What is this about ? This blog is to document adventures in various aspects of precision science. I am using it document various projects that I am building and running. Hopefully some of this information will be useful to other people who are trying to get things working in similar areas. The three main areas this blog will be concentrating on are:
Precision time
Most of all, I am interested in precise time, making me a time-nut. I have two GPS Disciplined Oscillators (GPSDO), several GPS modules and two Time Interval Counters to help monitor the differences between them. I am also interested in time distribution and monitoring using Network Time Protocol (NTP).
Precision electronics
The area I am concentrating on is building precision voltage references from components and designing PCBs. This is in comparison to the precision time area, which normally requires pre-built modules. In addition, I am constructing small projects to allow monitoring of environmental conditions such as temperature and pressure. As a result, this will allow cross checks of any time changes with changes in the environment. The image above shows a multi-function calibration module being checked in the lab.
Precision position
In order for GPS modules to give you the most precise time, first of all they have to know where they are. As a result, I have been looking at how precise positions can come from low cost GPS modules like the u-blox series. It seems like with the right module and software, they can give very good results for much less than traditional survey systems.