Microchip 5071A Datasheet
5071A
Primary Frequency Standard
Features
• Easy to use with automatic startup and
intuitive menu structure
• Fast warm up ±5.0 x 10
minutes or less for high-performance tube
• Integrated clock and message displays
• Multiple timing and frequency inputs and
outputs with easy access at front and rear
• Automatic synchronization of 1PPS signal
• Remote interface and control including
alarm output
• Meets requirements in the new ITU-T
G.811.1 ePRC standard
Benets
• Maintains exceptional accuracy and
stability even in unstable environments—
unsurpassed stability in the lab or eld
• Accuracy ±1.0 x 10
mance; ±5.0 x 10
• Stability ≤1.2 x 10
mance; ≤5.0 x 10
(for 1 second averaging time)
• Environmental stability ±1.0 x 10
standard performance; ±8.0 x 10
high performance (frequency change
for any combination of environmental
conditions)
• Long-term stability ≤5.0 x 10
dard performance; ≤1.0 x 10
performance (for 5-day averaging time)
• Proven reliability with an average mean
time between failures (MTBF) of greater
than 160,000 hours
• Full traceability to NIST
• AC and DC input and internal battery
back-up
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accuracy in 30
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for standard perfor-
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for high performance
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for standard perfor-
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for high performance
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for
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for
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for stan-
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for high
The 5071A primary frequency standard
has the accuracy and stability you need
for both laboratory and eld applications.
A stability specication for 30-day aver-
aging time means the 5071A will keep
extremely predictable time and phase
for long periods. Further, the 5071A can
be used for long-term averaging of noisy
signals such as GPS.
The 5071A is easy to use. No more
manual start-up steps or complicated
adjustments—everything is automatic.
A logical menu structure simplies front
panel operations, selections, and status
reporting. Remote control features tailor
the 5071A for complete operation and
manageability in virtually any location.
The instrument is a direct descendant of
and replacement for the veteran 5060A,
5061A, and 5061B cesium standards.
This innovative product is the result of
more than 35 years of experience in the
precision frequency standard business.
Frequency and Timing
Meeting the Needs of LeadingEdge Metrology and Calibration
Labs
Timekeeping and National Standards
Laboratories verify the stability and accuracy of their in-house cesium standards
to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC),
provided by the Bureau International
des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) in Paris.
A standard’s accuracy and reliability
determine the quality of service these
timekeeping labs provide. Of even greater
concern is the stability of a standard.
Stability directly aects a laboratory’s ability to deliver timekeeping and calibration
services to its clients.
The 5071A oers exceptional stability
and is the rst cesium standard to specify
its stability for averaging times longer
than one day. The instrument takes into
account environmental conditions that
can heavily inuence a cesium standard’s
long-term stability. Digital electronics
continuously monitor and optimize the
instrument’s operating parameters.
Thus, the 5071A’s response to environmental conditions such as temperature
and humidity are virtually eliminated.
The 5071A primary frequency standard
maintains its accuracy and stability, even
in unstable environments.
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Satellite Communications
Stable frequency generation is required to transmit and
receive signals properly between ground terminals and
communication satellites. Frequency exibility is also needed
to adjust for satellite-to-satellite carrier-frequency dierences.
The 5071A’s state-of-the-art technology produces oset and
primary frequencies with the same guaranteed stability.
Exceptional Accuracy
The intrinsic accuracy of the improved cesium beam tube
(CBT) assures that any high performance 5071A will power up
to within ±5.0 x 10
This is achieved under full environmental conditions in 30
minutes or less, and without the need for any adjustments or
alignments.
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of the accepted standard for frequency.
For secure communications, precise timing synchronization ensures that encrypted data can be recovered quickly.
Frequency-agile signals also require exact synchronization
between transmitter and receiver during channel hops.
The 5071A automates the synchronization to any external
1PPS signal, greatly simplifying this aspect of satellite
communications.
The 5071A and GPS
The 5071A primary frequency standard can work very well
with a GPS timing receiver to produce and maintain highly
accurate time and frequency.
The GPS system provides accurate time, frequency, and
location information worldwide by means of microwave radio
broadcasts from a system of satellites. Timing accuracy for
the GPS system is based, in large part, on the accuracy and
stability of a number of 5071A primary frequency standards.
These standards are maintained by the GPS system, the US
Naval Observatory, and various timing laboratories around the
world that contribute to UTC, the world time scale.
Because of their accurate time reference, GPS signals
processed by a good GPS timing receiver can provide highly
accurate time and frequency outputs. However, since GPS
receivers rely on very low level microwave signals from the
satellites, they sometimes lose accuracy because of interfering
signals, local antenna problems, or bad satellite data.
In spite of these problems, a GPS timing receiver can be an
excellent backup and reference to a local 5071A primary
frequency standard. The GPS receiver provides an independent reference that can be used to verify the accuracy of a
caesium standard, or it can be used as a temporary backup
should the cesium standard need repair. The local 5071A
standard has better stability, better output signal quality, and is
not perturbed by interfering signals, intermittent signal loss, or
bad satellite data.
With these characteristics, the synergy created by combining a good quality GPS timing receiver and a 5071A primary
frequency standard can produce a highly robust, inexpensive,
and redundant frequency and time system.
Unsurpassed Stability
The 5071A high-performance cesium beam tube guarantees
stability to be better than 1.0 x 10
ve days or greater. The 5071A is the rst cesium standard
to specify stability for averaging times longer than 1.0 x 105
seconds (approximately one day).
The 5071A is also the rst cesium standard to specify and
guarantee a icker oor. Flicker oor is the point at which the
standard’s stability (σy (2, τ)) does not change with longer
averaging. The high performance 5071A icker oor is guar-
anteed to be 1.0 x 10
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or better. Long-term measurements
at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
show that the icker oor is typically better than 5.0 x 10
Unstable environments are normal for many cesium standard
applications. The 5071A features a number of microprocessor controlled servo loops which allow it to virtually ignore
changes in temperature, humidity, and magnetic elds.
The 5071A delivers exceptional performance over very long
periods of time, greatly increasing the availability of critical
time and frequency services. Actual measurements made
at NIST have demonstrated that a 5071A with the highperformance CBT will drift no more than 5.0 x 10
entire life of the CBT.
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for averaging times of
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over the
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.
Traditional Reliability
The 5071A has demonstrated an average mean time between failures (MTBF) of greater than 160,000 hours since its
introduction in 1992. This data is based on actual eld repair
data. Backing up this reliability is a 10-year warranty on the
standard long-life cesium beam tube and a 5-year warranty
for the high performance tube.
Complete repair and maintenance services are available at our
repair center in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Full Traceability to NIST
Microchip provides NIST traceability to the accuracy measurements made on every 5071A. Traceability to NIST is maintained
through the NIST-supplied Time Measurement and Analysis
System (TMAS). This service exceeds the requirements of
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