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Inside Frequency Control

Buy OCXOs - Immediate Oscillator Pricing for Design Engineers

Posted by Rob Rutkowski on Oct 6, 2020 8:30:00 AM

Have you noticed how difficult it seems to find transparent pricing for frequency control & crystal oscillator components? If so, you're not wrong. Traditionally, it has been difficult to find quick, standard pricing for all things frequency control. Instead, you're basically forced to go through the long quoting process to even get an idea of expected pricing. So why is this? In this post I'm going to explain why OCXO oscillator pricing has been traditionally hard to find, and how Bliley's innovative pricing approach will make your procurement process so much easier.

Also, be sure to check out our OCXO immediate pricing guide at the end of this post!

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Topics: crystal oscillators, Clocks & Crystals

How to Achieve Low Phase Noise with the Poseidon 2 OCXO Oscillator

Posted by Bliley Technologies on Aug 11, 2020 8:15:00 AM


The Secret to Low Phase Noise?
The Poseidon 2 Low Phase Noise Oscillator!

Bliley’s Poseidon 2 Low Phase Noise OCXO Oscillator offers the world's best low phase noise performance when subjected to dynamic random vibration conditions.  It's designed for demanding vibration and low g environments with its acceleration sensitivity as low as 0.007 PPB/G for all 3 axis of vibration.

This low phase noise oscillator is well suited for:

  • Ground Mobile
  • Airborne
  • Radar & Communication Systems
  • Shipboard Environments
  • Any applications requiring ultra low phase noise  or low g performance out to 1MHz offset
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Topics: aerospace, crystal oscillators

[Video] Bliley's New Low-g Sensitivity OCXO Quartz Crystal Oscillators

Posted by Rob Rutkowski on Jul 28, 2020 7:56:00 AM

We sat down with our very own Greg Rogers, VP of Product Engineering, at IMS 2017 this year to give you an up-close and personal experience with Greg and, more importantly, our low g-sensitivity crystal oscillators

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Topics: crystal oscillators

7 Powerful Features on Bliley's Online Shop for OCXO Oscillators

Posted by Rob Rutkowski on Jul 21, 2020 8:30:00 AM

Bliley Technologies online store is the newest, most powerful tool to quickly shop high-performance OCXO oscillators at amazing prices.

In this post, I'm going to show you 7 powerful features on the online store that will help you

  • Quickly find the best OCXO oscillator for your needs
  • Find the best cost/performance ratio on the market
  • Get lightning fast lead times on all in-stock parts (receive your order within days!)
  • Get the most cost savings possible (access real-time price breaks)
  • And more
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Topics: crystal oscillators, General Topics

The TCXO Oscillator: 5 Elements of Temperature Compensated Oscillators

Posted by Bliley Technologies on Jun 23, 2020 8:15:00 AM

The most common types of crystal oscillators in the world of electrical & RF engineering include OCXO, VCXO, clock oscillators, and (you guessed it) TCXO oscillators. If you're reading this post, you must want to learn more about temperature compensated crystal oscillators (TCXO). Let's dive in and learn the basics of TCXO oscillators.

Introducing the TCXO (Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator)

The TCXO, Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator (Xtal oscillator), is a form of crystal oscillator used where a precision frequency source is required within a small space and at a reasonable cost.

By applying temperature compensation within the quartz crystal oscillator module, it is possible to considerably improve on the basic performance of the crystal.

In view of their usefulness, a wide range is available from many suppliers in a whole variety of packages and mounts (surface, through-hole). Some TCXOs are compatible with the dual in line format used for many through hole mounted integrated circuits.

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Topics: crystal oscillators, Clocks & Crystals

Procuring Frequency Control Devices - 3 Powerful Tips

Posted by Rob Rutkowski on May 27, 2020 8:15:00 AM

The crystal oscillator purchasing process can be a headache if you don't know what to expect. However, learning the basics of procuring frequency control devices can help you to plan accordingly and decrease your frustration. We'll keep this one short and to the point.

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Topics: crystal oscillators, Clocks & Crystals

Can a Crystal Oscillator Operate Outside the Specified Temperature Range?

Posted by Bliley Technologies on May 26, 2020 8:30:00 AM


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Topics: crystal oscillators, Clocks & Crystals

Ultimate Guide to Understanding Phase Noise

Posted by Bliley Technologies on Feb 20, 2020 9:00:00 AM


Maintaining strong frequency stability in electronic RF circuits by eliminating phase noise is important in many high-end communication applications. This is especially true for precise targeting in radar systems and spectral purity in other communication systems.

Let's take a deep dive into exactly what phase noise and jitter mean. This will help give you a better idea as to why reducing a system's phase noise is significant.

What Is Phase Noise?

Phase Noise  is represented in the frequency domain of a waveform and consists of rapid, short-term, random fluctuations in the phase (frequency). This is caused by time domain instabilities (jitter).
 
Be sure not to confuse phase noise with Jitter. Jitter is a method of describing the stability of an oscillator in the Time Domain. It combines all the noise sources together and shows their effect with respect to time.

In the simplest terms, phase noise describes the stability of an oscillator in the Frequency Domain, while jitter describes stability in the Time Domain.

A Simple 5-Step Path to Understanding Phase Noise

To build an in-depth understanding of phase noise, try using this simple 5 step process. Once you understand the 5 steps, you'll understand what makes phase noise...well... phase noise! 
 
 
"How does Spectral Density connected to Phase Noise in the 5 step process?" you ask? Here's some more details on each step.

Step 1: Spectral Density

Spectral Density is a measure of a signal's power intensity in the frequency domain.  The spectral density provides a useful way to characterize the amplitude versus frequency content of a random signal.

Step 2: When plotting each spectral density point at varied frequency intervals of your choosing (In this case every 1Hz), you're left with a graph that looks like this:

Step 2: Signal Power Density

You are now looking at what is known as the Signal Power Density of the noise. 

Now focus only on the upper sideband of the graph from fstart to fstop, this is called the "Single Side Band".

Step 3: Noise Power Density

We can now refer to the plotted part of the single side band as noise (Anything above the nominal oscillator frequency (Fosc) and not harmonically related can be considered phase noise). The technical term for this part of our graph is Noise Power Density (Step 3). We measure noise power density in dBW (LOG(Watts)) at this point because of the large range which we are looking. 

Step 4: SSB Noise Density

When we combine the single side band and Noise Power Density, we are actually measuring what's called SSB (Single Side Band) Noise Density

Step 5: Phase Noise

Finally, we can look at this in the time domain and we see a "jittery" waveform (see graph), we are looking at "jitter". Because the jitter is much smaller than one complete period (see graph), we can say it is caused by "Phase Fluctuations" (instead of frequency fluctuations). Since these fluctuations are noise, it's actually  phase noise.
 
So...
SSB Noise Density = Phase Noise
...and that's where phase noise comes from! Easy, right?

What Causes Phase Noise?

Phase noise in higher-end applications (such as radar communications, military communications, and space & satcom communications) is typically caused by
  • High vibrations
  • Micro vibrations
  • g forces and acceleration sensitivity
Using an anti-vibration, g-sensitivity crystal oscillator is the best way to eliminate phase noise from all of these potential sources.
 
Here are some common sources of phase noise in crystal oscillators.
 
Random Noise Sources:
Related: Causes and solutions for phase noise in high-end radar and communication systems.

What's Next? Learn How to Achieve Low Phase Noise...

Achieving low phase noise in a crystal oscillator is critical to achieving high-performance. Therefore, it's important to understand an in-depth look at phase noise. Instantly download our free visual guide to the impact of phase noise on various applications.
 
Now that you know all about phase noise and jitter, you might find it useful to learn about the  best output signal type in your oscillators.
Download our visual guide to the effects of phase noise
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Topics: engineering, crystal oscillators

Common Misconceptions About Crystal Oscillator Stability

Posted by Bliley Technologies on Feb 2, 2020 10:14:00 AM

RF engineers would love to get their hands on ideal crystal oscillator circuits. 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, having a firm understanding of precise frequency stability will help give you the tools to keep your applications performing optimally. But there's another problem...

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Topics: crystal oscillators, RF Technology

Is a Swept Quartz Crystal Necessary in your Timing Application?

Posted by Rob Rutkowski on Dec 11, 2019 8:45:00 AM

What is a Swept Quartz Crystal?

Like many other things, radiation can impact a crystal oscillator's frequency. This is because radiation physically alters the quartz crystal inside the oscillator (changes position of weakly bound compensators that change the elastic constants of quartz). In some cases, radiation can even impact the crystal series resonance. The increase of resonance can be serious enough to cause the oscillator to stop oscillating if the crystal isn't radiation resistant. When a quartz crystal is manufactured to be radiation resistant, the crystal is referred to as a swept quartz crystal.

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Topics: crystal oscillators, RF Technology

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