Oscillators - an approach for a better understanding (tutorial presented at ECCTD’03)

The aim of this tutorial is to provide an electronic engineer knowledge and insight for a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the behaviour of electronic oscillators. A linear oscillator is a mathematical fiction which can only be used as a starting point for the design of a real oscillator based on the Barkhausen criteria. Statements in textbooks and papers saying that the nonlinearities are bringing back the poles to the imaginary axis are wrong. The concept of ”frozen eigenvalues” is introduced by means of piece-wise-linear modelling of the nonlinear components which are necessary for steady state oscillations. A number of oscillator designs are investigated and the mechanisms behind the control of frequency and amplitude are discussed.