Time base generator

<p>A time base generator (also timebase or time base) is a special type of <a href="/facts/Function_generator/g1rFqnmY">function generator</a>, an electronic circuit that generates a varying <a href="/facts/Voltage/EN2po6N2">voltage</a> to produce a particular <a href="/facts/Waveform/yAskMREw">waveform</a>. Time base generators produce very high frequency <a href="/facts/Sawtooth_wave/3QA8wW0h">sawtooth waves</a> specifically designed to deflect the beam of a <a href="/facts/Cathode_ray_tube/8NVGx5C7">cathode ray tube</a> (CRT) smoothly across the face of the tube and then return it to its starting position.
</p><p>Time bases are used by <a href="/facts/Radar/jk9BTbFA">radar</a> systems to determine range to a target, by comparing the current location along the time base to the <a href="/facts/Time_of_arrival/4UIdVk4Q">time of arrival</a> of radio echoes. Analog television systems using CRTs had two time bases, one for deflecting the beam horizontally in a rapid movement, and another pulling it down the screen 60 times per second. <a href="/facts/Oscilloscope/HMdD8XVk">Oscilloscopes</a> often have several time bases, but these may be more flexible function generators able to produce many waveforms as well as a simple time base.
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Time base generator open-in-new

Time base generator