Inside Frequency Control

RF engineers would love to get their hands on an ideal crystal oscillator circuit. That is, a quartz crystal oscillator that transmits at the designated frequency for the entire life of the device without any frequency deviation. Unfortunately, that ideal circuit world is a mathematical fantasy.

There are many factors that contribute to quartz oscillator stability and frequency drift issues. To prevent these problems as much as possible, it's important to have a firm understanding of precise frequency stability. This will give you the tools to keep your applications performing optimally. But there's another problem...

There are many different types of crystal oscillators. OCXOs, TCXOs, and VCXOs are some of the most common types of oscillators. Each have their own advantages and disadvantages. One of the core responsibilities of a lead RF engineer is to pick the oscillators that are an optimal fit for their designs and applications.

If you want to be able to fine-tune your frequency source and get a stable, dependable signal, a voltage-controlled crystal oscillator (VCXO) might be just the solution you’re looking for. Let’s explore the benefits of the VCXO and how you can put them to work in your designs.

GPS disciplined oscillators (GPSDO) are some of today's most trusted and accurate sources of timing. These powerful devices (sometimes called GPS clocks) consist of a high-quality stable oscillator and a GPS receiver. The GPSDO works by disciplining (or steering) the oscillator output to a GPS device or GNSS satellite signal via a tracking loop.

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters offer a reduced size, weight, and cost compared to other filter technologies. There are many tradeoffs, however, that need to be considered when selecting a SAW filter for your system design.

What are SAW filters? What are some common SAW filter applications? How are SAW filters used for mobile communications? We'll answer these questions and more in this post.

We'll be honest, crystal oscillators aren't the easiest topic to understand. That's mostly because there's a wide variety of crystal oscillator types that do different things, in different ways, for different purposes. This is largely due to their almost endless applications. From satellite communications in space, to military & defense, to telecom and more... there are so many different needs for crystal oscillators. 

In this post, we'll cover the most common types of crystal oscillators, which include:

• Oven controlled crystal oscillators (OCXO)
• Temperature compensated oscillators (TCXO)
• Voltage controlled oscillators (VCXO)
• Clock oscillators (XO)
• And some other key types within these categories

I know it sounds like a lot to cover, but don't worry! We're about to make things a whole lot easier for you. By the end of this post, you'll learn the basic uses, advantages, and limitations of each crystal oscillator type.

Virtually all electronic components benefit from mass production. As it turns out, it’s harder to benefit from buying a few parts compared to buying many. This is true for the production and ordering of Oven-Controlled Crystal Oscillators (OCXOs). There are several important advantages to buying these in bulk instead of in small quantities, including lower setup costs, shorter lead times, and reduced impact of supply chain issues. 

We’re often asked if it’s wise to purchase crystal oscillators in large batches, especially when commodity managers are aware all the oscillators might not be used right away. 

By nature, crystal oscillators are made of natural quartz material, which gives them a very long shelf life. In this article, we’ll take a look at why that is and how the stability of crystal oscillators gives them an indefinite shelf life.

“Good things come to those who wait,” as the saying goes, and while aging is a part of all life cycles, crystals shouldn’t age prematurely. The careful production stages and the time it takes to complete them are necessary to the efficient operation of OCXOs.