Counters / Frequency meters
Counters and frequency meters measure the frequency, period, duration, duty cycle and speed of periodic events with very high accuracy. They have a resolution of up to 12 digits and their temporal stability is ensured by OCXO or rubidium oscillators offering a drift of less than ± 0.001 ppm. In R&D, they are used to characterise oscillators, generators, modulators and logic signals. In production, they guarantee the conformity of clocks, quartz crystals and synchronised systems. Modern models have a bandwidth that can exceed 3 GHz, isolated 50 Ω/1 MΩ inputs and a dead time of less than 20 ns. Some incorporate a GPS time base or an external 10 MHz reference for synchronised measurements. LAN, USB and GPIB interfaces facilitate integration on automated test benches and traceability of measurements to ISO 17025. Used in telecommunications, defence, aeronautics and metrology, these instruments guarantee the reliability and reproducibility of time and frequency measurements.
An indispensable reference for precise time and frequency measurement.
PM6680B
PHILIPS
High-resolution counter/frequency meter for accurate frequency measurements.
53220A
KEYSIGHT
Counter/frequency meter with 2 inputs and bandwidth from 100mHz to 350MHz.
1999
RACAL
Compteur / Fréquencemètre HYPER avec 2 entrées et une large bande passante.
1998
RACAL
Compteur/Fréquencemètre 2 entrées, haute résolution, bande passante de 10Hz à 1,3GHz.
1991
RACAL
Universal counter/frequency meter with 2 inputs and bandwidth from DC to 160 MHz.
5348A
KEYSIGHT
Hyper frequency counter 10 Hz to 26.5 GHz, Power Meter with Power Sensor.
SR620
STANFORD RESEARCH SYSTEMS
3-channel counter, 300 MHz + 1 channel 1.3 GHz, RS-232 & GP-IB.
HM8122
HAMEG
Universal 0-1600 MHz counter with 3 channels and 9 measurement functions.
concrete questions about Counters / Frequency meters
01
What is the main function of a frequency meter?It accurately measures the frequency of a periodic signal. Some models also measure the period, rise time, duty cycle or pulse count.
02
What signals can this instrument measure?Frequency meters generally accept TTL, sinusoidal or square-wave signals in ranges from a few Hz to several GHz, depending on the device's bandwidth.
03
What is the difference between a universal frequency meter and an event counter?The universal frequency meter measures continuous time characteristics, while the event counter counts the occurrences of a signal (pulses) over a given time, useful for logic or digital applications.
04
How accurate can we expect to be?The best models achieve resolutions of the order of 10-¹² thanks to integrated quartz or OCXO oscillators, which can sometimes be synchronised to an external reference (10 MHz, for example).
05
Is it possible to connect a frequency meter to measurement software?Yes, recent models have USB, LAN or GPIB interfaces and can be controlled by SCPI or proprietary software to acquire, analyse or automate measurements.
