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On a multivibrator that employs a fractional capacitor

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Abstract

The simple free running multivibrator built around a single fractional capacitor is examined in this letter. Equations for the oscillation frequency of the multivibrator are derived taking into account the positive feedback factor around the multivibrator. We show that the use of the fractional capacitance allows the multivibrator to have very high frequencies of oscillation for reasonable time constants used. PSPICE simulation and experimental results demonstrate the analysis with an approximation to a fractional capacitor that yields a result, which is at least 1000 times in frequency compared to if a normal capacitor of the same value was employed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada

    Brent Maundy

  2. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

    Ahmed Elwakil

  3. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad, W.I.

    Stephan Gift

Authors
  1. Brent Maundy
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  2. Ahmed Elwakil
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  3. Stephan Gift
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Correspondence to Brent Maundy.

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Maundy, B., Elwakil, A. & Gift, S. On a multivibrator that employs a fractional capacitor. Analog Integr Circ Sig Process 62, 99–103 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-009-9329-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-009-9329-3

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