Inside Frequency Control

From smartphones to satellite service, GPS and more, RF technology is a feature of modern life that is so ubiquitous that many of us simply take it for granted.

Radio frequency engineering continues to help drive the world across many applications in both the public and private sectors. But technology advances so fast, it’s sometimes hard to predict what the world will look like in just a few years. Back in 2000, how many people outside the industry would have guessed that within 10 years, they’d be watching streaming videos on their phone?

Is your electronics lab in need of an upgrade? It's important to keep your equipment up to date with the latest and greatest technology to keep getting the best results (and therefore a more effective product). In this post, we're going to look at 6 spectrum analyzers that will work (and look) great in your lab. 

Hi there! You must be looking to upgrade your engineering electronics lab with the latest and greatest test equipment on the market today. Well good news...this is the place to be! Cool engineers only please...meaning all of you.

Do you find it difficult to identify what RF connector type you're going to use in an application? If so, don’t worry. In this article, you will learn about the different types of RF connectors and what applications they are commonly used for. 

RF (radio frequency) connectors are connectors that are designed to work at radio frequencies for signal transmission of products like radios, antennas, coaxial cables, etc. However, these connectors have a variety of types. 

Here are 5 of the most commonly used types of RF connectors.

5G Wireless is Right Around the Corner thanks to mmWave

Fifth generation wireless systems are not far from becoming a reality, thanks to recent research being done on the millimeter wave (mmWave) radio spectrum.

Experts agree the way forward is to manufacture mass deployable wireless devices across a range of markets and for different applications. Among other things, these applications include mobile computing and data processing over networks. The technology also has applications in the field of medicine and healthcare.

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.

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.

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.

Want to know what's better than a crystal oscillator? A crystal oscillator combined with Electronic Frequency Control (EFC). Of course, it really comes down to your specific application and what requirements you're looking for to determine if EFC would be a good addition to your crystal oscillator circuit design, and if so, which method is best for you.

There are 4 options to choose from when selecting an Electronic Frequency Control method for your crystal oscillator. These 4 options are

1. Pulse Width Modulation & Low Pass Filter
2. Reference RF Signal & Phase Locked Loop (PLL)
3. Voltage Divide
4. Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC)

In this post, let's take a closer look at each option and compare the pros and cons between them.

When it comes to stratum levels and minimum performance requirements for digital network synchronization, there's definitely a lot to know. A standard first released in 1987 entitled "Synchronization Interface Standards for Digital Networks" from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) lays out all the official information and requirements.