TA-0419: XL Microwave 3030 - Rubidium - Frequency Counter - Teardown

[@jspencerg]

Hi Tony. I recall your video on the 3260, which I also have. It works great except for the power meter. I found several references including the service manual for the 3030! Let me know the best way to share it with you. PS I just checked, memory correction: I have the 3200, which goes to 20G. Looks just like the 3260.

[@TonyAlbus]

Thank you so much!! that would be great!! the 3200 is very simular and good. you find my email in the ABOUT of the channel, thank you so much. if it is to big to email, please use WeTransfer service.

[@TonyAlbus]

Thank you for sharing! received in good order.

[@jonscally2349]

just noticed this comment..after I emailed you the manual 😂😂

[@TonyAlbus]

@@jonscally2349 Thank you for sharing Jon

[@jonscally2349]

Happy to help if I can.

[@tonogtube]

Special apparatus, special video 👍

[@TonyAlbus]

Yes love it!

[@smith.randall]

ANOTHER fantastic counter video! Yes, I love zeros too 🤩

[@TonyAlbus]

thanks! yes love it!

[@piotr-Garou]

👍

[@TonyAlbus]

Thank you!

[@KA9DSL]

I have a rubidium reference 10 mhz osc and a GPS cesium locked reference. The two were so close in frequency, the rubidium was off 1 cycle compared to the GPS every 7 seconds. Talk about being super accurate!

[@TonyAlbus]

That so cool, they re so stable... thanks for sharing, 73

[@ernestb.2377]

Again, interesting to watch! Hope you figure out the second channel. You can start with the mixer. Good luck!

[@TonyAlbus]

Thank you! yes that would be great, but just as a Standard i am happy too. i will try though

[@gtretroworld]

Very nice, good luck in tracking down the channel issue tony. I’m guessing it has been overloaded at some point, hopefully something simple.

[@TonyAlbus]

Thanks, yes lets see, i also expect an overload.

[@zdzisiek1979]

Ładny miernik ... Pozdrawiam

[@TonyAlbus]

Thank you! , greetings!

[@davidv1289]

Very nice counter, Tony. Looks like the high frequency input has a hard line connection to the mixer so possibly that bit of unobtainium is okay (unless the overload detection is done inside that module). If so you may be able to repair that channel. Repair video! Regards, David

[@TonyAlbus]

Thank you David, good point, that is something to check for sure.

[@M-P-X]

Handvatten en behuizing spuiten en het lijkt weer nieuw, even naar de Action 😁

[@TonyAlbus]

Helemaal waar, goed punt... dank je!

[@LockdownElectronics]

Nice :)

[@TonyAlbus]

Thanks Bill! very cool addition for sure, very happy about it.

[@MarioRiesebeek]

Nice counter Tony! Keep us updated about any fixes! 73

[@TonyAlbus]

Thanks Mario!

[@MrDubje]

Those small (or LPRO / Low Profile Rubidium Oscillator) Rb modules I've seen once for sale on Marktplaats xD Great find! I thought you had a Rb standard already. Yes, they can be adjusted. Problem is you're testing the short term-stability of your GPSDO with it, as it is rock solid. The little glitching in the least significant digit(s) is just the GPSDO correcting its own timebase according to the new data it constantly receives. In order to adjust the Rb clock properly I think you need a good counter (I used a HP 53131 from work), set your GPSDO as external ref for that, and check the rubidium output with a (I don't know) gate time of 1 minute or more and run stats for a couple of hours to see what the real deviation is over a longer period of measurements. Perhaps even with limits in place to exclude rogue highs or lows as a GPSDO sometimes corrects a little more coarse (well, mine does).

[@TonyAlbus]

So surpriced how stable it is. if you like to see some longterm meseurements i have afew videos on the Rapco compared to Chinesium running over 2 or 3 weeks. My gpsdo is switched on 24/7 and does not adjust to much anymore.

[@TonyAlbus]

Thanks, i check ebay.. who knows some is still there.

[@VasyVasii]

The article "Frequency ratio of the 229mTh nuclear isomeric transition and the 87Sr atomic clock" was published on the Nature website. about the most accurate nuclear clock yet

[@TonyAlbus]

Thanks for sharing, will have a look

[@LawpickingLocksmith]

This keeps on counting, the shack with endless instruments.

[@TonyAlbus]

I stopped counting, so i don't need to lie to the wife about the number :)

[@craxd1]

I think they can be adjusted, as most use an OCXO, which is disciplined by the photocell detector at the end. They're used as a "secondary standard" when compared to a cesium.

[@TonyAlbus]

Thanks, yes they can, i saw later the adjustment screw , ut is was not needed at all its spot on.. so cool!

[@craxd1]

@@TonyAlbus If I remember, they have a feedback loop in them, with the OCXO in the loop where it looks for a dip from the rubidium lamp. Below is what the Wiki page states: "Commercial rubidium frequency standards operate by disciplining a crystal oscillator to the rubidium hyperfine transition of 6.8 GHz (6834682610.904 Hz). The intensity of light from a rubidium discharge lamp that reaches a photodetector through a resonance cell will drop by about 0.1% when the rubidium vapor in the resonance cell is exposed to microwave power near the transition frequency. The crystal oscillator is stabilized to the rubidium transition by detecting the light dip while sweeping an RF synthesizer (referenced to the crystal) through the transition frequency." Cesium standards do something similar, where it was stated: ""The second is the duration of 9192631770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the cesium 133 atom." They're currently rebuilding an old Apollo computer, and the equipment they picked up as well. They had two HP cesium standards they were firing back up, which you have to degauze, and looked for the transition on a scope. Likewise, they used an original and old HP scope to view it. It was pretty cool to watch. However, a cesium standard is much more complicated, and, to me, not worth the time and trouble to tinker with to align it.

[@sbelectronicaindustrial6652]

👍👍👍👌👌👌....!!

[@TonyAlbus]

Thank you!

[@АлександрЛукянчиков-о2ф]

❤

[@TonyAlbus]

Thanks yoU!

[@DerekDominos]

Hi i am looking for schematics for XL 3400

[@TonyAlbus]

Hi if you send me an email, i can WeTransfer you what i have so far.

[@DimasFajar-ns4vb]

peace be upon you sir from me and zamzam water

[@TonyAlbus]

Thank you sir, same to you

[@TheDefpom]

U404 didn’t look like it was seated fully in.

[@TonyAlbus]

Well spotted Scott, seen it too and i indeed reseated all the IC's .. this usualy fixed those HP generators too.

[@Radiotechnik]

Mam GPSDO 10MHz Standard wykonany według schematów DL4JAL . Mam dokładność częstotliwości 10MHz +/- 0,1Hz . Pomiary przy 100MHz są obarczone błędem +/- 1Hz. Jako bardzo stabilnego w czasie używam - Wysoko stabilnego Generatora kwarcowego wykonanego na diodzie tunelowej GWM-5-1. Jest to generator w termostacie który wymaga wygrzania kilka godzin , ale jest stabilny jak skała. Ten Twój rubidium jest najlepszy . Pozdrawiam .

[@TonyAlbus]

Thanks! that is a very nice project you have there, cool! Yes love this one.

[@opablo_gm]

Thats a lot of zeros.... amazing... i would be mad if it said 9.999.999,99 instead of 10.000.000,01 ... i have a biased OCD

[@TonyAlbus]

Same here :))) thats my facination about counters :)