crystals and resonator drift with time

[simbo]

you will find both crystals and resonators

held within carts computers radios trx and any media

 

that uses quarts crystals

 

the quarts comes from other than one mountain in california

 

so they are not IC grade in atari or other

 

so drift with time

 

 

by more than 100ppm

 

mostly these units have a lifetime and factors like 1ppm drift

 

but have a life time

 

other than replace them there is no choice to just unsolder and turn them around

 

as the drift is polar

 

and they become polerised with time

 

so all the crap in them at atom level moves around

 

so replace or as a test turn them round

 

it wont cure a failed machine

 

however it will effector the state of things like colour and glitch you encounter

missing levels on game carts

 

etc etc

 

best replace a resonator like a electrolytic cap

 

 

every 10 years ....

 

i write models for many things in c++ for simulation

and i always build in there time in life factor as a measure of uptime and use

 

its time people realised a crystals doesnt stay static .. and this affect there whole retro machines

ability to process

 

a good analogy is flushing a toilet voltage being water and current the fifo effector..

 

if you flush current you drag atoms in a particle stream...

Edited January 16, 2011 by simbo