Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Poul-Henning Kamp
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 In message blu170-w704bd0870332925fa3e67dce...@phx.gbl, Mark Sims writes: A123 20Ah LiFePO4 cells have an internal resistance in the milliohm range. Their M1 26650 format cells are around 8 milliohms. Most high capacity (3000 mAh) 18650

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Poul-Henning Kamp
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 In message bay162-w38a3ac22812ac79a0fbfc6df...@phx.gbl, Tom Knox writes: Starting with a hp supply this finesse regulator will really clean up the output. http://www.wenzel.com/documents/finesse.html I've played with that, and it can do

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread gary
I've measured AA nicad impedance at a few kHz, but it was years ago. My recollection is it was in tens of milliohms. ESR does have a frequency dependency. In the same time frame, I was trying to find a simple non-instrusive way to detect alkaline cells versus nicads. The key was in impedance

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Bruce Griffiths
Poul-Henning Kamp wrote: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 In messagebay162-w38a3ac22812ac79a0fbfc6df...@phx.gbl, Tom Knox writes: Starting with a hp supply this finesse regulator will really clean up the output. http://www.wenzel.com/documents/finesse.html I've

Re: [time-nuts] Anyone Using a Yahoo Email Account - PLEASE READ !!

2013-01-31 Thread Raj
This news is old, refers to Yahoo Voices. IF you had anything to do with this service then you need to worry. You can check here to see if your password has been stolen: https://www.dazzlepod.com/yahoo/ The S pam we are receiving is from a XSS exploit that steals your cookie if I am not

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Rex
On 1/31/2013 12:20 AM, Bruce Griffiths wrote: With some care its possible to make the emitter current of the shunt transistor approximately PTAT so that, at least for small signals the temperature dependence of the rejection is reduced significantly. Sorry, what does PTAT mean? I'm not

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread David C. Partridge
PTAT == Proportional To Absolute Temperature Dave ___ 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] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Charles P. Steinmetz
Lester wrote: For a regulated power supply, make one using a 723. The 723 has far lower noise out than the monolithic regulators. If you are willing to design your own regulator using a 723, you may as well use a few more parts to get a much better result. Neither the internal reference

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Gerhard Hoffmann
Am 31.01.2013 03:16, schrieb Richard (Rick) Karlquist: I know this topic has been discussed in the past on the list, but a colleague is asking if there are any off the shelf low noise power supplies for testing oscillators. Something The E5052B signal source analyzer has low noise power and

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Gerhard Hoffmann
Am 31.01.2013 05:28, schrieb Chris Albertson: For once the best is also cheap: Batteries. But not all batteries are the same. You want one with low internal resistance, so a lead acid flooded battery will be the best. Fred Walls Co have done tests on batteries. The article is somewhere on

Re: [time-nuts] GPS at 60,000 feet

2013-01-31 Thread Dan Kemppainen
I know for sure my handheld Garmin works at 27000 feet, at 530mph... ...I was actually surprised it worked up there. It made me wonder what the actual limits are. On 1/30/2013 12:00 PM, time-nuts-requ...@febo.com wrote: How to check if a GPS works at 60,000 feet: send up a balloon:

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Bob Camp
Hi To answer the original question - Power Design makes some pretty quiet bench supplies. If you are doing low noise testing, batteries often will let you get rid of one more ground loop. Even well built power supplies are not as well line isolated as a battery. Bob -Original Message-

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Garry Thorp
If the main concern is about low-frequency noise the LT1763 might be worth considering for a simple solution, as it is capable of lower noise than the data sheet shows. With a bypass capacitor (Cbyp) fitted, the noise floor is ~30nV/rtHz. Although the data sheet only recommends up to 10nF for

Re: [time-nuts] General Radio

2013-01-31 Thread Tom Van Baak
Hi Girard, I scanned the GR manual with operation and schematics for: 691c 690d 694c 696c 698a 692b It's now filed under: http://leapsecond.com/museum/GenRad-C21-HLD/ This 6 foot tall rack was one of the best frequency standards for many decades. /tvb I'll look through my collection of old

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Adrian
Rick, the E3610A is really clean. If that isn't good enough, there are some audio-related circuits like the ALWSR. http://www.andrewweekes.talktalk.net/Manuals/ALWSR_rev2.9_Iss005s.pdf It's based on a Walt Jung design (Analog Devices). Here's the man himself with tons of valuable information

Re: [time-nuts] Riley paper on Tight Phase Lock Loop

2013-01-31 Thread Tom Van Baak
As Adrian and Bob pointed out, W. J. Riley's site has all the information needed to make the higher cost TPLL version he did including his PCBs. Ah, sorry, I didn't see that 2nd PDF! I see the design is significantly different than the TPLL that you made. Any idea why? The bigger mystery

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Tom Van Baak
Hi Rick, I'll answer the question with anther question -- how does one properly measure power supply noise? Does it boil down to a single number, a couple of key numbers, or is it a plot, or several plots? I ask because without some sort of standard test and reporting method it just becomes a

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread David Kirkby
On 31 January 2013 04:28, Chris Albertson albertson.ch...@gmail.com wrote: On Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 6:16 PM, Richard (Rick) Karlquist rich...@karlquist.com wrote: I know this topic has been discussed in the past on the list, but a colleague is asking if there are any off the shelf low noise

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Bob Camp
Hi I think the comparison of PSD on a power supply to phase noise and phase noise plots is a pretty good one in this case. For most applications nV/sqrt(Hz) is a pretty good way to check things out on a supply or regulator. It's not quite the same thing as dbc / sqrt(Hz) but it conveys the same

[time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Burt I. Weiner
Gang, I'm following this thread with great interest, but, just for my own reference, what is considered low power supply noise? Can you give me some numbers and over what bandwidth? Thanks, Burt, K6OQK time-nuts@febo.com Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies? Hi

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread John Ackermann N8UR
And this (very interesting) thread brings up the question of measurement methods. Some time ago I searched around and didn't find much on a standard way to measure noise on low voltage DC supplies. John On 1/31/2013 11:36 AM, Bob Camp wrote: Hi I think the comparison of PSD on a power

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread gcarlistaa
On 31.01.2013 09:05, Adrian wrote: Rick, the E3610A is really clean. The discussion is interesting, but the original question did ask about off the shelf so I have been watching for any mention of HP/Agilent precision power supplies. The E3610A specification says 200 uVrms, 2mv pp ripple

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Bob Camp
Hi A very common way to check one is to use the HP 3561 off of the old 3048 phase noise test set. With a simple op amp based preamp you can easily get down below 3 nv / sqrt(Hz). With more exotic amps you can get well below that. Volts over a bandwidth really don't tell the story very well. In

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread David Kirkby
On 31 January 2013 17:11, John Ackermann N8UR j...@febo.com wrote: And this (very interesting) thread brings up the question of measurement methods. Some time ago I searched around and didn't find much on a standard way to measure noise on low voltage DC supplies. John Did you try the

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Robert Atkinson
A non-standard but repeatable way to measure power supply noise is to use a Transmission Impairment Measuring Set (TIMS) such as the HP3945(6)A or 3551 (2)A. These were intended for use in pairs to assess analog telephone lines for data use. As well as an AF generator, frequency counter,

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Robert Atkinson
Oops,  that should be HP4945(6)A not 3945 Robert. From: Robert Atkinson robert8...@yahoo.co.uk To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement time-nuts@febo.com Sent: Thursday, 31 January 2013, 18:46 Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power

[time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Burt I. Weiner
Bob, I have a pair of HP-3551A's*. I'm very familiar with making transmission lines measurements, and it seems that measuring power supply noise would be the same, except that you want to block the DC from the input of the instrument. What has your procedure been and what numbers have you

Re: [time-nuts] General Radio

2013-01-31 Thread paul swed
Tom Thanks for the very fine scan and reading material. I have none of this equipment actually. But have to say a good read. Regards Paul WB8TSL On Thu, Jan 31, 2013 at 9:24 AM, Tom Van Baak t...@leapsecond.com wrote: Hi Girard, I scanned the GR manual with operation and schematics for: 691c

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread SAIDJACK
Not sure if anyone posted this here yet, but Abracom has a very low noise (7nV/RtHz at 1KHz) power source for VCO's etc, with various outputs. It's sold on DIgikey or Mouser I think. Here is a review of that unit: _http://jaunty-electronics.com/blog/category/reviews/_

Re: [time-nuts] GPS at 60,000 feet

2013-01-31 Thread SAIDJACK
I think it's supposed to work up there. Cocom limits used to be 50,000 feet and 1000 knots if I am not mistaken. Most GPS will likely support those Cocom limits even if they state something like 2000 meters max altitude etc. A commercial flight should certainly work, besides the problem of

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Bob Camp
Hi For $393.75 does it come with a wall wart? If not I would definitely go for a medical ground isolated / low leakage version to power the beast. The added cost over a plain jane wall wart won't add much to the purchase price percentage wise. Bob -Original Message- From:

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Adrian
There are at least two methods. First, the broadband or time domain method that uses a low noise amplifier and oscilloscope, and specifies noise voltage within a certain bandwidth. For details check application notes from LTC and Analog Devices. The narrowband or frequency domain method

Re: [time-nuts] GPS at 60,000 feet

2013-01-31 Thread Chris Albertson
I know for sure my handheld Garmin works at 27000 feet, at 530mph... ...I was actually surprised it worked up there. It made me wonder what the actual limits are. What are the limits of your hand held unit or what are the limits of GPS in general. I think GPS works as long as you are

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Poul-Henning Kamp
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 In message C7259FFFCD3E42C2815B939BA386A0A8@pc52, Tom Van Baak writes: We have rigorous ways to compare and report oscillator performance; both as numbers and as plots. Is there something equivalent for power supplies? Phase Noise measured on

[time-nuts] Loran again

2013-01-31 Thread Rich and Marcia Putz
Hi all; I'm hearing Loran C signals @ 7:00 pm EST hear northern Indiana this evening. Anyone else? Rich W9ENG ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Charles P. Steinmetz
tvb wrote: I'll answer the question with anther question -- how does one properly measure power supply noise? Does it boil down to a single number, a couple of key numbers, or is it a plot, or several plots? There are a number of standard ways, some of which have been mentioned by others,

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Adrian
Charles, thanks for posting. That is the LTC application note I had in mind. And here is Bruce's contribution to low noise PS design and measurement: http://www.ko4bb.com/~bruce/LowNoisePowerSupplies.html Don't miss to scroll fully down. There is a link to an IEEE paper discussing chemical

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread SAIDJACK
Or a good battery as a source for the regulators as discussed in this thread already. It's quite nice to have all the different Voltages available at the same time, with up to 200mA. bye, Said In a message dated 1/31/2013 13:12:33 Pacific Standard Time, li...@rtty.us writes: Hi For

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Bob Camp
Hi If you are driving a spectrum analyzer, the 10,000X mentioned in the app note simply is not needed. A gain of 10X or less will get you to below 2 nv / sqrt(Hz) at 100 Hz and beyond. A 10 Hz blocking cap does not need to be a 24 hours to stabilize device. An AD 797, a couple of metal film

Re: [time-nuts] Loran again

2013-01-31 Thread Bill Riches
Greetings All, Loran station at Wildwood, NJ is up at 2118 EST on 100 KHZ. I guess they are running surveys again. I am located 3 miles NW of Wildwood Crest NJ where the station is located. 73, Bill, WA2DVU Cape May Court House, NJ -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com

Re: [time-nuts] Loran again

2013-01-31 Thread Bill Riches
This link may work. http://www.insidegnss.com/node/2992 73, Bill WA2DVU Greetings All, Loran station at Wildwood, NJ is up at 2118 EST on 100 KHZ. I guess they are running surveys again. I am located 3 miles NW of Wildwood Crest NJ where the station is located. 73, Bill, WA2DVU Cape May

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Charles P. Steinmetz
Bob wrote: An AD 797, a couple of metal film resistors, and a fairly large (say 47 uf) plastic cap work pretty well. The band from 10 Hz down to 0.1 or 0.01 Hz is generally important when testing oscillators. To keep the 797 input noise density below a few nV per root Hz, the terminations

Re: [time-nuts] Loran again

2013-01-31 Thread paul swed
Rich indeed its on the air. Warming up the FS700 to see if it will lock. Have a pattern ram thats getting flakey and takes about 30 minutes to warm up along with the oven. Anyhow did reach out to UrsaNav and did get a response and actually had a good conversation. They have released their first

Re: [time-nuts] Loran again

2013-01-31 Thread Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX N2469R
In Oregon Loran-C signals were much stronger than WWVB. Loran-C could provide an alternative to WWVB that actually works in Oregon. Not to mention a fall back to a navigation system that can be jammed by something as small as a can of pop. -- Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX c...@omen.com

[time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Joe Leikhim
Back when I was in product engineering there was a VCO design that used a superfilter circuit. It consisted of a pass transistor and a filter cap from base to ground. The gain of the transistor multiplied the effective capacitance. I have not seen this configuration since. -- Joe Leikhim

Re: [time-nuts] Loran again

2013-01-31 Thread Stan, W1LE
What GRI should we be listening for ? Stan, W1LECape Cod FN41sr On 1/31/2013 9:56 PM, paul swed wrote: Rich indeed its on the air. Warming up the FS700 to see if it will lock. Have a pattern ram thats getting flakey and takes about 30 minutes to warm up along with the oven.

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Richard (Rick) Karlquist
One more thought: Many oscillators have internal regulators that are not nearly as good as what you can build. No sense using an external supply with 5 nV per root Hz noise density if it will be re-regulated inside the oscillator by a circuit that has a noise density of 250 nV per root Hz.

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread Max Robinson
You haven't seen it used because it doesn't work very well. It appeared in a few pieces of Heathkit equipment but I don't think HP or Tek used it at all. Any AC component of base to collector voltage has a small but definite effect on Vbe which transfers voltage in the reverse direction from

Re: [time-nuts] GPS at 60,000 feet (Chris Albertson)

2013-01-31 Thread Joseph Gauthier
ITAR has their own restrictions for GPS receivers. See here: http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/offdocs/itar/p121.htm (2) Designed for producing navigation results above 60,000 feet altitude and at 1,000 knots velocity or greater; From:

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread David
I have seen it used in a couple of Tektronix TM500 instruments but the purpose may have been to generate a lower voltage power supply rail instead of noise reduction. Tektronix often added LC sections on their switching power supply outputs and distributed smaller LC sections to prevent coupling

[time-nuts] GRI For loran signal

2013-01-31 Thread Rich and Marcia Putz
Hi all; I set my FS-700 to 89700 GRI, and had initial acquisition within 5 minutes here, and complete tracking and lock within 20-25 minutes. Not bad considering that the noise level here is about equal to the signal in a receiver (ICOM IC-725) with a 2.3 Khz bandwidth which is what I first

Re: [time-nuts] Loran again

2013-01-31 Thread Stan, W1LE
Fired up the SRS FS700 and auto found the GRI 89700 microsecond stations in Dana Il (master) and Seneca NY, (slave) both with equal signal strength of 63 db. Other slaves were not to be found. Noise margin of 32 dB and Rx gain of 72dB. So the Rx is all locked up. Tomorrow I will have more data

[time-nuts] question for expert time guys

2013-01-31 Thread Rick Harold
To time experts/EE's. I would like to triangulate a position of a device which moves using 3 fixed positions devices of known location. The idea is to have these operate on 915mhz or 434mhz or 2.4ghz or appropriate frequency. These two type of devices (fixed and mobile) are all under my control

Re: [time-nuts] Low noise power supplies?

2013-01-31 Thread gary
Are 4 and 5 regulated? Or is the zener picked to compensate for the VBE drops? Any of these circuits where the output transistor is in an emitter follower configuration will have its noise effected by the load current, since that current directly effects the output transistor