Wideband digital phase comparator for high current shunts

A wideband phase comparator for precise measurements of phase difference of high current shunts has been developed at INRIM. The two-input digital phase detector is realized with a precision wideband digitizer connected through a pair of symmetric active guarded transformers to the outputs of the shunts under comparison. Data are first acquired asynchronously, and then transferred from on-board memory to host memory. Because of the large amount of data collected the filtering process and the analysis algorithms are performed outside the acquisition routine. Most of the systematic errors can be compensated by a proper inversion procedure. The system is suitable for comparing shunts in a wide range of currents, from several hundred of milliampere up to 100 A, and frequencies ranging between 500 Hz and 100 kHz. Expanded uncertainty (k=2) less than 0.05 mrad, for frequency up to 100 kHz, is obtained in the measurement of the phase difference of a group of 10 A shunts, provided by some European NMIs, using a digitizer with sampling frequency up to 1 MHz. An enhanced version of the phase comparator employs a new digital phase detector with higher sampling frequency and vertical resolution. This permits to decrease the contribution to the uncertainty budget of the phase detector of a factor two from 20 kHz to 100 kHz. Theories and experiments show that the phase difference between two high precision wideband digitizers, coupled as phase detector, depends on multiple factors derived from both analog and digital imprint of each sampling system.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figure

Frequency Precision of Oscillators Based on High-Q Resonators

We present a method for analyzing the phase noise of oscillators based on feedback driven high quality factor resonators. Our approach is to derive the phase drift of the oscillator by projecting the stochastic oscillator dynamics onto a slow time scale corresponding physically to the long relaxation time of the resonator. We derive general expressions for the phase drift generated by noise sources in the electronic feedback loop of the oscillator. These are mixed with the signal through the nonlinear amplifier, which makes them {cyclostationary}. We also consider noise sources acting directly on the resonator. The expressions allow us to investigate reducing the oscillator phase noise thereby improving the frequency precision using resonator nonlinearity by tuning to special operating points. We illustrate the approach giving explicit results for a phenomenological amplifier model. We also propose a scheme for measuring the slow feedback noise generated by the feedback components in an open-loop driven configuration in experiment or using circuit simulators, which enables the calculation of the closed-loop oscillator phase noise in practical systems

Radio Properties of the Auroral Ionosphere, Final Report (Phase I)

It has been found in recent years that a study of the fluctuations in the signals received from radio stars affords a powerful means of investigating the irregular structure of the ionosphere. In 1955 studies of this type, using frequencies of 223 Me and 456 Me, were initiated at the Geophysical Institute, with a view to investigating the smallscale structure of the highly disturbed auroral ionosphere. The purpose of this report is to present a complete description of the initial experimental arrangement. Further developments of the equipment and some results of analysis of the data have been presented in Quarterly Progress Reports covering the period since 1 June 1956, The report is divided into three sections. Section I contains a description of the basic philosophy of the experiment with an elementary discussion of the various parameters involved. Section II contains a brief description of the actual field installation, and Section III is devoted to the electronic design features. The diagrams pertaining to each section are located at the end of the section.Air Force Contract No. AF 30(635)-2887 Project No. 5535 - Task 45774 Rome Air Development Center, Griffiss Air Force Base Rome, New YorkABSTRACT AND GENERAL INTRODUCTION -- [SECTION I] Investigation of the Ionosphere Using Extra- Terrestrial Radio Sources : 1.1 Introduction ; 1.2 Extra-Terrestrial Sources ; Apparent Positions ; 1.3 Instrumental Techniques for the Study of Radiation from Radio Stars ; Interferometer Methods ; Advantages of the Phase-Switch Interferometer ; Interferometer Parameters ; 1.5 Limitations on Accuracy -- References -- [SECTION II] The Field Installation : 2.1 Introduction ; 2.2 The Radio Telescope Towers ; 2.3 The Antennas ; 2.4 Acknowledgements -- [SECTION III] Electronic Design of Phase-Switch Interferometers : 3.1 Introduction ; 3.2 223 Mc Phase-Switch Equipment ; 3.3 456 Mc Phase-Switch Equipment ; 3.4 Auxiliary EquipmentYe

Developing and evaluating a hybrid wind instrument

A hybrid wind instrument generates self-sustained sounds via a real-time interaction between a computed excitation model (such as the physical model of human lips interacting with a mouthpiece) and a real acoustic resonator. Attempts to produce a hybrid instrument have so far fallen short, in terms of both the accuracy and the variation in the sound produced. The principal reason for the failings of previous hybrid instruments is the actuator which, controlled by the excitation model, introduces a fluctuating component into the air flow injected into the resonator. In the present paper, the possibility of using a loudspeaker to supply the calculated excitation signal is evaluated. A theoretical study has facilitated the modeling of the loudspeaker-resonator system and the design of a feedback and feedforward filter to successfully compensate for the presence of the loudspeaker. The resulting self-sustained sounds are evaluated by a mapping of their sound descriptors to the input parameters of the physical model of the embouchure, both for sustained and attack sounds. Results are compared with simulations. The largely coherent functioning confirms the usefulness of the device in both musical and research contexts

Noncontacting device to indicate deflection of turbopump internal rotating parts

Phase 2 (development) which was concluded for the ultrasonic Doppler device and the light-pipe-reflectance device is reported. An ultrasonic Doppler breadboard system was assembled which accurately measured runout in the J-2 LOX pump impeller during operation. The transducer was mounted on the outside of the pump volute using a C-clamp. Vibration was measured by conducting the ultrasonic wave through the volute housing and through the fluid in the volute to the impeller surface. The impeller vibration was also measured accurately using the light-pipe probe mounted in an elastomeric-gland fitting in the pump case. A special epoxy resin developed for cryogenic applications was forced into the end of the fiber-optic probe to retain the fibers. Subsequently, the probe suffered no damage after simultaneous exposure to 2150 psi and 77 F. Preliminary flash X-radiographs were taken of the turbine wheel and the shaft-bearing-seal assembly, using a 2-megavolt X-ray unit. Reasonable resolution and contrast was obtained. A fast-neutron detector was fabricated and sensitivity was measured. The results demonstrated that the technique is feasible for integrated-time measurements requiring, perhaps, 240 revolutions to obtain sufficient exposure at 35,000 rpm. The experimental verification plans are included

Development of a dc-ac power conditioner for wind generator by using neural network

This project present of development single phase DC-AC converter for wind generator application. The mathematical model of the wind generator and Artificial Neural Network control for DC-AC converter is derived. The controller is designed to stabilize the output voltage of DC-AC converter. To verify the effectiveness of the proposal controller, both simulation and experimental are developed. The simulation and experimental result show that the amplitude of output voltage of the DC-AC converter can be controlled

The NIKA instrument: results and perspectives towards a permanent KID based camera for the Pico Veleta observatory

The New IRAM KIDs Array (NIKA) is a pathfinder instrument devoted to millimetric astronomy. In 2009 it was the first multiplexed KID camera on the sky; currently it is installed at the focal plane of the IRAM 30-meters telescope at Pico Veleta (Spain). We present preliminary data from the last observational run and the ongoing developments devoted to the next NIKA-2 kilopixels camera, to be commissioned in 2015. We also report on the latest laboratory measurements, and recent improvements in detector cosmetics and read-out electronics. Furthermore, we describe a new acquisition strategy allowing us to improve the photometric accuracy, and the related automatic tuning procedure.Comment: 24th International Symposium on Space Terahertz Technology, ISSTT 2013, April 8 to 10, 2013, Groningen, the Netherland

Traveling wave tube development for a serrodyne re-entrant amplifier

Traveling wave tube development for serrodyne re-entrant amplifie

An ultrasonic flowmeter for measuring dynamic liquid flow

A novel oscillating pipe system was developed to provide dynamic calibration wherein small sinusoidal signals with amplitudes of 0.5 to 10% of the steady-state flow were added to the steady-state flow by oscillating the flowmeter relative to the fixed pipes in the flow system. Excellent agreement was obtained between the dynamic velocities derived from an accelerometer mounted on the oscillating pipe system and those sensed by the flowmeter at frequencies of 7, 19, and 30 Hz. Also described were the signal processing techniques used to retrieve the small sinusoidal signals which were obscured by the fluid turbulence