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

Bruce Griffiths bruce.griffiths at xtra.co.nz
Tue Dec 25 22:15:03 UTC 2012


Fabio

The simplest (lowest part count and least number of power supplies) 
consists of a tristate buffer driving an RC circuit.
The PPS signal is connected directly to the buffer input whilst the 
output of the PPS synchroniser (at least 2 stages to minimise the 
probability of metastabilty at the synchroniser output) drives the 
buffer tristate control input.
The RC network starts charging when the PPS signal goes high and stops 
when the synchroniser output goes high.
The capacitor charging is nonlinear but this is easily corrected in 
software.
The capacitor is connected between the input of a capacitive charge 
redistribution ADC and ground.
Software correction for the effect of charging the charge ADC input 
capacitance is also required.

Suitable fast single gate tristate drives are readily available.
With low tempco resistors and capacitors the TAC gain tempco can be 
200pmm/C or less.
The only disadvantages are the increased software complexity and the 
need for an extra bit of ADC resolution to maintain TAC resolution.

Bruce



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