LC Ringing Tank

Application

Use this circuit to explore ringing in tuned filters, sensor coils, and lightly damped reactive networks.

Design Context

A step source and damping resistor excite a parallel L-C tank. The inductor and capacitor exchange stored energy while R1 limits the drive and damps the response.

Expected Behavior

Vtank moves after the step and rings at the L-C resonant frequency with damping from the source resistance. Il shows the inductor branch current shifting as energy moves through the tank.

Key Values

• VSTEP is 5 V.
• R1 is 100 ohm.
• L1 is 10 mH.
• C1 is 100 nF.

Suggested Experiments

• Change L1 or C1 and compare the ringing frequency.
• Increase R1 to add damping.
• Reduce R1 to see a stronger resonant response.

Featured Component

The inductor provides the magnetic energy storage half of the LC tank, trading energy with the capacitor during each oscillation.