Breaking Down What Makes the MultiVolt Product Line From ECS Inc. Significant in the Industry
MultiVolt™ is a series of oscillators that’s exclusively available through ECS Inc. International. Like many oscillator products, the MultiVolt™ is quartz-based which results in it offering better jitter and phase noise performance. The MultiVolt™ also utilizes a cutting-edge small form factor, high-performance application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which improves its performance for various applications.
Another industry leading aspect of the MultiVolt™ series of oscillators is that the circuit state uses a low-current linear voltage regulator, which markedly reduces the current compared to less advanced oscillator designs. This allows the MultiVolt™ to operate over a traditional fixed battery supply or wide deteriorating battery supply which virtually eliminates oscillator supply voltage dependency.
Why MultiVolt™ Oscillators Are the Superior Timing Solution
Research has shown that ECS Inc. MultiVolt™ oscillators regularly outperform MEMS- and SAW-based oscillators, and they are able to do so at a lower cost point. Many companies have saved a significant amount in product manufacturing costs by switching over to MultiVolt™ oscillators.
Additionally, the MultiVolt™ offers versatility by being able to serve our clients’ design efforts by running on multiple platforms. As those in the engineering field know, most applications use 1.8 V, 2.5 V, 3.0 V or 3.3 V power supply options. This means that the design will need to incorporate electronic components that operate on the specified voltage supply.
However, some designs have multiple market applications. For instance, a product may need three different designs that use three different supply voltages to operate. The expensive solution is purchasing inventory that covers three complete sets of components and boards. It’s been done this way for years; however, with the MultiVolt™ from ECS Inc. this is no longer required. The component operates from 1.6 ~ 3.6 V from the factory.
The MultiVolt™ in Portable Designs
Lithium-ion batteries are the most commonly used power storage method for portable electronics due to their capacity and ability to recharge. However, they are not the ideal option when it comes to devices like computers, mobile phones, and other remotely deployed devices. This is because the lithium-ion battery will shut down the entire system if storage reaches a certain voltage level or discharge state.
However, the MultiVolt™ is made to take on this exact challenge. As long as its external supply voltage is above 1.6 V, it will be able to efficiently and reliably regulate the device’s internal voltage. This completely removes the concern for deteriorating battery supply in portable designs.
MultiVolt™ oscillators are available as:
MV – HCMOS Oscillators, 32.768 kHz ~ 160 MHz with stabilities down to ±20ppm -40°C ~ +85°C
SMV – Tight Stability down to ±5ppm
LMV – Low jitter,
MVLC – Low current. 10 µA standby / 2.2 mA
MVQ – AEC-Q200 Automotive Grade
TXO-MV – HCMOS Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillators (TCXO) with ±2.5ppm stability
TXO-CSMV – Clipped Sine Wave Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillators (TCXO) with ±0.5ppm stability
ECS Inc. MultiVolt™ oscillators are broken out into four main categories. Standard MultiVolt™ (MV), high-performance MultiVolts™ (SMV, LMV, MVLC), AEC-Q200 MultiVolt™ (MVQ), and MultiVolt™ TCXO’s (TXO-MV, TXO-CSMV).
Standard MultiVolt™ (MV)
The standard MultiVolt™ (MV) is one of the most flexible oscillators on the market. It offers frequency range options from 32.738 kHz ~ 160 MHz and can operate across supply voltages of 1.6 V ~ 3.6 V. On static supply, the standard MultiVolt™ is compatible with 1.8 V, 2.5 V, 3.0 V, and 3.3 V.
The standard MultiVolt™ is offered in a wide variety of industry standard packages with a range of stabilities and temperature ranges.
Stabilities include: ±20ppm, ±25ppm, ±50ppm, or ±100ppm
Temperature ranges include: -10ºC ~ +105ºC or -40ºC ~ +85ºC
Product testing has concluded that the standard MultiVolt™ offers better jitter and overall performance at a lower price compared to MEMS oscillators.
High-Performance MultiVolts™ (SMV, LMV, MVLC)
Compared to the standard MultiVolt™, the line of ECS Inc. International high-performance MultiVolt™ oscillators have design and performance characteristics that make them a superior product for data storage, battery-powered operations, and networking and communications.
The SMV oscillator product has a frequency range of 8~ 60 MHz and an industry-leading tight stability down to ±5ppm. Additionally, the MVLC line of oscillators offers a frequency range of 1~75 MHz with a current draw of 1.5mA. Finally, ECS Inc. LMV oscillators offer an industry-leading jitter of
AEC-Q200 MultiVolt™ (MVQ)
What differentiates the AEC-Q200 MultiVolt™ oscillator from the others in the series is that they are designed and manufactured for automotive industry applications in our IATF 16949 certified factories. The AEC-Q200 MultiVolt™ oscillator is the most flexible automotive grade component in today’s competitive market. It can operate across a 1.7V ~ 3.6V supply voltage and on a static supply compatible with 1.8 V, 2.5 V, 3.0 V, and 3.3 V.
Stabilities for the AEC-Q200 MultiVolt™ oscillator include ±25ppm with frequencies of 32.768 kHz and 0.72 ~ 160 MHz and temperature ranges of -40 ~ 125C. The AEC-Q200 MultiVolt™ oscillator has been thoroughly tested against MEMS oscillators and has shown overall better performance with better jitter at a lower cost.
MultiVolt™ TCXO’s (TXO-MV, TXO-CSMV)
HCMOS temperature compensated crystal oscillators (TCXO) are available with ±2.5ppm stability. Clipped sine wave temperature compensated crystal oscillators (TCXO) are available with ±0.5ppm stability. Both the TXO-MV and TXO-CSMV operate across a supply voltage of 1.7V ~ 3.6V and on a static supply compatible with 1.8 V, 2.5 V, 3.0 V, and 3.3 V.
Just like the other quartz-based oscillators in the MultiVolt™ series, these oscillators offer low jitter and low phase noise, which makes them the ideal component for wireless, GPS, IoT, satellite and RF communication applications.
How to Purchase ECS Inc. MultiVolt™ Oscillators
MultiVolt™ technology is cutting edge design for today’s demanding frequency control products. Simplify your product designs and built-in performance with high quality components from ECS Inc.
For more information about our innovative oscillators, you can visit the MultiVolt™ page on our website. Each product shows full specs and provides access to data sheets and support docs.
If you’re ready to upgrade from SAW- or MEMS-based oscillators to the higher-quality MultiVolt™ series, the best way to do that is to contact our engineering team at engineering@ecsxtal.com. They will be able to answer your questions about ECS Inc. products. You can also find a representative in your area by using our interactive map.
Learning About Our MultiVolt Oscillator Products was last modified: February 14th, 2023 by