Hi there,

[First Attachment]

Usually I can find datasheets alright, but these little parts have beaten me. I think it's because they're the type that I'm supposed to know from sight I have a feeling they're clocks/oscillators of some kind. The one in the top left has 5 pins, and a more substantial part number. Some of the little ceramic ones have a red dot by one the pins.

[Second Attachment]

Lower priority but quite interesting is the component in the second photo — it has two leads, a tiny slit down the middle and a little case! Any ideas?

Thanks a lot for your help,
Barnaby

 

Don't know the tin piece, but the 3 legged ones would appear to be double capacitors or inductors. A resistance test would be helpful.

The square block appears to be a spark gap.

Where were these found "in the wild?" That might help as much as anything to identify them. I can see the spark gap and one of those dual capacitor thingys as signal conditioning/protective devices on lines that go outside of some circuit - maybe on an ethernet line or telephone line to protect onboard circuitry from transients picked up out in the world (lighting surges, etc).

David Meed

 

I believe that the one in the right case, is a tuned capacitor simiilar to what Fluke uses in their line of DMM's, -- case to keep detritus from lodging in the slot........

Shall be watching this w/ great interest, as I have some of them mysterious three-legged beasties too, and dunno wtf they are.

 

The three-legged beasties are most probably resonators from FM demodulation, like this one http://www.gme.cz/_dokumentace/dokumenty/133/133-012/dsh.133-012.1.pdf

 

Hello,

The three legged pieces are most probably filters or resonators.
You can read the frequency on them, 4.58Mc = 4.58Mhz

The two legged piece is probably an overvoltage surge protection.

Bertus

 

Hello,

The three legged pieces are most probably filters or resonators.
You can read the frequency on them, 4.58Mc = 4.58Mhz

The two legged piece is probably an overvoltage surge protection.

Bertus

Right, Three legged ones have resonators and IF Filters

 

All of these components are probably from the wild, but I didn't harvest them. They were part of a massive lot of stuff I found at a car bot sale, presumably ex-hobbyist stuff as it had some clumsily etched PCBs and some stripboard circuits in. As well as sorting out these things today, I delved into the box and sorted several hundred capacitors! I'm never going to have to buy any again, apart from some large ones that aren't aluminium electrolytic.

Thanks for the IDs and PDF, thats great. I needed an oscillator-in-a-box like this for a PIC — I stupidly ordered a model without an internal oscillator!

I'll try connecting one up tomorrow and let you know how I get on.

Thanks a lot,
Barnaby

 

For PIC I do not think they will work, for they are rated at GHz.
then again I might be wrong.

 

Here is a Wikipedia entry on ceramic resonators:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceramic_resonator
A page that attempts to explain them:
http://hem.passagen.se/communication/ceramic.html
For many more pages, perform a search on Google for "ceramic resonator"

 

Ok, I can confirm that at least two of the three legged beasties are all-in-one oscillators. I have one running a PIC18F452 flashing LED circuit right now.

I am now torn between these and internal oscillators — internal oscillators are so easy, but these things look so cool! I've inadvertently forced myself to build at least one circuit with one in though, for the 18F452.

Thanks,
Barnaby

 

There's PIC code on this page;
www.romanblack.com/one_sec.htm

That lets you generate exact second periods from ANY xtal frequency value, you might find it of use as you can make accurate clocks etc using those free xtals and resonators you can get from any junked equipment.

Those 3pin blobs devices all look like ceramic resonators, PICs can use them as xtals no problems.