relaxation oscillator
  • An oscillator whose output signal, such as a current or voltage, changes abruptly from one level to another. For example, a relaxation oscillator circuit may be arranged so that in each cycle energy is stored in a capacitor, and later discharged at stated time intervals. The output waveform is nonsinusoidal, and may be, for instance, sawtooth or rectangular. Examples include multivibrators and unijunction transistors.

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