Inside Frequency Control

What if I told you that specifying more Electronic Frequency Control (EFC) than you need could actually be hurting your pocketbook? Well, it very well may be! Paying attention to whether your supplier is using AT cut vs SC cut crystals will help you save money in the long run with OCXOs.

Ahh the mysterious OCXO. What the heck is an OCXO anyway? What's it good for? When should you use one in your electronic system design? These questions and more will all be answered in this post.

Precise timing across a variety of networks and industries is becoming a necessity. Both operationally and legally.  It's actually pretty amazing to see the evolution of timing & frequency control throughout different industries. There's been significant timing innovations over the past 5-10 years alone.

CMOS Clocks are a key technology that enables everything from laptops and smartphones to satellites and spacecraft to function. But what exactly do these devices do, and how are they beneficial in extreme environments and demanding applications? In this article, we will give a quick overview of the benefits of CMOS clocks, and how RF engineers put them to work in some of the most challenging applications.

There are so many different devices and products for frequency generation and timing, but between all the acronyms and complex terminology of the RF industry, it can be confusing trying to understand what each type of clock or oscillator does, and what the best applications for each of them are. In this article, we’re going to help clear up some of the confusion, with a specific emphasis on CMOS clocks. We’ll cover what these devices are, why they are important, and how to know if one of these clocks is the best fit for your application.

Welcome aboard! 

I'm about to take you on a journey through the deep, dark depths of outer space. Why? So you can get a feel for what crystal oscillators and resonators must endure while in the infinite world of darkness and wonder! First, you'll need to learn the important differences between crystal oscillators and resonators. After your mission is complete, you'll begin your journey to the depths of outer space from a resonator and oscillator perspective and learn their different roles and applications in space.

Enjoy your ride!

OCXO 101
Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator Basics

Comparing the differences between AT and SC crystals and their impact on oscillator performance.

Inside of every quartz oscillator is something called a crystal blank.  The crystal blank is the resonating element of the oscillator that when subjected to a voltage potential will begin to vibrate and oscillate at it’s "fundamental frequency.”  As you can probably imagine, the way that crystal blank is manufactured can have a significant impact on the oscillators performance.  One of the most impactful manufacturing steps to crystal, and therefore oscillator performance, is the orientation of the quartz when the crystal blank is cut.