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For a project I am working on, I have a 1Hz square wave coming from a real time clock, and need to convert it into a sinusoidal wave to pulse LEDs. After some googling and playing around with simulations I came up with the circuit below. The 1Hz square wave is connected at the net labelled SQUARE and then filtered: Triple RC Filter and NPN transistor

My question now is how do I determine values for the passives to effectively filter out the higher frequencies and get the single sine wave I want? I got the values you see here from messing with a simulator, but I don't understand how to derive them analytically.

Thank you for your help.

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    \$\begingroup\$ 200k is far too large for Rb when I expect Rc ~ 220 , thus Rc/Rb =1k should be around 20 max. unless superbeta switches are chosen. Please define linear sine output when you have a very non-linear amp. Since current ? not sine voltage! try current feedback. \$\endgroup\$
    – Tony Stewart EE75
    Jan 12, 2020 at 1:14
  • \$\begingroup\$ What is the input driver? \$\endgroup\$
    – Tony Stewart EE75
    Jan 12, 2020 at 1:24
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Treeaza What are you trying to achieve with the LEDs? It's not clear to me. Do you want some kind of varying intensity? Or? \$\endgroup\$
    – jonk
    Jan 12, 2020 at 2:47
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    \$\begingroup\$ I'm just trying to make them fade in and out. \$\endgroup\$
    – Treeaza
    Jan 12, 2020 at 2:56
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Treeaza Thought so. This means you really want an exponential increase in current and then an exponential fall in current. A linear increase in base voltage followed by a linear decrease in base voltage (relative to emitter voltage) achieves this goal, using the collector as the current source. You want to turn the square wave into a ramp up, then down -- a triangle wave. More like that. Does it need to turn them completely off and then completely on? (I think we recently covered this somewhere on EESE.) \$\endgroup\$
    – jonk
    Jan 12, 2020 at 3:23

1 Answer 1

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Square wave has odd harmonics 3f,5f,7f at levels of ~ -10dB,-14dB, -17dB ..

A 1st order filter is -6dB/octave and 3f is 2 octaves above f or -12dB more than the -10db harmonic @ 3f.

Triangular Current will not be much different to the eye than sinusoidal as the eye is logarithmic .

You might try something like this.

enter image description here

Then you can always try sine PWM control using a FET switch with current limiting R for each LED.

But the hardest thing it seems to learn is how to define a design spec (before attempting to design it) including the LED datasheets with inputs, Processess and Outputs in a point form Hierarchical format.

IBM used to call this, the HIPO format for design specs.
Simple, Elegant, Complete, Measurable and Verifiable.

If you graduate and do design/test work, you must learn to create Design Specs then Design Verification Tests ( DVT plans and reports) based on these simple specs and record it. This is how Japanese Engineers think and how I did it in Winnipeg and Silicon valley. in early 80's as well as an Aerospace Engineer in late 70's.

If it meets spec. It's perfect. But it has to be a good specs with above Design values, budget and design time. (always double estimated design time)

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Any questions?. \$\endgroup\$
    – Tony Stewart EE75
    Jan 12, 2020 at 2:56
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    \$\begingroup\$ No, thank you for all your help. I understand now how my question was very ambiguous, it hadn't occurred to me how much component selection would impact the filter design. I'm only a couple of years into my degree, and I often forget to use a proper design process with my projects, this is something I will need to work on in future. \$\endgroup\$
    – Treeaza
    Jan 12, 2020 at 3:03
  • \$\begingroup\$ Rule of Thumb is for same voltages Rb/Rc ~ 10 to 30. \$\endgroup\$
    – Tony Stewart EE75
    Jan 12, 2020 at 3:07

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