Hartely and Colpitts OSCILATORS

Mohammed Sadiq Mohsen Slah

Faculty of Engineering
Taiz University
Tiaz Yemen
Mohmmed229@hotmail.com

AbstractThis document describes the difference between

Hartley and Colpitts structures, and the form of circuit.

I.

I-INTRODUCTION

Wave generator play a prominent role in the field of

electronics. They generate signals from a few hertz to several
gigahertz (109hertz). Modern wave generators use many
different circuits and generate such outputs as sinsidial,
square, rectangular, sawthwave, and trapezoidal waveshapes.
These waveshapes serve many useful purposes in the
electronic circuits you will be studying. For example, they are
used extensively throughout the television receiver to
reproduce both picture and sound .One type of wave generator
is known as an Oscilator. An oscillator can be regarded as an
amplifier which provides its own input signal. Oscillators are
classified according to the waveshapes they produce and the
requirements needed for them to produce oscillations .
II. CLASSIFICATION OF OSCILLATORS (GENERATORS(
Wave generators can be classified into two broad
categories according to their output waveshapes, sinusodial
and nonsinusodial.
A sinusoidal oscillator produces a sine-wave output signal.
Ideally, the output signal is of constant amplitude with no
variation in frequency. Actually, something less than this is
usually obtained. The degree to which the ideal is approached
depends upon such factors as class of amplifier operation,
amplifier characteristics, frequency stability, and amplitude
stability. Sine-wave generators produce signals ranging from
low audio frequencies to ultrahigh radio and microwave
frequencies.
III. POSITIVE FEEDBACK AMPLIFIER OSCILLATOR
A transistor amplifier with proper positive feedback can
act as an oscillator i.e., it can generate oscillations without any
external signal source. Fig. 1 shows a transistor amplifier with
positive feedback.

Figure 1

Remember that a positive feedback amplifier is one that

produces a feedback voltage (Vf) that is in phase with
the original input signal.
IV. DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRANSISTOR OSCILLATORS

A transistor can work as an oscillator to produce

continuous undamped oscillations of any desired
frequency if tank and feedback circuits are properly
connected to it. All oscillators under different names have
similar function i.e., they produce continuous undamped
output. However, the major difference between these
oscillators lies in the method by which energy is supplied to
the tank circuit to meet the losses. The following are the
transistor oscillators commonly used at various places in
electronic circuits:

i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.

Tuned collector oscillator

Colpitts oscillator
Hartley oscillator
Phase shift oscillator
Wien Bridge oscillator
Crystal oscillator

V. Before discussing oscillators further, let's review the

requirements for an oscillator. First, amplification is required
to provide the necessary gain for the signal. Second, sufficient
regenerative feedback is required to sustain oscillations. Third,
a frequency-determining device is needed to maintain the
desired output frequency.
VI. OSCILLATORS WITH LC FEEDBACK CIRCUITS
VII.

THE COLPITTS OSCILLATOR

Fig. 2 shows a Colpitt's oscillator. It uses two capacitors

and placed across a common inductor Land the centre of the
two capacitors is tapped. The tank circuit is made up of C1,
C2 and L. The frequency of oscillations is determined by the
values of C1, C2 and L and is given by ;

Figure 3
Figure 2

*Note that C1, C2, Lis also the feedback circuit that
produces a phase shift of 180.
VIII. THE HARTLEY OSCILLATOR
The Hartley oscillator is similar to Colpitts oscillator with
minor modifications. Instead of using tapped capacitors, two
inductors L1 and L2 are placed across a common capacitor C
and the centre of the inductors is tapped as shown in Fig. 3.
The tank circuit is made up of L1,L2 and C. The frequency of
oscillations is determined by the values of L1, L2 and C and is
given by;

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Special thanks to Eng. Khalil Asham for giving the
opportunity to write this paper,
REFERENCES
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]

Shoichi Sudo electronics principle,

Joseph C. Palais, Communications,
Pearson.Prentice Hall, 2005.
.Schome,"comuniction circuit".

circuit

Fifth

Edition,