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After browsing different online electronic stores, I got a little bit confused with crystals...

  1. What's the proper name for this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:16MHZ_Crystal.jpg Crystal? Quartz crystal? Resonator? Quartz crystal resonator? Oscillator? Crystal Oscillator?

  2. This one have the same function as what I posted on #1 but less accuracy and stability?
    i00.i.aliimg.com/photo/247949494/Ceramic_resonator.jpg Is it called Resonator? Ceramic resonator? Ceramic crystal? Oscillator?

  3. This is the same as #2 but have two ceramic capacitors built in? i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/1122545575/5-x-Radial-Lead-20-000-MHz-font-b-Ceramic-b-font-font-b-Resonator-b.jpg So what do you call it?

  4. What do you call these:
    www.token.com.tw/resonator/image/resonator-ztb500e.jpg

  5. This is the schematic symbol for #1? upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Crystal-oscillator-IEC-Symbol.svg What about for #2, #3 and #4?

  6. This is a crystal oscillator? Can I replace The "Crystal" with #2/#3/#4??
    letsmakerobots.com/files/userpics/u1533/4MHz_crystal_oscillator_.jpg

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  • \$\begingroup\$ You should break this up into separate questions. \$\endgroup\$
    – JYelton
    Oct 27, 2013 at 19:25
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    \$\begingroup\$ @JYelton It's okay as is. We'll end up with who-is-who of crystal/oscillator/resonator. \$\endgroup\$ Oct 27, 2013 at 19:30
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Nick Sounds good, then. You might want to shrink some of the inline images, though. \$\endgroup\$
    – JYelton
    Oct 27, 2013 at 19:35
  • \$\begingroup\$ Related, somewhat duplicated: electronics.stackexchange.com/q/36308/2028 \$\endgroup\$
    – JYelton
    Oct 27, 2013 at 19:39
  • \$\begingroup\$ @JYelton Actually, I have read that before I posted this, but I got a bit more confused when I've read from wikipedia about Oscillator and they called the crystal as quartz crystal resonator. So I posted this along with other questions in my head \$\endgroup\$
    – Shinji
    Oct 28, 2013 at 22:33

1 Answer 1

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  1. Crystal, or quartz crystal. Crystal resonator is not at all incorrect but they have been called just crystals for over 50 years to no harm...

  2. Ceramic resonator; maybe just resonator, but certainly not crystal or oscillator.

  3. Basically yes. (The middle terminal will be ground). However there are also ceramic filters with this configuration, so be careful and double check the datasheet. (Especially if they are marked with common radio IF frequencies, 455 kHz or 10.7 MHz!)

  4. I don't know; most likely no.2 in different packaging, I have never seen quartz crystals packaged this way.

  5. Yes.

  6. No, though connected to the right pins on an IC it might be. A crystal oscillator is either:

    a. something like package (1) with 4 pins; it takes 3.3V or 5V in, and puts out a clean signal (making it dead easy to use), or

    b. a circuit involving these components, possibly a resistor, and some kind of amplifier (inside the IC, or a separate transistor) or a misused logic gate, to drive the crystal. In the latter case you can usually substitute a ceramic resonator, but you may have to change the capacitors and a gain setting resistor (or drive limiting resistor) to make it work at all, or work reliably.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Thanks. I've seen #4 from a tv remote control. I thought it was a capacitor.. LOL \$\endgroup\$
    – Shinji
    Oct 28, 2013 at 22:35

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