Wjen Bridge Oscillator
The second frequency-selective network used in oscillator circuits is the Wien
bridge. The Wien bridge is an AC version of the Wheatstone bridge. Where the
Wheatstone bridge is used for precision resistance measurement, the Wien bridge
is used for the precision measurement of capacitance. Two arms of the Wien
bridge act as a simple resistive voltage divider; the other two arms are a series
reactive circuit and a parallel reactive circuit, respectively. The bridge is balanced
when the series reactance equals the parallel reactance. At balance, the phase
shift introduced by the series reactance is equal and opposite to the phase shift
introduced by the parallel reactance.
Two versions of an oscillator circuit designed using a Wien bridge are shown
in Figure 10-19. Figure 1 0-19(a) shows the bridge circuit with the differential inputs
of the op-amp connected between the two diagonal cqmers of the bridge, with
the output and ground connected to the other two comers. Figure 10-19(b) shows
the same circuit, only redrawn to emphasize the separate negative and positive
feedback loops. Note the zener diode starting circuit, used in exactly the same
way as for the phase-shift oscillator.
Positive feedback is through a network consisting of a series R-C circuit and
a parallel R-C circuit. The parallel R-C circuit produces a phase lag, and the series
R-C circuit produces a phase lead. At only one frequency is the phase lag equal
to the phase lead. At this frequency , the total phase shift is zero, defining the
operating frequency of the oscillator. Normally both resistors are chosen to be
the same valueR, and both capacitors the same value C. The phase of the feedback
signal at the noninverting input is zero only for the oscillator frequency