Blocking oscillator

A blocking oscillator is a kind of "electronic machine" that makes electricity flow back and forth between two parts called "capacitor" and "inductor". It does this by using a switch which turns on and off very quickly. It's kind of like playing "catch" with a ball.

Imagine you throw a ball back and forth between you and your friend. One of you would throw the ball to the other and then that person would throw it back. Now imagine your friend has a rule that they can only throw the ball back when you throw the ball at them. That means you have to wait for your friend to throw it back before you can throw it again. That's how a blocking oscillator works, except with electricity instead of a ball.

The switch in a blocking oscillator is like the rule your friend has with the ball. It only lets the electricity flow in one direction at a time. This makes the electricity flow back and forth between the capacitor and inductor just like the ball would go back and forth between you and your friend.

Now, imagine you're playing catch with your friend and you both start to get tired. You might slow down and throw the ball less hard. The same thing happens in a blocking oscillator. As the electricity flows back and forth, it starts to lose energy and eventually stops.

Blocking oscillators are used in things like power supplies and electronic toys. They're like a little electronic seesaw that goes up and down really fast to make electricity go where it needs to go!