EC - Unit 5 - Sinusoidal and Non Sinusoidal Oscillators
EC - Unit 5 - Sinusoidal and Non Sinusoidal Oscillators
5. 1. Introduction:
Many electronic devices require a source
source of energy at a specific frequency, which may range
from few Hz to several MHz.
This is achieved by an electronic device called oscillator.
5.2. Oscillator:
Oscillator is an electronic device which generates an AC signal with required frequency,
required
ed amplitude and required wave shape.
In radio and television receivers, oscillators are used to generate high frequency carrier
signals.
Oscillators are widely used in radars, electronic equipment and other electronic devices.
Oscillators are broadly classified
lassified into two types. They are
1. Sinusoidal oscillators
2. Non-sinusoidal
sinusoidal oscillators (Relaxation oscillators)
The sinusoidal oscillators are used for generating only sinusoidal signals with required
frequency and required amplitude.
The non-sinusoidal oscillators
scillators are used for producing non-sinusoidal
non sinusoidal signals like square,
rectangular, triangular, or saw tooth signals with required amplitude and required frequency.
But due to energy conversion from one to another, there will be losses.
So, the amplitude of oscillating current decreases gradually and it became zero after some
time.
Therefore, the oscillation produced by the tank circuit is by nature a damped one. The
frequency of oscillation of the tank circuit is calculated as follows:
Since capacitor C and inductance L are
in parallel, voltages across them are
equal
IXL = IXC or XL = XC
1
2 =
2
1
2
= 2
4
1
=
2 √
Figure 2(Basic Block Diagram of a Feedback Oscillator)
In order to make the oscillations undamped, it is necessary to supply the required quantity of
energy at the proper time intervals to the tank circuit to meet out the losses.
Using a transistor does this. First of all DC power is converted into AC and then it is supplied to
the tank circuit.
The damped oscillating current is applied to the base of the transistor and so, the amplifier
damped oscillating current is formed in the collector.
Now more energy is available in the collector than the base of the transistor. Then due to
feedback network a part of the output, is fed to the base circuit in proper phase to aid the
oscillation in the tank circuit. Thus the losses are overcome and un damped oscillations are
produced.
5.4.1. Feedback circuit:
The type of feedback used in oscillator circuit is positive feedback.
It feeds a part of collector energy to the tank circuit in correct phase to aid the oscillations.
The essential for maintaining oscillations and finding out the value of frequency are all
deduced from it.
= =
=
Feedback signal
=
For self-maintaining oscillation there is no separate input but feedback itself is equal to input.
=
=
From the equation 1
=
=
=
The above expression is the condition for self-maintaining oscillation which is called
Barkhasuen criteria.
From the above expression we can get the condition for oscillation Aβ = 1 that is closed loop
gain must be unity.
Total loop phase shift must be 0ᵒ or integral multiples of 2π.i.e. 0ᵒ,360ᵒ,720ᵒ etc.
The amplified power from collector is applied to the tank circuit to meet out the losses during
energy conversation between capacitors C1 and C2 and inductance L.
The amount of feedback depends upon the value of capacitance C1 and C2.
The transistor amplifier provides 180ᵒ phase shift and the capacitor feedback provides another
180ᵒ phase shift.
Hence totally there will be a phase shift of 360ᵒ which provides positive feedback.
Therefore, continuous un damped oscillations are generated.
5.8.2. Applications:
Used in signal generators
Used in super heterodyne radio receivers as local oscillators.
5.10. RC oscillators:
Hartley, colpitt’s, tuned collector all use LC tuned circuits.
These tuned circuits oscillators are good for generating high frequencies, the LC circuit
becomes impracticable and RC oscillators are more suitable.
The LC oscillators have two general drawbacks
It cannot be used for very low frequencies, because the coil becomes too much bulky,
expensive and noisy.
The frequency stability and waveforms are very low.
There are two types of RC Oscillators available,
RC Phase Shift Oscillator
Wien Bridge Oscillator
5.11. RC phase shift oscillator:
The RC oscillators produce good frequency
stability and also operate at very low
frequencies.
The circuit diagram of RC phase shift oscillator
is shown in the figure and the oscillators
consist of three stages networks (R1C1, R2C2
and R3C3).
The resistor R5 provide base bias and RE with
CE provides stabilization.
The frequency of the oscillation is given by
=
√!"
Where R=R1=R2=R3 and C=C1=C2=C3 Figure 7(RC Phase Shift oscillator)
5.11.3. Disadvantages:
It is difficult to start oscillation
It gives low power output
This RC oscillator is not suitable for tuned oscillator because the variations of capacitor and
resistor values also changed the phase shift of the RC networks.
5.18.1. Applications:
Used as a Pulse Width Modulator.
Used to generate uniform width pulse from variable width pulse train.
Used to generate clean and sharp pulses from distorted pulses.
Used as a time delay circuits.
5.19.1. Applications:
Bistable multivibrators ar used as a memory element in registers and counters.
It can be used as a frequency divider (Divide by 2 counter).
It is used to generate square wave of symmetrical shape by sending regular triggering pulse to
the input, and by adjusting the frequency of the application of trigger pulse the width of the
square wave can be varied.
When the voltage increases above zero, nothing will happen till it crosses the Upper trigger
level (UTL).
As the input voltage increases above UTL, i.e. Vin<< VRE + VBE1, Q1 conducts.
The point at which starts conducting is known as Upper trigger point (UTP).