An oscillator provides a source of repetitive A.C. signal across its output terminals without needing any input (except a D.C. supply). The signal generated by the oscillator is usually of constant amplitude.
The wave shape and amplitude are determined by the design of the oscillator circuit and choice of component values.
The frequency of the output wave may be fixed or variable, depending on the oscillator design.
Oscillators
Types of Oscillators
Oscillators may be classified by the type of signal they produce.
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SINE WAVE OSCILLATORS produce a sine wave output.
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RELAXATION OSCILLATORS and ASTABLE MULTIVIBRATORS produce Square waves and rectangular pulses.
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SWEEP OSCILLATORS produce sawtooth waves.
Sine wave oscillators can also be classified by frequency, or the type of frequency control they use.
RF (radio frequency) oscillators working at frequencies above about 30 to 50kHz use LC (inductors and capacitors) or Crystals to control their frequency.
These may also be classified as HF, VHF, and UHF oscillators, depending on their frequency.
LF (low frequency) oscillators are generally used for generating frequencies below about 30kHz and are usually RC oscillators, as they use resistors and capacitors to control their frequency.
Square wave oscillators such as relaxation and astable oscillators may be used at any frequency from less than 1Hz up to several GHz and are very often implemented in integrated circuit form.
Check out this Basics of oscillators Tutorial
The sciences, music, radio and television broadcasting, medical diagnosis and computing all use oscillators for an astonishingly wide variety of purposes. Oscillators take two general forms: stand-alone benchtop units designed for electronic testing and measurement, and circuits integral to other devices such as radio receivers and electronic organs.
USES of Oscillators
First time using ESI Synthesizer in Logic Pro X.
You can see and hear the results.