UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI

A project report on RC phase shift oscillator using op-amp, submitted towards

partial fulfilment of the requirement of degree of BACHELOR OF
ENGINEERING in ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING.

Submitted by:

CHHAYA JAISWAL (07)

SARTHAK KHAIRNAR (11)

PRATHAMESH NEMADE (16)

YASH PATIL (17)

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF PROF. AMISHA JOSHI

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

St. Francis Institute of Technology, Mumbai

2024 -2025

1
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project entitled “RC PHASE SFIT OSCILATOR
USING OP – AMP” has been submitted to the Department of Electrical
Engineering St. Francis Institute of Technology, Mumbai. They have successfully
carried out the Project titled under the guidance of “AMISHA JOSHI” in partial
fulfilment Of the requirement of B.E. Degree in Electrical Engineering of Mumbai
University .During the academic year 2024 - 2025.

Name of Student:-

1. Chhaya Jaiswal Rajesh

2. Sarthak Khairnar

3. Prathamesh Nemade

4. Yash Patil

Examiner/Reviewer-1 Examiner/Reviewer-2

Name of Guide and Signature Head of Department Principal

Mrs. Amisha Joshi Mrs. Megha Fernandes Dr. Sincy George

2
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We deem it a pleasure to acknowledgement our sense of gratitude to our

Project guide. Mrs. AMISHA JOSHI under whom we have carried out the
project. Work. his incisive and objective guidance and timely advice
encouraged us with Constant flow of energy to continue the work. We wish
to reciprocate in full measure the kindness shown by Mrs. Megha Ma’am
(H.O. D, Electrical Department). Who inspired us with his valuable
suggestion in successfully completing the project work.

3
 ABSTRACT

An oscillator is a circuit that produces a periodic waveform on its output with only
the dc supply voltage as a required input. A repetitive input signal is not required
but is sometimes used to synchronize oscillations.

Conditions for oscillation

1. The phase shift around the feedback loop must be effectively zero degrees.

2. The voltage gain, ACL around the feedback loop (loop gain) must equal to
(or greater than) one. The voltage gain around the closed feedback loop, ACL, is
the product of the amplifier gain, Av, and the attenuation, B of the feedback circuit.
ACL=Av B RC phase-shift oscillator is a linear electronic oscillator circuit that
produces a sine wave output. It consists of an inverting amplifier element such as a
transistor or op-amp with its output fed back to its input through a phase-shift
network consisting of resistors and capacitors in a ladder network. Each of the three
RC networks in the feedback loop can provide a maximum phase shift approaching
90 degrees. Oscillation occurs at the frequency where the total phase shift through
the three RC networks is 180 degrees. Inversion output at the output of op-amp itself
produces the additional 180 degree to meet the requirement for oscillation of 360
degrees (or zero degree) phase shift around the feedback loop.

4
 TABLE OF CONTENT

Sr. No. Chapter Page No.

1. Introduction 5

2. Principle of RC Phase 6
Shift

Oscillator
3. Plan of Work 9

4. Study of Components 10

5. Circuit diagram of 19
project
6. Working 20

7. Simulation 21

8. Result 22

9. Conclusion 24

10. Reference 25

5
 Chapter: - 1

INTRODUCTION

In an RC phase shift oscillator using an op-amp, both the magnitude and frequency
of the output signal are predetermined. The oscillator circuit is designed to produce
this desired magnitude and frequency. In this method is a continuous sinewave
generate that uses a op – amp and resistive-capacitive (RC) network as its frequency-
determining device. In the inverting amplifier give there is a 180-degree phase
difference the shows signal. To obtain the regenerative feedback in the phase-shift
oscillator, circuit need a phase shift of 180 degrees between the output and the input
signal. In an RC Oscillator circuit, the input is shifted 180o through the amplifier
stage and 180o again through a second inverting stage giving us “180o + 180o =
360o” of phase shift which effectively the same as 0o thereby giving us the required
positive feedback. In other words, the phase shift of the feedback loop should be
“0”. Three-stage RC phase shift oscillation circuit is common as a low-frequency
oscillation circuit for its low cost and high stability. Due to the output impendence
of the operation amplifier or transistor and resistance or capacitor tolerance, the
actual oscillation frequency deviates from the theoretical frequency. The voltage
gain is difficult to calculate as it shows temperature drifts especially in the transistor
oscillation circuit. Thus, we analysed the causes of the errors and instability and then
proposed a correction method based on the amplifier. A theoretical feasibility
analysis was provided for the actual oscillation circuit design. This method reduced
oscillation frequency errors to 1/6. The improved oscillation circuit voltage gain was
decided only by the ratio of two resistances, and the temperature drift was reduced
significantly showing high stable gain stability in this mini project basically input is
6
required for working of the project because. The output of the amplifier is given to
the feedback network. The output of the feedback network drives the amplifier. The
total phase shift around a loop is 180° of the amplifiers and 180° due to 3 RC
sections, thus 360°. This satisfies the required condition for positive feedback and
circuit works as an oscillator. To produce continue sine wave forms. In Simulation
of an RC phase shift oscillator using an op-amp in MATLAB can be used to shows
that the inverting amplifier to produce 180 phase shift and see the RC circuit produce
total 180 phase shift to observe oscillations in the scope output display.

Chapter: -2

PRINCIPLE OF RC PHASE SFIT OSCILATOR

Thus, circuit will work as an oscillator which will produce a sinusoidal waveform.
It should be satisfying the Barkhausen criterion for the continues oscillation. 1.
The product of loop gain of op-amp and feed- back (RC) circuit is greater than
and equal to one 2. Total phase shift of circuit is around a loop is 360°or 0°.
These oscillators are used over the audio frequency range i.e. about 20 Hz up to 100
kHz. Basic RC Circuit: To understand the operation of this Oscillator, let us
study Basic RC Circuit, which is used in the feedback network of this oscillator. The
Fig. 2.90 shows the Basic RC Circuit.

7
The capacitor C and resistance R in series. Now X C is the capacitive reactance in
ohms given by,

The total impedance of the circuit is,

The ram s. Value of the input voltage applied is say V i volts. Hence the current is
given by,

Where,

From expression of current it can be seen that current I leads input voltage V i by
angle Φ.
The output voltage Vo is the drop across resistance R given by,

The voltage across the capacitor is,

8
The drop VR is in phase with current I while the drop VC lags current I by 90° i.e. I
leads VC by 90°. The phasor diagram is shown in the Fig. 2.90 (b).
RC Phase Shift Oscillator basically consists of an amplifier and a feedback network
consisting of resistors and capacitors arranged in ladder fashion. Hence such an
oscillator is also called Ladder Type RC Phase Shift Oscillator.

By using proper values of R and C, the angle Φ is adjusted in practice equal to 60°.
RC network is used in feedback path. In oscillator, feedback network must introduce
a phase shift of 180° to obtain total phase shift around a loop as 360°. Thus if one
RC network produces phase shift of Φ = 60° then to produce phase shift of 180°
such three RC networks must be connected in cascade .Hence Feedback Network in
RC Phase Shift Oscillator consists of three RC sections each producing a phase shift
of 60°, thus total phase shift due to feedback is 180° (3 x 60°).
The output of amplifier is given to feedback network. The Output of feedback
network drives the amplifier. The total phase shift around a loop is 180° of amplifier
and 180° due to 3 RC sections, thus 360°. This satisfies the required condition for
positive feedback and circuit works as an oscillator. The frequency of sustained
oscillations generated depends on the values of R and C and is given by,

The frequency is measured in Hz.

At this frequency the gain of the op-amp must be at least 29 to satisfy Aβ = 1.

Now gain of the op-amp inverting amplifier is given by,

9
10
 Chapter: -3

PLANE OF WORK

In the 1st week of project development, group member communicated with each
other to gather the requirements for the project. Each and search all component
related to the project.

From the 3rd week planning was started simultaneously with information gathering.
In planning all kind of hardware requirement were listed out. From 7th week
modelling and simulation from start of the project circuit diagram was started build
in breadboard after buy the component.

The simulation circuit diagram is developed in MATLAB use library browser for
taking electrical equipment use in the project. In simulation circuit find errors. If any
shows in simulation, it does not work with the help our class co-,or dinar Omkar sir
help to complete the circuit diagram of project in simulation.

That time our project guide “Ms Amisha mam” help during project implementation
and for working of project is successfully run in simulation after doing continuous
hard work.

Chapter: - 4

STUDY OF COMPONENT

4.1 OP-AMP

An operational amplifier popularly known as op-amp is a DC-coupled high gain

electronic voltage amplifier with a differential input. They are the main building
blocks in Analogue and are used in a wide range of consumer electronics, industrial
equipment and scientific devices. it is basically an amplifier, whose job is
to amplify the input signals. The reason behind it being called as “operational” is
that, in early days when digital computers were not evolved, at that time, the basic
“mathematical operations” like addition, subtraction, differentiation and integration
were performed by them. Today, operational amplifiers have become a popular
building block in electronic circuits. As said earlier, the operational amplifier has

11
two inputs and a single output. The schematic representation of the op-amp is shown
below.

Fig.4.1.1 Schematic representation of Op-amp

The positive terminal of the input is called the “non-inverting” input and the
negative terminal is called the “inverting” input. They have their names according
to the functions performed by them.
Inverting Input: A positive voltage applied to this input terminal will lead to a
negative swing at the output.

12
 Fig. 4.1.2 Effect of signal at inverting
input on the output

Non-Inverting Input: A positive voltage applied to this input terminal will lead to
a positive swing at the output.

Fig. 4.1.3 Effect of signal at non-inverting input on the output

13
The output voltage is proportional to the difference of the input voltages and is given
by

Vout ∝ (V+ – V–)

Vout = AOL (V+ – V–)

Where, AOL is the open-loop gain of the amplifier.

Pin Diagram
IC-741 is a general-purpose op-amp. It is built of various resistors, capacitors and
transistor stages. Three main stages of a general-purpose op-amp are a differential
input stage, a push-pull output stage and an intermediate gain stage.
Ideally, the pin description can be divided into 4 broad categories:

Pin diagram of IC-741 is shown in the figure 4. This is a general-purpose operational

amplifier. It has a total of 8 pins.

14
 Fig. 4.1.4 Pin Diagram of IC741 Op-amp

Pin Description
» Pin4 & Pin7 (Power Supply): Pin7 is the positive voltage supply terminal and
Pin4 is the negative voltage supply terminal. The IC draws in power from these pins.
The voltage between these two pins lies between 5V and 18V.
» Pin6 (Output): This is the output pin for the IC. The voltage at this pin depends
on the input signal and the feedback mechanism used.
» Pin2 & Pin3 (Input): These are input pins. Pin2 is the inverting input and Pin3 is
the non-inverting input. If the voltage at inverting input is higher than non-inverting
input, the voltage at the output signal stays low. Likewise, if the voltage at the non-
inverting input is high, the output goes high.
» Pin1 & Pin5 (Offset Null): Because of high gain provided by Op-Amp, even
slight variations in voltages at the inverting and non-inverting inputs, caused due to
irregularities in the manufacturing process or external disturbances, will affect the
output. To nullify this effect, an offset voltage can be applied at pin1 and pin5 and
is typically done employing a potentiometer.
» Pin8 (N/C): This pin is not connected to any circuit inside 741 IC. It’s just a
dummy lead used to fill the void space in standard 8 pin packages.

15
Use of Op-amp

When we use op-amp for RC phase shift oscillator, it functions as an inverting

amplifier. Initially, the input wave has been into the RC network, due to which we
get 180 degree of phase shift. And, this output of RC is fed into the inverting terminal
of the op-amp.

Now, as we know that the op-amp will produce a 180 degree of phase shift when
functions as an inverting amplifier. So, we get a 360-degree of phase shift in the
output sine wave. This RC phase shift oscillator using op-amp provides a constant
frequency even under the varying load condition

4.2 RC PHASE SFIT OSCILLATOR CIRCUIT

RC Phase Shift Oscillator basically consists of an amplifier and a feedback network

consisting of resistors and capacitors arranged in ladder fashion. Hence such an
oscillator is also called Ladder Type RC Phase Shift Oscillator.The frequency
stability is very good in this oscillator. This oscillator can generate pure sine wave
signals for various angles of loads. Normally an RC network, the output is expected
to lead the input signal by 90 degrees. But coming to reality or in practical condition
due to the usage of capacitors which are not ideal, the phase difference will be less.

. Fig.4.2.1
16
RC’ network phase angle can be written as

Ø = tan-1 XC /R

In this type of RC phase shift network, each offers a definite phase shift and the
Barakhausen criterion phase shift condition can be satisfied when the RC phase shift
is cascaded. When the power is switched on, the oscillations will get started. A
current with a phase shift of 180 degrees by a small current at transistor amplifier.
When the signal will be given as input to the amplifier through feedback, again a
phase shift of 180 degrees takes place. The sustained operation will be generated
when loop gain equals unity. If the change is needed in the frequency of oscillations,
then R and C values should be changed because then only frequency oscillations
will vary. Frequency of RC Phase Shift Oscillator.

We discussed that these oscillators could generate audio frequencies of range 1Hz
to 10MHz. this oscillator consists of a converting amplifier with a feedback network
that will generate a phase shift of 180 degrees.

The generalized equation for RC phase shift oscillator frequency is

ƒ = = 1/(2πRC √ 2N)

Here,

‘R ‘is resistance

‘C ‘is capacitance and

‘N ‘is the number of RC stages

We can observe that frequency of this oscillator can be changed by changing the
capacitor or resistor. In general, capacitors are gang tuned while the resistor is kept
constant. In comparison between RC phase shift oscillator and LC oscillators, more
number of circuit components is used by the former one than the latter one. This will
make us clear that in LC oscillators the output frequency produced cannot deviate
much from the calculated value when it is compared with the RC phase shift
oscillator. This phase shift oscillators will be used as local oscillators for
synchronous receivers, audio frequency generators, and even musical instruments.

❖ Advantages
17
There are various advantages in RC phase shift oscillators and they are

• The Circuit of this oscillator is very simple. So there is no complexity while

using this oscillator
• The cost is also very less as it comprises resistors and capacitors which are
not very costly.
• The frequency stability in the RC phase shift oscillator is very good.
• As the output is sinusoidal, so there is no distortion in the output
• The stabilization arrangements and the negative feedback is not needed in RC
phase shift oscillators.
• Another important advantage of the RC phase shift oscillator is it is having a
wide range of frequencies i.e. from few Hz to several hundred kHz.
• These are quite apt for low-frequency range, this will make clear that
frequencies can be gained by use of R and C large values

❖ Disadvantages

There are even some disadvantages in RC phase shift oscillators

• Due to its smaller feedback, the output is very small. This is one of the
drawbacks of RC phase shift oscillators.
• When the frequency stability of this oscillator compared with the Wien bridge
oscillator, it is very low.
• As the feedback is small, it is somewhat difficult for the circuit to start with
oscillations.
• A high voltage battery is needed to develop a large and sufficient feedback
voltage. To simplify it high Vcc is needed for large feedback.

❖ Applications

The applications of RC Phase Shift Oscillator Circuit

• This oscillator is utilized for the generation of signals over a wide range of
frequencies. This oscillator is used in voice synthesis, musical instruments,
and GPS units. These oscillators are capable of working at all audio
frequencies.

4.3 DIGITAL STORAGE OSCILOSCOPE (DSO)

18
Digital storage oscilloscope definition is an electronic device that stores and
analyses the signal in the digital format is known as Digital Storage Oscilloscope
(DSO). When the input signal is given to the DSO, then it is processed, stored in the
memory, and displayed on the screen. It stores the signal in the form of digital data
as either 1 Or 0.

Digital Storage Oscilloscope Fig.4.3.1

The advanced features of the DSO are triggering, storage and measurement. It can
display the waveform or signal both numerically and visually. It is often referred to
as the Digital Sampling Oscilloscope. Rather than using analogue techniques, it used
Digital Processing Techniques to capture, analyse, process, store, and display the
signal on the screen.

4.4 RESISTER AND CAPACITOR

1. Resister

The resistance also known as electrical resistance or ohm resistance is the opposition
of the flow of current. It is a property of any material to oppose the flow of the
charges flowing through it. When a voltage is applied across a conductor, it pushes
the current through it, which is directly proportional to the applied voltage
V∝I
V = RI
The resistance denoted by R, is the constant of proportionality between voltage &
current.
19
Unit of Resistance
According to the definition of resistance,
R=V/I
R = Volts / Ampere
The unit of resistance is volts-per-ampere, but the resistance is measured in Ohms
represented by Greek letter Ω. it is named Ohm after the German physicist Georg
Simon Ohm, who discovered the laws of relation between voltage & current.
A resistance of One Ohm is defined as, a conductor is said to have resistance of one
ohm, if it allows one ampere of current when a potential difference of one volt has
been applied across it.
R = Volts / Ampere
Ω (Ohm) = Volts/Ampere

2. Capacitor
A two-terminal electric device that can store energy is called the capacitor. A
capacitor consists of two electric conductors that are shaped like plates and are
connected to different materials and the space between them is filled with a
dielectric material that increases the capacity of the capacitor to hold the electric
charge. The ability of the capacitor to store electric charge is called capacitance.
A capacitor not only stores electric charge but can store electric energy in the form
of electric charge. So one might ask, what is the difference between a capacitor
and an electric battery? As a battery also holds electric energy.
So the basic difference between the battery and the electric charge is that a battery
stores the electric energy and releases it gradually over a long period of time but a
capacitor almost instantaneously releases all its stored energy. A capacitor is
sometimes also called a condenser and is an important part of a common electric
circuit. We frequently used capacitors to block direct current (dc) while permitting
alternating current (ac) to flow in any electrical circuit.

The resistance and capacitance is used to made of RC circuit in this project at

room temperature passive element are present in capacitor and resistance to
generate noise voltage that time it’s also provide 180 of phase shift the output of
RC circuit op-amp is used as input to produce 180 phase shift .The addition of both
phase shift circuit give 360 degree .Therefore resistance and capacitance play an
important role in RC phase shift oscillator. In a Resistance-Capacitance
Oscillator or simply known as an RC Oscillator, we can make use of the fact that
a phase shift occurs between the input to a RC network and the output from the same
network by using interconnected RC elements in the feedback branch.

20
 4.4 POWER SUPPLY

• This whole RC phase shift oscillator circuit is powered by a 9V battery. When we

apply the power supply to this circuit, the random variations of base current caused
by noise variations in the transistor and voltage variations in the power source
produce oscillation, and these variations are amplified by the transistor amplifier.

Powersupply Fig.4.8

It is difficult to provide individual power supply sources to each component in the

circuit because most of the time when we are dealing with different electronic
circuits and microprocessors or microcontrollers, they require a source of signal with
specific frequency and amplitude, which may range from a few Hz to several GHz.
Therefore, we use Oscillator circuits to provide different levels of signals to different
circuit elements. An oscillator is a circuit that produces a continuous, repeated,
alternating waveform without any input. Oscillators convert unidirectional current
flow from a DC source into an alternating waveform that is of the desired frequency,
as decided by its circuit components.

21
Chapter: -5

22
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM OF PROJECT

RC Phase-Shift Network

23
 Chapter: - 6

WORKING OF PROJECT

The RC phase shift oscillator works based on the principle of positive feedback and
phase shift. The goal is to ensure that the total phase shift around the loop is 360°
(or 0°) and the loop gain is at least 1 to sustain oscillations. The RC network typically
consists of three stages, each providing a phase shift of 60°. This result in a total
phase shift of 180° after the three stages. In each stage, there is a resistor (R) and
capacitor (C) in series. The network is designed to ensure that the phase shift
provided by each stage is 60° at the desired frequency of oscillation. The three RC
stages are connected in series, with the output of one stageconnected to the input of
the next.Op-Amp: The operational amplifier acts as the active component that
provides the equired amplification for the oscillations. RC Network: The resistors
and capacitors are arranged in a feedback network that provides the necessary phase
shift of 180°. A portion of the output signal is fed back into the input to sustain
oscillations When the circuit is first powered on, there may be some initial noise or
a small disturbance that initiates the oscillation. The op-amp amplifies the signal,
and the RC network provides the necessary phase shift and feedback. Once the
conditions are met (i.e., phase shift and loop gain), the oscillations continue
indefinitely, producing a continuous sine wave at the output.

24
 Chapter: - 7

Simulation of RC Phase Shift & Explanation

The RC Phase Shift Oscillator is a type of oscillator circuit that generates a

continuous sine wave without needing any input signal. It relies on resistors and
capacitors arranged in a series to create a phase shift that, together with an op-amp,
sustains oscillation. This circuit is commonly used in signal processing, audio
engineering, and function generation applications where precise waveforms are
required. The oscillator operates by achieving a 360-degree phase shift, where the
RC network provides 180 degrees, and the op-amp provides the remaining 180
degrees. The simplicity of the design, using readily available components, makes it
an accessible solution for waveform generation in various electronic applications.

25
 Chapter: - 8

Result

26
27
 Chapter: - 9

Conclusion

The RC Phase Shift Oscillator is a type of oscillator circuit that generates a

continuous sine wave without needing any input signal. It relies on resistors and
capacitors arranged in a series to create a phase shift that, together with an op-amp,
sustains oscillation. This circuit is commonly used in signal processing, audio
engineering, and function generation applications where precise waveforms are
required. The oscillator operates by achieving a 360-degree phase shift, where the
RC network provides 180 degrees, and the op-amp provides the remaining 180
degrees. The simplicity of the design, using readily available components, makes it
an accessible solution for waveform generation in various electronic applications.

28
 Chapter: -10

References

College of engineering Trivandrum research paper.

http://ee.cet.ac.in/downloads/Notes/ECLab/08-Phase_Shift%20_OpAmp.pdf

29