Re: [time-nuts] FE-30 OCXO
I had a Knights 10 MHz OCXO that I really liked for my ham stuff, partially because it was clean and stable, partially because it worked on 12 V making it great for mobile radio use. Quite a few years back I messed up and hooked up the battery supply backwards which killed it. I liked it enough that I opened it up, replaced a bunch of semiconductors and fixed it. The circuits had surface mount parts, so I guess it was late 80's or early 90's vintage. It was a standard large metal can format, about 2 x 2 x 4 inches, soldered together on the connector end. Trying to break the solder seal would have been a lot of work. I'm sure the solder flowed at least 1/8 inch down into the groove between the end piece and the can. I have a milling machine and I used it to cut a slot around the outside of the can. The deepest edge location of this cut was about 0.225 inch down from the end edge of the can. I can't remember exactly how I decided where to make this cut, I probably made a test cut in one spot. What I did was cut beyond the solder joint and just deep enough to go through the outside can, but there was still overlap between the inner end piece and the can so it was not too difficult to reassemble after fixing the electronics. I think I tack soldered the pieces back together and then sealed it with silicon. Finally I wrapped the outside with foil tape to electrically seal the slot. If I didn't have the milling machine and slotting saw, I think I would try my method with a dremel tool by hand before I would try to unsolder, either mechanically or with heat. For perspective, I had earlier tried to unsolder a smaller tcxo can. I used a propane torch with a gentile flame. By the time I got the solder melted and managed to separate the two halves, I had also desoldered a number of random devices from the internal circuit board. Unsoldering a can without overheating the contents is not easy. So, one more approach for your project. Joseph Gray wrote: That's a good idea. I just spent the better part of the past hour trying it. So far, I have made a nice pile of solder shavings and have cramped my hand. I haven't succeeded in opening the OCXO, however. The base fits very snug into the can, so there isn't much more I can dig out. I'll make another attempt tomorrow, after my hand recovers. Joe On Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 8:46 PM, Ed Palmer ed_pal...@sasktel.net wrote: I recently had good luck opening up a soldered oscillator with a utility knife. Rather than use the sharp edge, I used the back edge of the blade. That way, instead of trying to push the solder aside, the blade actually digs it out of the crack - sort of the way a cutter works in a metal lathe. Of course, great care is required to ensure that you don't amputate something! Ed __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 4661 (20091204) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.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.
Re: [time-nuts] FE-30 OCXO
I have opened quite a few soldered cans using a torch. Max heat for a very short time did the trick. Any exposed connectors have to be protected. I use Alum. foil. I have never had any sign of heat on the internal guts. Bert Kehren Miami In a message dated 12/5/2009 6:06:56 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, r...@sonic.net writes: I had a Knights 10 MHz OCXO that I really liked for my ham stuff, partially because it was clean and stable, partially because it worked on 12 V making it great for mobile radio use. Quite a few years back I messed up and hooked up the battery supply backwards which killed it. I liked it enough that I opened it up, replaced a bunch of semiconductors and fixed it. The circuits had surface mount parts, so I guess it was late 80's or early 90's vintage. It was a standard large metal can format, about 2 x 2 x 4 inches, soldered together on the connector end. Trying to break the solder seal would have been a lot of work. I'm sure the solder flowed at least 1/8 inch down into the groove between the end piece and the can. I have a milling machine and I used it to cut a slot around the outside of the can. The deepest edge location of this cut was about 0.225 inch down from the end edge of the can. I can't remember exactly how I decided where to make this cut, I probably made a test cut in one spot. What I did was cut beyond the solder joint and just deep enough to go through the outside can, but there was still overlap between the inner end piece and the can so it was not too difficult to reassemble after fixing the electronics. I think I tack soldered the pieces back together and then sealed it with silicon. Finally I wrapped the outside with foil tape to electrically seal the slot. If I didn't have the milling machine and slotting saw, I think I would try my method with a dremel tool by hand before I would try to unsolder, either mechanically or with heat. For perspective, I had earlier tried to unsolder a smaller tcxo can. I used a propane torch with a gentile flame. By the time I got the solder melted and managed to separate the two halves, I had also desoldered a number of random devices from the internal circuit board. Unsoldering a can without overheating the contents is not easy. So, one more approach for your project. Joseph Gray wrote: That's a good idea. I just spent the better part of the past hour trying it. So far, I have made a nice pile of solder shavings and have cramped my hand. I haven't succeeded in opening the OCXO, however. The base fits very snug into the can, so there isn't much more I can dig out. I'll make another attempt tomorrow, after my hand recovers. Joe On Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 8:46 PM, Ed Palmer ed_pal...@sasktel.net wrote: I recently had good luck opening up a soldered oscillator with a utility knife. Rather than use the sharp edge, I used the back edge of the blade. That way, instead of trying to push the solder aside, the blade actually digs it out of the crack - sort of the way a cutter works in a metal lathe. Of course, great care is required to ensure that you don't amputate something! Ed __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 4661 (20091204) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.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.
Re: [time-nuts] FE-30 OCXO
I have done the same. It's easy! First, you have to find a way to hold the can that doesn't pull all the heat away from the joint. For long cans, you simply clamp the far end in a vise. For smaller cans, you might have to find another way. The next step is to attach a handle to the removable lid that will allow you to pull the lid in an even pressured way without worrying about burning yourself. Pliers can sometimes work, but it is much a much harder way than simply bolting a strap of steel to the mounting screws. Then the final step is to use a very hot propane torch, and quickly heat the can's overlapping joint. -Chuck Harris ewkeh...@aol.com wrote: I have opened quite a few soldered cans using a torch. Max heat for a very short time did the trick. Any exposed connectors have to be protected. I use Alum. foil. I have never had any sign of heat on the internal guts. Bert Kehren Miami In a message dated 12/5/2009 6:06:56 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, r...@sonic.net writes: I had a Knights 10 MHz OCXO that I really liked for my ham stuff, partially because it was clean and stable, partially because it worked on 12 V making it great for mobile radio use. Quite a few years back I messed up and hooked up the battery supply backwards which killed it. I liked it enough that I opened it up, replaced a bunch of semiconductors and fixed it. The circuits had surface mount parts, so I guess it was late 80's or early 90's vintage. It was a standard large metal can format, about 2 x 2 x 4 inches, soldered together on the connector end. Trying to break the solder seal would have been a lot of work. I'm sure the solder flowed at least 1/8 inch down into the groove between the end piece and the can. I have a milling machine and I used it to cut a slot around the outside of the can. The deepest edge location of this cut was about 0.225 inch down from the end edge of the can. I can't remember exactly how I decided where to make this cut, I probably made a test cut in one spot. What I did was cut beyond the solder joint and just deep enough to go through the outside can, but there was still overlap between the inner end piece and the can so it was not too difficult to reassemble after fixing the electronics. I think I tack soldered the pieces back together and then sealed it with silicon. Finally I wrapped the outside with foil tape to electrically seal the slot. If I didn't have the milling machine and slotting saw, I think I would try my method with a dremel tool by hand before I would try to unsolder, either mechanically or with heat. For perspective, I had earlier tried to unsolder a smaller tcxo can. I used a propane torch with a gentile flame. By the time I got the solder melted and managed to separate the two halves, I had also desoldered a number of random devices from the internal circuit board. Unsoldering a can without overheating the contents is not easy. So, one more approach for your project. Joseph Gray wrote: That's a good idea. I just spent the better part of the past hour trying it. So far, I have made a nice pile of solder shavings and have cramped my hand. I haven't succeeded in opening the OCXO, however. The base fits very snug into the can, so there isn't much more I can dig out. I'll make another attempt tomorrow, after my hand recovers. Joe On Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 8:46 PM, Ed Palmer ed_pal...@sasktel.net wrote: I recently had good luck opening up a soldered oscillator with a utility knife. Rather than use the sharp edge, I used the back edge of the blade. That way, instead of trying to push the solder aside, the blade actually digs it out of the crack - sort of the way a cutter works in a metal lathe. Of course, great care is required to ensure that you don't amputate something! Ed __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 4661 (20091204) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.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. ___ 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-30 OCXO
On 12/4/09 7:31 PM, Bob Camp li...@cq.nu wrote: Hi A little more background on FEI. For quite a while they were a major supplier to the high end of the military and space end of the oscillator business. A lot of their work was on classified projects. They branched out into the atomic clock business and also into the sub system business. Nothing they did was ever going to sell on the cheap. Eventually this got them in hot water with the US government. The settlement of the case effectively barred them from competing on DOD projects. As a result they turned more to the telecom and commercial end of the business. FEI is also a supplier of oscillators for deep space transponders and space instruments. I think that the Seawinds instrument on QuikScat used a FEI 28MHz STALO (even though launched in 1999, it was a modified version of GFO ( Geosat Follow On), which I believe was an 80s design) ___ 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-30 OCXO
Hi Simple answer - yes. More details: The oven and oscillator supplies are split so you can regulate them independently. Since there is very little current change (and very little current) on the oscillator line you can regulate it pretty tightly. The oven monitor reports the current being pulled by the oven heater. There's no need to terminate it. The two likely options are either a TTL signal indicating it's gotten to a warm condition or a linear voltage tracking the current. Watch it with a DVM when you put power on the oven supply. Bob On Dec 4, 2009, at 12:10 AM, Joseph Gray wrote: I came across a rather large OCXO from Frequency Electronics. The model number is: FE-30-OPC-2F. The frequency is: 10.763889MC. The pinout for the octal plug on the base is also labeled as follows: 1: +28VDC 2: Oven Monitor 3: Oven Ret. 4: Spare 5: Spare 6: Osc. Ret. 7: +28VDC Osc. 8: Spare I have a few questions. Can pins 1 and 7 be tied together to the same 28VDC supply? If so, then I assume pins 3 and 6 can also be tied together? I assume that pin 2 is simply some output voltage, proportional to the oven temperature? Is it safe to just apply power and let it run without using pin 2? Once I know how to power this thing without blowing it up, I'll hook it up to a scope and take a look at both pin 2 and the oscillator output on the BNC. In case anyone is interested, here are the dimensions, not counting the octal plug and BNC: 5 high x 3 x 3. There is a Frequency Adjustment screw on the top. I did a Google search, but didn't turn up any information on this unit. I was rather surprised, considering the name Frequency Electronics. Does anyone know the history of these things? One last question. The can is soldered at the base. Is is possible to unsolder it and replace the crystal without destroying things? 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.
Re: [time-nuts] FE-30 OCXO
Thanks for the answer. Any idea what these things were used in? I can't seem to find any information on the net. Joe Gray KA5ZEC On Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 5:27 AM, Bob Camp li...@cq.nu wrote: Hi Simple answer - yes. More details: The oven and oscillator supplies are split so you can regulate them independently. Since there is very little current change (and very little current) on the oscillator line you can regulate it pretty tightly. The oven monitor reports the current being pulled by the oven heater. There's no need to terminate it. The two likely options are either a TTL signal indicating it's gotten to a warm condition or a linear voltage tracking the current. Watch it with a DVM when you put power on the oven supply. Bob On Dec 4, 2009, at 12:10 AM, Joseph Gray wrote: I came across a rather large OCXO from Frequency Electronics. The model number is: FE-30-OPC-2F. The frequency is: 10.763889MC. The pinout for the octal plug on the base is also labeled as follows: 1: +28VDC 2: Oven Monitor 3: Oven Ret. 4: Spare 5: Spare 6: Osc. Ret. 7: +28VDC Osc. 8: Spare I have a few questions. Can pins 1 and 7 be tied together to the same 28VDC supply? If so, then I assume pins 3 and 6 can also be tied together? I assume that pin 2 is simply some output voltage, proportional to the oven temperature? Is it safe to just apply power and let it run without using pin 2? Once I know how to power this thing without blowing it up, I'll hook it up to a scope and take a look at both pin 2 and the oscillator output on the BNC. In case anyone is interested, here are the dimensions, not counting the octal plug and BNC: 5 high x 3 x 3. There is a Frequency Adjustment screw on the top. I did a Google search, but didn't turn up any information on this unit. I was rather surprised, considering the name Frequency Electronics. Does anyone know the history of these things? One last question. The can is soldered at the base. Is is possible to unsolder it and replace the crystal without destroying things? 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] FE-30 OCXO
Hi Best guess would be a system that needed to be 8 Hz off of 775 MHz after multiplication Bob On Dec 4, 2009, at 6:47 PM, Joseph Gray wrote: Thanks for the answer. Any idea what these things were used in? I can't seem to find any information on the net. Joe Gray KA5ZEC On Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 5:27 AM, Bob Camp li...@cq.nu wrote: Hi Simple answer - yes. More details: The oven and oscillator supplies are split so you can regulate them independently. Since there is very little current change (and very little current) on the oscillator line you can regulate it pretty tightly. The oven monitor reports the current being pulled by the oven heater. There's no need to terminate it. The two likely options are either a TTL signal indicating it's gotten to a warm condition or a linear voltage tracking the current. Watch it with a DVM when you put power on the oven supply. Bob On Dec 4, 2009, at 12:10 AM, Joseph Gray wrote: I came across a rather large OCXO from Frequency Electronics. The model number is: FE-30-OPC-2F. The frequency is: 10.763889MC. The pinout for the octal plug on the base is also labeled as follows: 1: +28VDC 2: Oven Monitor 3: Oven Ret. 4: Spare 5: Spare 6: Osc. Ret. 7: +28VDC Osc. 8: Spare I have a few questions. Can pins 1 and 7 be tied together to the same 28VDC supply? If so, then I assume pins 3 and 6 can also be tied together? I assume that pin 2 is simply some output voltage, proportional to the oven temperature? Is it safe to just apply power and let it run without using pin 2? Once I know how to power this thing without blowing it up, I'll hook it up to a scope and take a look at both pin 2 and the oscillator output on the BNC. In case anyone is interested, here are the dimensions, not counting the octal plug and BNC: 5 high x 3 x 3. There is a Frequency Adjustment screw on the top. I did a Google search, but didn't turn up any information on this unit. I was rather surprised, considering the name Frequency Electronics. Does anyone know the history of these things? One last question. The can is soldered at the base. Is is possible to unsolder it and replace the crystal without destroying things? 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. ___ 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-30 OCXO
Well, I wasn't thinking that specific :-) I was just curious about this line of OCXO's. They are rather large by today's standards. I find it curious that I don't find any info or history on this type of OCXO, being it is made by FEI. You'd think their web site would have some history. The other point I was wondering about is the possiblity of unsoldering the base without destroying the OCXO. The can looks to be stainless steel and I imagine it would take a bit of heat to unsolder it. Although I appreciate Bob's replies, does anyone else care to add anything? Joe Gray KA5ZEC On Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 6:00 PM, Bob Camp li...@cq.nu wrote: Hi Best guess would be a system that needed to be 8 Hz off of 775 MHz after multiplication Bob On Dec 4, 2009, at 6:47 PM, Joseph Gray wrote: Thanks for the answer. Any idea what these things were used in? I can't seem to find any information on the net. Joe Gray KA5ZEC On Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 5:27 AM, Bob Camp li...@cq.nu wrote: Hi Simple answer - yes. More details: The oven and oscillator supplies are split so you can regulate them independently. Since there is very little current change (and very little current) on the oscillator line you can regulate it pretty tightly. The oven monitor reports the current being pulled by the oven heater. There's no need to terminate it. The two likely options are either a TTL signal indicating it's gotten to a warm condition or a linear voltage tracking the current. Watch it with a DVM when you put power on the oven supply. Bob On Dec 4, 2009, at 12:10 AM, Joseph Gray wrote: I came across a rather large OCXO from Frequency Electronics. The model number is: FE-30-OPC-2F. The frequency is: 10.763889MC. The pinout for the octal plug on the base is also labeled as follows: 1: +28VDC 2: Oven Monitor 3: Oven Ret. 4: Spare 5: Spare 6: Osc. Ret. 7: +28VDC Osc. 8: Spare I have a few questions. Can pins 1 and 7 be tied together to the same 28VDC supply? If so, then I assume pins 3 and 6 can also be tied together? I assume that pin 2 is simply some output voltage, proportional to the oven temperature? Is it safe to just apply power and let it run without using pin 2? Once I know how to power this thing without blowing it up, I'll hook it up to a scope and take a look at both pin 2 and the oscillator output on the BNC. In case anyone is interested, here are the dimensions, not counting the octal plug and BNC: 5 high x 3 x 3. There is a Frequency Adjustment screw on the top. I did a Google search, but didn't turn up any information on this unit. I was rather surprised, considering the name Frequency Electronics. Does anyone know the history of these things? One last question. The can is soldered at the base. Is is possible to unsolder it and replace the crystal without destroying things? 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. ___ 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-30 OCXO
Joseph Gray wrote: I find it curious that I don't find any info or history on this type of OCXO, being it is made by FEI. You'd think their web site would have some history. I don't have any direct knowledge or access, but in my opinion... I think a large portion of FEI's business has always been government or other private contracts. Your experience of finding little useful information on an FEI product matches mine. I have a 5 MHz source made for the US Navy. I had zero luck attempting to get any information or response directly from FEI. Eventually I was able to find some links that gave me a military specification number that seemed related and found declassified specification documents that gave me most of what I was looking for. I also have an FEI rubidium source from the communications industry (cell phone site equipment). The FEI pages document these with specifications, but it seems they made many flavors with many custom options. In my case, the rubidium I obtained had many differences from the common forms that were documented online. So unless you can, in some way, stumble on what this OCXO was used for, and you get lucky, your difficulty in finding information seems quite normal to me. __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 4661 (20091204) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.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.
Re: [time-nuts] FE-30 OCXO
Hi A little more background on FEI. For quite a while they were a major supplier to the high end of the military and space end of the oscillator business. A lot of their work was on classified projects. They branched out into the atomic clock business and also into the sub system business. Nothing they did was ever going to sell on the cheap. Eventually this got them in hot water with the US government. The settlement of the case effectively barred them from competing on DOD projects. As a result they turned more to the telecom and commercial end of the business. The case design you describe would have been very typical for a double oven back in the 1980's. The Vectron CO-246 series is one example of a similar part. Your part, or at least it's design likely dates to that era. Bob On Dec 4, 2009, at 10:15 PM, Rex wrote: Joseph Gray wrote: I find it curious that I don't find any info or history on this type of OCXO, being it is made by FEI. You'd think their web site would have some history. I don't have any direct knowledge or access, but in my opinion... I think a large portion of FEI's business has always been government or other private contracts. Your experience of finding little useful information on an FEI product matches mine. I have a 5 MHz source made for the US Navy. I had zero luck attempting to get any information or response directly from FEI. Eventually I was able to find some links that gave me a military specification number that seemed related and found declassified specification documents that gave me most of what I was looking for. I also have an FEI rubidium source from the communications industry (cell phone site equipment). The FEI pages document these with specifications, but it seems they made many flavors with many custom options. In my case, the rubidium I obtained had many differences from the common forms that were documented online. So unless you can, in some way, stumble on what this OCXO was used for, and you get lucky, your difficulty in finding information seems quite normal to me. __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 4661 (20091204) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.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.
Re: [time-nuts] FE-30 OCXO
I recently had good luck opening up a soldered oscillator with a utility knife. Rather than use the sharp edge, I used the back edge of the blade. That way, instead of trying to push the solder aside, the blade actually digs it out of the crack - sort of the way a cutter works in a metal lathe. Of course, great care is required to ensure that you don't amputate something! Ed Joseph Gray wrote: Well, I wasn't thinking that specific :-) I was just curious about this line of OCXO's. They are rather large by today's standards. I find it curious that I don't find any info or history on this type of OCXO, being it is made by FEI. You'd think their web site would have some history. The other point I was wondering about is the possiblity of unsoldering the base without destroying the OCXO. The can looks to be stainless steel and I imagine it would take a bit of heat to unsolder it. Although I appreciate Bob's replies, does anyone else care to add anything? Joe Gray KA5ZEC On Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 6:00 PM, Bob Camp li...@cq.nu wrote: Hi Best guess would be a system that needed to be 8 Hz off of 775 MHz after multiplication Bob On Dec 4, 2009, at 6:47 PM, Joseph Gray wrote: Thanks for the answer. Any idea what these things were used in? I can't seem to find any information on the net. Joe Gray KA5ZEC On Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 5:27 AM, Bob Camp li...@cq.nu wrote: Hi Simple answer - yes. More details: The oven and oscillator supplies are split so you can regulate them independently. Since there is very little current change (and very little current) on the oscillator line you can regulate it pretty tightly. The oven monitor reports the current being pulled by the oven heater. There's no need to terminate it. The two likely options are either a TTL signal indicating it's gotten to a warm condition or a linear voltage tracking the current. Watch it with a DVM when you put power on the oven supply. Bob On Dec 4, 2009, at 12:10 AM, Joseph Gray wrote: I came across a rather large OCXO from Frequency Electronics. The model number is: FE-30-OPC-2F. The frequency is: 10.763889MC. The pinout for the octal plug on the base is also labeled as follows: 1: +28VDC 2: Oven Monitor 3: Oven Ret. 4: Spare 5: Spare 6: Osc. Ret. 7: +28VDC Osc. 8: Spare I have a few questions. Can pins 1 and 7 be tied together to the same 28VDC supply? If so, then I assume pins 3 and 6 can also be tied together? I assume that pin 2 is simply some output voltage, proportional to the oven temperature? Is it safe to just apply power and let it run without using pin 2? Once I know how to power this thing without blowing it up, I'll hook it up to a scope and take a look at both pin 2 and the oscillator output on the BNC. In case anyone is interested, here are the dimensions, not counting the octal plug and BNC: 5 high x 3 x 3. There is a Frequency Adjustment screw on the top. I did a Google search, but didn't turn up any information on this unit. I was rather surprised, considering the name Frequency Electronics. Does anyone know the history of these things? One last question. The can is soldered at the base. Is is possible to unsolder it and replace the crystal without destroying things? 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. ___ 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] FE-30 OCXO
That's a good idea. I just spent the better part of the past hour trying it. So far, I have made a nice pile of solder shavings and have cramped my hand. I haven't succeeded in opening the OCXO, however. The base fits very snug into the can, so there isn't much more I can dig out. I'll make another attempt tomorrow, after my hand recovers. Joe On Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 8:46 PM, Ed Palmer ed_pal...@sasktel.net wrote: I recently had good luck opening up a soldered oscillator with a utility knife. Rather than use the sharp edge, I used the back edge of the blade. That way, instead of trying to push the solder aside, the blade actually digs it out of the crack - sort of the way a cutter works in a metal lathe. Of course, great care is required to ensure that you don't amputate something! Ed ___ 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] FE-30 OCXO
I came across a rather large OCXO from Frequency Electronics. The model number is: FE-30-OPC-2F. The frequency is: 10.763889MC. The pinout for the octal plug on the base is also labeled as follows: 1: +28VDC 2: Oven Monitor 3: Oven Ret. 4: Spare 5: Spare 6: Osc. Ret. 7: +28VDC Osc. 8: Spare I have a few questions. Can pins 1 and 7 be tied together to the same 28VDC supply? If so, then I assume pins 3 and 6 can also be tied together? I assume that pin 2 is simply some output voltage, proportional to the oven temperature? Is it safe to just apply power and let it run without using pin 2? Once I know how to power this thing without blowing it up, I'll hook it up to a scope and take a look at both pin 2 and the oscillator output on the BNC. In case anyone is interested, here are the dimensions, not counting the octal plug and BNC: 5 high x 3 x 3. There is a Frequency Adjustment screw on the top. I did a Google search, but didn't turn up any information on this unit. I was rather surprised, considering the name Frequency Electronics. Does anyone know the history of these things? One last question. The can is soldered at the base. Is is possible to unsolder it and replace the crystal without destroying things? 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.
