Questions tagged [stability]

The ability of an electrical circuit to stop oscillating within a finite period of time. Related topics include the Nyquist stability criterion (and the associated Nyquist plot), Bode plots, and gain and phase margin.

The ability of an electrical circuit to stop oscillating within a finite period of time. Related topics include the Nyquist stability criterion (and the associated Nyquist plot), Bode plots, and gain and phase margin.

441 questions
66
votes
7 answers

Why is my circuit so incredibly sensitive to electric fluctuation?

I recently finished building a circuit showcased in a beginner’s electronics book. I have included the picture of my creation below because I think it may become relevant to the question. At the beginning of the build process, the instructions…
T555
  • 1,569
  • 2
  • 17
  • 27
53
votes
5 answers

Why does music synthesizer built from chain of astable multivibrator circuits get "out-of-tune" after a few hours?

I built a prototype keyboard/sound synthesizer using a chain of 13 astable multivibrator circuits whose outputs are connected to an audio amplifier chip (LM386) and speaker, all powered off a 9V DC battery. Each individual circuit gets tuned to one…
34
votes
5 answers

Choosing resistor values for inverting amplifier and why?

The gain here is A = -Rf/Rin. However, lets say I want a gain of 10 V/V. Which resistor value would you choose and why? I know that you could have infinite number of combinations for these resistors but why would some one use specific value. i.e Rf…
dr3patel
  • 1,620
  • 3
  • 22
  • 31
29
votes
6 answers

What is noise gain, really? And how is it determined in the general case?

UPDATE: This question triggered what might fairly be called a research obsession for me. I've gotten pretty close to the bottom of it I think, I've posted my findings as an answer below. There was a similar question here but it did not ask for nor…
scanny
  • 7,062
  • 5
  • 47
  • 87
19
votes
2 answers

Why are low-dropout (LDO) voltage regulators unstable?

LDO regulators based on P-type transistors seem to be the preferred form of linear voltage regulator today, but I keep hearing about how I have to choose the output capacitor(s) carefully to guarantee stability. The older high-dropout regulators…
Adam Haun
  • 21,331
  • 4
  • 50
  • 91
15
votes
6 answers

Stability problem in unity-gain opAmp

As a part of a controlled power supply for hardware-in-loop testing for a student driven project, I had to develop a current buffer (voltage follower) which could source up to 1 A. I had the (bad) idea of trying to implement this simple…
svilches
  • 519
  • 2
  • 4
  • 11
15
votes
1 answer

Where do the oscillations on the output voltage of my buck converter come from?

I am currently building a buck converter. Its main parameters are the following: 24V input 5V/3A output Able to sustain large load transient currents caused by the switching of power LEDs (~2A) I selected a synchronous buck converter from TI which…
14
votes
7 answers

Gain margin and Phase Margin Physical Meaning

I have been trying to understand the physical concept of Gain and Phase Margin. What I understand about this is that a relative comparison around the critical point \$(-1,0)\$, which when converted to magnitude and phase form turns out Magnitude =…
Fawaz
  • 354
  • 1
  • 7
  • 17
13
votes
1 answer

Stability of input filter in SMPS - Theoretical explanation

I read the Application note Wurth Electronics ANP008c about negative resistance of a SMPS input and how to avoid oscillation when using an input LC filter. I'm asking for a theorethical clarification on the following: In the document, it is stated…
12
votes
4 answers

Conditional stability

I'm learning about op-amps and feedback and how feedback affects their stability. I've been reading about gain and phase margin and their uses when I came across this: I don't quite understand how the system shown in the picture will be stable…
user968243
  • 1,323
  • 7
  • 18
  • 32
12
votes
6 answers

Converting and Stabilizing output voltage of a dynamo hub

Preface - I don't know much about electronics :P I have ordered a Shimano dynamo hub for my bicycle. I have done a little homework and here are my findings about it: The output of the above mentioned dynamo is a 6 volt AC. The output voltage of the…
12
votes
2 answers

How to determine a system is stable using pole zero analysis?

To my knowledge, as long as the poles of the transfer function are in the left half plane, then the system is stable. It is because the time response can be written as "a*exp(-b*t)" where 'a' and 'b' are positive. Therefore, the system is…
Superhero
  • 797
  • 5
  • 12
  • 28
11
votes
4 answers

Meaning of zeros in transfer function

Can someone please explain, provide a link or cite a book where the properties of the zeros for continuous and discrete time systems are explained? I know that the zeros are the frequencies where the numerator of a transfer function becomes…
fjp
  • 241
  • 1
  • 2
  • 9
10
votes
2 answers

Are film capacitors affected by DC bias?

After looking around, I have found quite a few things about how DC bias reduces effective capacitance for a ceramic, or electrolytic capacitor, however nothing seems to talk about the effect on film capacitors. I've found a couple of papers about…
Puffafish
  • 1,114
  • 8
  • 17
10
votes
8 answers

Is it ok to clip component leads after soldering?

When working with through the hole components, I have read that you should clip leads before soldering so the shock from clipping doesn't break the joint. On the other hand I've seen a ton of instructions for (more or less professional) DIY kits,…
jilski
  • 563
  • 2
  • 7
  • 17
1
2 3
29 30