Astable Multivibrator Projects
Discussion:
Astable or free-running multivibrators have been used in home-built amateur radio equipment for many years. The basic circuit is a two stage amplifier with AC-coupled feedback from output to input. One transistor stage is on ( conducting current ) while the other is off ( not conducting current ) until the stages switch conducting states repeatedly at a specific frequency. The oscillation frequency is set by the resistor and capacitor values connected to the base terminal of each stage. This RC network determines how long the transistor stays in the off position.
Presented are two projects which utilize astable multivibrators built using the ubiquitous 2N3904 BJT. The first project is a code practice audio-frequency oscillator while the second is a simple , no-frills electronic keyer for keying a transmitter. Either circuit would be a great first project to learn how to build circuits using Ugly Construction.
Code Practice Oscillator
Above is the schematic for a simple Morse code practice oscillator. This circuit was originally built with 2N3904 transistors, however many different NPN transistors could be substituted as required.
Tracing the circuit from left to right first brings us to the multivibrator circuit which is composed of Q1 and Q2. The oscillation frequency of the multivibrator is ~ 700 hertz and is set by the RC network formed by the 100K resistor and the 0.01 uF capacitor connected to each transistor base terminal. The approximate time off for each transistor is given by the following formula:
[ Time 0ff = 0.7 * R * C ] with R in ohms and C in farads.
It maybe more practical to leave the resistance value fixed and vary the capacitor value to obtain a desired oscillation frequency. Rearranging the above formula allows this :
[ Total Time Off = 1 / Frequency ] with Total Time Off being the total number of seconds that both transistors are off and Frequency is in hertz.
Once the total time off is known, you must divide that answer by 2 as each transistor is off half of the total time off in this symmetrical circuit. Then you simply solve for the capacitor value:
[ Time Half = Total Time Off / 2 ]
[ Capacitor = Time Half / ( 0.7 * R )] with Capacitor answer in farads.
Lets run the numbers to solve for the capacitor values in the schematic;
R = 100K, desired frequency = 700 hertz.
Total Time Off = 1 / F ----> 1 / 700 = 0.00143 seconds.
Time Half = Total Time Off / 2 ----> 0.00143 / 2 = 0.00071 seconds.
Capacitor = Time Half / ( 0.7 * R ) ----> 0.00071 / ( 0.7 * 100000 ) = 0.0000001 farads = 0.01 microfarads.
For 600 hertz, the capacitors would be 0.012 uF and for 400 hertz, 0.018 uF.
As you can see it is maybe necessary to adjust the base resistor value to achieve a specific oscillation frequency. The rule of thumb is that the base resistor should be ~ten times the value of the collector resistor assuming the base-bias resistor is connected to VCC as shown.
The output of the multivibrator is buffered by the high input impedance of an emitter follower Q3. This serves to prevent the oscillation frequency from changing when the output load is changed. The AF stage connected to the emitter-follower is a standard high gain common-emitter amp that has been used in many of the projects on this web site. As the multivibrator is buffered by 2 amplifier stages, good frequency stability is realized and frequency changes are negligible when turning the volume control pot. The final stage is a common-collector amplifier which can drive low impedance headphones with reasonable volume.
Code Practice Oscillator Project Notes
The voltage / time output waveform of the astable multivibrator is largely a square wave which some people find harsh. Many users prefer listening to a sine wave although that is beyond the scope of this web page. The multivibrator shown has real advantages in that, it is both dependable and tolerant with respect to parts substitutions. Keying the oscillator as shown practically guarantees that the multivibrator will start running each time you hit the key.
VCC can be 9 to 13.8 volts DC and the larger the voltage the greater the volume in the headphones. The B+ decoupling circuit at the top left can be omitted for battery operation or if you prefer not to bother with it. The basic multivibrator and emitter-follower circuit can be used in a transceiver as a sidetone for monitoring keying. A series resistor from the emitter-follower maybe necessary to attenuate/match the sidetone to the transceiver's AF amp.
If you desire speaker level output, the Q5 common-collector final can be omitted and the circuit shown below used. This circuit uses the LM386N and provides up to ~ 0.5 watts into an 8 ohm speaker. Connect the Figure 1 circuit as shown to the 10 uF coupling capacitor connected to the collector of Q4. Do not connect the 10 ohm half-watt resistor to the decoupled VCC shown in the schematic. The power supply to the LM386N AF amp should be directly connected to the VCC, not like the common-collector AF stage shown in the schematic to the right.
Simple Electronic Keyer
A simple keyer suitable for a popcorn QRP transmitter can be built around an astable multivibrator and an example of such is shown above. The basic design of this keyer is from notes, however the original author of the circuit is unknown. The notes were written in 1973 . I modernized the circuit, added a variable speed control and designed an additional output driver stage.
Keyer Operation
Keying this circuit generates either dits and spaces or dahs and spaces. When the keyer is idle, Q1 is on and Q2 and Q3 are switched off. When the user sends code, Q1 turns off and Q2 and Q3 switch on and in turn key any device appropriately connected to the collector of Q3. The off-time of Q1 sets the on-time of Q2 and Q3. The off-time of Q2 and Q3 is set by the 22K Q2 base resistor. This off-time is the set time of the spaces and is constant.
The 68K resistor on the base of Q1 is about three times the resistance of the 22K base resistor on Q2 and consequently dahs are ~ three times the length in duration than dits. Spaces and dits are of the same length of time because when sending dits, the 68K base resistor is paralleled with the 33K resistor and effectively the resistance is ~22K ohms. If the optional relay driver transistor Q4 is used instead of Q3, the theory is the same, just substitute Q4 wherever you see Q3.
Keyer Speed
The keyer speed is very sensitive to the power supply voltage and any keyer speeds mentioned are ball-park values. Your results may vary depending on your VCC and component tolerances. If the 25K speed control pot is turned to minimum resistance, the actual power supply voltage will be present on both the paddle common and the top end of the 68K base resistor. This will be the maximum speed for the keyer. In fact, the speed control pot could be omitted if you want to economize and the keyer will run at the maximum speed as determined by C1 and C2. If you do not want the speed control feature, connect the paddle common and the 68K resistor to the VCC supply. Another alternative is to build a two speed keyer by using a switch to switch in or out a fixed resistor to vary the voltage instead of using a potentiometer. A trimmer resistor may also be used for "lid-off" speed adjustments.
Varying the base-bias voltage with a pot changes the charging rate on capacitors C1 and C2. Although, I experienced no problems be careful with some resistances/VCCs as the circuit may be unable to provide enough current to saturate the transistors when the base-bias voltage is at its minimum setting (pot set to maximum resistance). Smaller pots such as 10K can also be used with a more limited ability to reduce the keyer speed below the maximum rate.
To set the maximum rate for the keyer, it is necessary to vary the value of C1 and C2. For this circuit to function correctly, C1 must equal C2. An experiment was conducted with the 25K pot removed and the paddle common and the supply end of the 68K resistor connected to the main B+ terminal. VCC was measured at 13.8 volts. C1 = C2. The words per minute were counted for four different standard capacitance values and the results were as follows:
2.2 uF = 27 WPM
3.3 uF = 23 WPM
4.7 uF = 17 WPM
10 uF = 9 WPM
For this project, I settled with the 3.3 uF value, although personally, I use a 2.2 uF capacitor for C1 and C2. Sending speed can be reduced with the speed control pot or by increasing the time interval between characters and words. With 3.3 uf caps for C1 and C2, turning the 25K speed control pot to maximum resistance dropped the sending rate down to 12 words per minute. If you needed to slow down below 12 WPM, an amateur could send code using the Farnsworth method as mentioned above. At any rate this circuit allows you to determine the maximum speed rate by choosing the C1 and C2 capacitance value to suit your needs.
Q3, Q4 Output Stages
Two different output stages maybe used with this keyer and they will be referred to as the Q3 or Q4 stage.The Q3 stage is a simple transistor switch which will ground any component(s) connected to its collector when turned on during code sending. A variety of transistors maybe used here and care must be taken to ensure that you do not exceed the maximum dissipation of a given BJT.
The Q4 stage is a relay driver. The 12 volt relay used during bench testing was a Radio Shack reed relay that I had in my parts collection. Specifications were SPST 1A @ 125 VAC , 1050 ohms DC coil resistance, part number 275-233. My VCC was 13.8 volts so a 1K2 current limiting resistor was placed between the relay and supply voltage. The relay has suffered no harm despite significant torture but be careful when you are using a VCC greater than 12 volts. This resistance may be dropped down to 470 ohms or omitted if you are using lower voltages. Any relay with a DC coil resistance of 500 to 3000 ohms should work in this circuit.
I have never used this keyer with the Q4 relay driver for QRP operation as I prefer solid-state switching. The Q3 stage in turn can be connected to trigger a PNP transistor switch to supply DC voltage to a keyed transmitter driver and/or to pull a VFO to its offset frequency. A great example of PNP transistor switches can be found in The Ugly Weekender article by KA7EXM and W7ZOI. This article is referenced in the recommended reading list on this web site. Another bonus of the Q3 stage is that it draws less current than the Q4 stage.
Sending Code
If you are used to a deluxe iambic keyer, this keyer will take some getting used to. The dahs in particular can be problematic as they do not self-complete like they do on my station homebrew TTL iambic keyer. After some practice, however most people should be able to send some good morse code with it despite the lack of iambic luxury.
Miscellaneous
When you power up this keyer, it sends a dit. In one version of this keyer, used in a 40M transceiver, I had a 10K pot for the speed control with a built-in switch on the 10K pot to turn the keyer on or off during station setup.
The diodes D1 - D4 can be any common switching diode such as the 1N914. Q1 to Q4 can be any NPN transistor with a Beta greater than 50 such as the 2N3904 or 2N2222. In the test keyer, all BJT's were 2N3904.
For fun, I connected the multivibrator code practice oscillator to the keyer and
gave the keyer a workout. They both work great together and are very complimentary.
Have fun with astable multivibrators !
Update Oct 2007:
Giovanni, IW7EHC has posted a great web page on this schematic including PCB
layout files in FidoCAD format
Check out his
excellent Italian and English language web site
