[time-nuts] Phase Station 53100A Questions

[Joseph Gwinn]

I will be doing some residual phase noise tests in a month or so 
using a 53100A Phase Noise Analyzer (not yet in hand), so I've been 
studying the users manual and datasheet of the Microchip 52100A Phase 
Noise Analyzer.  I do know the history, starting with Sam Stein 
developing the Timing Solutions Corp (TSC) model 5120.

Anyway, some questions have arisen:  

1.  Where is the ".TIM" file format documented?  Google fails here, 
chasing after some other kinds of .TIM file unrelated to the 5120 and 
descendants.  The 53100A users manual does not define the .TIM file 
format, or say where to find it.

2.  There will be some debugging required in my test setup, and it 
would be very useful if I could independently demodulate the 
Amplitude Modulation (AM) and Phase Modulation (PM) components of the 
phase noise, and present the low-passed waveforms in voltage versus 
time form.  Signals leaking in for other places may well be 
recognizable by resemblance of the demodulated AM or PM baseband 
waveform to other signals known to exist in the system under test.  I 
was thinking that the TIM file may be a start.

3.  Where are the fundamental Principles of Operation documented?  
The best I've found so far is a pair of patents by Wayne Solbrig, 
US7227346 (Two channel digital phase detector) and US7436166 (Direct 
digital synthesizer producing a signal representing an amplitude of a 
sine wave), both originally assigned to TSC, and now expired.

Thanks,

Joe Gwinn