[time-nuts] Maximizing Cs Tube Life
Skip Withrow
swithrow at idcomm.com
Fri Jul 10 05:13:32 UTC 2009
Hello Time-nuts,
Just wondering what the group concensus might be concerning maximizing Cs
tube life. On one extreme, if a tube is not used at all it will lose its
vacuum. That is why Symmetricom instructs that stored tubes be powered for
at least 30 minutes each 6 months. At the other extreme is powering the
tube 24/7 which depletes the Cs source.
In the middle is the question of how long does it take to achieve
satisfactory stability to use the unit to evaluate other devices
(oscillators - xtal or Rb).
I would like to maximize the tube life and only need to do evaluations
periodically. My first inclination is to fire up the cesium a week or so in
advance of use and then shut it down until needed again.
Just wondering what the time-nut collective experience might be?
Regards,
Skip Withrow
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