not quite off topic but, 8MHZ XTALS

[Terry Michaels]

Message text written by "Paul Maddox"
>Dear all,

  I've started on Tonys POLY Midi>CV module.. and Ive hit a slight
hitch....

  Im useing an 8Mhz crystal for the first time (rather than 8MHz DIL
modules) and Ive got a problem.
When I meter the frequency I get 8MHz (this is from the buffer output to
the
xtal, so loading is not an issue)
but occasionally it drops , stops and then restarts.. power supply is
fine...
<

Hi Paul:

I have had many experiences with crystal oscillators that either fail to
start or won't stay oscillating.  RF engineers usually use a descrete
crystal oscillator based on an RF transistor (2N5179 or MPS5179) rather
than one that uses a logic gate.  I have had better results with that type
of design.   If you want to try this, let me know and I'll find a circuit
for you.

Terry Michaels