A Note on the Wien Bridge Oscillator and the Use of Barkhausen Criterion
Muhammad Taher Abuelma’atti and Eyas Saleh Alsuhaibani
This paper discusses the accuracy of the conclusions obtained based on using the Barkhausen criterion for finding the frequency and condition of oscillation of the Wien-bridge oscillator. Such conclusions may be misleading. This suggests that the textbooks, classroom analysis, and the engineering practice must be changed to introduce the methodology based on finding the roots of the characteristic equation as an alternative route to find the frequency and the condition of oscillation.
Keywords: Sinusoidal oscillators, Barkhausen criterion, Wien-bridge oscillator