Re: [time-nuts] VNG in a Box By Murray Greenman ZL1BPU
Try here but note this is not open-source. http://www.qsl.net/zl1bpu/MICRO/Index.htm#NOTES Chris Stake -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Nick Medina Sent: 24 September 2013 11:03 To: time-nuts@febo.com Subject: [time-nuts] VNG in a Box By Murray Greenman ZL1BPU Hello I found this project http://www.qsl.net/z/zl1bpu//MICRO/VNGBOX/index.htm Did someone repeate this project? -- Nick Medina ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] FE-5680A Loop Lock Indicator
I have a circuit that seems to work well: The lock indicator is a weak source but a good sink so it interfaces more naturally with a pnp or p-channel device. Pull it up to 5V with 100K and connect this point to the gate of a P channel Mosfet whose source is also connected to 5V. Connect the drain of the mosfet to a LED anode and take the LED cathode via 220 R to 0V. This way, the sense of the indicator is correct (0n = lock) and the drive capability of the lock signal works in your favour. Chris Stake -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Bob Camp Sent: 22 September 2013 18:53 To: Bob Stewart; Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] FE-5680A Loop Lock Indicator Hi If you want 10 ma through the LED (which should be plenty) then the collector resistor would be right around 1.2K Bob On Sep 22, 2013, at 1:32 PM, Bob Stewart b...@evoria.net wrote: D'oh, that should say I could increase the COLLECTOR resistor to 1500 ohms. From: Bob Stewart b...@evoria.net To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement time-nuts@febo.com Sent: Sunday, September 22, 2013 12:27 PM Subject: Re: [time-nuts] FE-5680A Loop Lock Indicator Except that it doesn't work with even 1500 ohms in the base lead. The LED immediately comes on and stays on. I could increase the emitter resistor to 1500 ohms and get around 8.5-9ma through the LED, but I'm done playing with it until I get a proper box to put it all in. This is just a random 3mm LED out of an HP 37203A, so maybe that has something to do with it? I haven't looked at the specs. Bob From: Bob Camp li...@rtty.us To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement time-nuts@febo.com Sent: Sunday, September 22, 2013 12:12 PM Subject: Re: [time-nuts] FE-5680A Loop Lock Indicator Hi Circuit should be: 2N with emitter to ground, collector to LED, base to lock indicator via the 4.7K resistor. The LED is hooked to +15 via another resistor. If you have ~ 10 ma in the LED then the base needs less than 0.1 ma to do the job with a . A 4.7K should be plenty. Alternate circuit: 2N with base to lock indicator / no resistor at all, emitter to ground via a 1K resistor, collector to LED. LED to +15 via a 1.5K resistor. Either one should work. Both turn on the LED when the output is high and off when the output is low. In order to turn on when it's high you need to get an inversion ahead of the 2N. Bob On Sep 22, 2013, at 12:17 PM, Bob Stewart b...@evoria.net wrote: Hi Bob, I tried 4700 and even 1500, but they're too large. I guess the little flash of the LED at power-on is the hint that 1K is right at the ragged edge. It would probably make a big difference if there was a 100 or even 47 ohm resistor between the emitter and the LED, but my little board is starting to get burnt up, wires are starting to get frayed, and it does work, so this cake is done. Bob From: Bob Camp li...@rtty.us To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement time-nuts@febo.com Sent: Sunday, September 22, 2013 6:31 AM Subject: Re: [time-nuts] FE-5680A Loop Lock Indicator Hi If you trace out the chip that drives the lock indicator it's got some sort of strange gating in it's supply pin. That gets you even less output than you would expect from a CMOS gate. I would not count on it putting out more than 1 ma at 5 volts. A 4.7K resistor to the 2N base should be about right. Bob On Sep 21, 2013, at 10:34 PM, Bob Stewart b...@evoria.net wrote: Thanks for the heads-up, Bob. I'll do it the next time the iron is hot. Fortunately, it's only on for about a minute or so, then there's no drive from the FE-5680A. Is 3ma really that big a deal? I know squat about CMOS gates. I guess it is pulling the voltage down by 25%, though. Bob From: Robert LaJeunesse rlajeune...@sbcglobal.net To: Bob Stewart b...@evoria.net; Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement time-nuts@febo.com Sent: Saturday, September 21, 2013 9:24 PM Subject: Re: [time-nuts] FE-5680A Loop Lock Indicator Bob, I would bump that base resistor up a lot higher, to load the FE- 5680 less. The PN has enough gain it only needs about 0.3 mA base drive to work as intended. You'd get that with a 10K base resistor. Bob LaJeunesse From: Bob Stewart b...@evoria.net To: Time Nuts time-nuts@febo.com Sent: Saturday, September 21, 2013 10:02 PM Subject: Re: [time-nuts] FE-5680A Loop Lock Indicator Hi John, Thanks for the response. I managed to cobble something up with LTSpiceIV, and get
Re: [time-nuts] Oh dear
How does the fool get his money? Chris Stake -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Rob Kimberley Sent: 07 May 2012 11:55 To: 'Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement' Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Oh dear An old saying: a fool and his money are often parted. Sums things up nicely I feel. Rob Kimberley -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Javier Herrero Sent: 07 May 2012 11:30 To: time-nuts@febo.com Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Oh dear El 07/05/2012 11:20, Attila Kinali escribió: But to bring this back to time nutty topics, have a look at http://www.colorfly.eu/product.html It's an MP3 player with high precision timing. It does not only use two TCXOs with 5ps Jitter.. No! It also employes a technique known as Jitter Kill for the ultimate mobile sound experience! :-) Attila Kinali It plays MP3 or uncompressed audio? ;). And the sliding potentiotemer... prone to all kinds of noises and imbalance, and the nice wood enclosure, hand engraved, of course manufactured in a controlled temperature and humidity environment, that no doubt has a very positive effect on the sound, probably as good as the EMC shielding that provides. Also I love this paragraph On month day of year, the technique of circuit named Jitter Kill was registered as a patent for the other special technique of the Pocket HIFI player. When was/will be month day of year? excellent accuracy :) I imagine Steve Wan and his team laughing out loud everytime their get a purchase order. Regards, Javier ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time- nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Racal-Dana tactile switches
Just a thought: On some equipment, the push-buttons are formed by a rubber mat which is shaped into domes with or without plastic buttons above. If you sacrificed an old calculator it might be possible to cut the rubber mat into individual buttons of a size suitable for refurbishing the Tokos Chris Stake -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Ulrich Bangert Sent: 21 April 2012 11:18 To: Time nuts Subject: [time-nuts] Racal-Dana tactile switches Gentlemen, I know I am not the only one in this group to have difficulties with weak tactile switches on Racal-Dana's 1991/2/6 range of counters. The other day I talked to the chief technician at Rosenkranz-Elektronik which is one of the biggest surplus suppliers in Germany. He knew the problem very well and his claim was that an exact replacement for the original Toko switches is no more produced anywhere in the world. Which may be an explanation why none of us managed to find an exact repelacement. His second claim was that the switches can be repared: After removing the cap gently grip the moving part with a pair of pliers and twist it a little bit while pulling it out a bit at the same time. In this way the moving part can be removed without destruction of the switch. Then you find the source of the problem inside: The weak and mostly destroyed rubber part inside. Replace it with the rubber part of a switch which has NEARLY the same dimensions. He told me that he had done such a repair for a number of times. Unfortunately he had no reference for the switches that he had used as the source for the replacement rubber. I am aware that this is only half of the solution of the problem but I checked his suggestion with a original switch that I had laying around as a replacement and found that his description worked for me. I made a photgraph of the switch to be found here: http://www.ulrich-bangert.de/Racal.JPG and perhaps anyone of you has an idea where to get a similar one from. The problem to find a similar switch is perhaps easier to solve than to locate a direct replacement. Note that the scale in the photo is in cm with subdivisions in mm. Best regards Ulrich Bangert www.ulrich-bangert.de Ortholzer Weg 1 27243 Gross Ippener ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time- nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Best reason
jim77...@gmail.com said: So when a member of the general public says: Why do we need really accurate clocks? What is your answer? The alternative is inaccurate clocks, would that ever be preferable? ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
[time-nuts] FE5680A Calibration
Hello all, I purchased a FE5680A from a Chinese Ebay vendor. I have connected it to a 16.5V laptop supply, added 7805-based 5V rail and a PMOS Fet switch to drive a LED for the locked signal. I can communicate with it using the excellent Fe5680Calibrator software. As received the frequency offset is set to Zero and the unit seems to work well. I plan to put it into service as a workshop frequency reference and so would like to set it close to 10.0Mhz. I have various oscillator modules, signal generators, SDR receivers, GPS receivers, a scanner, some uncalibrated test-gear. I live in a river valley in North Devon UK so radio reception is a bit restricted but I receive digital television via a masthead amplifier and long downlead. Could someone please suggest a way of going about this? Regards Chris Stake ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] FE5680A Calibration
Nice idea, But I haven't got a DSO and the persistence of my scope isn't good enough to view 10Mhz sampled at 1pps. Chris -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of EB4APL Sent: 14 March 2012 15:46 To: time-nuts@febo.com Subject: Re: [time-nuts] FE5680A Calibration My fast approach would be to trigger a scope with the 1 PPS from the GPS receiver and observe the how the 10 MHz output of your Rb drifts. 1 full cycle per second is 1 e-7 so you'll need to use an stopwatch to time long periods when you are fine adjusting . Building (or buying) a GPSDO allows yo to make the comparison between both 10 MHz outputs without the jitter in the GPS receiver 1 PPS. Probably others in this list can suggest more elaborated and convenient approaches to this. On 14/03/2012 16:17, Chris Stake wrote: Hello all, I purchased a FE5680A from a Chinese Ebay vendor. I have connected it to a 16.5V laptop supply, added 7805-based 5V rail and a PMOS Fet switch to drive a LED for the locked signal. I can communicate with it using the excellent Fe5680Calibrator software. As received the frequency offset is set to Zero and the unit seems to work well. I plan to put it into service as a workshop frequency reference and so would like to set it close to 10.0Mhz. I have various oscillator modules, signal generators, SDR receivers, GPS receivers, a scanner, some uncalibrated test-gear. I live in a river valley in North Devon UK so radio reception is a bit restricted but I receive digital television via a masthead amplifier and long downlead. Could someone please suggest a way of going about this? Regards Chris Stake ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi- bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time- nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] FE5680A Calibration
Hi Bob, Thanks for pointing-out the noisy output of the FE5680A. I'll probably try to lock a crystal oscillator to it. Unfortunately I don't have a suitable counter. I was hoping I could use some sort of higher frequency standard but I confess I had not really grasped the fact that the unit may well be within millihertz of the nominal frequency: too delicate to twiddle with anything other than precision equipment and long timebases. Kind regards Chris -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Bob Camp Sent: 14 March 2012 16:57 To: 'Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement' Subject: Re: [time-nuts] FE5680A Calibration Hi Do you have a dual channel counter that you can put the GPS into on the start and the FE into as the stop? The HP 5334, 5335, and 5345 are all examples of this sort of counter. Bob -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Chris Stake Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 12:49 PM To: 'Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement' Subject: Re: [time-nuts] FE5680A Calibration Nice idea, But I haven't got a DSO and the persistence of my scope isn't good enough to view 10Mhz sampled at 1pps. Chris -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of EB4APL Sent: 14 March 2012 15:46 To: time-nuts@febo.com Subject: Re: [time-nuts] FE5680A Calibration My fast approach would be to trigger a scope with the 1 PPS from the GPS receiver and observe the how the 10 MHz output of your Rb drifts. 1 full cycle per second is 1 e-7 so you'll need to use an stopwatch to time long periods when you are fine adjusting . Building (or buying) a GPSDO allows yo to make the comparison between both 10 MHz outputs without the jitter in the GPS receiver 1 PPS. Probably others in this list can suggest more elaborated and convenient approaches to this. On 14/03/2012 16:17, Chris Stake wrote: Hello all, I purchased a FE5680A from a Chinese Ebay vendor. I have connected it to a 16.5V laptop supply, added 7805-based 5V rail and a PMOS Fet switch to drive a LED for the locked signal. I can communicate with it using the excellent Fe5680Calibrator software. As received the frequency offset is set to Zero and the unit seems to work well. I plan to put it into service as a workshop frequency reference and so would like to set it close to 10.0Mhz. I have various oscillator modules, signal generators, SDR receivers, GPS receivers, a scanner, some uncalibrated test-gear. I live in a river valley in North Devon UK so radio reception is a bit restricted but I receive digital television via a masthead amplifier and long downlead. Could someone please suggest a way of going about this? Regards Chris Stake ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi- bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi- bin/mailman/listinfo/time- nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time- nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] 2 out of 3 bad 5680As?
Hi, I gather that some of these units require a +5V supply on pin 4 of the connector and some do not. Could that be the problem here? Chris -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Dave hartzell Sent: 28 February 2012 05:18 To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: [time-nuts] 2 out of 3 bad 5680As? Hello, I have two units that don't produce any output and the lock pin floats around +2.3 volts continuously. The +15v load starts at about 1.8A and drops down to about 0.7A on both units, but I never get a +5V or 0V on the lock or a 10MHz out signal. (I'm not using an LED on the lock pin, just a high-impedance DVM.) I'm relatively confident in my connection setup, since I do have one unit that works as advertised. In fact, one of the bad units was a replacement from nichegeek, received about three weeks after the original first order of two units (from Amazon.com instead of China). Sorry if this is covered somewhere, but I couldn't find my symptoms on the list... any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks, Dave ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time- nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] HP5328A LEDS driver transistor
Chris, Try BC327 / BC328, they are pinout-compatible if you fit them flipped. On paper they are less powerful but the high gain and low saturation voltage works in your favour. I have used them for anode drivers in seven segment displays. Inexpensive, worth a try! Kind regards Chris -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Chris Albertson Sent: 22 January 2012 22:41 To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] HP5328A LEDS driver transistor Thanks everyone for all the options. OK there are real MPS-U51 for $5 or $6 each. The NTE parts sells for between $25 and $30. HP places these just on top of each digit with the tap fasting the plastic LED so it can't short. HP also cuts the taps so they can't short to the case. I think they grossly per spec'd them because they are used in a place where there is no heat sink and very little airflow. I say over spec but yet two burn out. Funny the seller thought the counter worked. The burned out digits were the least significant and with them out you still have a 7 digital counter. Really all that most people need for aligning radios and such. My plan now is to do a parametric search on Digikey/Mouser a quick search found many for under $1 that could work. I'll wait 'till I'm in need of some parts to build my next projects and add a few transistors. On Sun, Jan 22, 2012 at 1:07 PM, Stan Searing timenuts...@gmail.com wrote: on my shelf I'd sell for $50 if you are ever up in San Jose). If you could drop them at Cal State I might take you up on that. Yes, I'll look at that transistor below I'd use a MJE171GOS- NDhttp://search.digikey.com/us/en/products/MJE171G/MJE171GOS-ND/919498 or 497-4829-5-NDhttp://search.digikey.com/us/en/products/2SB772/497- 4829-5-ND/954133 from DigiKey (but as mentioned by others, watch the pinout, as most any power tab transistor will have the collector in the center, while the MPS-U51 is one of the few exceptions). You might also need to slim down the leads to fit the PC board. Stan On Sun, Jan 22, 2012 at 12:34 PM, Don Latham d...@montana.com wrote: NTE lists their equivalent as: NTE-189 See: http://nte01.nteinc.com/nte/NTExRefSemiProd.nsf/$$Search Newark has 262 of them :-) Don Chris Albertson I have an eBay HP5328A counter with two dead digits on the display. I figured out the problem was two dead transistors. I can swap transistors with a good digit and the problem moves. I'd not worked on LED displays before. Turns out only one digit is lit up at a time, they strobe the digits in sequence. The dead transistor is the one that controls the all the anodes in the 7-segment LED module. The service manual describes the transistor like this: part number = 1853-0326, description = TRANSISTOR PNP SI ... FT-50MHZ The p/n 1853-0326 cross references to a Motorola MPS-U51. The MPS- U51 data sheet matches the part that fails so I'm sure I got a correct cross ref. I took a photo of the dead transistor. It is on .1 perf board for scale. You can read the 3-326 p/n and see the Motorola M logo. http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/28915695/1/HP5328A?h=da35c1 I look up the spec in the mps-u51 and see it is a to-220 like case and can handle 1W. I'm really surprised it burned out as I doubt an LED requires 1W even if showing an 8. Reading the mps-u51 spec sheet I see it has a low saturation voltage. Maybe that is why the selected it as it is being driven by 7400 TTL logic that goes through a connector and has some resistors involved. Question: These seem to be hardtop find. Can anyone suggest a good sub Thanks, Chris Albertson Redondo Beach, California ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. -- Neither the voice of authority nor the weight of reason and argument are as significant as experiment, for thence comes quiet to the mind. R. Bacon If you don't know what it is, don't poke it. Ghost in the Shell Dr. Don Latham AJ7LL Six Mile Systems LLP 17850 Six Mile Road POB 134 Huson, MT, 59846 VOX 406-626-4304 www.lightningforensics.com www.sixmilesystems.com ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi- bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. -- Chris Albertson Redondo Beach,
Re: [time-nuts] NavSymm - Ericsson GPS Timing Receiver
http://www.navsync.com/docs/mushroom_data_sheet.pdf This device looks very similar, similar name also. Pure coincidence? Regards Chris Stake -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Alberto di Bene Sent: 30 December 2011 11:55 To: time-nuts Subject: [time-nuts] NavSymm - Ericsson GPS Timing Receiver I received as a gift from a friend what looks like a timing GPS antenna integrated with the receiver, with optical links for Rx and Tx (?). This the label on the box : http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15089947/NavSymm2.jpg And these are the upper and lower sides of the unit : http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15089947/NavSymm3.jpg http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15089947/NavSymm1.jpg Does anybody perhaps have a bit more information on this GPS receiver, and possibly suggest a practical use ? For example, would it be feasible to open the unit and recover maybe the 1pps signal, and some sort of data strings ? TIA 73 Alberto I2PHD ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time- nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] The GPS navigation is the weakest point,
I agree entirely. Chris Stake -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of David VanHorn Sent: 15 December 2011 22:50 To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement; li...@lazygranch.com Subject: Re: [time-nuts] The GPS navigation is the weakest point, Note that the undercarriage is always hidden when it's shown. I suspect they simply jammed the GPS and command links, and it defaulted to an automatic soft landing on not so soft terrain. Rather less impressive, but still annoying. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time- nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] GPSDO for my rubber duckie
If you live your life on a timescale that is anchored to mean solar time, what happens on February 29th? Chris -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Michael Sokolov Sent: 02 August 2011 20:33 To: time-nuts@febo.com Subject: Re: [time-nuts] GPSDO for my rubber duckie Chris Albertson albertson.ch...@gmail.com wrote: NTP software can keep system time within a few milliseconds of UTC. No custom hardware, no FPGA or PCB. But I _*REFUSE*_ to do it that way. You've mentioned UTC: that's one thing I'm taking great care to avoid in my solution. I want my system to be completely insulated from whatever evil things the ITU may do to UTC and leap seconds. By starting from GPS time coming *directly* out of a GPS receiver via its native EIA-232 port, I can take untampered GPS time in the week number + time-of-week format, convert it to TAI by adding a constant 19 s offset, and then convert from TAI to UTR. GPS time - TAI - UTR; there is no UTC involved at any intermediate step. Standard NTP software is another thing I wish to avoid like the plague in this project. That software has been touched by the hands of people like PHK and Warner Losh, the same criminals whose handprints are on the axe that is about to sever most of the world's civil time from the millennia-old tradition of mean solar time. Those people are criminals of the highest degree in my book, and I do not want to use any software that has been touched by them. If the requirement were for nano second level accuracy [...] I don't care for that level of accuracy, but I do very much care about the philosophical puriry of the system, end to end and at every intermediate step. but software using Internet pool servers is OK for Milliseconds I have no idea / don't want to think about what will happen to those NTP servers when/if leap seconds are killed. I wish to *insulate* myself and all computer systems under my care from that insanity. And even now while the leap seconds are still with us, NTP does an utter mess in the vicinity of one. Once again, I wish to insulate myself from it. Although my rubber duckie will never act as an NTP client, i.e., will never ask another NTP server for the time, it *will* act as an NTP server itself, i.e., it will serve my UTR timescale to the public Internet. For as long as the leap seconds are still with us, UTR will agree with UTC except in the immediate vicinity of one. However, if and when the ITU/PHK bastards kill the leap second, the NTP timescale will fork. My NTP servers will serve UTR, linked to Earth's rotation just like the current leap-enabled UTC is. Don't know / don't care about NTP servers operated by muggles. I hope this clarifies a little better what I am after. MS ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time- nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] GPSDO for my rubber duckie
I don't get it. Does that mean that leap days are OK but leap seconds are unacceptable? Chris -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Mike S Sent: 02 August 2011 23:02 To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] GPSDO for my rubber duckie At 05:33 PM 8/2/2011, Chris Stake wrote... If you live your life on a timescale that is anchored to mean solar time, what happens on February 29th? Nothing. From the OP: I want MJD numbers instead of Gregorian dates, or GPS week numbers / day-of-week / time-of-day. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time- nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Determining Time-Nut infection severity.
Cheer up Guys, this may never happen. But is never a valid topic for discussion here? Chris -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Neville Michie Sent: 25 October 2010 01:43 To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Determining Time-Nut infection severity. One of the dangers of the TNI is that it can be caught from the equipment of the previous victim. No amount of sterilisation will have any effect. It is bizarre to see how eagerly otherwise healthy individuals will bid for the items that will have such a dire consequence. Over a period of time one good Caesium Unit could take out quite a few victims. cheers, Neville Michie ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time- nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Bulletin Board / Forum
Time after time Time and again Time Gentlemen Please Time Bolts and Thunder Nuts Nuts and reasons Spacetime: A waste of both. C :) -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Steve Rooke Sent: 25 August 2010 06:54 To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Bulletin Board / Forum On 25 August 2010 17:43, erniepe...@aol.com wrote: Stanley, how about the TIME-GURU name? Or how about:- time-sane time-slow time-not-so-nuts time-nuts-beginners time-nuts-non-exclusive time-nuts-not-bruce time-for-a-change time-stupid-questions or even:- time-nuts-excluded We are in danger of ending up with a TekScopes2 group here and do we really want to fork the group. Steve -- Steve Rooke - ZL3TUV G8KVD The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once. - Einstein ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time- nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II PCB group buy
One PCB for me too, please? Chris Stake -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Stanley Reynolds Sent: 03 July 2010 17:33 To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II PCB group buy No problem, I expect to have the boards 7/21, I will have plenty. Stanley - Original Message From: Al Digit l_di...@yahoo.com To: time-nuts@febo.com Sent: Fri, July 2, 2010 11:10:03 PM Subject: [time-nuts] PICTIC II PCB group buy Add me to the list. Thanks ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] yet another GPSDO design, or so
Ah, now I get the basic idea. I'll need to think about it for a while. Many thanks for the links. Chris Stake -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Bruce Griffiths Sent: 30 June 2010 09:08 To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] yet another GPSDO design, or so Here's a link to a pdf version of the synchronously filtered low ripple pwm dac: http://www.edn.com/contents/images/6553625.pdf Bruce Bruce Griffiths wrote: Chris All the details are in the article: http://www.edn.com/contents/images/6607197.pdf However it would be best to read the article posted by Bob Camp first: Bruce Chris Stake wrote: Hi Bruce, This sounds like a promising idea, please could you expand on the synchronous filter technique? I have seen some articles about how such filters can be used to clean up the data from rotating machinery for vibration analysis etc. but I don't follow how they can be used in a PWM application. Regards Chris Stake Its possible to build a 24 bit resolution D/A using a synchronously filtered PWM circuit. A pair of PWM outputs and a few relatively low precision resistors and capacitors together with a low noise low drift reference are required. The technique takes advantage of the fact that the required EFC voltage changes slowly and isnt updated at a highg rate. The synchronous filter technique eliminates the very long time constant RC filters required with an asynchronously filtered PWM waveform. Bruce ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] yet another GPSDO design, or so
Hi Bruce, This sounds like a promising idea, please could you expand on the synchronous filter technique? I have seen some articles about how such filters can be used to clean up the data from rotating machinery for vibration analysis etc. but I don't follow how they can be used in a PWM application. Regards Chris Stake Its possible to build a 24 bit resolution D/A using a synchronously filtered PWM circuit. A pair of PWM outputs and a few relatively low precision resistors and capacitors together with a low noise low drift reference are required. The technique takes advantage of the fact that the required EFC voltage changes slowly and isnt updated at a highg rate. The synchronous filter technique eliminates the very long time constant RC filters required with an asynchronously filtered PWM waveform. Bruce ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] EFC tracking
Here we go again C -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Poul-Henning Kamp Sent: 26 June 2010 21:06 To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] EFC tracking In message 4c265bb1.8090...@earthlink.net, jimlux writes: sound card ADCs, the high end 24 bit ones, are pretty darn linear [...] That is actually a very debatable proposition, a lot of them are tracking types that conveniently cover up any lack of linearity on the analog side of the fence. The major problem with using sound ADC's is that their references has absolutely no long term stability, so you will see your EFC wiggle and wander all over the place, even when it stays perfectly still. I would find one of those cheap-ish DVM's with a serial or USB port... -- Poul-Henning Kamp | UNIX since Zilog Zeus 3.20 p...@freebsd.org | TCP/IP since RFC 956 FreeBSD committer | BSD since 4.3-tahoe Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by incompetence. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Very unique clock
Yes, I wonder how it looks at 08:18 Chris -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Bob Camp Sent: 13 April 2010 12:06 To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Very unique clock Hi Very cool indeed. I wonder how he got all the colors right with normal LED's? - The next generation of the clock will have microscopically small markings in a slightly Asian looking font on it.. They will randomly come up backwards and upside down to encourage one to learn to read modern resistors without rotating the board :) Bob On Apr 13, 2010, at 12:41 AM, Joseph Gray wrote: http://hackaday.com/2010/01/15/know-your-resistors-tell-the-time/ I know I won't be the only one here who thinks this is very cool :-) Joe Gray KA5ZEC ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] 4 KV Power Supply Recommendations
What is the operating voltage of the magnetron in a domestic microwave oven? Although VERY HAZARDOUS, it might be possible to adapt the PSU from an old one? Chris Stake -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of John Miles Sent: 17 January 2010 22:34 To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] 4 KV Power Supply Recommendations True, which is unfortunate -- when I was shopping for mine, there were at least a half-dozen known-good HV modules selling at less than $100, coming from a couple of different vendors. You're right, though, in that you don't get above 1 mA without dropping more cash. The only 1 mA supply I have is a Glassman 15 mA model that was somewhat more expensive (and quite a bit more expensive by the time I bought the manual and cable from Glassman.) That's the supply I used to restore my 5062C tube earlier, with Corby's help. -- john, KE5FX -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com]on Behalf Of J. Forster Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 2:04 PM To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] 4 KV Power Supply Recommendations I just looked at eBay and most everything suitable is well over $200. -John The small Bertan modules in particular are extremely stable and well-behaved. You get exactly the voltage that you program, accurate to within about a tenth of a percent. No spikes, no drift, and no obnoxious AF whine like you get from the HP modules. The smaller ones are good for 500 uA, and the larger modules are good for 2-5 mA depending on model. -- john, KE5FX -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com]on Behalf Of J. Forster Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 8:00 AM To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] 4 KV Power Supply Recommendations The small modules are nice, but many PMT supplies do not go to 5 mA. 5 mA @ 4 KV is 20 Watts output, more at the input. That's a lot for a PMT supply. Also, remember that some supplies designed for gas lasers have a HV kick at startup that may go to 20-30 KV. -John == Since it appears to be making some progress, I'd be tempted to just continue. The pump rate of an ion pump varies with the current, so it seems you are pumping, just somewhat more slowly than w/ the external supply, as long as you are not overloading the internal supply. If you don't have a lab supply, get an old transformer from some vaccum tube gear and use the HV secondary to drive a Cockroft-Walton multiplier to get to what you want. Pretty trivial to build these days. Put the primary on a Variac to adjust the voltage. BTW, a commercial supply at that voltage and current is going to cost several hundred dollars. The nicer Glassman rack-mounted supplies are spendy, but smaller HV modules for PMT and laser work are common and inexpensive. Go to eBay and search for manufacturer supply, where common manufacturers include Emco, Bertan, Spellman, Fluke, and Glassman. E.g. item 220539685243 . These smaller modules tend to sell for well under $100, and are handy to have around. -- john, KE5FX ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Solartron 7081 ROMs
Yes, Low supply voltage and slow access time might succeed with those old EPROMS. Best of luck Chris Stake -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Peter Vince Sent: 29 April 2009 20:50 To: bro...@pacific.net; Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Solartron 7081 ROMs I'm sure there was a message on this group a month or two ago, where the bottom line was to read the EPROMs with a slightly lower than usual voltage. Peter Vince On Tue Apr 28 15:40 , Brooke Clarke bro...@pacific.net sent: Hi Dave: I've read that there are some tricks to coaxing the data from memory chips related to reading them under different conditions. It's a lot of work, but it's possible to disassemble the code. That would allow it to be repaired. Have Fun, Brooke Clarke http://www.prc68.com David C. Partridge wrote: This is a call to anyone who has a Solartron 7081 and has saved a copy of their ROMs (if you haven't you may end up in the same boat as I am - the one that's up the creek without a paddle). One of the ROMs on my earthy processor board has died. It would appear that the ROMs in this 7081 were updated to a high level of firmware at some stage in its life as the total ROM image size is greater than that of a set that was copied by Bill Ezell from his 7081 even though his meter has a higher serial number (461) than mine (180). The ICs in question and the CRC16 checksums (in hex) for my ROM set are: IC430 3238 IC415 C5C0 IC414 1260 IC413 B958 IC412 ED50 If you have saved your firmware ROM images, and the checksums for your ROMs match these, I would be immensely grateful if you could send me the image for IC414 (the middle one of the three). If as a result of reading this message you feel impelled to save your ROM images and find your checksums match these ... Obviously if I can't find a good image of that ROM, I'll just install the older firmware, but one never knows. Cheers, David Partridge ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Rubidium is good for you...
I suppose it could help to keep you regular? Chris Stake -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Bill Hawkins Sent: 17 April 2009 11:44 To: 'Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement' Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Rubidium is good for you... Magnus, Here I am, one hour past the time of minimum human activity (US Central Daylight Time), trying to use alcohol to kill a food poisoning from sushi, and you introduce the idea that I ought to be drinking Rubidium! Thank you for the welcome distraction. I understand that you don't recommend it, just pointing out the aberrance of others and all that, but now I wonder. . . I have a pretty good time sense, able to wake up just before the alarm goes off. How much could that sense be improved by drinking Rubidium? And how could I synchronize to social time? Then, how could I connect to Ethernet with SNTP to synchronize others? I never dreamed that my purpose in life could extend so far. Imagine many smileys. Bill Hawkins -Original Message- From: Magnus Danielson Sent: Friday, April 17, 2009 5:16 AM Fellow time-nuts, You find the strangest things when just surfing around ebay: Item number: 370158541330 Is it good for you??? Cheers, Magnus - not popping the lids... ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
[time-nuts] Homebrew GPSDO
Hi, I have purchased a Rockwell TU00-D200 series GPS receiver with the intention of making a cheap and cheerful GPSDO and learning about timing in general. I thought it would be similar to the Jupiter but it seems the connector pinout is not the same. I can't find any information about this model on the internet. Can anyone help with data? Regards Chris Stake ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Homebrew GPSDO
Hi Ernie, Yes it's from China, I tried to post pix but the files are too big and got rejected. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:ITite m=300302965075 Chris -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of erniepe...@aol.com Sent: 16 April 2009 21:22 To: time-nuts@febo.com Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Homebrew GPSDO Hi Chris, Did you get it from China? Can you make a picture from both side? Rgds Ernie. -Original Message- From: Chris Stake st...@btinternet.com To: time-nuts@febo.com Sent: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 6:17 pm Subject: [time-nuts] Homebrew GPSDO Hi, I have purchased a Rockwell TU00-D200 series GPS receiver with the intention of making a cheap and cheerful GPSDO and learning about timing in general. I thought it would be similar to the Jupiter but it seems the connector pinout is not the same. I can't find any information about this model on the internet. Can anyone help with data? Regards Chris Stake ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
