[time-nuts] Questions about TAC frontend, and some measurements

Fabio Eboli FabioEb at quipo.it
Sat Dec 22 23:00:12 UTC 2012


Hello, Bruce

> Using saturated transistors as switches in the current source and
> elsewhere isn't conducive to fast switching.
> The traditional arrangement using current mode switches is much
> faster and more predictable.

This is something I'd like to understand better.

I'm referring to this schematic here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14336723@N08/8293076065/
Q2 and Q5 are saturating toward the end of the
ramp pulse, when the ramp capacitor C1 starts
to go up.
I was prepared to see the circuit I designed
fail miserably on switch time, but it seem
to be working, as far as I could see on the DSO.
As far I can understand, the fact that Q2 and Q6
don't saturate, saves the circuit, since
at the end of the ramp, when Q1 and Q5 are
into saturation, Q6 is able to steer the
current to ground, and reverse bias BE (and CB)
of Q5. Is this correct, or I was only
lucky with the specific parts I used?

> Buffering the ramp with an opamp requires that the opamp settling
> time be known so that the opamp has fully settled before a sample is
> taken. With a charge redistribution ADC that has a sampling switch
> connected to a capacitor array a buffer isnt usually necessary.
>
> Bruce
>

I was planning to read the voltage with a microcontroller's ADC.
I will set a fixed delay from the PPS rising edge and start
sampling there. To do so I need that the voltage on integrating
capacitor to stay reasonably stable during the delay.

Fabio



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