Wobbulator

I started out as a PCB sub-assembly technician, building robots that shot laser. For concert light shows, so not the Mecha-Godzilla type. It's a fancy title that means I soldered a lot and used an oscilloscope to check my work.

I only occasionally dabble in that direction these days. But I will say it was a fascinating time. I think most young people would be surprised at what you can do with analog circuits.

It hits home when you make a perfect sine wave by oohing into a microphone. After that, everything you see in an oscilloscope makes sense.

This struck me as an odd little forgotten corner of circuit design history and I thought HN might appreciate it.

From the article: “A wobbulator is an electronic device primarily used for the alignment of receiver or transmitter intermediate frequency strips. It is usually used in conjunction with an oscilloscope, to enable a visual representation of a receiver's passband to be seen, hence simplifying alignment; it was used to tune early consumer AM radios. The term "wobbulator" is a portmanteau of wobble and oscillator.”