Matt circuit

Regardless of whether you want to effectively imitate a house fire, a campfire, or light from welding, the circuit described here fills the bill without using a microcontroller, although it does use a larger number of components (including some truly uncommon ones). The circuit is based on three oscillators, which are built using unijunction transistors (UJTs). Each oscillator has a different frequency. The output voltages are mixed, which produces the flickering effect. A unijunction transistor consists of an n-type bar of silicon between two ohmic (non-barrier) base contacts (B1 and B2). The effective resistance is controlled by the p-type emitter region. The designation ‘transistor’ is a somewhat unfortunate choice, since it cannot be used for linear amplification. UJTs are suitable for use as pulse generators, monostable multivibrators, trigger elements and pulse-width modulators. If a positive voltage is applied to the emitter (E), the capacitor charges via the resistor. As soon a...