2025 One Hertz Challenge: A Discrete Component Divider Chain

2025 One Hertz Challenge: A Discrete Component Divider Chain

Most of us know that a quartz clock uses a higher frequency crystal oscillator and a chain of divider circuits to generate a 1 Hz pulse train. It’s usual to have a 32.768 kHz crystal and a 15-stage divider chain, which in turn normally sits inside an integrated circuit. Not so for [Bobricius], who’s created just such a divider chain using discrete components. The circuit of a transistor divider is simple enough, and he’s simply replicated it fif…