Is debouncing needed for very simple circuit?

Is debouncing needed for very simple circuot?

Hello, and thanks again in advance.

I'm building a rather flashing LED circuit, at 4,9,10 and 40 Hz, for optigenetic and meditation thearpy.

The first version uses a 4060 IC, and until I can get the 3.932160 crystal that'll get me the 10 and 40 Hz exactly enough; within .01 Hz should be plenty precise enough. I'm using a simpler RC combination, should get me close enough to 40.0, with a little patience and perhaps a trim cap.

Second version will be a step up to a basic as possible microcontroller, probably an 8051 family uC.


Meanwhile here is my question: Do I need to study and calculate and include debouncing circuitry, or will the occasional bounce fall within reasonable close enough tolerance? Would bounces take place within the IC, or only on the way in from the RC (or crystal) oscillator - in other words, if a de-bouncing circuit is needed, would this be a single low-pass filter for the oscilator input clock, pin 11? Or... what?

Regards. JB

Re: Is debouncing needed for very simple circuot?

Which input (e.g. push button) do you intend to debounce? The circuit description doesn't mention yet any signals needing debounce.

Re: Is debouncing needed for very simple circuot?

Hi,

Usually bouncing is caused by mechanical switches...but in your whole post i miss something like this.

You need a debouncing circuit, when your source is bouncing AND the destination is sensible to bouncing.

So where does your bounce come from? (Source)
And where does your (bouncing) signal go to? (Destination)

Klaus

Re: Is debouncing needed for very simple circuot?

The signal source consists of the RC circuit's R1, R2, and C, connected right to the 4060 IC. And the output, also simple, a blinking LED, at a selectable rate from <4Hz to 40 Hz.

Maybe there is no bouncing? But only confusion due instead to the vast collection of stray electrons in my bread board, plus my bizarre miscalculation of units in the formula 1/2.3*Rt*Ct, where I used Ohms and Farads, not Kilo-Oms and mF!

I may be closer to version 2.0 than I thought. Would a similar arrangement using a microcontroller, i.e. one brief s.w. routine per frequency (<4, 4, 10 and 40 Hz, with one set of LEDs each) also be bounce free?

The goal is quite simple - to use lights flashing at these frequency to enhance brain wave synchrony, to relax (< 10 Hz, for memory (10) and for gamma-band synchrony enhancement (40 Hz - google "Picower institute 40 Hz therapy")