Armstrong oscillator
Encyclopedia
The Armstrong oscillator
(also known as Meissner
oscillator
) is named after its inventor, the electrical engineer Edwin Armstrong
. It is sometimes called a tickler oscillator because the feedback
needed to produce oscillations is provided using a tickler coil (T in the circuit diagram) via magnetic coupling
between coil L and coil T. Assuming the coupling is weak, but sufficient to sustain oscillation, the frequency is determined primarily by the tank circuit (L and C in the illustration) and is approximately given by
. In a practical circuit, the actual oscillation frequency will be slightly different from the value provided by this formula because of stray capacitance and inductance, internal losses (resistance), and the loading of the tank circuit by the tickler coil.
This circuit is the basis of the regenerative receiver
for amplitude modulated
radio signals. In that application, an antenna is attached to an additional tickler coil, and the feedback is reduced, for example, by slightly increasing the distance between coils T and L, so the circuit is just short of oscillation. The result is a narrow-band radio-frequency filter and amplifier. The non-linear characteristic of the transistor or tube provides the demodulated audio signal.
The circuit diagram shown is a modern implementation, using a field-effect transistor
as the amplifying element. Armstrong's original design used a triode vacuum tube
.
Note that in the Meissner variant, the LC resonant (tank) circuit is exchanged with the feedback coil, i.e. in the output path (Anode, Drain, Collector) of the amplifier, e.g. Grebennikov, Fig. 2.8. Many publications, however, embrace both variants with either name; apparently the English speakers using Armstrong, and the German speakers Meißner.
Electronic oscillator
An electronic oscillator is an electronic circuit that produces a repetitive electronic signal, often a sine wave or a square wave. They are widely used in innumerable electronic devices...
(also known as Meissner
Alexander Meissner
Alexander Meissner was Austrian engineer and physicist. He was born in Vienna and died in Berlin....
oscillator
) is named after its inventor, the electrical engineer Edwin Armstrong
Edwin Armstrong
Edwin Howard Armstrong was an American electrical engineer and inventor. Armstrong was the inventor of modern frequency modulation radio....
. It is sometimes called a tickler oscillator because the feedback
Feedback
Feedback describes the situation when output from an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or occurrences of the same Feedback describes the situation when output from (or information about the result of) an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or...
needed to produce oscillations is provided using a tickler coil (T in the circuit diagram) via magnetic coupling
Inductive coupling
In electrical engineering, two conductors are referred to as mutual-inductively coupled or magnetically coupled when they are configured such that change in current flow through one wire induces a voltage across the ends of the other wire through electromagnetic induction...
between coil L and coil T. Assuming the coupling is weak, but sufficient to sustain oscillation, the frequency is determined primarily by the tank circuit (L and C in the illustration) and is approximately given by
. In a practical circuit, the actual oscillation frequency will be slightly different from the value provided by this formula because of stray capacitance and inductance, internal losses (resistance), and the loading of the tank circuit by the tickler coil.This circuit is the basis of the regenerative receiver
Regenerative circuit
The regenerative circuit or "autodyne" allows an electronic signal to be amplified many times by the same vacuum tube or other active component such as a field effect transistor. It consists of an amplifying vacuum tube or transistor with its output connected to its input through a feedback...
for amplitude modulated
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
radio signals. In that application, an antenna is attached to an additional tickler coil, and the feedback is reduced, for example, by slightly increasing the distance between coils T and L, so the circuit is just short of oscillation. The result is a narrow-band radio-frequency filter and amplifier. The non-linear characteristic of the transistor or tube provides the demodulated audio signal.
The circuit diagram shown is a modern implementation, using a field-effect transistor
Field-effect transistor
The field-effect transistor is a transistor that relies on an electric field to control the shape and hence the conductivity of a channel of one type of charge carrier in a semiconductor material. FETs are sometimes called unipolar transistors to contrast their single-carrier-type operation with...
as the amplifying element. Armstrong's original design used a triode vacuum tube
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
.
Note that in the Meissner variant, the LC resonant (tank) circuit is exchanged with the feedback coil, i.e. in the output path (Anode, Drain, Collector) of the amplifier, e.g. Grebennikov, Fig. 2.8. Many publications, however, embrace both variants with either name; apparently the English speakers using Armstrong, and the German speakers Meißner.
See also
- Colpitts oscillatorColpitts oscillatorA Colpitts oscillator, invented in 1920 by American engineer Edwin H. Colpitts, is one of a number of designs for electronic oscillator circuits using the combination of an inductance with a capacitor for frequency determination, thus also called LC oscillator...
- Clapp oscillatorClapp oscillatorThe Clapp oscillator is one of several types of electronic oscillator constructed from a transistor and a positive feedback network, using the combination of an inductance with a capacitor for frequency determination, thus also called LC oscillator.It was published by James Kilton Clapp in 1948...
- Hartley oscillatorHartley oscillatorThe Hartley oscillator is an electronic oscillator circuit that uses an inductor and a capacitor in parallel to determine the frequency. Invented in 1915 by American engineer Ralph Hartley, the distinguishing feature of the Hartley circuit is that the feedback needed for oscillation is taken from...
- Vačkář oscillatorVackár oscillatorA Vackář oscillator is a variation of the split-capacitance oscillator model. It is similar to a Colpitts oscillator or a Clapp oscillator in this respect. It differs in that the output level is relatively stable over frequency, and has a wider bandwidth when compared to a Clapp design.In 1949,...
- Opto-Electronic OscillatorOpto-electronic oscillatorAn opto-electronic oscillator is an optoelectronic circuit that produces repetitive electronic sine wave and/or modulated optical continuous wave signals....