The effect of the curvature of the characteristic on the frequency of the dynatron generator

This paper develops a method of calculating the effect which the curvature of the characteristic has on the frequency of the dynatron generator. The analysis shows that the fundamental frequency is affected by the phase of the higher-harmonic components of anode potential and that the effect would be zero if the impedance of the circuit could be made purely resistive to all the higher-harmonic currents. A network is described which fulfils closely the required conditions. It is found that the change of frequency which accompanies the change of output is much greater than can be accounted for by the curvature of the characteristic, and hence it is presumed there must be some other cause of instability inherent to the valve. It is suggested that the electrode capacitance may depend on the condition of the space charge.