Oscillators and Harmonic Generators
W. Alan Davis PhD, Krishna Kant Agarwal · 2001
This chapter describes oscillator fundamentals. An oscillator is a circuit that converts energy from a power source (usually a dc power source) to ac energy. In order to produce a self-sustaining oscillation, there necessarily must be feedback from the output to the input, sufficient gain to overcome losses in the feedback path, and a resonator. There are a number of ways to classify oscillator circuits. One way is by describing the distinction between one-port and two-port oscillators. This is discussed along with a practical example. The importance of the stability of the oscillator is also addressed. A mathematical discussion is given of harmonic generators.