A radio receiver circuit that combines the functions of both oscillator and detector in a single tube or component, allowing both signal reception and frequency conversion in one device.
Combines auto- (self) + -dyne (from Greek dynamis, power). A technical term from early radio engineering (1920s-30s) describing a specific electronic circuit design.
The autodyne circuit was a clever early-radio invention that packed two functions into one component—it's an ancestor of modern superheterodyne receivers, and represents the kind of elegant engineering that made early radios work before integrated circuits existed.
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