Re: [time-nuts] New Timestamping / Time Interval Counter: the TICC

[Li Ang]

Great job.

I am doing a similar project too.
I've just sent gerber/pos/bom files to the PCB company.  3 tdc7200s are 
used on my board to support the 3-corner-hat measurement. 

Regards
Li Ang

---Original---
From: "John Ackermann N8UR"
Date: 2016/11/25 22:57:33
To: "Discussion of precise time and frequency 
measurement";"David";
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] New Timestamping / Time Interval Counter: the TICC


Hi Dave --

I should clarify -- this UI is just a character-based menu system using 
a dumb terminal program.  The code is implemented within the Arduino.

It's written in the somewhat nonstandard C/C++ used by the Arduino IDE. 
  This morning I'm going to add a "TODO-UI" file to the git repository 
explaining what the menu system needs to do.

TimeLab is able to read the data stream and plot results in real-time, 
so there's no urgent need for software on the host end.  But I do need 
to allow the user to set a number of configuration parameters without 
having to recompile the code, so that's the urgent goal.

Thanks!
John

On 11/25/2016 03:26 AM, David wrote:
> John,
>
>In what language is the GUI written?  I might be able to help on
> that, or other parts of the software, if someone else hasn't yet
> volunteered.
>
> Dave, WA8YWQ
>
> On 2016-11-24 06:43, John Ackermann N8UR wrote:
>
>> Hi Anders --
>>
>> Thanks, and thanks for the info on the 53230A.  I have not used one of
>> those myself but the data sheet lists 20ps single-shot.
>>
>> Also I should note that the TICC does not compete with counters like
>> the 53230A for high speed measurement, or frequency counting.  It does
>> far fewer measurements per second than the high-end counters -- my
>> design criteria was for use in PPS measuring system.
>>
>> With the current software, the actual measurement processing time is
>> about 1 millisecond; we may be able to optimize a hundred or two
>> microseconds from that as the code currently has more 64 bit
>> operations than are necessary, and there are other things that can
>> surely be tweaked.
>>
>> The killer is the serial output via USB.  It can take up to 10 ms to
>> output 20 characters, and that's what really limits the measurement
>> rate.  I'm pretty sure this can be improved (one idea is to buffer
>> results to reduce USB packetization delays), but there's other
>> functionality that I need to finish first.
>>
>> BTW -- the software is open source and on github at
>> https://github.com/TAPR/TICC , so I welcome anyone who wants to work
>> on it.  Bug fixes are gladly accepted, and if you're looking for work
>> to do, I could use a volunteer to work on a couple of areas, most
>> critically finishing a UI that will allow the user to set operating
>> parameters.
>>
>> John
>> 
>> On 11/24/2016 02:40 AM, Anders Wallin wrote:
>>> Nice work!
>>> On the website in the introduction you mention 22ps single-shot
>>> time-stamping on the 5370A/B.
>>> I think it's well established that the 53230A does about 11-12 ps for
>>> time-intervals, which corresponds to about 9 ps single-channel. see for
>>> example:
>>> http://www.anderswallin.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/53230A_PPS_skew.png
>>>
>>> Anders
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wed, Nov 23, 2016 at 11:13 PM, Peter Vince >> >
>>> wrote:
>>>
 Fantastic John - well done!  Yes, I'll definitely put an order in as soon
 as possible.

   Regards,

   Peter  (G8ZZR, London)
 ___
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 mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
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>>> ___
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>>>
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Re: [time-nuts] New Timestamping / Time Interval Counter: the TICC

[John Ackermann N8UR]

Hi Dave --

I should clarify -- this UI is just a character-based menu system using 
a dumb terminal program.  The code is implemented within the Arduino.


It's written in the somewhat nonstandard C/C++ used by the Arduino IDE. 
 This morning I'm going to add a "TODO-UI" file to the git repository 
explaining what the menu system needs to do.


TimeLab is able to read the data stream and plot results in real-time, 
so there's no urgent need for software on the host end.  But I do need 
to allow the user to set a number of configuration parameters without 
having to recompile the code, so that's the urgent goal.


Thanks!
John

On 11/25/2016 03:26 AM, David wrote:

John,

   In what language is the GUI written?  I might be able to help on
that, or other parts of the software, if someone else hasn't yet
volunteered.

Dave, WA8YWQ

On 2016-11-24 06:43, John Ackermann N8UR wrote:


Hi Anders --

Thanks, and thanks for the info on the 53230A.  I have not used one of
those myself but the data sheet lists 20ps single-shot.

Also I should note that the TICC does not compete with counters like
the 53230A for high speed measurement, or frequency counting.  It does
far fewer measurements per second than the high-end counters -- my
design criteria was for use in PPS measuring system.

With the current software, the actual measurement processing time is
about 1 millisecond; we may be able to optimize a hundred or two
microseconds from that as the code currently has more 64 bit
operations than are necessary, and there are other things that can
surely be tweaked.

The killer is the serial output via USB.  It can take up to 10 ms to
output 20 characters, and that's what really limits the measurement
rate.  I'm pretty sure this can be improved (one idea is to buffer
results to reduce USB packetization delays), but there's other
functionality that I need to finish first.

BTW -- the software is open source and on github at
https://github.com/TAPR/TICC , so I welcome anyone who wants to work
on it.  Bug fixes are gladly accepted, and if you're looking for work
to do, I could use a volunteer to work on a couple of areas, most
critically finishing a UI that will allow the user to set operating
parameters.

John

On 11/24/2016 02:40 AM, Anders Wallin wrote:

Nice work!
On the website in the introduction you mention 22ps single-shot
time-stamping on the 5370A/B.
I think it's well established that the 53230A does about 11-12 ps for
time-intervals, which corresponds to about 9 ps single-channel. see for
example:
http://www.anderswallin.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/53230A_PPS_skew.png

Anders


On Wed, Nov 23, 2016 at 11:13 PM, Peter Vince >
wrote:


Fantastic John - well done!  Yes, I'll definitely put an order in as soon
as possible.

  Regards,

  Peter  (G8ZZR, London)
___
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Re: [time-nuts] New Timestamping / Time Interval Counter: the TICC

[David]

John, 

  In what language is the GUI written?  I might be able to help on that,
or other parts of the software, if someone else hasn't yet volunteered. 

Dave, WA8YWQ 

On 2016-11-24 06:43, John Ackermann N8UR wrote:

> Hi Anders --
> 
> Thanks, and thanks for the info on the 53230A.  I have not used one of those 
> myself but the data sheet lists 20ps single-shot.
> 
> Also I should note that the TICC does not compete with counters like the 
> 53230A for high speed measurement, or frequency counting.  It does far fewer 
> measurements per second than the high-end counters -- my design criteria was 
> for use in PPS measuring system.
> 
> With the current software, the actual measurement processing time is about 1 
> millisecond; we may be able to optimize a hundred or two microseconds from 
> that as the code currently has more 64 bit operations than are necessary, and 
> there are other things that can surely be tweaked.
> 
> The killer is the serial output via USB.  It can take up to 10 ms to output 
> 20 characters, and that's what really limits the measurement rate.  I'm 
> pretty sure this can be improved (one idea is to buffer results to reduce USB 
> packetization delays), but there's other functionality that I need to finish 
> first.
> 
> BTW -- the software is open source and on github at 
> https://github.com/TAPR/TICC , so I welcome anyone who wants to work on it.  
> Bug fixes are gladly accepted, and if you're looking for work to do, I could 
> use a volunteer to work on a couple of areas, most critically finishing a UI 
> that will allow the user to set operating parameters.
> 
> John
> 
> On 11/24/2016 02:40 AM, Anders Wallin wrote: Nice work!
> On the website in the introduction you mention 22ps single-shot
> time-stamping on the 5370A/B.
> I think it's well established that the 53230A does about 11-12 ps for
> time-intervals, which corresponds to about 9 ps single-channel. see for
> example:
> http://www.anderswallin.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/53230A_PPS_skew.png
> 
> Anders
> 
> On Wed, Nov 23, 2016 at 11:13 PM, Peter Vince 
> wrote:
> 
> Fantastic John - well done!  Yes, I'll definitely put an order in as soon
> as possible.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Peter  (G8ZZR, London)
> ___
> 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.
> 
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> and follow the instructions there.
 ___
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