[time-nuts] time-nuts newbie

EWKehren at aol.com EWKehren at aol.com
Fri May 3 01:35:38 UTC 2013


 
Use a GPSDO. Your GPS may even have a 1pps. For what you have in mind you  
may not even need a OCXO. Use  a TCXO.Your power will be way down.And  on 
your boat most the time you will have horizon to horizon view. Focus is on  
celestial navigation. How you get the time is secondary and GPS will be the  
lowest cost and can be the lowest power.
Bert Kehren 

 
 
In a message dated 5/2/2013 5:51:14 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
albertson.chris at gmail.com writes:

Turning  off the Rb is a good idea.  That is one of the best features
of the Rb  is that it will come back on from a zero power and be pretty
much spot on  the frequency but the phase will be random.    So the
question is  that if you want to re-calibrate the OCXO how long to you
need to compare  it to the Rb.  You can't look at the phase difference,
that has been  randomized by the power cycle.

I think one could get at least 10 and  maybe 100 times better than the
OP's requirement and still be under the  $500 limit.


On Thu, May 2, 2013 at 12:59 PM, Bob Camp  <lists at rtty.us> wrote:
> Hi
>
> A clock based on an  eBay Rb can be set up to pull less than 10 watts. 
Based
> on 8 hours of  light a day that would get you to 30 watts of solar needed 
to
> power  it. That's a pretty small fraction of your 480W setup.  You will  
get
> CSAC level timing and still fit your budget.
>
> For a  lower power solution, wake up the Rb once a day around mid day. 
Only
>  do it if the solar has surplus power. Re-sync your OCXO to the Rb.  That
> should cut the power by a factor of about 10:1. A Google search  for 
"RBXO"
> will turn up details on the process. Not quite CSAC  performance, but far
> better than the OCXO alone.
>
>  Bob
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:  time-nuts-bounces at febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-bounces at febo.com] On
>  Behalf Of Timothy Bastian
> Sent: Thursday, May 02, 2013 12:36  PM
> To: time-nuts at febo.com
> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] time-nuts  newbie
>
> Wow I didn't know how much I was going to stir up  here.  As for the 
accuracy
> of the DS32khz you are correct in what  the literature says. They call 
for an
> accuracy of one minute per year.  The 10 seconds / year is what the 
gentleman
> who designed the clock  thought would be possible. The testing he has 
done is
> giving better  results than 10 seconds / year. My clock has not been 
running
> long  enough to give you any meaningful results.
>
>
>  As  far as the requirements for my chronometer... there is what I would  
like
> to have and what I can afford. A clock driven by a csac (SA.45s)  would be
> the ultimate. I am however shooting for something in the  $500.00 or
> less price range. I have ships power available to power the  clock but 
would
> like to have the ability to run on an internal battery  for an extended
> period if needed. Say for two months. I have 4, 120  watt solar panels 
with
> 500 amp hours of 12 volt battery power. I'm  shooting for a size of not 
more
> than one cubic foot. You are correct  about the 100 ppb aging, which I
> believe will put me at +/- 3 seconds  / year. A GPS time reference to set 
the
> clock would be acceptable  however the whole point of having said clock 
is to
> still be able to  navigate in the event of GPS failure.
>
> Thanks for all of the  replies,
>
>   Tim KK4FQB
>
>  ________________________________
> From: "time-nuts-request at febo.com"  <time-nuts-request at febo.com>
> To: time-nuts at febo.com
>  Sent: Wednesday, May 1, 2013 11:08 AM
> Subject: time-nuts Digest, Vol  106, Issue 1
>
>
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> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Re: Time nut newbie (Rex)
>   2. Re: 10811 (John  Miles)
>   3. Re: HP5065B !!! (Jim  Palfreyman)
>   4. Re: Time nut newbie (Jim  Palfreyman)
>   5. Re: Time nut newbie (Hal  Murray)
>   6. Re: Time nut newbie (Chris  Albertson)
>   7. Re: Time nut newbie (Attila  Kinali)
>   8. Re: Time nut newbie (Bob  Camp)
>
>
>  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>  Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:57:20 -0700
> From: Rex  <rexa at sonic.net>
> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency  measurement
>     <time-nuts at febo.com>
>  Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Time nut newbie
> Message-ID:  <51807680.2040705 at sonic.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain;  charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
>
> It doesn't affect the  general magnitude conclusions by Bruce, but as
> long as we are making  corrections, my calculator seems to think
> 60 * 60 * 24 * 12 = 1036800  seconds in 12 days, not 1024800.  That does
> come out to 115.7  days for 1 sec error. Maybe the 12-day number was a 
typo?
>
>  -Rex
>
>
> On 4/30/2013 12:57 PM, Bruce Griffiths  wrote:
>> 12 days is 1024800 s ie just over 1 million seconds so a  frequency
>> offset of 0.1ppm results in a time error of ~ 0.1s not  1s.
>> 1sec error would occur in just under 116  days,
>>
>> Bruce
>>
>> Bob Camp  wrote:
>>> Hi
>>>
>>> If you take a look  down in the fine print on the OCXO spec, the aging
>>>  rate
>>> is 100 ppb / year in the first year. If you are off by  0.1 ppm (100 
ppb)
>>> your clock will gain a second in less than  12 days.
>>>
>>>  Bob
>>>
>
>
>
>  ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue,  30 Apr 2013 19:53:49 -0700
> From: "John Miles"  <jmiles at pop.net>
> To: "'Discussion of precise time and frequency  measurement'"
>     <time-nuts at febo.com>
>  Subject: Re: [time-nuts] 10811
> Message-ID:  <004a01ce4617$1ba19710$52e4c530$@pop.net>
> Content-Type:  text/plain;    charset="UTF-8"
>
>> Close, but it's  for the 105, not the 5061, and the boards are physically
>  very
>> different.
>
> The 5061A upgrade used those  105-series boards.  With the 5061B, they
> changed the part number  of A1A3 (the OCXO interface board) from 
00105-6044
> to 05061-6198, but  I don't see any major differences in the schematic,
> looking at the  Artek .PDF manual for the 5061B.
>
>> The part number on the  connector for the board is the same as the
> connector
>> for  the 10811. Does anyone know where to get boards that fit the
>  connector?
>> Mouser carries the connector, but I can't find any  boards.
>
> You don't really need a board -- I didn't use one  (see
> http://www.ke5fx.com/tbolt.htm ).  It uses a pretty common  edge connector
> that can be pulled off of any number of random surplus  HP PCBs, if you 
don't
> want to order one.
>
>> how often  do people need to retune the 10811? I have a pair of the 
10811-
>>  60109's, another 10811, and a 10544 and all are within 1 Hz of 10 MHz.
>  That's close
>> enough
>
> Some anecdata: my  GPS-disciplined 10811-60109 has been running for about 
5
> years without  any retuning.  The DAC voltage is currently about 0.52V, 
and
> I'm  sure I would have started it out near 0.0, so about 10% of its EFC
>  control range has been needed after 5 years.  (Of course it could  have
> wandered around arbitrarily in the meantime, but I doubt  it.)
>
> At -0.324 Hz/volt, this would be about 0.03 Hz per year  of positive 
drift on
> average, or 3E-9 per year.  That's in line  with what I've seen other
> well-settled 10811s  achieve.
>
>> Is there any advantage in using the 723 voltage  regulator? The 10811 and
>> 10544 manuals both show the use of the  723 for the regulator for the
> oscillator supply,
>> but on  the HP schematic for the 6198 board they use a pair of three
>  terminal
>> regulators.
>
> HP's use of an LM317T-style  regulator to drive the 18V oven supply, a 
78L12
> to drive the  oscillator, and a Zener+emitter follower to drive the 7474
> divider was  a bit funky.  Regulator noise on the oven supply isn't 
critical,
>  but for driving the oscillator circuit itself, the difference between a  
7812
> and an LM317T can be seen in some cases.  Not sure offhand  how sensitive 
the
> 10811 is to supply noise, but you can certainly see  the difference in
> regulators with a Wenzel ULN.
>
> In any  event an LM317T would be fine for driving the +12 rail.
>
> --  john, KE5FX
> Miles Design LLC
>
>
>
>
>  ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 1  May 2013 13:36:43 +1000
> From: Jim Palfreyman  <jim77742 at gmail.com>
> To: Discussion of precise time and  frequency measurement
>      <time-nuts at febo.com>
> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] HP5065B  !!!
> Message-ID:
>      <CALH-g5YNYi2o4wGJmzPDciCt8+hPGjfx0QPnjG1Ew+h0KGXXWA at mail.gmail.com>
>  Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
>
> Am I missing  something? What actual modifications were done and how?
>
>  Jim
>
>
>
> On 1 May 2013 07:30,  <EWKehren at aol.com> wrote:
>
>> Attilla
>>  No  one should or will discourage you from developing a laser  pumped  
Rb.
>> Bruce posted the following link. It addresses  some of the issues and for
> me
>> looking at lamp Rb's is most  helpful.
>>
>>  http://tf.boulder.nist.gov/general/pdf/1219.pdf
>>
>> Bert  Kehren
>>
>>
>>
>> In a message dated  4/30/2013 4:51:57 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
>> attila at kinali.ch  writes:
>>
>> On Mon,  29 Apr 2013 17:19:05 -0400  (EDT)
>> EWKehren at aol.com wrote:
>>
>> > I  am  still sitting here trying to figure out the purpose  of  posting
> the
>>
>> > article on laser diode  pumping of the Rb. One look at the data  and it
>>  is
>> > clear that Corby?s work far surpasses the data shown in  the  paper. 
All
>> it does
>> > is distract from  Corb?s  accomplishments.
>>
>> Sorry i didnt mean to do  that. I am very gratefull at  the work Corby
>> has done and the  new insights on what error sources a Rb gas  cell
>>  has.
>>
>> But as someone living in europe, i have certain  problems  getting my
>> hands on a HP5065. There is virtually no  surplus market here.  And
>> if there is anything sold in  europe, the price is nearly that of
>> a  new device, sometimes  even more (no, i'm neither joking nor
>> exagerating).
>>  I  cannot buy any of the fancy devices you have access to in the  US.
>> Buying a  Cs beam, as a few of you have, is a dream that  will not come
>> true for me,  unless i win in the  lottery.
>> But building my own Rb standard using laser  diodes  is feasible.
>> I still lack a lot of knowledge and understanding  how  to do that,
>> but this group has been very helpfull in  filling my gaps, when  asking
>> the right questions. And if you  don't mind, i would like to  keep
>> asking those  questions.
>>
>>
>> Attila Kinali
>>  --
>> The people on 4chan are like brilliant   psychologists
>> who also happen to be insane and gross.
>>  --  unknown
>>  _______________________________________________
>> time-nuts   mailing list -- time-nuts at febo.com
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>
>
>  ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 1  May 2013 12:40:02 +1000
> From: Jim Palfreyman  <jim77742 at gmail.com>
> To: Discussion of precise time and  frequency measurement
>      <time-nuts at febo.com>
> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Time nut  newbie
> Message-ID:
>      <CALH-g5ZoeGsGnfXj2SX=dL2cmHs+F+_VniG5p3KC4XXToP9Hxg at mail.gmail.com>
>  Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> Buy a cheap  rubidium off ebay and use it to drive a micro-controller and
> write  some clock software.
>
>
> On 1 May 2013 11:57, Rex  <rexa at sonic.net> wrote:
>
>> It doesn't affect the  general magnitude conclusions by Bruce, but as 
long
>> as we are  making corrections, my calculator seems to think
>> 60 * 60 * 24 * 12  = 1036800 seconds in 12 days, not 1024800.  That does
>> come  out to 115.7 days for 1 sec error. Maybe the 12-day number was a
>  typo?
>>
>>  -Rex
>>
>>
>>
>> On 4/30/2013 12:57 PM,  Bruce Griffiths wrote:
>>
>>> 12 days is 1024800 s ie  just over 1 million seconds so a frequency 
offset
>>> of 0.1ppm  results in a time error of ~ 0.1s not 1s.
>>> 1sec error would  occur in just under 116 days,
>>>
>>>  Bruce
>>>
>>> Bob Camp  wrote:
>>>
>>>>  Hi
>>>>
>>>> If you take a look down in the fine  print on the OCXO spec, the aging
>>>> rate
>>>>  is 100 ppb / year in the first year. If you are off by 0.1 ppm (100  
ppb)
>>>> your clock will gain a second in less than 12  days.
>>>>
>>>>  Bob
>>>>
>>>>
>>  ______________________________**_________________
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>>
>
>
>  ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Tue,  30 Apr 2013 23:13:44 -0700
> From: Hal Murray  <hmurray at megapathdsl.net>
> To: lists at lazygranch.com, Discussion  of precise time and frequency
>     measurement   <time-nuts at febo.com>
> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Time nut  newbie
> Message-ID:
>      <20130501061344.DB93980006F at ip-64-139-1-69.sjc.megapath.net>
>  Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
>
>  lists at lazygranch.com said:
>> A bit OT, but back in the day there was  what amounted to an X-prize for 
a
>> real accurate chronometer for  navigation.
>
>> Make that way back in the day.
>  http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harrison
>
> There is a good  book out on that topic:
>   Longitude by Dava  Sobel
>   There is also a fancy version with lots of very good  pictures.
>   I'll have to go find my copy so I can look at  them again.
>
>
>
> --
> These are my  opinions.  I hate spam.
>
>
>
>
>
>  ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Tue,  30 Apr 2013 23:36:57 -0700
> From: Chris Albertson  <albertson.chris at gmail.com>
> To: Discussion of precise time and  frequency measurement
>      <time-nuts at febo.com>
> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Time nut  newbie
> Message-ID:
>      <CABbxVHuUjp3Af0tpkRG6E26BrSQGQviMCRi3wzgSYT9+OfzSHw at mail.gmail.com>
>  Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> On Tue, Apr 30,  2013 at 7:40 PM, Jim Palfreyman <jim77742 at gmail.com> 
wrote:
>>  Buy a cheap rubidium off ebay and use it to drive a micro-controller  
and
>> write some clock software.
>
> That was exactly my  solution but I'm waiting ti hear about his size,
> power and cost  budget.  If this has to run on Battery power for the
> entire year  the Rb unit is not going to work
>
> The OP's 1 second per year  goal is only asking for 3.2E-7 level
> performance if I did the math  correctly.  Even the $100 Rb is at
> least 100 times better than  required.
> --
>
> Chris Albertson
> Redondo Beach,  California
>
>
>  ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Wed, 1  May 2013 09:45:06 +0200
> From: Attila Kinali  <attila at kinali.ch>
> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency  measurement
>     <time-nuts at febo.com>
>  Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Time nut newbie
> Message-ID:  <20130501094506.966146722efbbaf9c80e5aca at kinali.ch>
>  Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
> On Tue, 30 Apr 2013  13:49:43 -0400
> "Tim Bastian"<n714x at yahoo.com>  wrote:
>
>
>> I'm a time nut newbie. My obsession started  with the search for an
> accurate chronometer to carry on my boat for  celestial navigation. Yes 
there
> still are a few of us left that  practice the art.
>>
>> My current project is a quartz  chronometer using a DS32Khz tcxo 
oscillator
> and two 74HC4060s (+ or-  10 seconds / year).?
>>
>> For my next project I'm looking  at an Abricon Part Number
> AOCJY2-10.000MHZ? ocxo 5 ppb running through  a pic and using the 
algorithm
> posted on  http://www.romanblack.com/one_sec.htm. I'm shooting for + or - 
1
>  seconds / year.?
>>
>>  Is there an archive of old  posts that might be helpful in answering 
some
> of my questions and for  getting ideas.
>
> You want to read Vig's Quartz Crystal Tutorial.  That explains a lot about
> where the instabilities of a crystal  oscillator come from. You can find
> them (and a lot more) on  http://www.ko4bb.com/ in the Manuals section.
> Have a look at different  versions, as some interesting things were left
> out in the newer  versions.
>
> An idea how to get to the stability you want without  wasting too much
> power might be an MCXO. [1] gives a pretty decent  overview of the way how
> they work including a schematic for an  oscillator. [2] has some ideas how
> to simplify the circuit and get  lower power.
>
> In your case, i guess it would be an idea to  leave out the second stage
> frequency generation (the VCO or DDS) and  generate a PPS directly from
> the  microcontroller.
>
>           Attila Kinali
>
>
> [1] "A microcomputer  compensated crystal oscillator using a
> dual-mode resonator", by  Benjaminson and Stallings, 1989
>
> [2] "An Improved Method of  MCXO", by Zhou, Liu, Wang, 2000
> --
> The people on 4chan are  like brilliant psychologists
> who also happen to be insane and  gross.
>         --  unknown
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
>  Message: 8
> Date: Wed, 1 May 2013 07:00:33 -0400
> From: Bob Camp  <lists at rtty.us>
> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency  measurement
>     <time-nuts at febo.com>
>  Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Time nut newbie
> Message-ID:  <7D23F52C-1BC6-449B-A47E-FC9BCC454E3A at rtty.us>
> Content-Type:  text/plain; charset=windows-1252
>
> Hi
>
> It was  tired old eyes and tiny numbers on the calculator ?.That plus to 
much
>  distraction to double check things.
>
> Bob
>
> On Apr  30, 2013, at 9:57 PM, Rex <rexa at sonic.net> wrote:
>
>> It  doesn't affect the general magnitude conclusions by Bruce, but as 
long
>  as we are making corrections, my calculator seems to think
>> 60 * 60  * 24 * 12 = 1036800 seconds in 12 days, not 1024800.  That does
>  come out to 115.7 days for 1 sec error. Maybe the 12-day number was a  
typo?
>>
>> -Rex
>>
>>
>> On  4/30/2013 12:57 PM, Bruce Griffiths wrote:
>>> 12 days is 1024800  s ie just over 1 million seconds so a frequency 
offset
> of 0.1ppm  results in a time error of ~ 0.1s not 1s.
>>> 1sec error would  occur in just under 116 days,
>>>
>>>  Bruce
>>>
>>> Bob Camp wrote:
>>>>  Hi
>>>>
>>>> If you take a look down in the fine  print on the OCXO spec, the aging
> rate
>>>> is 100 ppb  / year in the first year. If you are off by 0.1 ppm (100  
ppb)
>>>> your clock will gain a second in less than 12  days.
>>>>
>>>>  Bob
>>>>
>>
>>  _______________________________________________
>> 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.
>
>
>
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--

Chris Albertson
Redondo Beach,  California
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