[time-nuts] How to measure Allan Deviation?
Dr Bruce Griffiths
bruce.griffiths at xtra.co.nz
Mon Oct 23 02:08:24 UTC 2006
Didier Juges wrote:
> Dr Bruce Griffiths wrote:
>
>> In principle this measurement could be made with a time interval counter:
>> PPS -> START
>> delayed 10KHz -> STOP
>>
>> Vary the delay and watch the jitter jump when the leading edge of the
>> PPS signal occurs during the 10KHz burst which was phase coherent with
>> the previous PPS pulse.
>> The only problem is finding a suitable variable delay device with
>> sufficiently low (<=1ns??) jitter.
>>
>>
>>
> The delay device can be triggered by the 1 PPS, then will drive the ARM
> input of the counter, so as long as the delay device's jitter is less
> than the 10 kHz period, if we adjust the delay to 0.99985 second
> (between the last 2 periods of 10 kHz before the 1 PPS), then the TI
> counter will START on the last 10 kHz pulse before the pps, and STOP on
> the 1 PPS.
> Tek has some time delay generators in the TM-500 and 7000 plug-in
> series. I knew one day I would need one of those, I now know why :-)
>
> Didier
>
>
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>
You could always use an HP5359A.
These are still available on the surplus market.
However if a jitter of say 100ns is OK you can easily construct a
suitable digital delay device using a 10MHz clock (slower if more jitter
is OK).
Although it could be built using a collection of CMOS parts it may be
much simpler and cleaner to use a programmable gate array or its equivalent.
Loading the required delay via a synchronous serial interface will
reduce the board layout complexity.
It is essential to use a synchroniser (shift register) to synchronise
the input PPS pulse to the delay generator clock to minimise the
probability of metastability induced problems.
Bruce
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