Wien-Bridge Oscillator with Low Harmonic Distortion
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WIRELESS WORLD MAY 1981 51 Wien-bridge oscillator with low harmonic distortion New way of using Wien network to give 0.001 % t.h.d. by J. L. Linsley Hood, Robins (Electronics) The Wien-bridge network can be 1kHz of some 0.003%, which tended to connected in a different way in an increase with frequency above this point, R oscillator circuit to give a sine wave as the effectiveness of the common-mode with very low total harmonic isolation deteriorated. distortion. An I.e.d/photocell However, it is not implicit, in the use of a Wien network as the frequency-control amplitude control is external to the Output circuit. method, that the configuration shown in Fig. 1, in which the output of the network is taken to the non-inverting input of the R The Wien-bridge network remains the amplifier and the amplitude controlling most popular method of construction of negative-feedback signal is taken to the variable-frequency sine-wave oscillators, other, is the only circuit configuration since the basic circuit can be very simple in which can be employed. In particular, con ov form. It is a fairly straightforward matter sideration of the phase and transmission to design oscillators of this type in which characteristics of such a network, shown in Table 1 and Fig. 2 for equal values of C the harmonic distortion is only of the order Fig. 1. Basic Wien-bridge oscillator circuit of 0.01-0.02%, and which allow frequency control by means of a simple 2-gang poten Fig. 2. Gain and phase characteristics of tiometer. Wien network 1-0 131 The basic circuit for an oscillator of this O· 9 form, using a single operational amplifier z 0 o 8 w_ as the gain block, is shown in Fig. 1, and >Vl _Vl 7 the author has shown a practical design of z O· �-IVli: 121 oscillator, based on this, for a use as a wz §lO· 6 0: Vl « " 0: simple, general-purpose workshop tool. 1 f- i:Vl O· ....... However, in the form shown in Fig. 1, a �O 4 ............ significant problem exists in that the trans 0: ..... 111 f- 3 mission of a normal Wien network, at the O. .......z�-- w ,/7 " '/}:;II)' Vl operating frequency, is only 113, which O·2 0 ;! / '-... � CL means that an inconveniently large propor O·1 I tion of the output signal voltage appears at 0 the inputs of the amplifier, and will lead to 01 02 04 0·6 0 2 4� OSCILLATION FREQUENCY non-linearities in the transfer characteris - 9Cf' tics of the amplifier due to 'common mode' defects. An oscillator design, which em ployed an input device operated in a cas Fig. 3. Rearrangement of Wien network code configuration with a junction f.e. t. to R between signal sources gives small in minimize this type of defect, was shown by phase signal at point X the author in 1977,6 and allowed a t.h.d. at -..... '---...... ov (al Ibl Fig. 4. Use of arrangement of Fig. 3 in TABLE 1. Phase and transmission charac oscillator circuit teristics of simple Wien network. FIFa phase transmission 0.1 73.14° 0.10 R 0.2 57.99° 0.18 0.3 45.32° 0.23 0.4 34.99° 0.27 0.5 26.57" 0.30 Outr>ut 0.6 19.57° 0.31 I-Eyl 0.7 13.65° 0.32 0.8 8.53° 0.33 R 0.9 4.03° 0.33 1.0 0° 0.33 1.2 -6.97" 0.33 1.5 -15.52° 0.32 2 -26.57" 0.30 ----4�-------�-------_OV 3 -41.63° 0.25 Figures in brackets 5 -57.99° 0.18 refer to diagram 3 b 8 -69.15° 0.12 10. -73.14° 0.10 52 WIRELESS WORLD MAY 1981 and R, implies that if, instead of the net be significantly lower, because of the very operating frequency of the oscillator. Fast work of Fig. 3(a) being connected between small input-signal amplitude and the ab response-speed, high h.f. gain op.-amps. a signal source Ein and the OV line, it was sence of any internal transfer errors be can therefore be used without problems. connected between two signal sources + E x tween the inverting and non-inverting in and -Ey, where these are sinusoidal and puts, than is the case for an identical For these reasons, it can be expected identical in frequency and the negative amplifying element in a series-feedback that the residual harmonic distortion of sign implies phase opposition, as shown in configuration.3,4 this oscillator design will be exceedingly Fig. 3(b), then a small, in-phase signal • The time-delay errors in the second am small, and measurements on two proto would exist at the point 'X', at the fre plifying stage (A2) no longer contribute to types have indeed shown this to be the quency of maximum transmission, (fo), if loss of stablility in the system, but only to a case. So far as can be determined, the +Ex was slightly greater than -2Ey• very small compensatory shift in the residual distortion - almost exclusively This could then be used as a positive feedback signal in a circuit such as that shown in Fig. 4, to sustain oscillation at R the frequency fo. Indeed, such a circuit will work quite well, and will sustain a Thermistor Rs constant output magnitude of oscillation if a thermistor is employed, as shown, to make the gain of the second, inverting, Output amplifier stage dependent on the ampli tude of the input signal. However, there is, in practice, a small snag with such an R arrangement, and that is that the inverted negative-feedback signal applied to the in put of Al will suffer an additional phase ____�� --------------��------------��OV error due to the internal time lag within Figures in brackets Rp. Rs and Rin chosen to SUIt individual thermistor A2, and this will cause unwanted h.f. insta refer to diagnom 3b employed bility if '3rd generation' high speed op. amps. such as the CA 3140, or the 174 1 S, Fig. 5. Final form of new configuration in low-distortion oscillator are used in the realisation of this circuit. It is, fortunately, an easy matter to re solve this difficulty if the circuit is recast in 0·01 the form shown in Fig. 5, in which the ·009 , (Includes negative-feedback signal, equivalent to ,50 Hz "hum" I ·005 " -Ey in Fig. 3(b), is derived from the am plifier AI> and the positive-feedback signal "- , is obtained from the output of the second "- � ..... inverting amplifier A2• :z o ..... .... This configuration offers several signifi 0001 .... �o ... cant advantages. l ... �--- V) • The input signal to Al is extremely a .0005 small, since it is only required to be EOUl/2M, where M is the open-loop gain of AI - typically 100dB for a good modern op.amp. i.c. - and, as pointed out by the 2 author in an earlier article , with semi 00001 100 lk conductor amplifiers the non-linearity of 1Ok FREQUENCY such devices is essentially an input charac (Hz) teristic, dependent on the magnitude of Fig. 6. Measured total harmonic distortion of improved oscillator of Fig. 5 the input signal. • The second-stage amplifier is operated as a shunt-feedback element, and the non Fig. 7. New oscillator with external optoelectronic amplitude-control circuit. Silonex linearities of such a stage can be shown to (formerly National Semiconductors) cell, Type NSL395, is obtainable from Cheston Electronics Ltd., Vanguard House, 56 Oughton Street, Ormskirk, Lancs. Tel: 069572456 1/ Photoconductive cell 10k NSL395 10}! 47k Si 3k3 56k Si Si I1 3k3 3k3 3k3 \�--------------�vr--------------�/ \�------------------�vr------------------�/ \�------,v�----�/ Feedback control Oscillator Full wave rectifier circuit Output Note: PC and LED are in optical contact 1 1 WIRELESS WORLD MAY 1981 53 third harmonic - is that due to the de photo-conductive cell and the light-emit Measuring tranSient pendence of the resistance of the thermis· ting diode combination shown in Fig. 7, in tors used to control the amplitude of the which the time constant and other dy intermodulation of oscillation on the instantaneous value namic characteristics of the control circuit continued from page 47 the signal potential applied to them. This can be optimized by a suitable combina limiting filter. characteristic of oscillators with averaging tion of proportional, integral and differen The authors are interested in measuring control s�stems has been analysed by tial (p.i.d.) adjustment to the gain of the t.i.m. principally to test the effectiveness Robinson who suggests that the distortion control circuit (A2). Needless to say, the of anti-t.i.m. measures such as input filt of such a system, which is shown to be photoresistive element should be chosen to ers, and to design low-t.i.m. monolithic mainly third harmonic, will be have a very low voltage coefficient of resis amplifiers. The availability of a simple and tance and an adequate response speed to X3 _ 1 . Ao-l'j 1 accurate measuring system has already -- avoid the introduction of a further signifi Xl l'j provided useful results, exemplified by the - 8rj . 'Iitji cant time delay into the control loop. R.I.A.A. preamplifier shown in Fig. 12; a where (Ao-l'j)/l'j is the fraction by which Leaving aside the question of the means circuit designed around the TDA32 10 ste the low-level loop gain exceeds the gain employed to control the amplitude of the reo preamplifier i.c.