The sketch on the left displays a basic schematic of the mystery circuit, grouped into functional blocks.
To the left is the resistor voltage divider ladder with connections to the black box.
To the right is the resistor/capacitor network that was previously analysed. It was determined that transistor Q1, here inside the black box, controls the state of the R4-R5 node and hence the charging and discharging of the capacitor.
Follow the steps outlined in the next slide to analytically determine the time delays tc and td between VH and VL for the capacitor charging and discharging cycles.
The timing equation is then T = tc + td. It should be algebraically equivalent to that previously derived using dimensional analysis.
Recall that the capacitor discharging from V0 to V1 is given by
and the capacitor charging from V1 to V0 is given by
Square wave indicates switch state: high=open, low=closed
Derive the timing equation for the mystery circuit using the ideal voltage ratios for VH = 2V0/3 and VL = V0/3 to determine the theoretical values for the scaling constants k1 and k2.
Instead of having the mystery circuit control the capacitor charge/discharge you can use a switch to control Q1 and hence the capacitor voltage. To set up the circuit:
Toggle the switch to vary the voltage at the capacitor. Try to reproduce the mystery circuit capacitor charge/discharge curve.
where V∞ is the voltage at the steady-state end of the transient. Displayed is a capacitor discharge curve. To measure τ:
Try a couple of other initial V0 positions along the curve and compare these experimental results with the theoretical τ. Repeat for a capacitor charging curve, shown here.