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[Ideas For Design]
Wide-Band Analog White-Noise Generator

Contributing Author  |   ED Online ID #6356  |   November 3, 1997


Commercially available white noise generators are rather expensive. The circuit presented here, however, is an inexpensive version that produces frequencies up to about 300 MHz. Its operation is based on the noise generated by the Zener breakdown phenomenon in the BJT inversely polarized base-collector junction. In other words, such shot noise involves the statistical fluctuations of the current flow present in the bipolar transistor.

The generator shown makes use of a common 2N2907 biased by the constant current source supplied by a 2N2222 (Fig. 1). To increase the amount of shot noise attainable, the collector of the 2N2907 is left open and the base-emitter is reverse-biased. That is, the BJT is connected as a Zener diode to exploit the reverse breakdown phenomenon.

With this configuration, the reverse breakdown voltage exhibited by the emitter-base junction can be easily observed using an ordinary spectrum analyzer. The attainable bandwidth is about 300 MHz, and the power output is about −70 dBm.

To increase the noise power, one or more amplifiers, such as the monolithic MAV-11 from Mini-Circuits, can be added. The 50-MHz low-pass filter (the PLP-50 from Mini-Circuits) inserted between the generator and the first MAV-11 is necessary to maintain the amplifier output power compression at an acceptable value. But, of course, with this configuration, the bandwidth is restricted to the 0-50 MHz range, i.e., the power spectrum vanishes outside the cutoff frequency of the filter.

In Figure 1, R4 is needed to limit the current delivered to the amplifier. L1 provides high impedance to isolate the dc source from the RF signal. C3 removes any dc content from the output of the generator. The 20k trimmer connected between the base and ground in Figure 1 permits a wide range of the attainable output noise up to −60 dBm (Fig. 2).

At the Istituto di Radioastronomia del C.N.R., this circuit is currently being used to simulate cosmic white noise, in which the radioastronomical signal (a coherent white noise) to be extracted is buried.


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    Reader Comments

    is this device good for a person with tinnitus?

    roy biernacki -March 03, 2008

    could you please send me technical specification of this white noise generator. thank you

    Anonymous -December 21, 2006   (Article Rating: )

    Could something like this be used to help suppress the bass coming through the wall from my neighbor's stereo?

    Anonymous -April 28, 2006

    Any idea where I can get a prie for one of these units?

    M Dodd -April 06, 2006

    pls can a single tunning circuit drive two differnt VCOs operating at different freqs. thanks

    kayode -March 29, 2006

    It really helped me a lot regarding my final year Engineering project!

    Junaid -March 14, 2006   (Article Rating: )

    could you please send me all the technical specifications. to me this is very necessary

    Anonymous -March 13, 2006   (Article Rating: )

    could you please send me all the technical specifications. couple of questions for you -why did nt u use a regular zener diode. -what is 'power compession' and why do u need a 50 mhz filter? -how much reveerse bias should you give the 2n2907 bjt and is there any reason why you have picked it to work as a zener -why are commercial noise generators more expensive?wha noise source do they use? -how much collector current do you require to generate sufficient white noise. Thanks... appreciate it

    sudeep -February 07, 2006   (Article Rating: )

    No the concept is that white noise is essentially wideband psuedorandom noise. You can hear it in the hiss of a 2-way radio that is unsquelched. Ideally our brains tend to focus on this rather than the ambient vocal sounds in the room. But after awhile it blends into the ambiance and you even ignore it too.

    On a different point when using it at your cubicle at work at first it may confuse or annoy your cubicle-mate but after a few minutes it blends in the background. Now you can call your girlfiend or your bookie without the cubey-snoop going to the boss and tattling on you :-)

    You see it's almost impossible to pull your whispering out of the white noise in the background. You or your secret telephone caller probably won't notice it either with practice.

    It works great against the real "snoops" with real bugs too as the noise is so wideband and random that they can't filter it out 100% sucessfully with low-pass, band-pass, or notch filters nor use it as an anti-reference signal to cancel it out. Well it's a lot harder if its really loud. They would have to have the exact same signal to use as a anti-reference signal. Running water in the sink is almost the same but much less effective. Either way you'll have learn how to talk over white noise blaring in background.

    But what do you have to hide anyway... hmmmm?

    GLG-20 -January 09, 2006   (Article Rating: )

    Circuito veramente interessante specialmente ove non serva una sorgente di riferimento calibrata. Utilizzando una giunzione con ft piu' alta e' possibile estendere la banda di rumore?

    Marco -October 25, 2005   (Article Rating: )

    would you please be able to tell me the technical issues of the generator

    Anonymous -October 17, 2005

    Can I please have the technical specification for this white noise generator. I would greatly appreciate it.

    thanks

    paul -October 11, 2005   (Article Rating: )

    Can I please have the technical specification for this white noise generator. I would greatly appreciate it.

    thanks

    paul -October 11, 2005   (Article Rating: )

    see "Simple Wideband Noise Generator", ED, 10/1/1996, pp 102, for a simple solution with 1 active part. Oddly, not to be found on this website's list of archived IFDs.

    wj

    Walt Jung -September 23, 2005   (Article Rating: )

    if you were to put this generator on in a room full of screaming kids would it cancel out all of the vibrations and you would hear nothing?

    Anonymous -August 11, 2005

    if you were to put this generator on in a room full of screaming kids would it cancel out all of the vibrations and you would hear nothing?

    Anonymous -August 11, 2005   (Article Rating: )

    Does not say if it blocks transmisions from say personal transmiters

    Anonymous -May 17, 2005   (Article Rating: )

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