Re: [time-nuts] HP 10638A degausser

I did the replacement degausser you found the zip file for. I use it for my 5061s quite successfully. It fairly closely duplicates the time and current profiles used by the original. If you have any questions, please ask. Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux.

Re: [time-nuts] Rb references for audiophiles?

Here's a site that has some interesting analyses of some of the various topics covered in this wonderful thread: http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scots_Guide/audio/Analog.html In particular, the advanced topics about halfway down the page have a detailed analysis of the real impact of skin

Re: [time-nuts] FE5680A signal output

If I remember correctly, the 1PPS pulse width is only about 100 ns. There are two possibilities: 1) you can't see the pulse height properly at the very low sweep rate you're using. Trigger on it at a much higher sweep rate, crank up the intensity on your scope, and look carefully. 2) the

[time-nuts] 5061A and Zeeman freq question

My understanding is that the precise cesium hyperfine transition energy, and hence microwave frequency, is dependent upon the applied C-field, and the field setting to select a particular transition is the same for all clocks (which is why these are primary standards). The C-field is set by

Re: [time-nuts] cesium Zeeman frequencies

Thanks all. I reviewed some physics on this, and now it makes sense. Corby, my 5061A is an oldie, it has the early synthesizer that has the UTC offset correction, which I've set to match atomic time (L2095 on the switches). The tube was replaced in '82. So, I need to verify that the C-field

Re: [time-nuts] Double ovened 10811-60158 on ebay

I got one without the outer cover, which isn't quite as useful. I removed all the junk to get down to the orginal non-double-ovened osc. One thing I noticed - I wonder where these were actually deployed? The 10811B itself has a fair amount of corrosion on it, lots of pitting. It

Re: [time-nuts] Double ovened 10811-60158 on ebay

for the outer oven and a new cover of some sort. Is there any reason not to do that? Thanks, Ed Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:33:07 -0400 From: wje [1][EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Double ovened 10811-60158 on ebay To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement [2]time-nuts

Re: [time-nuts] Stability vs. Accuracy

Simply put, stability is a measure of how much something varies from a constant value. A stable value doesn't mean an accurate value; accuracy is a measure of how close to some standard value a device emits (in this case) or measures, for a meter. So, you could have something that's perfectly

Re: [time-nuts] HP58504A antenna

MMIC = Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux. J. L. Trantham wrote: I have been reading this thread with interest since I enjoy resurrecting 'dead' instruments. Two questions though: 1. Since I have been out of the

Re: [time-nuts] How to get 32.768KHz from 10MHz.

I was faced with this problem a few years ago, too. I essentially followed John's solution, but used the 1pps GPS pulse as the PLL reference. I then used the 32.768K vco output to injection-lock the 32.768K crystal on the LCD clock. Much to my surprise, it worked quite well. And,

[time-nuts] 5061A S/N ratio, EM voltage questions

Can someone provide a sanity check on my S/N and FOM measurements? I've used the procedure in my manual, but there is one rather vague calculation involving 2.3 e 13 x V403b. I assume this is actually 2.3 e -13 x (noise voltage in mv), because otherwise the other calculations result in absurd

[time-nuts] HP 5371A problem

The cpu card in my 5371A seems to have died. It's asserting reset constantly, with lights 1 and 6 on. Unfortunately, my service manual doesn't include any schematics for that card. Does anyone have any suggestions? (other than doing a lot of tedious tracing) -- Bill Ezell -- They

Re: [time-nuts] HP 5371A problem

Thanks. I don't know how I missed those manuals on the Agilent site; I had looked there a while ago. Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux. Bruce Griffiths wrote: wje wrote: The cpu card in my 5371A seems to have died. It's asserting reset constantly

Re: [time-nuts] HP 5371A problem

Thanks, all. In this case, it was a 74ALS1035 OC hex buffer that gave up the ghost. I've temporarily replaced it with 6 diodes, which works like a charm. After all, what's an OC buffer but a diode plus a little 1x gain? Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux.

Re: [time-nuts] I want a good micro-controller

My favorite for many uses is the Freescale MC68HC908QT4, or others in that series. Freescale provides a complete C development environment for free. The QT4 is an 8-pin package, with up to 6 I/O pins. I've used it for everything from a 555 timer replacement to the controller for an

Re: [time-nuts] I want a good micro-controller

As the one who made the first comment about not liking the PIC, I'll give you my reasons. Yes, they are philosophical, even religious. I'm also distinguishing between microprocessors (this discussion) and other variants, such as DSPs, FPLDs, etc. First, I've used a very large number of

Re: [time-nuts] I want a good micro-controller

down. And yes, I use vi. :) Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux. Scott Newell wrote: At 07:36 AM 8/16/2008, wje wrote: I have both EE and CS degrees, and I work in both worlds. In my humble (but completely accurate and stable) opinion, Basic

Re: [time-nuts] I want a good micro-controller

??? (gazes at 11/70 backplane on wall...) dave On Sat, Aug 16, 2008 at 10:10 AM, wje [1][EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: You certainly don't need formal training to be a good programmer; I've seen plenty of code from CS grads that's terrible, and very nice code from art majors. In my book, a good

Re: [time-nuts] HP 5061A problem

If you install the second unit, your 5061A still won't work. +20v at the sensor output will signal the ion current monitor to shut down the electron multiplier supply. If you have some high-value resistors around, can you make up a test 200M resistor string? If so, see what happens when that's

Re: [time-nuts] HP 5061A problem

and thus the S/N output gets poor? -Brian, WA1ZMS -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of wje Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 1:43 PM To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] HP 5061A problem If you

Re: [time-nuts] Odetics 325 425: File recovery

Rsync works quite well on both Linux and Windows. I use it to back up my lab computer (XP), my work computer (Vista, unfortunately), several family computers (XP), and my primary Linux system. There's an excellent bit of freeware, Delta Copy, that provides rsync for the Windows

Re: [time-nuts] another 5061A question

I just did an oven rebuild on mine. It can be straightforward or not, depending upon what has failed. However, if your unit locks and stays locked, the oven is most likely at least partially working. The VCO loop capture range is very small and it doesn't take a great deal of temperature

Re: [time-nuts] FE-5680A C-field trimer ??

There's a small hole on the side of the case. This is the trimmer access, at least on mine. Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux. EMMANOUIL MANTZARAS wrote: Hi Is there any one that knows where is the c-field trimer in the FE-5680A board ?? Thanks sv1bke

Re: [time-nuts] FE-5680A C-field trimer ??

and they do not have C field adjustments. Brian - KD4FM wje wrote: Unless you can measure the frequency to at least a few parts in 10e10, you won't see any change. These devices are far more precise than standard frequency counters. You either need something like an HP 5370 or 5371

[time-nuts] Prologix GPIB-NET, HP 5370A, HP5334A problem?

I just got one of the new networked GPIB controllers, and I've been having some issues. I'm not sure if it's the Prologix or the instruments, or both. With the 5370A, I can get samples for some period of time ranging from about 2 to 4 hours before the GPIB controller stops responding. I

Re: [time-nuts] Prologix GPIB-NET, HP 5370A, HP5334A problem?

can send that to you offline. Regards, Abdul -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of wje Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 3:12 PM To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: [time-nuts] Prologix GPIB-NET, HP 5370A

Re: [time-nuts] Prologix GPIB-NET, HP 5370A, HP5334A problem?

If the 5370A problem is actually the 5370A gpib controller bug, then I don't think it can be reproduced with the 5370B; I'm pretty sure that was fixed in the B model. However, if you want to give it a try, here's what I do (you'll have to interpret, but it should be pretty clear):

Re: [time-nuts] Prologix GPIB-NET, HP 5370A, HP5334A problem?

-- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux. Prologix wrote: You could try explicitly triggering with ++trg followed by ++read 10. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [[2]mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of wje Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 4:14 PM To: Discussion

Re: [time-nuts] Prologix GPIB-NET, HP 5370A, HP5334A problem?

-t will trigger a new measurement, which is what I would expect. Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux. wje wrote: That does the trick, thanks. Interestingly, the HP manual doesn't discuss group-execute-trigger at all. It's possible that the HP-85

[time-nuts] 5371A problem

I have a problem with my HP 5371A. Fairly often, when I display samples in one of the graph modes, the graph is displayed properly, but then a number of horizontal lines show up composed of semi-regularly-spaced dots. Typically the rows will be spaced about 1/5 of the vertical size apart.

Re: [time-nuts] 5371A problem

The dot are aligned horizontally, only a single scan line per set of dots. However, this only shows up in graph mode, not in any other display. The dots are actually in memory. If I plot the graph, they show up in the plot also. Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used

Re: [time-nuts] 5371A problem

, depending upon the ram design). Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux. WB6BNQ wrote: Bill, Are you sure that they are not suppose to be there ? In otherwords like a mino r axis/division indicator ? Just a thought. BillWB6BNQ wje wrote: The dot are aligned

Re: [time-nuts] HP Continuous Measurement Software for 5371A

I'm interested in a related item - ROM images for a later version of the firmware than I have in my 5371A. Quite a few features were added in the late releases; I have an early set of ROMs in my otherwise-pristine unit. If anyone has uploaded them in any of the common programmer

Re: [time-nuts] Degaussing Unit For An HP5061B

I've been looking for one for ages. They're out there, but at outrageous prices. ManualsPlus sells a very nice reprint manual with schematics. If you're patient, I just started building a replacement using most of the original circuitry. I'd be happy to make board files available, or a board

Re: [time-nuts] AC Connector On HP 5061B

And this is another reason you should pay attention to hot and neutral. The hot side is usually where the fuse is, as is the case in the 5061. If you swap them, you no longer have any protection against an internal hot-to-ground AC fault. Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or

Re: [time-nuts] Further Observation On My 5061B

Just a nitpick - the reading on the meter isn't any particular scale, it's essentially arbitrary. The actual beam current is typically in the picoamp range. My measured beam current is only about 400 pA. I'm not sure what you would be seeing from induction; the beam current is a result of

[time-nuts] My HP 10638A degausser replacement for the 5061A

I've finished my degausser replacement. I've put a zip file with schematics, pcb layout, a picture of the finished unit, etc. on my ftp site. Note that you have to use ftp to get to it, not a web browser: ftp ftp.quackers.net login: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Use the login name exactly as given. Just

Re: [time-nuts] 5061A Manual

Artekmedia has a very nicely scanned manual for about $10. There's also a copy floating around on one of the member's sites, but I don't remember which one offhand. A Google search and some persistence will locate it. Along these lines, none of the manuals I've found cover the late-model DC

Re: [time-nuts] 10Mhz source?

I'm in Southern NH. I have GPS and Rubidium 10 Mhz sources, and a 5 Mhz Cesium source. Le me know if you'd like to drop in, I'm near Peterborough. Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux. Lee Reynolds wrote: Hi, people. I'm in need of an extremely accurate 10MHz

Re: [time-nuts] VRefs - I'm a bigger Voltnut than a timenut..

Another (sometimes) relatively inexpensive outstanding reference is either a Datron 4910 or 4912. These are also LTZ1000 based. The 10 has one reference, the 12 has four that can be averaged or used independently. You can on rare occasions pick one up for a few hundred. I have a pair, and yes,

Re: [time-nuts] VRefs - I'm a bigger Voltnut than a timenut..

Yes, I do have full schematics for the Datron refs, including the LTZ1000 circuitry. It isn't the same as that in the LTZ1000 data sheet. I'll dig out my manuals. If you'd like a copy, email your postal address and I'll copy the page and send it to you: [EMAIL PROTECTED] I've built a few

Re: [time-nuts] Heathkit GC-1000

I don't really know how rare they are, but they're reliable. I have mine that I built many many years ago (20+), and it's still ticking. It's been on continuously for all that time. There's one listed on EBay now, item 160302101690. It's already up to $150. Bill Ezell -- They said

Re: [time-nuts] 10 MHz over optical fiber?

It's actually [1]http://www.bb-elec.com for those looking. Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux. Neon John wrote: On Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:33:25 -0800, Tom Van Baak [2][EMAIL PROTECTED] wrot e: Yes. I know of several commecial systems. If you only need to

Re: [time-nuts] 10 MHz over optical fiber?

It's regular Heliax that's been temperature-conditioned by repeated temp cycling to minimize dielectric size change vs temperature. This minimizes phase shift over length. The cycling affects the foam used as the dielectric, which apparently eventually stops expanding and

[time-nuts] Some pics of the Datron 491x DC reference cell

I've uploaded some photos of the Datron 10 volt cell and reference board, as requested by a few members. I've kept them full-resolution so you can see fine detail. But, that means they are about 3 mb each. The schematics for the cell board I previously posted are also still on the FTP site.

[time-nuts] Datron 4910/11/12 LTZ1000 Reference Board (finally)

I've finished retracing the LTZ ref board I promised months ago. While it somewhat resembles the LTZ1000 data sheet example, it differs significantly in a number of details. The heater control is far more complex, using a PWM scheme. Take the schematic with a bit of a grain of salt... tracing

[time-nuts] OT: Leads for Solartron 7081 8.5 digit DVM

I've posted a response for you on the HP group. I managed to buy a Solartron 7081 at auction the other day, and assuming I can get it working (I'm assuming it won't work when it arrives), I will need some leads for it. Bill -- Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used

[time-nuts] 5061A DC oven controller board

-of-operation pages on it. Thanks, Bill wje at quackers.net -- Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time

[time-nuts] HP 1938 revisited

Fluke.l (China) was selling a number of 1938's on Ebay. I snagged one just to have a piece of HP history. It works just fine, but I've noticed something a little strange. Comparing the 1938 to both my cesium and GPS standards, there's a distinct periodic 1ns phase shift every second. Seems to

[time-nuts] OT: JHP 3588 Basic feature enable?

A member kindly provided me with a key generated from my serial number for my HP 3588 to enable Basic, but he wasn't exactly sure what the proper way was to put them on a disk so the '88 would read the key. My serial number is 3005A01033. I tried creating a LIF file name LD1033 and put the key

Re: [time-nuts] Efratom FRS 10mhz rubidium frequency oscillator+ board

This is a pull from a Lucent unit used to provide timing for cell sites. I have a couple myself. The board is primarily a 10Mhz to 15Mhz converter. It also has some failover logic. Typically two independent units were installed in one plugin chassis. The D connector has power in and status

Re: [time-nuts] Efratom FRS 10mhz rubidium frequency oscillator+ board

Much to my amazement, I did find some notes on the DB-25 15Mhz board pinout: 1 +24V 2 +24V 3 Gnd 4 Gnd 5 6 Freq Adj (this goes directly to the FRS, the board does nothing with it) 7 Gnd 8 -Enable + 9 10 Enable - (notes are unclear on 8, 10, 11, 12. See note below) 11 To 11 on other unit 12 to

[time-nuts] 4 channel 1 Mhz - 25 Mhz distribution amp

I finally gave up trying to find a 50 ohm distribution amp I liked and wanted to pay for, so I built a simple 4 channel one that uses either a Linear LT1365 or an Analog Devices AD8044. It has an ac-coupled input and transformer-isolated outputs. I took care in the layout to keep trace lengths

[time-nuts] Distribution amp

Per request, I've put the info up on my ftp site: ftp://f...@quackers.net:f...@ftp.quackers.net/ Pick up DistAmp.zip. Also, read the ReadMe! It explains how to actually look at the board layout. I'm using it to distribute my 10 Mhz GPS-based standard (Thunderbolt) to my spectrum analyzer,

Re: [time-nuts] Datron 4910 service manual request

I have a manual, but it's hard-copy and LARGE. If you can narrow down your problem area, I'd be happy to scan some schematics. I also have two 4910's; I can probe some test points if you need some values. Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux. Steve Krull

Re: [time-nuts] Prologix GPIB-USB vs. GPIB-LAN

Lux, James P wrote: I'm looking for something that I can write python or tcl or shell scripts for and send strings to a GPIB device, and get strings back. I'm trying to get away from the LabView .vi model. So, this looks fairly good, that way. Jim I have one of the LAN units also. I've

Re: [time-nuts] hp 5372A Parts available

I've already purchased the eprom board. I'll try to upload them when I get the board. I got it as a spare, so I can compare the firmware versions. My current board is an early version. Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux. On 01/-10/-28163 02:59 PM, Bob Camp

[time-nuts] New member, and HP 5061A question

Although I've scanned the list fairly regularly, I haven't been subscribed. I finally decided to rectify that. I have Z3801 as my workhorse reference. I built a little adapter for it to provide time and 1pps data to NTP running on my Linux system and a buffered 10 Mhz feed to my lab for a

Re: [time-nuts] 5370B arrived - any FAQ

Congratulations! It's a wonderful instrument, isn't it? I can answer a few of your questions. Set/clear ref - after power-on or a reset, the ref value is (should be) zero. When set-ref is pressed, the current time interval average value is stored. This remains set until a power-off/reset or you

Re: [time-nuts] 5370B arrived - any FAQ

alignment. What I'm missing is a spectrum analyzer, so I haven't done the frequency multiplier alignment on either of my 5370s. Any tricks for doing that without one? Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux. Chuck Harris wrote: wje wrote: Freq vs time

[time-nuts] cesium clocks..

Having just gone through the process of finding, acquiring, and fixing an HP 5061A, here are a few pointers for qualifying one for purchase. The biggest problem you're likely to face is a beam tube that's at end-of-life. If there is an electronics failure (like mine, read on), these clocks are

Re: [time-nuts] cesium clocks..

you toss around the 'stupid' when discussing oscillator design. Some folks still have a close relationship to those old 00105-6xxx oscillators. Dave - Original Message - From: wje [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: time-nuts@febo.com Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 4:32 AM Subject: [time-nuts

Re: [time-nuts] cesium clocks..

failure was because the cable fried and shorted power to ground) Bill Ezell -- They said 'Windows or better' so I used Linux. Bruce Griffiths wrote: wje wrote: Yes, but my comment is rather specific... my oscillator failed because the heater pass transistor shorted. This sent the oven

Re: [time-nuts] cesium clocks..

The heater winding for my 5061A crystal oven doesn't seem to be bifilar wound, but it's a little difficult to tell. Since the heater works, I don't want to risk poking around too much. However, one lead comes in at one end, the other lead is at the other end. BTW, my oven failed

Re: [time-nuts] HP5061A tube question

Also, check the Cs oven meter reading. If it's zero, the heater controller/heater/thermocouple is suspect. Normally, when you turn the unit on, the Cs oven will read up near the top of scale, gradually declining as the oven warms up. Mine goes down to about 10 steady-state. If it's doing this,