Volts and Hertz are different units of measurement, so they cannot be directly converted from one to the other. Volts measure the electrical potential difference between two points in a circuit, while Hertz measure the frequency of an alternating current (AC) or electromagnetic wave.
However, there is a relationship between Volts and Hertz in a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO).
Contents
V to Hz Calculator
Formula
F = V*KVCO
Where
- F is the change in frequency
- V is the voltage applied to the tuning port of the VCO
- KVCO is the tuning sensitivity
Example Calculation
For a voltage of 5 Volt applied to a VCO with a tuning sensitivity of 1000 Hz/Volt, the output frequency is 5 kHz.
Background
Voltage-Controlled Oscillators (VCOs) are electronic devices that generate an oscillating signal – typically a sine wave. The applied input voltage determines the instantaneous oscillation frequency.
VCO tuning sensitivity refers to how much the frequency of the oscillator changes in response to a change in the input control voltage.
Mathematically, tuning sensitivity is expressed as:
KVCO = F/V
Where:
- KVCO is the tuning sensitivity
- F is the change in frequency
- V is the change in control voltage
In simpler terms, tuning sensitivity tells you how many Hertz (Hz) the frequency of the VCO changes for each Volt (V) change in the control voltage. A higher tuning sensitivity means that the VCO is more responsive to changes in the input voltage.
Tuning sensitivity is an important parameter in applications where precise control over the frequency of the oscillator is required. For example, in frequency synthesizers, phase-locked loops (PLLs), or other frequency modulation applications, tuning sensitivity determines how accurately and predictably the oscillator can be controlled.
It’s worth noting that tuning sensitivity can be influenced by the design and components of the VCO circuit. Engineers may specify or adjust the tuning sensitivity to meet the requirements of a particular application.
The picture below shows VCO specifications – we’ve highlighted the tune sensitivity of 22 MHz/V.
Related Calculators
References
- VCO on Wikipedia