Cursed Circuits: The Reverse Avalanche Oscillator That Defies Logic

Cursed circuits #6: reverse avalanche oscillator

I explore a baffling oscillator circuit that uses an upside-down NPN transistor with a floating base. Despite looking broken, it works by exploiting avalanche breakdown at surprisingly low voltages. This quirky setup creates a unique negative resistance effect, causing a capacitor to charge and discharge in a loop that mimics old neon lamp oscillators. It is an inefficient but fascinating reminder of how complex semiconductor physics can be.

"But sometimes, bad rises to an art form."