We’ve read a lot about oscillators, but crystal oscillators seem to be a bit of a mystery. Hobby-level books tend to say, build a circuit like this and then mess with it until it oscillates.

In the previous segment of this article series, we discussed in detail the operation of a crystal oscillator. We’ll now extend the discussion to various parameters associated with crystal oscillators ...

At the resonant frequency of the crystal there is the required 180 degree phase shift across the crystal to sustain oscillation. What you have just read is a very basic primer in what a crystal is, ...

We’re experimenting with a slightly different article format. The meat of the story will appear first; links within it can take you to a more detailed explanation that appears at the end. Please let ...

Using this Pierce-oscillator circuit, users can test and verify the basic operation of a crystal in parallel-resonance mode. It allows the user to calculate and set the critical external capacitor ...

In 1918-1919 Walter G. Cady was the first to recognize the significant electrical consequences of the fact that piezoelectric crystals resonate at very sharp, precise and stable frequencies. Cady was ...

Is the end of the quartz crystal near? Probably not. However, with the availability of new integrated bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) devices, crystals are going to be replaced in many clock and timing ...

In the previous part of this series, we had discussed some of the important specifications of a crystal such as crystal pulling range, drive level and crystal stability with respect to temperature ...