Frequency and Duty cycle assignment

Ideal Frequency:

then 500 Hz

Ideal Minimum Duty Cycle - If B is:

then 35%

Ideal Maximum Duty Cycle - If C is:

then 60%

IMPORTANT REQUIREMENT:

Unlike that men�oned in the General Specs document, the final frequency should be ±25 Hz

of the ideal frequency above. Duty cycle requirement is unchanged i.e. ±5% of the minimum

and maximum (e.g. if ideal is 25%-70%, then a final demo of 20%-65% duty cycle will be

accepted).

Bonus 5% if within ±1 Hz the ideal frequency at the light bulb according to oscilloscope. Bonus

5% if within ±1% min and max duty cycles at the light bulb according to oscilloscope at full

poten�ometer range. Bonus 10% if BOTH frequency and minmax duty cycles are exact at the

light bulb at full poten�ometer range. All bonuses apply only if only 1 poten�ometer is used.

Pointers/�ps/reminders

-The other rules in the General Specs documents apply. If things I men�oned here conflict with the

general guidelines, or I forgot to men�on important aspects here don’t hesitate to contact me ASAP.

-You can use as many op-amps and analog stages as you want... but surely fewer the components,

the more efficient the circuit, the beter the implementa�on? Also saves you on breadboard space

and component availability hassles.

-The load is a light bulb (which can be simulated with a 5 ohm resistance). Remember lightbulbs are

high current devices, so you can’t directly connect your PWM circuit to the lightbulb/lightbulb

switch.... Remember your transistors/diodes lectures (e.g. how to power light bulb? Common

emiter?).

-Usage of mul�ple poten�ometers is discouraged and may merit some deduc�on depending on the

implementa�on. Ideally the only poten�ometer should be the dimming knob. Your computed
resistance and capacitance values should be reached by series and/or parallel combina�ons. ONLY

1 KNOB MUST BE ADJUSTED when dimming the bulb full range. The FULL RANGE of the pot should

correspond to your max and min duty cycles.

-Use of “advanced” ICs (such as 555 �mers, obviously) for the PWM stage is forbidden. Op-amps,

resistors, caps, and diodes should be enough. For the power (bulb) stage, simple BJTs should be

enough. You can borrow BJTs and lightbulbs from the Instru Lab.

-You may need some sort of buffer stage/s when connec�ng modules of your circuit. This really

depends on your individual implementa�on.Just a sugges�on. Since this is a PWM genera�ng circuit,

the astable and monostable modules MUST be there; it’s how you connect them with each other and

the light bulb stage that may fix errors both in simula�on and real life (remember how your Lab 4

behaved? Maybe that’s solvable with addi�onal stages...)

-Advisable, recommended (but not required especially if costly) to get your own cri�cal components

to avoid mixing up in the lab with the other components. I personally think it’s useful to try to have

your own poten�ometer (because the en�re range is cri�cal for your grade) because if your

poten�ometer gets mixed up with others in the lab, it may fudge your final results. Own op-amps may

also be advisable, but this is more of ensuring that you will not break/will not get a damaged op-amp

which is apparently common in our lab equipment.

-Use high precision components is discouraged; standard 5%-10% tolerance resistors and

capacitors available in our labs and their series/parallel combos should be enough. Usage of those

components may merit deduc�on. In any case, those components may be more expensive anyway

and I advise against spending too much money. Hiram na lang sa lab ng common standard

components!

-For the signal stage (i.e. the PWM generator), dual supply may be used. But research this with

cau�on. Make sure that the components you are using (especially the op-amps!) and overall circuit
you’re designing can indeed handle nega�ve voltages. Read op-amp datasheets. Make sure to

connect the supplies properly. For the power stage (i.e. the light bulb and switch part), single supply

is more than enough.

-Waveforms will be checked so make sure those work properly and are “clean” or undistorted. Even

if the bulb signal is correct and is dimmed by the poten�ometer, there may be some deduc�ons if
your PWM waveforms are “weird”.

-Watch out for the currents flowing and power consumed in your components! This should be easily

visible in your simula�ons. If the current and power are too high, in real life that may break or explode

your circuit. Having said that, make sure the power supplies you are using can indeed provide the

total current you need (look at the OCP protec�on se�ngs).