[time-nuts] Re: Creating a D.I.Y Rubidium Atomic Clock

[Bob Stewart]

Speaking of existing commercial "physics packages", various iterations of the FE-5680 are available on ebay.  I got one years ago and was disappointed.  I can't imagine them having made so many if they thought it was a failure, so I guess my expectations were higher.  Could someone(s) comment on the FE-5680 and how it could be made better?  Is it just a matter of temperature control, or is their physics package just not up to time-nuts standards?

Bob 

    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 04:50:28 AM CDT, Richard Karlquist via time-nuts <time-nuts at lists.febo.com> wrote:  
 
 In a former life, I was on the design team of a mini rubidium standard
at Hewlett-Packard.  We built some working prototypes before it was
cancelled.  It was going to have the model number 10816.  I was the RF
person, but I worked very closely with the other team members. 
Remembering what we had to go through to make "glassware", it is
inconceivable that you could do that as a "home brew" project.  And this
was the same HP facility that already made the 5065 rubidium standard. 
The best you could hope to do is to start with a commercial "physics
package" as we called it, and make your own electronics for it.  Reading
books about how rubidium standards work, etc is fine, but again, you
can't home brew the glassware.

---
Rick Karlquist
N6RK 

On 2023-06-06 15:39, Tom Van Baak via time-nuts wrote:

> Hi Leo,
> 
> That sounds like a fun project. Here are some extremely informative resources:
> 
> "Introduction to the Rubidium Frequency Standard"
> by Michael Parker, 358 pages
> http://www.leapsecond.com/u/parker/ParkerIntroRFS-PPCP.pdf
> 
> "Rubidium Frequency Standard Primer"
> by Bill Riley, 163 pages
> http://www.wriley.com/Rubidium%20Frequency%20Standard%20Primer%20102211.pdf
> 
> "Selection Criteria for Rubidium Frequency Standards"
> by Bill Riley, 51 pages
> http://www.wriley.com/Selection%20Criteria%20for%20Rubidium%20Frequency%20Standards.pdf
> 
> Also read service manuals for commercial Rb products. Didier's site has a nice collection. Search by product number (e.g., 5065a) or by title (e.g., rubidium):
> 
> http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals
> 
> /tvb
> 
> On 6/6/2023 12:25 PM, Leo Ahluwalia via time-nuts wrote: 
> 
>> Hello, my name is Leo, and I was wondering about the feasibility of
>> creating a simple rubidium atomic clock at home, and good places to source
>> parts for this sort of project. I was also wondering what instruments and
>> specialized knowledge would be required depending on how pre-built the
>> parts are, for example, the prerequisite knowledge for creating PLL(s) for
>> both frequency division to provide an output and also to modulate the input
>> of the microwave oscillator. Any good resources or PDFs would be greatly
>> appreciated, as I am very new to frequency analysis and phase manipulation
>> in general. I was also hoping to keep the cost of the project soft-line
>> below 500$, though that would be assuming a decent level of precision and
>> already possessing basic equipment (oscilloscope, multimeter, etc...). Safety
>> is also a major concern, as I know while the intensity of the EM waves
>> involved is low, the power source may or may not be. This is all of course
>> assuming a basic design, where my assumption is that it will involve the
>> microwaves being shot at a rubidium vapor cell which is directed towards a
>> photodetector. This would then be connected up to the PLL and circuitry to
>> both provide a stable standard while also modulating the microwave
>> oscillator to offset any external environmental factors. I don't have a
>> clear vision of what would truly be the best design for both simplicity and
>> cost, though this is what I've found to be a common design in what I've
>> looked at online.
>> 
>> Thanks, Leo
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