[time-nuts] TICC Timestamping / Time Interval Counter -- Available to Order

Christopher Hoover ch at murgatroid.com
Wed Dec 7 23:36:40 EST 2016


Thanks, John!    Just ordered two and looking forward to receiving it.  73,
Christopher de AI6KG

On Wed, Dec 7, 2016 at 11:45 AM, John Ackermann N8UR <jra at febo.com> wrote:

> I'm happy to report that TAPR is now accepting orders for the TICC
> timestamping / time interval counter.  We've placed an order with the
> contract manufacturer and expect to have finished product ready to ship
> sometime in February.  The TICC system will include the TICC shield mounted
> on an Arduino Mega 2560 compatible processor, with TICC software loaded.
> Each system will be tested for function before shipping.
>
> As I mentioned in my original email, TAPR is going a bit out on a limb to
> produce the TICC, and we have to make a significant up-front payment to our
> contract manufacturer. So, early orders are very much appreciated to help
> recover our cash flow.
>
> The regular price will be $190 each for the TICC shield with Arduino
> compatible processor,* but to encourage early orders, we're offering a $10
> discount for orders placed on or before December 21 -- that makes the price
> $180 plus shipping.
>
> You can order from: http://tapr.org/kits_ticc.html
>
> Thanks!
> John
>
> * We will provide a Sainsmart version of the Arduino Mega 2560 R3.  They
> seem to be a reliable supplier and we used these boards for TICC
> development.
>
>
> -------- Forwarded Message --------
> Subject: [time-nuts] New Timestamping / Time Interval Counter: the TICC
> Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2016 10:48:57 -0500
> From: John Ackermann N8UR <jra at febo.com>
>
> Counters with resolution below 1 nanosecond are difficult.
> They require either outrageous clock speeds, or interpolators
> that are typically a bunch of analog components mixed with black
> magic and stirred by frequent calibration.  The very best single-shot
> resolution that's been commercially available is 20 picoseconds in
> the Keysight 53230A and HP 5370A/B.  My 5370B has an one-second
> noise ADEV of about 4x10e-11.
>
> With the help of some very talented friends, I've been working on a new
> counter called the "TICC" with <60ps resolution and similar jitter,
> based on the Texas Instruments TDC7200 time-to-data-converter chip. The
> one-second noise ADEV is about 7x10e-11, not much worse than the 5370,
> but here's the trick:  the TICC is an Arduino shield (mounting on a
> Mega 2560 controller) that weighs only a couple of ounces, requires
> *no* calibration, and is powered from a USB cable!
>
> The TICC is implemented as a two-channel timestamping counter.  That
> means it can measure one or two low-frequency (e.g., pulse-per-second)
> inputs against an external 10 MHz reference, or it can do a traditional
> time interval measurement of one input against the other.  It can also
> measure period, ratio, or any other function of two-channel  timestamp
> data.  (And by the way -- multiple TICCs can be connected to yield 4,
> 6, 8, or more synchronized channels, though we haven't tested this
> capability yet.)
>
> I've attached a picture of the TICC prototype as well as an ADEV plot
> of a 17+ day run of multiple measurements taken by two TICCs, and also
> showing the TICC noise floor.  The good news behind that plot is that
> there are more than 6 million data points behind these results, and
> there was not a single glitch or significant outlier among them.
>
> There's more information available at http://febo.com/pages/TICC
>
> The software is open source (BSD license) and is available at
> https://github.com/TAPR/TICC -- the current version seems be reliable
> but there are still features to add and a *lot* of cleanup to do; it's
> currently ugly and very much a work in process.
>
> As always, I'll be making the TICC available through TAPR.  We're still
> finalizing details, but we expect the price to be less than $200 for a
> turn-key system:  TICC mounted on an Arduino with software loaded and
> tested for basic functionality.  We hope to ship the TICC by February.
>
> I'll post a note in a week or two with final price and ordering
> information.  As a heads up, we will probably offer a small discoun
> for pre-orders.  TAPR is a shoestring non-profit group and the up-front
> cost to manufacture this unit will frankly be a challenge for us.
> Getting pre-orders will help our cash flow significantly, so we ask you
> to keep that in mind.
>
> John
>
>
>
>
>
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