Hello, What are some examples of oscillators which don't require transistors or vacuum tubes? So far I found relay oscillators and the Pearson-Anson oscillator. Does the Pearson-Anson oscillator require a high-voltage neon lamp, or would it work on LEDs as well? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearson%E2%80%93Anson_effect Relay oscillators look neat too but I don't imagine they would last very long at high frequencies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuG4nOyF99s Thanks, Michael
Oscillators without transistors
Started by ●October 17, 2018
Reply by ●October 17, 20182018-10-17
On 10/17/18 3:33 PM, mrdarrett@gmail.com wrote:> Hello, > > What are some examples of oscillators which don't require transistors or vacuum tubes? > > So far I found relay oscillators and the Pearson-Anson oscillator. > > Does the Pearson-Anson oscillator require a high-voltage neon lamp, or would it work on LEDs as well? > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearson%E2%80%93Anson_effect > > Relay oscillators look neat too but I don't imagine they would last very long at high frequencies. > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuG4nOyF99s > > Thanks, > > Michael >The neon bulb thing only works because the bulb turns itself off abruptly at low voltage, then doesn't turn on again immediately as the voltage recovers. This hysteresis is why it works. Other non-transistor, non-tube oscillators: Electromechanical buzzers Mechanical clock balance wheels Coffee percolators Baseball cards in bike spokes Thermoacoustic refrigerators Dog whistles Ocarinas Blowing over a beer bottle Slinky going downstairs Bay of Fundy Internal combustion engine piston Tunnel diode oscillator SCR relaxation oscillator Cheers Phil Hobbs -- Dr Philip C D Hobbs Principal Consultant ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 http://electrooptical.net http://hobbs-eo.com
Reply by ●October 17, 20182018-10-17
Negative resistance spark gap ? High frequency alternator ? As I recall, Fessenden used a 100 KHz generator to transmit music and voice in 1906. David mrdarrett@gmail.com wrote:> Hello, > > What are some examples of oscillators which don't require transistors or vacuum tubes? > > So far I found relay oscillators and the Pearson-Anson oscillator. > > Does the Pearson-Anson oscillator require a high-voltage neon lamp, or would it work on LEDs as well? > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearson%E2%80%93Anson_effect > > Relay oscillators look neat too but I don't imagine they would last very long at high frequencies. > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuG4nOyF99s > > Thanks, > > Michael--- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus
Reply by ●October 17, 20182018-10-17
On 17/10/18 20:33, mrdarrett@gmail.com wrote:> Hello, > > What are some examples of oscillators which don't require transistors or vacuum tubes? > > So far I found relay oscillators and the Pearson-Anson oscillator. > > Does the Pearson-Anson oscillator require a high-voltage neon lamp, or would it work on LEDs as well? > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearson%E2%80%93Anson_effect > > Relay oscillators look neat too but I don't imagine they would last very long at high frequencies. > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuG4nOyF99sTunnel diodes Gunn diodes
Reply by ●October 17, 20182018-10-17
Reply by ●October 17, 20182018-10-17
On Wed, 17 Oct 2018 12:33:19 -0700 (PDT), mrdarrett@gmail.com wrote:>Hello, > >What are some examples of oscillators which don't require transistors or vacuum tubes? > >So far I found relay oscillators and the Pearson-Anson oscillator. > >Does the Pearson-Anson oscillator require a high-voltage neon lamp, or would it work on LEDs as well? >https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearson%E2%80%93Anson_effect > >Relay oscillators look neat too but I don't imagine they would last very long at high frequencies. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuG4nOyF99s > >Thanks, > >MichaelWhen I was in high school I built this rather elaborate relay oscillator to dial a pulse type telephone. One relay developed pulses, another was rigged as a monostable to time the pulse train to dial a particular number. A rotary stepper relay could read the holes in cards and cycle through some crude punch cards to dial (worked but not well) Scr's can be made to oscillate, of course unijunctions, some negative resistance diodes like tunnel/gunn, electro-mechanical toys using magnets and leaf/reed switches or transistors to energize coils, old-time magnetic earphones and carbon mikes to develop feedback, tuning forks with feedback drivers, propagation delay devices, arc lights, early radio transmitters that used motors driving many-pole alternators, spark-excited Tesla coils...
Reply by ●October 17, 20182018-10-17
On Wednesday, October 17, 2018 at 12:47:33 PM UTC-7, Phil Hobbs wrote:> On 10/17/18 3:33 PM, mrdarrett@gmail.com wrote: > > Hello, > > > > What are some examples of oscillators which don't require transistors or vacuum tubes? > > > > So far I found relay oscillators and the Pearson-Anson oscillator. > > > > Does the Pearson-Anson oscillator require a high-voltage neon lamp, or would it work on LEDs as well? > > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearson%E2%80%93Anson_effect > > > > Relay oscillators look neat too but I don't imagine they would last very long at high frequencies. > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuG4nOyF99s > > > > Thanks, > > > > Michael > > > > The neon bulb thing only works because the bulb turns itself off > abruptly at low voltage, then doesn't turn on again immediately as the > voltage recovers. This hysteresis is why it works. > > Other non-transistor, non-tube oscillators: > > Electromechanical buzzers > Mechanical clock balance wheels > Coffee percolators > Baseball cards in bike spokes > Thermoacoustic refrigerators > Dog whistles > Ocarinas > Blowing over a beer bottle > Slinky going downstairs > Bay of Fundy > Internal combustion engine piston > > Tunnel diode oscillator > SCR relaxation oscillator > > Cheers > > Phil Hobbs > > -- > Dr Philip C D Hobbs > Principal Consultant > ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics > Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics > Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 > > http://electrooptical.net > http://hobbs-eo.comAh ok, thanks. While I was at the university I was under the impression that one could create an oscillator with a combination of resistor, inductor and capacitor, but now I see most electronic oscillators require a transistor of some sort. Michael
Reply by ●October 18, 20182018-10-18
On 2018-10-17, mrdarrett@gmail.com <mrdarrett@gmail.com> wrote:> Hello, > > What are some examples of oscillators which don't require transistors or vacuum tubes? > > So far I found relay oscillators and the Pearson-Anson oscillator. > > Does the Pearson-Anson oscillator require a high-voltage neon lamp, or would it work on LEDs as well? > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearson%E2%80%93Anson_effectneeds a gas discharge tube, spark gap, sidactor, tunnel diode, PUT, or UJT etc - something with a negative resistance region, LED won't work.> Relay oscillators look neat too but I don't imagine they would last very long at high frequencies. > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuG4nOyF99stesla coil. (and other spark gap oscillators) car horn, dc electric bell (I guess these are really relay oscillators) electric motor hot-wire (wire heats up due to current and gets longer) eg: automotive blinker unit bimetallic (metal changes shape in response to heat from an electric heat source) eg: stovetop simmerstat carbon microphone feedback (I guess this is an accoustically coupled analogue relay oscillator) -- Notsodium is mined on the banks of denial.
Reply by ●October 18, 20182018-10-18
Reply by ●October 18, 20182018-10-18
On 17/10/18 20:47, Phil Hobbs wrote:> On 10/17/18 3:33 PM, mrdarrett@gmail.com wrote: >> Hello, >> >> What are some examples of oscillators which don't require transistors or >> vacuum tubes? >> >> So far I found relay oscillators and the Pearson-Anson oscillator. >> >> Does the Pearson-Anson oscillator require a high-voltage neon lamp, or would >> it work on LEDs as well? >> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearson%E2%80%93Anson_effect >> >> Relay oscillators look neat too but I don't imagine they would last very long >> at high frequencies. >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuG4nOyF99s >> >> Thanks, >> >> Michael >> > > The neon bulb thing only works because the bulb turns itself off abruptly at low > voltage, then doesn't turn on again immediately as the voltage recovers. This > hysteresis is why it works. > > Other non-transistor, non-tube oscillators: > > Electromechanical buzzers > Mechanical clock balance wheels > Coffee percolators > Baseball cards in bike spokes > Thermoacoustic refrigerators > Dog whistles > Ocarinas > Blowing over a beer bottle > Slinky going downstairs > Bay of Fundy > Internal combustion engine piston > > Tunnel diode oscillator > SCR relaxation oscillatorAnd, of course, there are a range of purely chemical oscillators As good a starting point as any is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_oscillator
