[time-nuts] Making a HP 10811 better

[Peter Vince]

Warren,

     If you turn over an oscillator, is the frequency change
completely reversible (to your "under 1e-12 resolution") when it is
restored?  Thinking aloud, if an hour-glass is turned over twice, the
final level will be the same, but the grains will be mixed.  A quartz
crystal, however, is solid, so hopefully nothing actually moves.
Presumably the zero-G axis is with the axis of oscillation at 90
degrees to gravity?

     Peter (the "other" one :-)



> Another thing I use it for is to test high resolution Freq meters.
> Using a calibrated wedge that I can then slide under one edge of the zero-G
> Osc box, I can
> make small, variable, repeatable, freq changes of under 1e-12 resolution,
> something pretty hard to do otherwise.
> If I want to make BIG changes like 1e-10, I can rotate the box on any of its
> sides and still use the wedge,
> and for a quick check of new equipment, I just turn the box over which then
> gives a couple of parts in 1e-9 freq change.
> It makes a weird but simple and indispensable variable freq source that is
> useful for many things, such as checking the LOOP TC of a TBolt.