Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-28 Thread MailLists
There was also the short lived XPLA2 PZ/XCR3320,3960 (Ph/X) SRAM CPLD family, which had to be configured from an external memory... just another exception which confirms the rule. ftp://ftp.xilinx.com/pub/coolpld/isp/960_conf.pdf The even older intel FLEXlogic, bought by Altera, and rebranded

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-28 Thread shalimr9
precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made? On 4/28/12 12:10 PM, shali...@gmail.com wrote: > I have not studied CPLDs but Actel has the only true Flash based FPGAs. The > flash cells directly control the FPGA fabric. As such, they are mostly

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-28 Thread Jim Lux
On 4/28/12 12:10 PM, shali...@gmail.com wrote: I have not studied CPLDs but Actel has the only true Flash based FPGAs. The flash cells directly control the FPGA fabric. As such, they are mostly immune to Single Event Upset that plagues just about any other FPGA technology, and there is no conf

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-28 Thread Bruce Griffiths
Yes, I should have been more specific. The details about the state machine clock behaviour aren't on the datasheet and were obtained by asking Xilinx. The reason for using CMOS RAM to controll the CPLD interconnections is to reduce the static power consumption well below that possible when usin

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-28 Thread shalimr9
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made? FPGA with internal flash memory to boot from, yes, but I think that small CPLD haven't to boot anything: they should have the interconnection array associated with the EEPROM cell array. On Fri, Apr 27, 2012 at 11:52 PM, David wrote:

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-28 Thread MailLists
I guess you wanted to refer to the old XPLA PZ3k/5k CoolRunner series bought from Philips, renamed XCR3k/5k, and later enhanced to XPLA3/XCR3kXL, not the "antique" FPGA family XC3k... (C)PLDs don't need an external memory for configuration storing, it's internal. There are also some Lattice, ACT

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-28 Thread Azelio Boriani
>>configuration is loaded from EEPROM to RAM on power up<< For every kind of logic? Even for the simplest XC3000 series (and the Altera equivalent EPM3000 series) small EEPROM CPLD? On Sat, Apr 28, 2012 at 9:04 AM, cfo wrote: > On Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:03:20 -0700, Jerry Mulchin wrote: > > > You m

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-28 Thread cfo
On Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:03:20 -0700, Jerry Mulchin wrote: > You might want to take a look at the Atmel XMEGA parts. Far more > capabilities than the ATMega parts. > Watch out . If using an Xmega make sure to select the "U" ... Usb ones. Most of the non U parts have an errata list longer than

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread Bruce Griffiths
Not true, the configuration is loaded from EEPROM to RAM on power up. Bruce Azelio Boriani wrote: By "preload" I think you mean the configuration step of the logic. It seems that the Xilinx one stops the clock after the configuration is done. Anyway using small EEPROM based CPLDs you have no c

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread EWKehren
correct Bert Kehren In a message dated 4/27/2012 6:58:32 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, azelio.bori...@screen.it writes: FPGA with internal flash memory to boot from, yes, but I think that small CPLD haven't to boot anything: they should have the interconnection array associated with the E

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread Chris Albertson
It uses a 100% standard avr-gcc toolchain as "backend" , and just creates >> the commandline call for using that. >> So avr-gcc , avr-as , avr-ar , avr-objcopy etc. are used "behind the >> curtains". >> > > Fascinating.. > > Are avr-* also java? Or are there just binary versions that run on all >

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread Azelio Boriani
FPGA with internal flash memory to boot from, yes, but I think that small CPLD haven't to boot anything: they should have the interconnection array associated with the EEPROM cell array. On Fri, Apr 27, 2012 at 11:52 PM, David wrote: > On Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:13:55 +0200, Azelio Boriani > wrote:

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread David
On Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:13:55 +0200, Azelio Boriani wrote: >By "preload" I think you mean the configuration step of the logic. It seems >that the Xilinx one stops the clock after the configuration is done. Anyway >using small EEPROM based CPLDs you have no clock at all: there is no >configuration

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread David
On Sat, 28 Apr 2012 08:01:43 +1200, Bruce Griffiths wrote: >The Wilkinson TDC (dual slope) has been successfully used for decades in >nuclear instrumentation. >One problem is in switching the discharge current on and off >sufficiently quickly. >This can be largely circumvented by having it on a

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread Azelio Boriani
By "preload" I think you mean the configuration step of the logic. It seems that the Xilinx one stops the clock after the configuration is done. Anyway using small EEPROM based CPLDs you have no clock at all: there is no configuration to load. On Fri, Apr 27, 2012 at 10:01 PM, Bruce Griffiths < br

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread Bruce Griffiths
The Wilkinson TDC (dual slope) has been successfully used for decades in nuclear instrumentation. One problem is in switching the discharge current on and off sufficiently quickly. This can be largely circumvented by having it on all the time. One drawback is the slow conversion speed (100us for

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread Jerry Mulchin
You might want to take a look at the Atmel XMEGA parts. Far more capabilities than the ATMega parts. Brief description: • Atmel AVR CPU - Clock speed to 32MHz • Memories • DMAC - Direct memory access controller • Event system • System clock and clock options • Power management and sleep modes • Sy

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread EWKehren
Contact me off list and I will be glad to work with you. Test board etc. Bert Kehren In a message dated 4/27/2012 2:36:45 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, davidwh...@gmail.com writes: I have been looking at CPLD and FPGA designs for aggregating the logic required but keep running up against th

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread David
I have been looking at CPLD and FPGA designs for aggregating the logic required but keep running up against their lack of jitter specifications for asynchronous applications. Is the part and development cost worth replacing a handful of discrete logic when the CPLD or FPGA is dedicated to such a s

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread David
On Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:30:11 +0200, Attila Kinali wrote: >On Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:30:45 -0500 >David wrote: > >> If you add a second lower current source or sink, then you can get >> away with a LM311 class comparator and one fast timer channel in the >> microcontroller. The input pulse width ch

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread Bob Camp
iginal Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Attila Kinali Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 10:30 AM To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made? On Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:30:45 -0500 David wro

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread EWKehren
The Altera Max 3000A as I mentioned before will do all TTL devices, it has an extensive library easy to use and very cheap. All That at 200 MHz. I became a believer and others I introduced to it love it to. In an hour from downloading the free software you can have your first design. If I can

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread Attila Kinali
On Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:30:45 -0500 David wrote: > If you add a second lower current source or sink, then you can get > away with a LM311 class comparator and one fast timer channel in the > microcontroller. The input pulse width charges the capacitor and the > timer counts how long it takes to s

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread David
On Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:52:33 +0200, Attila Kinali wrote: >On Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:17:43 -0300 >Daniel Mendes wrote: > >> About replacing the 74ACT175... there´s a company called "Potato Semi" >> (well.. they make "chips", right?) whose sole business is to make damn >> fast 74 logic. Their chips

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread cfo
On Fri, 27 Apr 2012 06:21:10 -0700, Jim Lux wrote: >> It uses a 100% standard avr-gcc toolchain as "backend" , and just >> creates the commandline call for using that. >> So avr-gcc , avr-as , avr-ar , avr-objcopy etc. are used "behind the >> curtains". > > Fascinating.. > > Are avr-* also java

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread Attila Kinali
On Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:17:43 -0300 Daniel Mendes wrote: > About replacing the 74ACT175... there´s a company called "Potato Semi" > (well.. they make "chips", right?) whose sole business is to make damn > fast 74 logic. Their chips can be bought at ebay in small quantities. > Look at this 600MH

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-27 Thread Jim Lux
On 4/26/12 10:46 PM, cfo wrote: On Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:58:26 -0700, Jim Lux wrote: On 4/26/12 1:24 PM, Hal Murray wrote: albertson.ch...@gmail.com said: 2) The IDE is written in Java and is portable. It is truly identical on all platforms. Yes it uses gcc but the end user never has to deal

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-26 Thread cfo
On Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:58:26 -0700, Jim Lux wrote: > On 4/26/12 1:24 PM, Hal Murray wrote: >> >> albertson.ch...@gmail.com said: >>> 2) The IDE is written in Java and is portable. It is truly identical >>> on all platforms. Yes it uses gcc but the end user never has to deal >>> with gcc or even

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-26 Thread Dennis Ferguson
On 27 Apr, 2012, at 02:57 , Chris Albertson wrote: > Closed source drivers and "binary blob" firmware.I'd have nothing to do > with a project that includes either of those. I'd require a open source > platforms with a 100% free tool chain. Also, it is a bit of overkill > after all a bare PIC

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-26 Thread Andrew Rodland
Hal Murray writes: > > > albertson.chris@... said: > > 2) The IDE is written in Java and is portable. It is truly identical on all > > platforms. Yes it uses gcc but the end user never has to deal with gcc or > > even know what gcc is. Same with saving your code, hit just puts it "some > >

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-26 Thread Chris Albertson
On Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 12:20 PM, Don Latham wrote: > OK, Chris, I'll bite. What the heck is a tool chain? It is the series (or "chain") of software tools you need to use. Text editor, compiler, linker and whatever you need to program the chip and then maybe a debugger and maybe version contro

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-26 Thread Chris Albertson
On Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 1:24 PM, Hal Murray wrote: > > albertson.ch...@gmail.com said: > > 2) The IDE is written in Java and is portable. It is truly identical on > all > > platforms. Yes it uses gcc but the end user never has to deal with gcc > or > > even know what gcc is. Same with saving y

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-26 Thread Jim Lux
On 4/26/12 1:24 PM, Hal Murray wrote: albertson.ch...@gmail.com said: 2) The IDE is written in Java and is portable. It is truly identical on all platforms. Yes it uses gcc but the end user never has to deal with gcc or even know what gcc is. Same with saving your code, hit just puts it "som

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-26 Thread cfo
On Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:24:52 -0700, Hal Murray wrote: > albertson.ch...@gmail.com said: >> 2) The IDE is written in Java and is portable. It is truly identical >> on all platforms. Yes it uses gcc but the end user never has to deal >> with gcc or even know what gcc is. Same with saving your cod

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-26 Thread Hal Murray
albertson.ch...@gmail.com said: > 2) The IDE is written in Java and is portable. It is truly identical on all > platforms. Yes it uses gcc but the end user never has to deal with gcc or > even know what gcc is. Same with saving your code, hit just puts it "some > place" and keeps track of it

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-26 Thread Hal Murray
d...@montana.com said: > OK, Chris, I'll bite. What the heck is a tool chain? It's the pile of software needed to get a chunk of hardware to do what you want. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tool_chain -- These are my opinions, not necessarily my employer's. I hate spam. ___

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?...nanode

2012-04-26 Thread Don Latham
y measurement" > > Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 7:39 PM > Subject: Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made? > > > On 25 April 2012 19:09, Randy D. Hunt wrote: > >> Then there is also the matter of surface mount components. Some people >> my >> not physically

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-26 Thread Don Latham
OK, Chris, I'll bite. What the heck is a tool chain? I know the Arduino has a very nice IDE... Don I'd require a open source > platforms with a 100% free tool chain. -- "Neither the voice of authority nor the weight of reason and argument are as significant as experiment, for thence comes quiet

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-26 Thread Chris Albertson
On Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 3:24 AM, Andrew Back wrote: > On 26 April 2012 00:41, Bill Dailey wrote: > > > > Rasberry pi appears to have fallen victim to poor pre market research. > Essentially vapor for now. Don't know when you can get one. I have been > looking to get one since march. RadioShac

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-26 Thread Dan Kemppainen
ntact me off list for more information... Thanks Dan On 4/25/2012 2:42 PM, time-nuts-requ...@febo.com wrote: Message: 1 Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:44:30 -0500 From: "Stanley" To: "Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement" Subject: Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-26 Thread Andrew Back
On 26 April 2012 00:41, Bill Dailey wrote: > > Rasberry pi appears to have fallen victim to poor pre market research.   > Essentially vapor for now.  Don't know when you can get one.  I have been > looking to get one since march.  RadioShack carries arduino. They started shipping last week and I

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-26 Thread EWKehren
Has any one considered asking Richard. As far as logic is concerned a 200 MHz Altera MAX 3000A makes a perfect substitute at a cost of $ 2.50 that includes a very solderable socket. Works Bert Kehren In a message dated 4/25/2012 3:16:51 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, bruce.griffi...@xtra.c

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?...nanode

2012-04-26 Thread Andrew Back
On 26 April 2012 01:27, Chris Albertson wrote: >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi >> >> > I just read the above page.  The Raspberry contains close source drivers > and "binary blob" graphics firmware.   That is an 100% deal killer. It's unfortunate that it makes use of binary drivers

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread David
On Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:26:25 +0200, Attila Kinali wrote: >Hi Bruce, > >On Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:15:41 +1200 >Bruce Griffiths wrote: > >> If a suitable ADC is used the interpolator can be simplified >> considerably whilst improving its performance. > >Could you tell a little bit more about what a

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread David
On Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:13:42 -0700, Chris Albertson wrote: >On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 9:37 AM, Don Latham wrote: > >> I forgot to add that a simple redrafting of the II as an Arduino shield >> with appropriate chips and chip passives would accomplish the desired >> end without losing the very care

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread David
Their technology paper talks a lot about differential inputs and outputs but their 74G series is naturally all single ended. They also discuss using multiple bond wires to reduce inductance so maybe that was all that was needed. They sell through an Ebay store but given the price of $3 per chip a

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Cliff Sojourner
two thumbs up for Radio Shack - they sure have their problems but they are all we have in a lot of places. with the new Velleman and Arduino and Basic Stamp kits, they are clearly trying. they have a ways to go, but I try to vote with my $$$ a little bit. Cliff K6CLS On 2012-04-25 16:41, B

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread d . seiter
That's a new one to me!  I expected them to be in Idaho, though. -Dave - Original Message - From: "Daniel Mendes" To: "Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement" Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 3:17:43 PM Subject: Re: [time-nuts] PICTI

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?...nanode

2012-04-25 Thread Chris Albertson
On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 4:25 PM, Alan Melia wrote: > > Or a nice alternative might be a daughterboard for a Raspberry Pi, > which would give you an ARM/Linux base for not much more money, and > you could use it to create a standalone system that drives an old > monitor for a display. > > http://en

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Chris Albertson
On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 4:24 PM, WB6BNQ wrote: > Chris, > > Your undying devotion to the Arduino is laudable. However, the point that > i > think you are missing is such functionality is also available on other > platforms > with the same amount of ease and support. If you take someone who has

[time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Bill Dailey
Rasberry pi appears to have fallen victim to poor pre market research. Essentially vapor for now. Don't know when you can get one. I have been looking to get one since march. RadioShack carries arduino. Doc KX0O ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?...nanode

2012-04-25 Thread Alan Melia
Message - From: "Andrew Back" To: "Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement" Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 7:39 PM Subject: Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made? On 25 April 2012 19:09, Randy D. Hunt wrote: > Then there is also the matter of surface

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread WB6BNQ
Chris, Your undying devotion to the Arduino is laudable. However, the point that i think you are missing is such functionality is also available on other platforms with the same amount of ease and support. If you take someone who has never seen, touched nor had any knowledge of any computing pro

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Chris Albertson
On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 12:11 PM, Attila Kinali wrote: > On Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:45:52 -0700 > Chris Albertson wrote: > > > On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 5:50 AM, Bill Dailey > wrote: > > > > > > > > I have wondered the same thing. > > > > > > It might be time for a group project to design a "Pictic I

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Daniel Mendes
About replacing the 74ACT175... there´s a company called "Potato Semi" (well.. they make "chips", right?) whose sole business is to make damn fast 74 logic. Their chips can be bought at ebay in small quantities. Look at this 600MHz D flip flop: http://www.potatosemi.com/potatosemiweb/datashe

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Attila Kinali
On Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:00:17 +1200 Bruce Griffiths wrote: > If a capacitive input charge redistribution ADC is used the interpolator > output capacitor can be directly connected to it. > This eliminates the output buffer amp with its unknown settling time as > well as the associated gain and of

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Bruce Griffiths
Attila Kinali wrote: Hi Bruce, On Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:15:41 +1200 Bruce Griffiths wrote: If a suitable ADC is used the interpolator can be simplified considerably whilst improving its performance. Could you tell a little bit more about what a "suitable ADC" for a time interpolator

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Robert Darlington
> limited space the kitting process takes several hours to do them one at time > :-( > > Stanley > > - Original Message - From: "Don Latham" > To: "Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement" > > Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 11

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Attila Kinali
Hi Bruce, On Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:15:41 +1200 Bruce Griffiths wrote: > If a suitable ADC is used the interpolator can be simplified > considerably whilst improving its performance. Could you tell a little bit more about what a "suitable ADC" for a time interpolator is? And how exactly does it h

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Bruce Griffiths
Chris Albertson wrote: On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 9:37 AM, Don Latham wrote: I forgot to add that a simple redrafting of the II as an Arduino shield with appropriate chips and chip passives would accomplish the desired end without losing the very careful engineering and testing that has alrea

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Attila Kinali
On Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:45:52 -0700 Chris Albertson wrote: > On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 5:50 AM, Bill Dailey wrote: > > > > > I have wondered the same thing. > > > It might be time for a group project to design a "Pictic III" that uses > parts that are readily available. Today I'd build it arou

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Chris Albertson
On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 11:39 AM, Andrew Back wrote: > On 25 April 2012 19:09, Randy D. Hunt wrote: > > > Then there is also the matter of surface mount components. Some people > my > > not physically be able to work with them, learning to solder or not. I > am > > rapidly joining that group be

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Andrew Back
On 25 April 2012 19:09, Randy D. Hunt wrote: > Then there is also the matter of surface mount components.  Some people my > not physically be able to work with them, learning to solder or not.  I am > rapidly joining that group be cause of my vision. Since Arduino has been mentioned I feel oblig

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Chris Albertson
On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 11:09 AM, Randy D. Hunt wrote: Then there is also the matter of surface mount components. Some people my > not physically be able to work with them, learning to solder or not. I am > rapidly joining that group be cause of my vision. > Get yourself a web-cam or an used "D

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Chris Albertson
On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 9:37 AM, Don Latham wrote: > I forgot to add that a simple redrafting of the II as an Arduino shield > with appropriate chips and chip passives would accomplish the desired > end without losing the very careful engineering and testing that has > already been done? > Would

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Randy D. Hunt
On 4/25/2012 7:44 AM, Attila Kinali wrote: On Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:24:50 +0200 Azelio Boriani wrote: I agree, nevertheless let me add: because it is a hobby project it is good also starting to learn how to use the soldering iron. But for that, you need someone who shows you how to solder. You

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Stanley
time :-( Stanley - Original Message - From: "Don Latham" To: "Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement" Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 11:37 AM Subject: Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made? I forgot to add that a simple redrafting of the II as an

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Don Latham
I forgot to add that a simple redrafting of the II as an Arduino shield with appropriate chips and chip passives would accomplish the desired end without losing the very careful engineering and testing that has already been done? Would be nice to have a way to change caps without soldering as well,

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Don Latham
Chris: I concur. Arduino base would allow simple extension to 'net control as well. Don Chris Albertson > It might be time for a group project to design a "Pictic III" that uses > parts that are readily available. Today I'd build it around an Arduino > rather than a PIC even if the cost is more

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Chris Albertson
On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 5:50 AM, Bill Dailey wrote: > > I have wondered the same thing. It might be time for a group project to design a "Pictic III" that uses parts that are readily available. Today I'd build it around an Arduino rather than a PIC even if the cost is more. Arduino is progra

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Azelio Boriani
Yes, better have someone who can help but nothing should prevent you from learning something. On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 4:44 PM, Attila Kinali wrote: > On Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:24:50 +0200 > Azelio Boriani wrote: > > > I agree, nevertheless let me add: because it is a hobby project it is > good > >

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Attila Kinali
On Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:24:50 +0200 Azelio Boriani wrote: > I agree, nevertheless let me add: because it is a hobby project it is good > also starting to learn how to use the soldering iron. But for that, you need someone who shows you how to solder. You can learn it yourself, but it takes a lot

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Azelio Boriani
I agree, nevertheless let me add: because it is a hobby project it is good also starting to learn how to use the soldering iron. On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 2:59 PM, Attila Kinali wrote: > On Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:01:36 + (UTC) > Andrew Rodland wrote: > > > Would anyone be willing to sell (or loa

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Attila Kinali
On Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:01:36 + (UTC) Andrew Rodland wrote: > Would anyone be willing to sell (or loan for an extended period) one or two > ready-to-go PICTIC IIs within the United States? I realize this may be rude > to ask since it's a hobby project, but what can I say? All I want it for is

[time-nuts] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-25 Thread Bill Dailey
I have wondered the same thing. Doc KX0O ___ 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] PICTIC II ready-made?

2012-04-24 Thread Andrew Rodland
I've been having a lot of fun with this time-nut stuff over the past year or so, and I'm thinking about going atomic in the next year (GPSDRbO), but I'm a microprocessor kind of guy, and I have incredibly clumsy hands with electronics and soldering. As much, I'm wondering: Would anyone be willing

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II questions

2012-02-07 Thread David
Step recovery diodes turn off fast but have a relatively long storage time. The fastest switched current integrators use schottky diodes. On Tue, 7 Feb 2012 14:06:55 +0100, Azelio Boriani wrote: >To enhance the PICTIC II performance can step recovery diodes be used? >Maybe the fast turn off can

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II questions

2012-02-07 Thread David
On Tue, 7 Feb 2012 08:28:14 +0100, Attila Kinali wrote: >On Sun, 5 Feb 2012 19:55:36 -0900 (AKST) >"Richard H McCorkle" wrote: > >>While using a faster timebase or higher interpolator gain increases >> the resolution that doesn?t imply the accuracy will also increase. The >> PICTIC II uses C

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II questions

2012-02-07 Thread Azelio Boriani
To enhance the PICTIC II performance can step recovery diodes be used? Maybe the fast turn off can boost the switching capabilities of the interpolator for best resolution... On Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 12:35 PM, Hal Murray wrote: > > att...@kinali.ch said: > > BTW: does anyone know how these days lo

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II questions

2012-02-07 Thread Hal Murray
att...@kinali.ch said: > BTW: does anyone know how these days low cost FPGAs perform in terms of > jitter? (the data sheets are kind of scarce in that regard). And how do they > compare to state of the art ECL logic? Generally, not good. The general problem is that they have a lot of logic and

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II questions

2012-02-07 Thread Azelio Boriani
Yes, I was thinking of trying a PICTIC II partial redesign with a Xilinx CPLD, using other type of fast turn off diodes and so on. On Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 8:28 AM, Attila Kinali wrote: > On Sun, 5 Feb 2012 19:55:36 -0900 (AKST) > "Richard H McCorkle" wrote: > > >While using a faster timebase

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II questions

2012-02-06 Thread Attila Kinali
On Sun, 5 Feb 2012 19:55:36 -0900 (AKST) "Richard H McCorkle" wrote: >While using a faster timebase or higher interpolator gain increases > the resolution that doesn’t imply the accuracy will also increase. The > PICTIC II uses CMOS logic with propagation delays that vary with > temperature m

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II questions

2012-02-05 Thread Richard H McCorkle
Fellow Time Nuts, The PICTIC II is a spin-off of a low cost front end developed for a GPSDO to compare the oscillator to GPS 1PPS over very short (< 20us) time intervals. In that application all that was required was 1ns TIC resolution to match the resolution of the GPS sawtooth correction to get t

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II questions

2012-02-05 Thread Joseph Gray
> Set up to measure an interval that is more or less ramdon or granteed > to cover the full range of the interpters. > The idea is to adjust each pair the stop and start sides to cover the full > range of possible of numbers without overlap or loss of resolution. What source would I use to accomp

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II questions

2012-02-05 Thread Joseph Gray
> I know the resolution can be enhanced by swapping out some parts, but it's > been too long to recall the details. On the schematic is a list of alternate XOs. For 50 MHz, the 1000 pf cap is changed to 180 pf. This is stated to give 25 ps maximum resolution. If this simple change is all that is r

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II questions

2012-02-05 Thread Stanley
I appreciate your help. Among other things, I'm not sure what to do with the adjustment pots after I finish building the board. Set up to measure an interval that is more or less ramdon or granteed to cover the full range of the interpters. The idea is to adjust each pair the stop and start side

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II questions

2012-02-05 Thread Chris Albertson
On Sun, Feb 5, 2012 at 12:12 PM, John Miles wrote: >  We were also talking about > some possible GUI ideas for configuration and data acquisition, but I was > ramping up a larger project at the time and never had time to explore them > further. Before anything like a GUI, I think I'm going to wr

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II questions

2012-02-05 Thread John Miles
> -Original Message- > From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts- > boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Joseph Gray > Sent: Sunday, February 05, 2012 11:04 AM > To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement > Subject: Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II q

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II questions

2012-02-05 Thread Joseph Gray
John, Would using the 50 MHz XO option be something I should consider? Joe Gray W5JG ___ 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 questions

2012-02-05 Thread Joseph Gray
John, I appreciate your help. Among other things, I'm not sure what to do with the adjustment pots after I finish building the board. Speaking of software, I was wondering if anyone had written a program for controlling the PICTIC II and logging the data. Using a serial terminal can be tedious.

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II questions

2012-02-05 Thread John Miles
> I know it has been a while since the boards were sent out, but I > finally placed an order with Mouser to populate the two boards I > bought. I already have the "unobtainium" chips and can program the > PICs, so no problems there. > > The question is, how do I use the PICTIC II after I've assemb

[time-nuts] PICTIC II questions

2012-02-05 Thread Joseph Gray
I know it has been a while since the boards were sent out, but I finally placed an order with Mouser to populate the two boards I bought. I already have the "unobtainium" chips and can program the PICs, so no problems there. The question is, how do I use the PICTIC II after I've assembled it? I ha

[time-nuts] PICTIC II chip order, CLOSED.

2010-08-29 Thread Robert Darlington
Just an update. Ordering of the PICTIC II chips from me is now closed. I might do a run in a few months if there is demand. I'll get the chips ordered tonight or tomorrow and will do my best to get them out to you guys by the end of next weekend. Just an FYI for those that are interested, I'm

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II PIC chips, update and opening for more orders (reminder)

2010-08-25 Thread Robert Darlington
Last call for PICTIC II chips. I'm ordering the chips this coming weekend and if you want them, get em ordered ASAP. See the email below for details. This will very possibly be the last time I make these available unless there is sufficient interest in the future. Also, to those that ordered o

[time-nuts] PICTIC II and DG535

2010-08-18 Thread Leigh L. Klotz, Jr WA5ZNU
I've recently acquired an SRS DG535 and am looking for anyone else who has used one to calibrate or characterize the PICTIC II to compare procedures. Leigh/WA5ZNU ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.fe

[time-nuts] PICTIC II no interpolator as used in the small DMDT

2010-08-18 Thread Stanley Reynolds
The small DMDT uses no interpolator and a 50 Mhz derived from the 10Mhz reference Software just use the counter value or Interpolator gain 0 Hardware looking at page 2 of the schmatic all you need is C1,C2,C3 and U1 on that page do not install:   U3,U5,U8,U10 R1 - R23 C5,7,10,11,12,13,14,19,20,

[time-nuts] PICTIC II PIC chips, update and opening for more orders

2010-08-14 Thread Robert Darlington
Hi guys, My project is over and I'll be home on Sunday. The chips that were ordered and paid for will go out tomorrow and you should see them this coming week. I know some of you are itchy to get chips ordered and I apologize for dropping off the grid these past three weeks. I've been on travel

[time-nuts] PICTIC II and the 74AC175 Chips - Heathkid

2010-07-31 Thread Heathkid
Hello everyone. It seems I'm not receiving all emails from the list. I'm checking on two PCs (one IMAP and one POP3 both set to not delete emails from the server) and neither one have all the emails I'm finding in the archives. I'm actually missing entire days. I haven't figured out what the

[time-nuts] PICTIC II PIC chips from Bob D. - Update

2010-07-31 Thread Robert Darlington
Hi guys, The chips should go out Monday. I've been insanely busy working this week out in Arizona so all I did was program the 35 chips that were ordered. I'll contact those that wanted the excess chips (roughly 5 chips total) in the order they emailed me so we can arrange payment. All chips wi

Re: [time-nuts] PICTIC II PIC chip group order (update)

2010-07-29 Thread Don Latham
Robert: Do you have two left? Thanks Don Robert Darlington > Hi all, > > Just a reminder that I'm going to place an order for the PICTIC PIC chips > tonight for those in the USA that want them. The price is $10.00 for the > first one, $2.50 for each additional, including shipping and programming.

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