What are Frequency Dividers or Prescalers?
Frequency Dividers and RF Prescalers are devices used to divide the input frequency value by a certain value (known as Frequency Division Factor). So if a frequency divider accepts an input signal that operates at 2400 MHz and has a division factor of 2, the output frequency will be 1200 MHz. Prescalers are usually designed to operate at a specific frequency value with a division factor that can be fixed or variable.
Here are some key parameters to keep in mind when looking for an RF Frequency Divider:
Type: Fixed or Variable / Programmable. Based on the frequency division you can make this selection. Fixed prescalers can divide the input frequency by a specific value. In the case of Variable prescalers they can be controlled by bits or then cover all integer values in a particular range. So a 4 Bit Prescaler would divide the input frequency signal by 1, 2, 4, and 8. However if not controlled by bits it can have fractional-N control i.e all integer values from 1-8.
Input Frequency: This is the input frequency of the signal.
Division Factor: This is the number by which the input frequency will be divided. In the case of programmable frequency dividers, this can be a range.
Phase Noise: Another important factor is the phase noise of the signal. The lower the phase noise the better the quality of the signal.
everything RF has listed RF Prescalers and Frequency Dividers from the leading manufacturers and made them searchable by specification. Use the search tool to identify products that meet your requirement - Input Frequency, Division Factor, Package Type etc. Once you find matching parts, you can view product information, download datasheets or request quotes.
