Author Topic: Make your own Rubidium-stabilized OCXO reference  (Read 2068 times)

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Offline TheUnnamedNewbieTopic starter

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Make your own Rubidium-stabilized OCXO reference
« on: November 06, 2019, 10:30:29 am »
Anyone here know of people who have tried this in a more diy-context? I imagine that by far the hardest part here is the sourcing of the rubidium itself?

Some colleagues and I are looking at giving this a shot for our 'project friday' workdays. This does mean we have access to some good equipment from T&M point of view.
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Offline FriedLogic

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Re: Make your own Rubidium-stabilized OCXO reference
« Reply #1 on: November 06, 2019, 12:00:17 pm »
How 'DIY' are you thinking of?

If you're starting off with a few bits from an old rubidium it's one thing, but trying to make the cell is something else.
 

Offline ogden

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Re: Make your own Rubidium-stabilized OCXO reference
« Reply #2 on: November 06, 2019, 12:35:28 pm »
Anyone here know of people who have tried this in a more diy-context? I imagine that by far the hardest part here is the sourcing of the rubidium itself?
You want to DIY-manufacture rubidium gas-cell frequency standard? This:

 

Offline awallin

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Re: Make your own Rubidium-stabilized OCXO reference
« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2019, 04:55:42 pm »
I imagine that by far the hardest part here is the sourcing of the rubidium itself?

these may or may not be suitable..
https://www.thorlabs.com/newgrouppage9.cfm?objectgroup_id=1470
600 to 900eur, they seem to have both 'natural' (mostly Rb85 I guess) and Rb87.

There are some all-optical Rb-clock setups, where you only need 780nm light (frequency doubled 1560nm telecom laser) - which might be worth a look?
 


Offline maat

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Re: Make your own Rubidium-stabilized OCXO reference
« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2019, 10:32:23 pm »
There are some all-optical Rb-clock setups, where you only need 780nm light (frequency doubled 1560nm telecom laser) - which might be worth a look?

If you want to go the laser route. Check out Eagleyard Photonics (https://www.eagleyard.com/products/single-frequency-laser-diodes/) and their DFB diodes, but don't expect this route to be cheap. Better, but certainly not cheaper than a brand new PRS10.
 

Online edpalmer42

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Re: Make your own Rubidium-stabilized OCXO reference
« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2019, 02:56:52 am »
good luck
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rb-High-Precision-Low-Phase-Noise-Rubidium-Atomic-Clock-Soviet-Ussr-DIY/123737315177?hash=item1ccf519769:g:~K0AAOSw0VBctceW

If this turned out to be a combined cell rather than a seperate resonance cell or filter cell, that would be a huge stroke of luck.  I thought I read something about someone evaluating these cells, but I haven't seen any results.

Ed
 


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