how do u test a crystal w/ multimeter

[the judge]

i get most of my components from old junk and i have a lot of crystals, but i couldn't find any datasheets for any of them i have a multimeter with a frequency setting, can i use that to test it and if so, how? also is there any way of finding out what voltage or current i should or can use?

 

[blueroomelectronics]

You need to build an oscillator.

 

[bountyhunter]

You need an oscillator circuit to test crystals and a very accurate frequency meter. I believe there are dedicated crystal testers around, they are not typical meters in most shops.

 

[the judge]

is the oscillator circuit to test it relatively cheap/simple? if so, can someone post it please?

 

[kchriste]

The oscillator will be different for different crystals. It depends on frequency and the cut of the crystal. Hard to give a simple answer, but a simple oscillator can be made with CMOS or TTL logic gates which should work with typical microprocessor type crystals.

 

[bountyhunter]

is the oscillator circuit to test it relatively cheap/simple? if so, can someone post it please?

Here is an example I used in my scope calibrator.