@starsandrobots (this is in the service of writing the best possible explanation for documentation. This one is hard!)
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@starsandrobots it's been amusing as well to see which circuit simulators can and cannot model it functioning. Depends on analog effects so -
@starsandrobots simulators that treat every transistor as being perfectly identical fail to be able to model the behavior of this one -
@starsandrobots so a ton of simulators model relaxation oscillators as having no output & you have to kickstart 'em with a brief transient -
@starsandrobots I guess the people writing them forgot to add in the photoelectric effect. :P -
@bofh453 well in this case the two transistors race to turn on and if they're perfectly identical, neither wins and you never get started -
@bofh453 which is never the case IRL
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@starsandrobots If I have to explain how transistors work, I'm totally invoking the elephant theory of electronics! -
@russnelson what's the elephant theory of electronics? -
@starsandrobots Heathkit manuals used elephants to explain why resistors slowed the down (hills), why capacitors made them pile up (gap). -
I've been looking for examples but I'm coming up short. Any chance you have a pointer to a picture of this?
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@starsandrobots whoa, this is neat, would could you get a different duty cycle by varying R3 and R4? Or would it just not flash... -
@tinysubversions that *should* work though the resistor values are quite high as is — I would swap in different C1/C2 values
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@starsandrobots when q1 goes on, its collector voltage goes up, turning off q2 -
@marshray@starsandrobots This is correct and good, but I did it in one tweet. -
@russnelson@marshray I'm going for "explain like I'm five years old" levels; but yes, nice work cramming it in 140 -
@starsandrobots@marshray Hrm. Have to explain how a transistor, resistor and capacitor work first, then. Also voltage. And current. Can't!
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@starsandrobots seesaw analogy here? Do people know what those are? -
@steveintransit I mean sure, okay.. how would you state this? -
@starsandrobots both weighs same but once they start, each side pushes when down, reversing direction. that's as far as I got with my kids.
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