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A two-pinned 13.824 MHz crystal oscillator broke away from the pads on a PCB board. One pad is labeled + and the other is GND. Do two-pin crystal oscillators have specific polarity?

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    \$\begingroup\$ Photo of "oscillator" and PCB may help. \$\endgroup\$
    – user16324
    Commented Feb 5, 2014 at 14:00
  • \$\begingroup\$ Can you post a photography? \$\endgroup\$ Commented Feb 5, 2014 at 14:01
  • \$\begingroup\$ He's not wrong. Why ask people for answers if you won't believe them? \$\endgroup\$
    – m.Alin
    Commented Feb 5, 2014 at 14:50
  • \$\begingroup\$ Deleted my earlier comment. I believe I caused confusion by not clarifying that the oscillator was two-pinned. \$\endgroup\$
    – kakridge
    Commented Feb 5, 2014 at 15:52
  • \$\begingroup\$ Component is very similar to image #1 on this posting, but it says 13.824. electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/86676/… \$\endgroup\$
    – kakridge
    Commented Feb 5, 2014 at 16:12

1 Answer 1

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Simple two-pin oscillator crystals don't have a specific polarity (the circuit which drives them does). It doesn't matter how you insert it; it'll work.

Since piezo crystals are electromechanical devices, the shock which caused the component to come loose may also have damaged it internally. If the device doesn't work after soldering it back into place, try getting a new crystal.

You might also want to check whether the solder pads on the PCB are still OK. With this type of damage, the copper pads often "stick" to the component rather than the PCB itself.

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    \$\begingroup\$ I left out the fact that it was two-pinned, so thanks for clarifying. It looks like a clean break because the copper pads are intact. It also looks like the crystal is in fact damaged (good call). Thanks for your help. \$\endgroup\$
    – kakridge
    Commented Feb 5, 2014 at 15:48

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