Hi By their nature, rubidium's run hot. Hot parts have shorter lives than they would at a lower temperature. Figure on a 5 year life after you get them and be happy when they last for 10 years. If really need to be *sure* you have a standard that's good for 10 years, buy three and put two in storage. You will spend more on the power supply, the heat sink (they do require a heat sink), the box, and the distribution amp than on the three rubidiums.
Bob -----Original Message----- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of beale Sent: Monday, November 14, 2011 5:25 PM To: time-nuts@febo.com Subject: [time-nuts] FE-5680A Rb lamp subject to wearout? I've decided I can't pass up a rubidium standard at this price, having seen the reports here that the units work. Just one question: it was my impression that the rubidium in such a device gets somehow used up over time. Can anyone hazard a guess as to how long this might keep running? The FE-5680A data sheet at http://www.freqelec.com/pdf/rfs_12pg.pdf seems to be silent on the subject of wearout. Should I expect that this sort of repair procedure will soon be necessary? http://www.ko4bb.com/Manuals/05%29_GPS_Timing/Efratom/Efratom_FRS_Lamp_assem bly_repair.pdf _______________________________________________ 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.