[time-nuts] Frequency counter recommendation

Bob Camp lists at rtty.us
Sun Dec 19 04:52:55 UTC 2010


Hi

The real thing you would learn about is writing code that runs an FPGA.

The other gotcha here is that the feature list can get pretty large:

1) WiFi interface
2) Bluetooth interface
3) USB 2.0 interface
4) RS-232 interface
5) HPIB emulation of an HP box
6)Ethernet interface

----- combined with -----

1) Web server software
2) Windows PC application / logging software
3) Mac application / logging software
4) Linux application / logging software
5) iPhone application software
6) iPad application software

----- combined with ----

1) Front pannel controls
2) Front pannel display
3) Front interface connections (DUT's)
4) Rear pannel standard interfaces and controls

---- combined with ----

1) Internal hard disk storage
2) Flash card storage
3) USB stick storage
4) SD card storage
5) Battery backed RAM storage

---- combined with ----

1) Some number of counter inputs
2) Some number of reference inputs 
3) Internal GPS receiver
4) Internal Rb standard

----- combined with ---

1) Battery power
2) Auto 12 V power
3) AC line power

So lest's see, that's 3 x 4 x 5 x 4 x 6 x 6 = 8,640 combinations. That does not include any options that actually relate to how the gizmo works. That's just talking about the eye candy around the thing. 

A practical device might be:

2 DUT inputs
10 MHz  reference input
"RS-232" to connect to a USB dongle 
+12 DC power

Application software  TBD. 

Bob


On Dec 18, 2010, at 11:29 PM, Chris Albertson wrote:

> It all depends on the goal.  Is it to have a working instrument or to
> learn how they work and maybe to push the state of the art ahead a
> little
> 
> One might ask the same question about ham radio:  "Why bother with all
> that work?  If you want to talk to some one just buy a cell phone and
> be done with it."  Yes if that was the goal the cell phone is the
> obvious solution.
> 
> I think there are ony two reasons to build vs. buy. (1) You want to
> make something that you can't buy, or (2) you want to learn about the
> technology.
> 
> One feature I'd add if I were building this is a self-calibration with
> GPS.  There are a lot of features I can think of.  I'd like a web
> server built-in so the instrument would be operated from an iPhone
> 
> 
>> The calibrated and running counter is something you can have tomorrow (more or less). That's very different than the kit of boards.
> -- 
> =====
> Chris Albertson
> Redondo Beach, California
> 
> _______________________________________________
> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts at febo.com
> To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
> and follow the instructions there.





More information about the Time-nuts_lists.febo.com mailing list