Introduction: Colpitts Oscillator, MiniPCB, 06A-15, Rev A1-02

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About: I'm Nolan, a circuit design engineer and creator of miniPCBs—small, standardized circuit boards for learning real-world electronics. I design miniPCBs for students, teachers, and hobbyists who want hands-on pr…

I made a Colpitts Oscillator (06A-15) that oscillates at 79 kHz!


I mimicked one of the circuits that's been on Wikipedia since 2008. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colpitts_oscillator

Step 1: Collect Components

The part number on the board is wrong. The correct part number is 06A-15. This will be corrected in the next revision.

The PCB is a two layer board, and designed to be easy to manufacture and assemble. And it is optimized for cost by being panelized on 100 x 100 mm squares.

Signals are routed on the bottom layer (the layer with the part number), and a common ground plane (as uncut as possible) is on the top layer.

The P1 connector is located in a standard position with respect to the board edges: making it possible to build a universal tester, backplane, or stand.

Step 2: Solder Components

For ease, start with the shortest components.

Step 3: Test Using Analog Discover 2/3

Note the outputs are not inverted, and one is stronger than the other. And the smaller signal has less distortion.

For ease of changing between five-pin boards, use Interface Board, 00A-12.