High-Precision Real Time Clock Modules (Sept. 2013)

Features of Real-Time Clock Modules with built-in digital TCXO

Whether at work or play, the concept of time is a vital part of our daily lives. From systems that dispatch trains to systems that record entry and exit times, innumerable applications depend on time data.
Timing has a huge influence on profit and loss in the world's financial and stock markets. With time and clocks so essential to our everyday lives, clock functions have crept into countless everyday products in recent years. In fact, it is said that finding a product that does not have a clock of some kind is difficult.

The world is also full of applications that require more accurate timekeeping, such as banking systems, security systems, and electrical power meters, to name but a few. Essential in obtaining more accurate clocks are (1) devices that oscillate at precise frequencies, and (2) ICs to control them. At Epson, we manufacture and sell modules that combine into a single package a crystal unit that oscillates at a precise, stable frequency and a real-time clock IC that controls the crystal. This article will explain the features, functions, and characteristics of Epson's high-precision, low-power real-time clock modules.