[time-nuts] Oscilloquartz 3210 Cesium Standard

Magnus Danielson magnus at rubidium.dyndns.org
Thu Aug 28 12:47:30 EDT 2014


If you have tube-life and not other issues, it's about the same.
Also works for rubidiums, as the loop aspect here is essentially the same.

There can be *other* issues. For the 5060A for instance, you might need 
to also adjust the crystal filter of the OCXO, as that too drifts out of 
range, so you get no signal out.

What I write is not a fix-it-all but rather addresses that one issue.

Cheers,
Magnus

On 08/28/2014 06:35 PM, Bob Bownes wrote:
> Is there a similar 'bring it back to life' procedure for the 5061A?
>
>
> On Thu, Aug 28, 2014 at 12:32 PM, Magnus Danielson <
> magnus at rubidium.dyndns.org> wrote:
>
>> Chris,
>>
>> Do you have a GPS clock?
>>
>> First turn the operational mode setting from off to second step (ocxo +
>> ion pump) and let it stay there for a day or so.
>>
>> Then, as the oven have stabilized, switch it over to third step, the open
>> loop mode, and tune the OCXO up against a GPS reference so that it is very
>> near 5 MHz. You use the calibration whole on the front of the clock for
>> that.
>>
>> Then, you turn the operation mode switch to the fourth and last step, the
>> closed loop step, and see if it locks up. Let it just sit there and lock
>> up, as it takes some time.
>>
>> It's quite common that OCXOs have drifted outside the capture range of the
>> analogue loop, so loosing lock and not being able to attain it again is a
>> typical response.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Magnus
>>
>>
>> On 08/28/2014 04:33 PM, Chris wrote:
>>
>>> On 08/28/14 05:03, Javier Herrero wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> Here is the manual I've. I have also some other documentations, and some
>>>> Oscilloquartz software for the OSA-5585, but I don't know if they are
>>>> very useful.
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>>
>>>> Javier
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Hi Javier,
>>>
>>> Thanks for that and for the other replies. The 3210 looks like quite an
>>> early design, with no sign of microprocessors at all. There's a 8 slot
>>> card cage with a load of discrete analog circuitry, 741 op amps etc and
>>> a couple of boards full of 14 / 16 pin ssi cmos / ttl devices, which I
>>> guess would be the synthesiser logic and perhaps a state machine style
>>> startup sequencer. Apart from that, the rest is power supply related and
>>> what looks like an alarm board with optoisolator discete outputs to a 25
>>> way D connector. The step recovery diode (?) multiplier into the
>>> microwave cavity is a really neat gold plated assembly with what looks
>>> like a 50r termination (setup tap for spectrum analyser ?) and an
>>> adjustment trimmer, but am not touching that or the many trimpots on the
>>> boards or any adjustments until I have more info. The tube is from FTS,
>>> part number / model 7101.
>>>
>>> It seems strange that the 2nd harmonic, meter #9, is zero, since even
>>> with a tube approaching eol, one would expect at least some indication,
>>> which is why I think there may be an electronic fault. Perhaps the hv
>>> power supply module feeding the electron multiplier. Will try to measure
>>> that, but the area around the tube is really heavily rivetted and
>>> screwed down in all directions. Looks like a lot of the left hand side
>>> of the case will need to be disassembled just to get at the tube
>>> connections. It also had the battery backup option, with 4 sets of 3 x
>>> cyclon type cells, but with a date code of 1984, are seriously dead and
>>> have been removed.
>>>
>>> This time nuts things seems to be a growing interest and wonder if there
>>> is a cure ? :-). Recently bought a 1970's era Tracor 304D rubidium
>>> standard. Again, no lock, but a very well engineered and screwed
>>> together piece of kit and should be fixable. Collection now includes the
>>> Z3816, from Ebay US around 7 years ago, a Z3815 currently being
>>> repackaged, an HP103 with open circuit oven heater elements and the
>>> 3210...
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>>
>>> Chris
>>>
>>>
>>>
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