A clock generator is used to produce a clock pulse. timing signals. Microprocessors and other integrated circuits use a clock to function. A clock generator is available as a single integrated circuit and is commonly used as the clock source for various electronic and processing systems. The clock generator is used to set a time or speed to which individual units synchronize. The process of synchronization is very important in complex processes and programs that use many devices.
Working of a clock generator:
The clock generator is an electrical circuit with a resonant circuit and an amplifier. The resonator circuit is made up of a quartz piezo-electric oscillator. The amplifier circuit inverts a signal from the oscillator and some portion is led back into the oscillator so that the oscillation continues.
Types of clock generators:
micro controller type with a crystal oscillator
micro controller with resistor-capacitor pair
Programmable: Different output levels can be programmed. Used in graphics, disk drives and clock synchronizing applications.
Flexible type
direct rambus clock generator: performs clock multiplication using PLL
Multi-clock generator: can generate multiple systems clocks
Clock generator with dual 1-to-4 buffers
Dual PLL multi-clock generator
Applications:
Clock generators are used in:
PC and peripheral IC-personal computer
line-powered 60 Hz clock generator
programmable clock generator
MIDI, digital TV applications
6 output PLL frequency generator
IBIS simulation models, low-power
synchronous voltage-to-frequency converter
digital resampler
mixed-signal microcontroller applications
voice band audio processor
fixed-point digital signal processors
floating-point DSP
USB streaming controller
DSP multi-channel audio serial port
dual-core processor clock generation and system reset management
133-MHz clock synthesizer/driver for PC motherboards
large audio recording studios where a large amount of equipment needs to be synchronized to a master clock
MIPS-based printer and consumer applications
ultra-low power supply voltage generators