On Wednesday, October 17, 2018 at 7:32:04 PM UTC-7, mrda...@gmail.com wrote:> Ah 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. > > MichaelThe spin-torque oscillator is magic. It is a thin film structure with nanometer-thick layers of normal conductors, ferromagnetic materials, and antiferromagnetic materials. Apply a dc current, and it continuously produces microwave oscillations. No active gain elements or resonators are required.
Oscillators without transistors
Started by ●October 17, 2018
Reply by ●October 18, 20182018-10-18
Reply by ●October 18, 20182018-10-18
On 10/18/18 8:12 PM, jfeng@my-deja.com wrote:> On Wednesday, October 17, 2018 at 7:32:04 PM UTC-7, mrda...@gmail.com wrote: >> Ah 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 > The spin-torque oscillator is magic. It is a thin film structure with nanometer-thick layers of normal conductors, ferromagnetic materials, and antiferromagnetic materials. Apply a dc current, and it continuously produces microwave oscillations. No active gain elements or resonators are required. >There are also Gunn and IMPATT diode microwave oscillators. 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 19, 20182018-10-19
On Wed, 17 Oct 2018 15:47:25 -0400, Phil Hobbs <pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> 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 HobbsCarbon microphone and speaker. Pendulum clock. Arc oscillator (once used for broadcast transmission) Violin. Clarinet. Zener diode. Gunn diode. Fingernail on blackboard. -- John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc lunatic fringe electronics
Reply by ●October 28, 20182018-10-28
On 10/17/2018 2:33 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 Pearso There n-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 >There used to be signs that used movement to get attention, it could be as simple as a waving hand. The hand was setup as a pendulum and when the battery was installed you could give it a push, this would close a switch, energizing the solenoid and giving the pendulum a kick this would also open the switch. The pendulum would go through its swing and then come back and close the switch, repeating the cycle. I searched but could not fid a sign or a circuit, but I'm sure there is one somewhere online. Variation of the relay oscillator. Mikek --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus
Reply by ●October 29, 20182018-10-29
The vibrator in an old car radio. Not only does it oscillate without transistors or tubes, some rectify without diodes. A second set of contacts make for a synchronous rectifier.
Reply by ●October 29, 20182018-10-29
On Monday, October 29, 2018 at 5:34:29 AM UTC-7, jurb...@gmail.com wrote:> The vibrator in an old car radio. Not only does it oscillate without > transistors or tubes, some rectify without diodes. A second set of contacts > make for a synchronous rectifier.If you ever opened one, you would find it is basically an electromagnet configured as a buzzer, just like the one you probably built in grade school science or shop class, and just like the one you mentioned a couple weeks ago.
Reply by ●October 29, 20182018-10-29
On Monday, October 29, 2018 at 5:34:29 AM UTC-7, jurb...@gmail.com wrote:> The vibrator in an old car radio. Not only does it oscillate without transistors or tubes, some rectify without diodes. A second set of contacts make for a synchronous rectifier.Amazing! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibrator_(electronic) How long did they last? A year or so? Thanks! Michael
Reply by ●October 29, 20182018-10-29
On 10/28/2018 10:40 PM, amdx wrote:> On 10/17/2018 2:33 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 Pearso There n-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 >> > > There used to be signs that used movement to get attention, it could > be as simple as a waving hand. The hand was setup as a pendulum and when > the battery was installed you could give it a push, this would close a > switch, energizing the solenoid and giving the pendulum a kick this > would also open the switch. The pendulum would go through its swing and > then come back and close the switch, repeating the cycle. > I searched but could not fid a sign or a circuit, but I'm sure there is > one somewhere online. > Variation of the relay oscillator. >The really fun one was the box with a trap door on top and a big toggle switch on the front. When you turned on the switch, a motor whirred and a plastic hand came out of the box, turned the switch off again, then went back into the box before the motor actually turned off. I had a piggy bank that worked like that--you put the coin in a shallow slot with two contacts at the bottom. The coin completed the circuit, and the hand came out and collected the coin. 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 https://hobbs-eo.com
Reply by ●October 29, 20182018-10-29
On 2018-10-29, mrdarrett@gmail.com <mrdarrett@gmail.com> wrote:> On Monday, October 29, 2018 at 5:34:29 AM UTC-7, jurb...@gmail.com wrote: >> The vibrator in an old car radio. Not only does it oscillate without transistors or tubes, some rectify without diodes. A second set of contacts make for a synchronous rectifier. > > Amazing! > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibrator_(electronic) > > How long did they last? A year or so?a car won't last a year if operated continuously: at 60 km/h that would be half a million kilometers I had one in my car for a couple of years and never had a problem. that was maybe 400 operating hours. I expect they got a couple of thousand hours out of those units about the same as we see quoted for cheap electrolytic capacitors and LEDs. -- When I tried casting out nines I made a hash of it.
Reply by ●October 29, 20182018-10-29
On Monday, October 29, 2018 at 1:01:10 PM UTC-7, Jasen Betts wrote:> On 2018-10-29, mrdarrett@gmail.com <mrdarrett@gmail.com> wrote: > > On Monday, October 29, 2018 at 5:34:29 AM UTC-7, jurb...@gmail.com wrote: > >> The vibrator in an old car radio. Not only does it oscillate without transistors or tubes, some rectify without diodes. A second set of contacts make for a synchronous rectifier. > > > > Amazing! > > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibrator_(electronic) > > > > How long did they last? A year or so? > > a car won't last a year if operated continuously: at 60 km/h that would be > half a million kilometers > > I had one in my car for a couple of years and never had a problem. > that was maybe 400 operating hours. > > I expect they got a couple of thousand hours out of those units about > the same as we see quoted for cheap electrolytic capacitors and LEDs. > > > > -- > When I tried casting out nines I made a hash of it.2000 hours! That durable, huh!
