[time-nuts] Thunderbolt stability and ambient temperature
Robert Atkinson
robert8rpi at yahoo.co.uk
Wed Jun 10 18:52:22 UTC 2009
Interestingly, the packing instructions for the Solartron 7081 81/2 digit voltmeter shows two "thermal inertia bottles" close to the instument. These provide a thermal mass that works with the insulation to reduce the rate of temperature change at the unit. This will also filter short duration transients. So a cardboard box with a couple of bottles of water in it would make a good enclosure. Or just leave the beer in the cooler :-)
Robert G8RPI.
--- On Tue, 9/6/09, Poul-Henning Kamp <phk at phk.freebsd.dk> wrote:
> From: Poul-Henning Kamp <phk at phk.freebsd.dk>
> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt stability and ambient temperature
> To: "Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement" <time-nuts at febo.com>
> Date: Tuesday, 9 June, 2009, 9:03 PM
> In message <BLU125-W9E23FDF3E1618C93E603ECE440 at phx.gbl>,
> Mark Sims writes:
>
> >I think that using a well insulated box [...]
>
> The point for timenuts is not just the thermal resistance,
> but more
> importantly the thermal *impedance*: you want to low-pass
> filter
> the thermal changes so that they all happen in the area
> where the
> PLL can cope with them.
>
> Thermal resistance is about insulation, thermal impedance
> is
> about (thermal) mass.
>
> So you significant mass and volume (like a fridge) not
> light and
> small (like a cardboard box).
>
> When metrology people really want to keep things at the
> same
> temperature, they mount them in oil-baths (for good thermal
> contact)
> in the middle of a block of aluminium, typically 2'x2'x1'
> (for
> thermal impedance) which is again insulated with 1"
> styrofoam, all
> of this mounted in a plywoodbox, set on rubber-wheels to
> get it off
> the floor (for thermal resistance).
>
> If they are really into this, they cover the plywood with
> high-quality
> (noble-) metal foil, to maximize reflectivity and minimize
> emissivity,
> so that the black-body radiation from devices and humans in
> the lab
> does not affect the temperature interface as much.
>
> Then they leave it alone for "some weeks" in their
> temperature
> controlled lab so the temperature can stabilize.
>
> At this point they may start to wonder how they can verify
> the pt100
> temperature sensor they put in the middle of it all
> actually works
> when the temperature never changes...
>
> Poul-Henning
>
> --
> Poul-Henning Kamp | UNIX
> since Zilog Zeus 3.20
> phk at FreeBSD.ORG
> | TCP/IP since RFC 956
> FreeBSD committer | BSD
> since 4.3-tahoe
> Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained
> by incompetence.
>
> _______________________________________________
> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts at febo.com
> To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
> and follow the instructions there.
>
More information about the time-nuts
mailing list