RC Integrator

For a passive RC integrator circuit, the input is connected to a resistance while the output voltage is taken from across a capacitor being the exact opposite to the RC Differentiator Circuit. The capacitor charges up when the input is high and discharges when the input is low.

In Electronics, the basic series connected resistor-capacitor (RC) circuit has many uses and applications from basic charging/discharging circuits to high-order filter circuits. This two component passive RC circuit may look simple enough, but depending on the type and frequency of the applied input signal, the behaviour and response of this basic RC circuit can be very different.

Thus the rate of charging or discharging depends on the RC time constant, τ = RC. Consider the circuit below.

RC Integrator

 

For an RC integrator circuit, the input signal is applied to the resistance with the output taken across the capacitor, then VOUT equals VC. As the capacitor is a frequency dependant element, the amount of charge that is established across the plates is equal to the time domain integral of the current. That is it takes a certain amount of time for the capacitor to fully charge as the capacitor can not charge instantaneously only charge exponentially.

Therefore the capacitor current can be written as:

 

This basic equation above of iC = C(dVc/dt) can also be expressed as the instantaneous rate of change of charge, Q with respect to time giving us the following standard equation of: iC = dQ/dt where the charge Q = C x Vc, that is capacitance times voltage.

The rate at which the capacitor charges (or discharges) is directly proportional to the amount of the resistance and capacitance giving the time constant of the circuit. Thus the time constant of a RC integrator circuit is the time interval that equals the product of R and C.

Since capacitance is equal to Q/Vc where electrical charge, Q is the flow of a current (i) over time (t), that is the product of i x t in coulombs, and from Ohms law we know that voltage (V) is equal to i x R, substituting these into the equation for the RC time constant gives:

RC Time Constant

Astable Multivibrator

Regenerative switching circuits such as Astable Multivibrators are the most commonly used type of relaxation oscillator because not only are they simple, reliable and ease of construction they also produce a constant square wave output waveform.

Unlike the Monostable Multivibrator or the Bistable Multivibrator we looked at in the previous tutorials that require an “external” trigger pulse for their operation, the Astable Multivibrator has automatic built in triggering which switches it continuously between its two unstable states both set and reset.

https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/waveforms/astable.html

The Astable Multivibrator is another type of cross-coupled transistor switching circuit that has NO stable output states as it changes from one state to the other all the time. The astable circuit consists of two switching transistors, a cross-coupled feedback network, and two time delay capacitors which allows oscillation between the two states with no external triggering to produce the change in state.

In electronic circuits, astable multivibrators are also known as Free-running Multivibrator as they do not require any additional inputs or external assistance to oscillate. Astable oscillators produce a continuous square wave from its output or outputs, (two outputs no inputs) which can then be used to flash lights or produce a sound in a loudspeaker.

The basic transistor circuit for an Astable Multivibrator produces a square wave output from a pair of grounded emitter cross-coupled transistors. Both transistors either NPN or PNP, in the multivibrator are biased for linear operation and are operated as Common Emitter Amplifiers with 100% positive feedback.

This configuration satisfies the condition for oscillation when: ( βA = 1∠ 0o ). This results in one stage conducting “fully-ON” (Saturation) while the other is switched “fully-OFF” (cut-off) giving a very high level of mutual amplification between the two transistors. Conduction is transferred from one stage to the other by the discharging action of a capacitor through a resistor as shown below.

Astable Multivibrators Periodic Time

TRANSISTOR AS A SWITCH

When used as an AC signal amplifier, the transistors Base biasing voltage is applied in such a way that it always operates within its “active” region, that is the linear part of the output characteristics curves are used.

However, both the NPN & PNP type bipolar transistors can be made to operate as “ON/OFF” type solid state switch by biasing the transistors Base terminal differently to that for a signal amplifier.

Solid state switches are one of the main applications for the use of transistor to switch a DC output “ON” or “OFF”. Some output devices, such as LED’s only require a few milli amps at logic level DC voltages and can therefore be driven directly by the output of a logic gate. However, high power devices such as motors, solenoids or lamps, often require more power than that supplied by an ordinary logic gate so transistor switches are used.

If the circuit uses the Bipolar Transistor as a Switch, then the biasing of the transistor, either NPN or PNP is arranged to operate the transistor at both sides of the “ I-V ” characteristics curves we have seen previously.