Hi The “compelling case” for the CSAC is the combination of low power and long term stability. You can get OCXO’s that run less power. A TCXO that uses less power is trivial. Temperature stability wise, there are TCXO’s that get pretty close (= factor of 10) to overlapping with the CSAC. There is nothing out there that will do the 1 month stability at anything close to the same power level. The CSAC is unique in that respect. Can you find most of this on eBay? Well, wait a decade or two …..
As a source for a radio project, the CSAC *really* needs a cleanup oscillator. That’s not a knock on the part. The cleanup oscillator may well use more power than the entire CSAC. Let those who really need it add it on to their systems. Bob > On Jan 21, 2018, at 6:26 PM, Magnus Danielson <[email protected]> > wrote: > > Ronald, > > What exactly motivated specifically CSAC for you? > > There might be other cheaper alternatives to your problem. > > For me CSAC solves a problem within very specific set of parameters, > where low powerconsumption is one of them. Depending on the actual > details of the application a TCXO might be a better choice, or even some > OCXOs. > > It's not that I want to deny you the fun of toying with CSAC, I have > three myself, but if you don't really need what it is good for, other > choices might be better. Also, the one place for such advice is for sure > this email list where a lot of experience is gathered and ready to share. > > Cheers, > Magnus > > On 01/22/2018 12:09 AM, Ronald Held wrote: >> Thanks for all the information. Have not kept up with the price, but >> ~$6K is too much to afford right now By the time I can I hope it >> doesn't go up . >> >> Ronald >> >> Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2018 17:50:48 -0800 >> From: jimlux <[email protected]> >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] CSAC purchase >> Message-ID: <[email protected]> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed >> >> On 1/20/18 5:05 PM, Ronald Held wrote: >>> I am thinking of buying a CSAC plus evaluation board. >>> Eventually I might want to make it portable. Any suggestions including >>> where to buy it? >>> >> >> >> MicroSemi is the manufacturer - Find a distributor and order it. >> >> For instance, Digikey has the CSAC ($5312.50) and the eval board ($928.75) >> >> portable isn't a problem - just run it off batteries. >> >> It's pretty easy to hook up - power, 1pps in and out and 10 MHz out >> (they have versions that put out 5, 10.24, and 16.384 MHz too). >> >> A serial port to control the device >> >> The eval board has SMA connectors, a sub-d for the serial port, and >> comes with a wall wart to run it. >> >> Download the Microsemi CSAC UserGuide for more info >> >> you can fool with the disciplining algorithm, etc. >> It's a low power device compared to a OCXO (<120mW) >> >> They're a pretty nifty device, even if the price more than tripled in >> the last couple years. >> >> >> Jackson Labs makes some integrated systems using CSAC, I believe. >> _______________________________________________ >> time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] >> To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts >> and follow the instructions there. >> > _______________________________________________ > time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > and follow the instructions there. _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
