I am trying to understand this simulation: http://www.falstad.com/circuit/e-multivib-a.html
I am trying to figure out why C1 suddenly begins discharging exactly between 2.84ms and 2.85ms. (It's easier to see if you turn up the current speed.) The capacitor charging current suddenly starts going right when it was going left before.
I'm looking at the transistors' Vce and they go down (at slightly different rates, like in reality, which is why it starts oscillating). It's when Q1/Q2 Vce are both in the 60mv range and C1/C2 are in the 610mv range that the discharge starts. And then they go back and forth with each oscillation taking longer until they stabilize and the circuit is in normal operation.
I'm not looking for an explanation of the oscillation: There are dozens of those explanations everywhere. I'm trying to figure out how this thing gets started from cold and reaches its equilibrium. The only thing I've been able to find so far is "one of the transistors will conduct better than the other, driving one to saturation and the other to cutoff" but that's no explanation at all.
I feel like if I could just understand why the capacitor switches that first time, I might understand the whole thing. Hopefully.
I am trying to figure out why C1 suddenly begins discharging exactly between 2.84ms and 2.85ms. (It's easier to see if you turn up the current speed.) The capacitor charging current suddenly starts going right when it was going left before.
I'm looking at the transistors' Vce and they go down (at slightly different rates, like in reality, which is why it starts oscillating). It's when Q1/Q2 Vce are both in the 60mv range and C1/C2 are in the 610mv range that the discharge starts. And then they go back and forth with each oscillation taking longer until they stabilize and the circuit is in normal operation.
I'm not looking for an explanation of the oscillation: There are dozens of those explanations everywhere. I'm trying to figure out how this thing gets started from cold and reaches its equilibrium. The only thing I've been able to find so far is "one of the transistors will conduct better than the other, driving one to saturation and the other to cutoff" but that's no explanation at all.
I feel like if I could just understand why the capacitor switches that first time, I might understand the whole thing. Hopefully.