ICCT COLLEGES FOUNDATION, INC.

V. V. Soliven Avenue II, Cainta Rizal

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Subject
Digital Communications
(ECE06LAB)

Laboratory Activity
Clock Generator Circuit And
Sample-and-Hold Circuit

Presented by:
Cunanan, Michael Angelo
Centura, Mark Iverson
Raymundo, Alvin
Rios, Marianne

Presented to:
Engr. Michael Stephen T. Gorospe

Date
August 21, 2018
 ICCT COLLEGES FOUNDATION, INC.
V. V. Soliven Avenue II, Cainta Rizal
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Introduction to Clock Generator

A clock generator is a circuit that creates a continuous, synchronized electrical signal

for timing purposes in a wide variety of devices. These continuous, synchronized signals are

known as timing signals or clock signals. Due to the fact that many high end electronic

devices require electrical signals and mechanical components to work in an efficient manner,

clock generators had been a necessary component in many devices to provide precise timing

and ensure that all components work harmoniously. Clock generators are generally made of

a resonant circuit and an amplifier. The resonant circuit is usually a quartz piezo-electric

oscillator but a simple tank or RC circuits may be used. The resonant circuit produces a

constant wave that repeats itself, such as a square wave, in order to synchronize external

events. The amplifier then receives and inverts this signal, passes it along to the output, and

returns a portion of the signal back to the resonant circuit.

 ICCT COLLEGES FOUNDATION, INC.
V. V. Soliven Avenue II, Cainta Rizal
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Purpose and Application of Clock Generator Circuit

Clock generators are allowing mechanical devices to stay synchronized with their

digital counterparts. There are clock generators, known as “programmable clock

generators,” that can be modified to change the signal they produce, allowing users to change

the speed at which mechanical and digital devices perform tasks, allowing for more

synchronization. Clock generators are usually small, lightweight, and inexpensive to

produce, allowing them to be placed in ever smaller electronic devices such as laptops,

notebooks, and smartphones.

Clock generators have a large variety of application, but perhaps the most notable one

was its application to computer systems. These circuits are used in computers to manage memory

cards, peripheral devices, CPUs, ports, etc. In fact, clock generators are often being reset in order to

control the speed and performance of these computer parts. Clock generators are also widely used in

telecommunication systems, digital switching systems, and many mechanical devices.

 ICCT COLLEGES FOUNDATION, INC.
V. V. Soliven Avenue II, Cainta Rizal
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Circuit Diagram (Clock Generator Circuit)
 ICCT COLLEGES FOUNDATION, INC.
V. V. Soliven Avenue II, Cainta Rizal
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Parts or Components Used (Clock Generator Circuit)

 555 Timer IC– 1 pc.

 100kΩ Potentiometer – 1 pc.

 10kΩ Resistor – 1 pc.

 220Ω Resistor – 1 pc.

 10 µF Electrolytic Capacitor – 1 pc.

 10 nF Ceramic Capacitor – 1 pc.

 Red LED – 1 pcs.

 9V Battery Connector/Clip – 1 pc.

 9V Battery – 1 pc.

 Breadboard – 1 pc.

 Jumping Wires
 ICCT COLLEGES FOUNDATION, INC.
V. V. Soliven Avenue II, Cainta Rizal
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Brief Circuit Description

Capacitor C1 begins charging towards VCC through resistors R1 and R2 (VR). Because

of this, the charging time constant is (R1 + R2(VR)) C. Eventually, the threshold voltage

exceeds +2/3 VCC, the comparator 1 has a high output and triggers the flip-flop so that its Q

is high and the timer output is low. With Q high, the discharge transistor saturates and pin 7

grounds so that the capacitor C1 discharges through resistance R2 (VR) with a discharging

time constant R2(C). With the discharging of capacitor, trigger voltage at inverting input of

comparator 2 decreases. When it drops below 1/3VCC, the output of comparator 2 goes high

and this reset the flip-flop so that the timer output is high. This proves the auto-transition in

output from low to high and then to low. Thus, the cycle repeats.
 ICCT COLLEGES FOUNDATION, INC.
V. V. Soliven Avenue II, Cainta Rizal
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Introduction to Sample-and-Hold Circuit

The Sample and Hold circuit is an electronic circuit which creates the samples of its

input voltage and then holds these samples for a definite time. The time during which sample

and hold circuit generates the sample of the input signal is called sampling time. Similarly,

the time duration of the circuit during which it holds the sampled value is called holding time.

Sampling time is generally between 1µs to 14 µs while the holding time can assume any value

as required in the application. It will not be wrong to say that capacitor is the heart of sample

and hold circuit. This is because the capacitor present in it charges to its peak value when

the switch is opened, i.e. during sampling and holds the sampled voltage when the switch is

closed.
 ICCT COLLEGES FOUNDATION, INC.
V. V. Soliven Avenue II, Cainta Rizal
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Purpose of Sample-and-Hold Circuit

It is known that digital communication and analog communication, but the question

is why? Well, noise interference is the prime reason. It makes analog communication less

efficient and less reliable. Thus, in digital communication, we need digital signals. But

naturally, all the signals are analog. This is the turning point where we need a sample and

hold circuit. With the help of sample and hold circuit we can take samples of the analog signal,

followed by a capacitor. It holds these sample for a particular period. As a consequence of

this, a constant signal is generated. This can be converted into a digital signal with the help

of analog-to-digital converters.
 ICCT COLLEGES FOUNDATION, INC.
V. V. Soliven Avenue II, Cainta Rizal
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Circuit Diagram (Sample-and-Hold Circuit)
 ICCT COLLEGES FOUNDATION, INC.
V. V. Soliven Avenue II, Cainta Rizal
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Parts or Components Used (Sample-and-Hold Circuit)

 UA741 Op-Amp IC – 1 pc.

 10kΩ Potentiometer – 1 pc.

 220Ω Resistor – 1 pc.

 10 µF Electrolytic Capacitor – 2 pc.

 Red LED – 1 pcs.

 Tact Switch – 2 pcs.

 9V Battery Connector/Clip – 1 pc.

 9V Battery – 1 pc.

 Breadboard – 1 pc.

 Jumping Wire
 ICCT COLLEGES FOUNDATION, INC.
V. V. Soliven Avenue II, Cainta Rizal
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Brief Description of the Circuit

The circuit samples the voltage coming from the 10kΩ Potentiometer that is

connected to a switch that is connected to the two 10uF electrolytic capacitors. Whenever

this switch is pressed, the capacitor charges up instantly and holds the voltage that comes

from the potentiometer. This can be noticed because the led instantly lights up and remains

on even after the switch is released. Thus, this voltage is being sampled. On the other hand,

the other switch is connected from pin 7 to ground, thus whenever this switch is pressed, the

capacitor discharges rapidly, thus, resetting the circuit and switching the led off.
 ICCT COLLEGES FOUNDATION, INC.
V. V. Soliven Avenue II, Cainta Rizal
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Testing the Circuits

The following photos were taken during the circuit testing. The clock generator

circuit is the circuit on the right side, while the sample and hold circuit was on the left side

of the breadboard.
ICCT COLLEGES FOUNDATION, INC.
V. V. Soliven Avenue II, Cainta Rizal
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING