Not long ago I posted a schematic for what I believe to be one of the simplest oscillators one can build with just a few components. Even though it works perfectly, there’s always place for improvement!

This new version employs a “piezoelectric diaphragm” (or just piezo-speaker for short) and a couple more components to enhance the output power. So not only are we reducing the size and weight of the unit but we’re also increasing it’s sound output, neat!

The oscillator is still based on a Sziklai pair with feedback, so no surprises there.

Here’s the new schematic:

You can also download the PDF: very_simple_audio_oscillator_revised.

I suggest you breadboard this, it’s rather fun to play with the capacitor values, etc. I’m still looking to enhance it even further by lowering the power consumption, but I’m not sure if this is feasible given the nature of the oscillator…

One thing is for certain, this little circuit is a great buzzer for your power supply or almost any project that requires a form of audible signal. It’s got a wide operating range of input voltages, it’s fairly loud, cheap and simple… just the kind of circuit I like to build 🙂

I’d be delighted to hear about any modifications and/or alternative designs — So feel free to share!

Cheers,

Gus