Staircase wave generator using silicon controlled rectifiers

Claim 1

A STAIRCASE WAVE GENERATOR COMPRISING: A SOURCE OF UNIDIRECTIONAL POTENTIAL, A PLURALITY OF RESISTORS SERIALLY CONNECTED ACROSS SAID SOURCE, A PLURALITY OF CURRENT CONTROL DEVICES, EACH HAVING A PAIR OF TERMINALS BETWEEN WHICH SUBSTANTIALLY NO CONDUCTION OCCURS AT ONE VOLTAGE THEREACROSS AND BETWEEN WHICH SUBSTANTIAL CONDUCTION OCCURS AT ANOTHER VOLTAGE SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN SAID ONE VOLTAGE, EACH OF SAID DEVICES CONNECTED ACROSS A RESPECTIVE RESISTOR, MEANS FOR RENDERING EACH OF SAID DEVICES CONDUCTIVE IN SEQUENCE IN RESPONSE TO A RESPECTIVE PULSE OF VOLTAGE IN A SEQUENCE OF PULSES OF VOLTAGE, MEANS IN CIRCUIT SAID PLURALITY OF SERIALLY CONNECTED CONTROLLED DEVICES FOR DROPPING THE VOLTAGE THEREACROSS TO A VALUE LESS THAN THE VALUE WHICH MAINTAINS CONDUCTION THERETHROUGH AT THE COMPLETION OF THE SEQUENCE OF RENDERING SAID DEVICES CONDUCTIVE.