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Multivibrator Circuit
The basic collector-coupled transistor Monostable Multivibrator circuit and its associated waveforms are shown above. When power is firstly applied, the base of transistor TR2 is connected to Vcc via the biasing resistor, RTthereby turning the transistor “fully-ON” and into saturation and at the same time turning TR1 “OFF” in the process. This then represents the circuits “Stable State” with zero output. The current flowing into the saturated base terminal of TR2 will therefore be equal to Ib = (Vcc – 0.7)/RT.
If a negative trigger pulse is now applied at the input, the fast decaying edge of the pulse will pass straight through capacitor, C1 to the base of transistor, TR1 via the blocking diode turning it “ON”. The collector of TR1 which was previously at Vcc drops quickly to below zero volts effectively giving capacitor CT a reverse charge of -0.7v across its plates. This action results in transistor TR2 now having a minus base voltage at point X holding the transistor fully “OFF”. This then represents the circuits second state, the “Unstable State” with an output voltage equal to Vcc.
Timing capacitor, CT begins to discharge this -0.7v through the timing resistor RT, attempting to charge up to the supply voltage Vcc. This negative voltage at the base of transistor TR2 begins to decrease gradually at a rate determined by the time constant of the RT CTcombination. As the base voltage of TR2 increases back up to Vcc, the transistor begins to conduct and doing so turns “OFF” again transistor TR1 which results in the monostable multivibrator automatically returning back to its original stable state awaiting a second negative trigger pulse to restart the process once again.
Monostable Multivibrators can produce a very short pulse or a much longer rectangular shaped waveform whose leading edge rises in time with the externally applied trigger pulse and whose trailing edge is dependent upon the RC time constant of the feedback components used. This RC time constant may be varied with time to produce a series of pulses which have a controlled fixed time delay in relation to the original trigger pulse
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