I am using a crystal oscillator with a processor, and I need clarification regarding the correct connection of the crystal pins to the processor's oscillator interface.
The crystal I’m using has 4 pins, where pin 1 and pin 3 are the active clock terminals (connected to the crystal element), pin 2 and 4 are grounds.

Does the orientation of the crystal's clock pins (pin 1 and 3) matter when connecting to the Xi and Xo pins of the processor?

 

Hi praveen,
Do you know the Xtal part number?
E

 

Its abracon ABM10W series

 

I am using a crystal oscillator with a processor, and I need clarification regarding the correct connection of the crystal pins to the processor's oscillator interface.
The crystal I’m using has 4 pins, where pin 1 and pin 3 are the active clock terminals (connected to the crystal element), pin 2 and 4 are grounds.

Does the orientation of the crystal's clock pins (pin 1 and 3) matter when connecting to the Xi and Xo pins of the processor?

No.
It just a piece of quartz with a pair of contacts attached.

 

Hello,

Those are bare crystals and not an oscillator.
See the datasheet .

Bertus

 

hi prav,
Note the crystal symbols in this diagram, and the footnote.
E

 

And wouldn’t it be SO much easier to track the pcb if the crystal connections were on 1 and 2, or 1 and 4, and the other two pins were ground?

 

And wouldn’t it be SO much easier to track the pcb if the crystal connections were on 1 and 2, or 1 and 4, and the other two pins were ground?

You are not wrong but if you don't pay attention while populating the board and the crystal is ending up rotated by 180°, the oscillator stage is suddenly not working. That's not the case with the crystal being between pin 1 and 3.

 

You are not wrong but if you don't pay attention while populating the board and the crystal is ending up rotated by 180°, the oscillator stage is suddenly not working. That's not the case with the crystal being between pin 1 and 3.

True, but the same applies to the microprocessor that it is connected to! That has three wrong ways of soldering it down.

 

True, but the same applies to the microprocessor that it is connected to! That has three wrong ways of soldering it down.

True, but now your're jumping to another topic. A µC is not a crystal. At least for me, there is a logical reason why the crystal is connected in diagonal (pin 1-3) and why the case is not square.

 

True, but now your're jumping to another topic. A µC is not a crystal. At least for me, there is a logical reason why the crystal is connected in diagonal (pin 1-3) and why the case is not square.

Not at all. The main gist of the topic is pinouts.
Why would one expect crystals to be reversible when transistors, electrolytic capacitors, diodes and ICs aren’t?

 

Why would one expect crystals to be reversible when transistors, electrolytic capacitors, diodes and ICs aren’t?

Look at the 2N7002DW datasheet
I like that pinout

 

Look at the 2N7002DW datasheet
I like that pinout

Yes, but you can rarely track it without a via.

 

The main gist of the topic is pinouts.

Yes, the pinout of a crystal.

Why would one expect crystals to be reversible

Crystals have no polarity and are reversible, so I expect this one to be reversible too. The same property I expect from a resistor.

 

Yes, but you can rarely track it without a via

Usually i route all ground connections to the ground plane trough vias. Even if you use single-sided homemade PCB then the routing is not so difficult.