Wien bridge oscillator

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Classic Wien bridge oscillator

A Wien bridge oscillator is a type of electronic oscillator that generates sine waves. It can generate a large
range of frequencies. The circuit is based on an electrical network originally developed by Max Wien in 1891.
The bridge comprises four resistors and two capacitors. It can also be viewed as a positive feedback system
combined with a bandpass filter. Wien did not have a means of developing electronic gain so a workable
oscillator could not be realized.
The modern circuit is derived from William Hewlett's 1939 Stanford University master's degree thesis. Hewlett,
along with David Packard co-founded Hewlett-Packard. Their first product was the HP 200A, a precision sine
wave oscillator based on the Wien bridge. The 200A was one of the first instruments to produce such
low distortion.
The frequency of oscillation is given by:
Cross-coupled LC oscillator

n LC circuit is a resonant circuit or tuned circuit that consists of an inductor, represented by the letter L,
and a capacitor, represented by the letter C. When connected together, an electric current can alternate
between them at the circuit's resonant frequency.
LC circuits are used either for generating signals at a particular frequency, or picking out a signal at a
particular frequency from a more complex signal. They are key components in many applications such
as oscillators, filters, tuners and frequency mixers. An LC circuit is an idealized model since it assumes there
is no dissipation of energy due to resistance. For a model incorporating resistance see RLC circuit.