Inside Frequency Control

Here’s the scary thing…

Even if you sit for hours upon hours trying to set a precise initial frequency of an oscillator, it’s still going to drift and the oscillator will not be able maintain that frequency over the full course of its use. In this post, you’ll learn the many sources of frequency instability and why an ultra-stable OCXO may be the fix-all solution.

What's the difference between Ka-band and Ku-band systems? In this article, we explore what they are,  what sets them apart, the advantages of each, and the design considerations you should keep in mind. 

Temperature variations are the most significant factor contributing to frequency drift in crystal oscillators.

Other variables that affect frequency output, such as humidity and pressure, can be alleviated easily with a hermetically sealed packaging of the crystal in a vacuum or in an inert gas, such as nitrogen. But controlling temperature for precise frequency output in a crystal oscillator circuit requires a higher level of electronic RF design ingenuity. Enter: the oven controlled crystal oscillator (OCXO).

In this post, we'll take a look at the three types of OCXOs available for RF engineers to meet individual design priorities such as frequency precision, warm-up time, crystal aging, and power consumption.

The #1 Most Critical Factor in High-End Radar & Communication Systems: Low Phase Noise

Phase noise, phase noise, phase noise.

If you’re involved with the design and implementation of communication systems, you most likely hear the term “phase noise” all the time (maybe more times than you’d like). 

There’s a good reason for all this phase noise chat. It’s one of the key factors that determines the overall success or failure of your radar or communications application. It’s even more important in intense environments where strong vibration or g-force is a concern.

Why is maintaining low phase noise such a concern in these applications and environments? And how can you solve the problems associated with the effects of phase noise? By the end of this article, you'll know why and how you should decrease phase noise in your applications.

What's better than a crystal oscillator? A crystal oscillator combined with electronic frequency control (EFC)!

Of course, determining if EFC would be a good addition to your crystal oscillator circuit design (and if so, which method is best for you) comes down to your specific application and its requirements.

There are four options to choose from when selecting an electronic frequency control method for your crystal oscillator:

1. Pulse width modulation (PWM) & low-pass filter (LPF)
2. Reference RF signal & phase locked loop (PLL)
3. Voltage divide
4. Digital-to-analog converter (DAC)

In this post,  we'll take a closer look at each option and their best applications.

What if we told you that specifying more electronic frequency control (EFC) than you need could actually be hurting your company's wallet? Well, it very well may be!

Paying attention to whether your supplier is using AT-cut or SC-cut crystals will help you save money in the long run when it comes to oscillators. In this article, we'll review the difference between these two types of cuts and the impacts of EFC pull. 

These are exciting times to be working in any field of engineering, but especially in the radio frequency (RF) industry. The modern economy simply cannot function without RF technology, and as we transition into a world of ever-faster mobile service, civilian and military space-based systems, and the Internet of Things (IoT), we’ll  rely increasingly on microwave, low-frequency engineering.

With all the rapid change in the industry and advancements in RF tech, it’s going to be more important than ever to find a crystal oscillator manufacturer that follows the best practices that have guided RF engineers in the past and will continue to in the future.

In this article, we'll provide a basic overview of the RF technology best practices your crystal oscillator manufacturer should be following.

Quartz crystal oscillators are the high and mighty option for low phase noise and added frequency stability in circuit design. Yes, simple oscillators like those made with resistor-capacitor (RC) or inductor-capacitor (IC) resonators are fine for some circuits.

But if you're dealing with higher performance applications in the aerospace, military, and space industries, you're going to want a higher performance crystal oscillator that can maintain low phase noise and strong stability. Otherwise, you'll risk deviating from the very specific (and usually critical) center frequency selected for your design.

In this blog, we'll discuss how to measure low phase noise and how to maintain it in your applications.

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...

Poor manufacturing environments can significantly reduce the performance quality of a pressure transducer. A failing pressure transducer will lead to problems with sensors and will provide inaccurate readings (or none at all).

A faulty pressure transducer can not only cause frustration and waste time, but it can also lead to unnecessary costs.

To prevent pressure transducer problems or failure from happening in the first place, let's take a look at seven pressure transducer troubleshooting methods to keep your transducers and sensors working great!