPN Colpitts oscillator on starting
gain and phase. The circuit used for analysis is presented here:

In an ideal NPN, the signal current presented to the emitter emerges from the
collector. A collector voltage is then generated, defined by the net impedance
presented to the collector. Here is where I made an error. In my analysis back
in the pre PC era, I assumed that the impedance was resonant and constant.
This is not a good assumption as you can show through a more complete
analysis. You really have to do the analysis with more care. The resonance is
altered by the loading from the emitter current, as transformed through the
Colpitts network of C1 and C2.
The next figures show a more up-to-date analysis in MathCad.
The general character of the curve is unchanged, but the values are different.
Specifically, the phase goes through zero degrees at a bias current of about 0.3
mA.

Continuing the analysis by performing frequency sweeps is interesting.


Clearly, our assumptions were wrong with the first analysis. This is easily
done with PSPICE or similar simulator.

Many thanks to John Broderick from RF Integration Inc. in Lowell, MA, the
sharp eyed reader who caught the error.

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