[TangerineSDR] [hamsci-grape] Re: 3-Channel VLF SDR Backend System

[John Gibbons]

Jonathan,

The 1PPS is what starts the block of A/D sampling every second - one of my
self imposed requirements is that the real time 1PPS re-syncs the data
collection engine every second in real time.

Since the RasPi4B (really the OS) cannot tolerate the rigid timing
requirements of collecting a sample set every 125 uSec (8.000KHz sample
rate - we proved it misses between 3 and 300 sample sets per second!) I've
added a dedicated RasPi PICO to do that (it has no OS).
The RasPi PICO collects the data under the rigid timing requirements and
then sends the 8K x 3 channels of 16 bit A/D data (total of 48K Bytes/sec)
to the RasPi4B over a dedicated USB comm port and the RasPi4B (and OS) has
to swallow that firehose of data continuously without missing
any data (including performing a continuous write to a SSD file - ~10.5
GBytes / day).  We are going to push this channel until it breaks to know
where the limit is, but I suspect that 96 KHz x 3 channels x 16bit data
(for a whopping 576 Kbytes/sec) will probably overwhelm the OS (which I
suspect is the weak link here - TBD)

The A/D's I'm using can do 100K Samples/sec and is pin compatible with a
500K sample/sec big brother, but that's not the limiting factor in the data
collection chain.

John N8OBJ

p.s. The full 3 channel radio is coming to life for the first time
tonight!  Entire RF deck (3 radios, 3 A/D's, Vref) only pulls 71mA @
12VDC.  Stay tuned... (pun intended....)

On Mon, Aug 21, 2023 at 1:10 PM Jonathan <emuman100 at gmail.com> wrote:

> John,
>
> Right, TP1 and TP2 are not synchronous on the M8T. You use TP2 for the
> sample clock, but how exactly do you utilize the PPS?
>
> How are you interfacing the A/D converters? Does it have the bandwidth for
> 96 kHz sampling or higher?
>
> It looks like both the Grape 2 and the VLF system have equivalent
> timestamping accuracy.
>
> Jonathan
> KC3EEY
>
> On Mon, Aug 21, 2023 at 9:58 AM John Gibbons <jcg66 at case.edu> wrote:
>
>> Jonathan,
>>
>> 1&2 - I'm using the UBLOX M8T freq out and the 1PPS out - but with the
>> [(A/B)+C] non integer freq synthesis in the UBLOX the clock domains are no
>> longer in sync - they walk wrt each other hence creating 2 seperate clock
>> domains (you can see this on a scope with infinite persistence turned on
>> looking at 1PPS wrt the freq out) hence the need to sync the clock domains.
>>
>> 3 - I am capturing ~30Hz to 4KHz audio bandwidth
>>
>> John N8OBJ
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 16, 2023 at 1:26 PM Jonathan <emuman100 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> John,
>>>
>>> Do you have a time domain plot showing the clock domains?
>>>
>>> Do you synthesize it from the timepulse2 output on the M8T or do you
>>> utilize a DDS with a holdover oscillator?
>>>
>>> Also, do you capture bandwidth in the audio range or even less?
>>>
>>> Jonathan
>>> KC3EEY
>>>
>>> On Wed, Aug 16, 2023 at 12:58 PM John Gibbons <jcg66 at case.edu> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Jonathan,
>>>>
>>>> Yes - the 1PPS is spot on and the 8KHz A/D sample timing is synthesized
>>>> directly from the UBLOX 8MHz GPSDO'd output that runs the entire data
>>>> collection engine.
>>>>
>>>> John N8OBJ
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, Aug 15, 2023 at 12:50 PM Jonathan <emuman100 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi John,
>>>>>
>>>>> Did you take measurements of the PPS  and clock accuracy? How is the 8
>>>>> kHz sample clock synthesized?
>>>>>
>>>>> The Audio Injector Octo uses a crystal oscillator, but like in the
>>>>> previous email thread about timing, vlfrx-tools is constantly making
>>>>> measurements and calibrating out the delay, then realigning each sample
>>>>> according to that series of calibrations and alignment of the centroid of
>>>>> an RC network-shaped PPS. I manually insert a calibration value consisting
>>>>> of the time between the rising edge of the rectangular pulse and the
>>>>> centroid of the RC network-shaped pulse, giving me similar PPS accuracy as
>>>>> you have achieved.
>>>>>
>>>>> Jonathan
>>>>> KC3EEY
>>>>>
>>>>> On Mon, Aug 14, 2023 at 2:44 PM John Gibbons <jcg66 at case.edu> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Jonathan,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The absolute accuracy of the 1PPS synchronization lies exactly
>>>>>> between 1-2 sync clock cycles (crossing over clock domains requires this to
>>>>>> prevent metastability - you must do this as well!)
>>>>>> so my 1PPS is always between 125-250 nSec (8 MHz clk) from the 50
>>>>>> nSec window that the UBLOX gives me for absolute timing of the 1PPS signal.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The derived sample clock, however, is deadly accurate as it is also
>>>>>> derived from the UBLOX freq output so it will easily hold 1x10^-10 accuracy
>>>>>> and on an 8 KHz sample clock it guarantees me to be within 12.5 aSec (yes
>>>>>> 10^-15 sec).  Since I presume you're using the on board clock for your A/D
>>>>>> card you will be at least 4 orders of magnitude worse as quartz xtals (or
>>>>>> even worse a resonator!) are not so good (not to mention temp drift that
>>>>>> will eat you alive...).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The sample clock is very important as it determines your A/D sample
>>>>>> freq hence directly affects any timing / frequency measurements you extract
>>>>>> from your data.
>>>>>> For us it directly affects the freq measurement of the carrier freq
>>>>>> and needs to be pretty darn good (12.5 aSec is pretty respectable).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What is your freq ref standard for the A/D sample clock?  Is it GPS
>>>>>> DO'd?  Is it synced to the 1PPS?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> John N8OBJ
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Mon, Aug 14, 2023 at 12:13 PM Jonathan <emuman100 at gmail.com>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> John,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Did you take measurements of the sampling and timestamping accuracy
>>>>>>> of the Grape 2? I don't believe you included it in the other email.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Jonathan
>>>>>>> KC3EEY
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Mon, Aug 14, 2023 at 11:21 AM John Gibbons <jcg66 at case.edu>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> That has already been designed and built and hardware tested (with
>>>>>>>> better timing for data sampling) - it's called the Grape 2
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> John N8OBJ
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Mon, Aug 14, 2023 at 9:57 AM Jonathan <emuman100 at gmail.com>
>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> My apologies, the pictures did not attach inline. The attachments
>>>>>>>>> are all in order of what I describe.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Jonathan
>>>>>>>>> KC3EEY
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> On Mon, Aug 14, 2023 at 6:20 AM Jonathan <emuman100 at gmail.com>
>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I have been working on a 3-channel VLF backend system similar to
>>>>>>>>>> the single channel system I built in 2020. It's based on a Raspberry Pi 3,
>>>>>>>>>> Audio Injector Octo Soundcard, Trimble Resolution SMTx GPS timing receiver,
>>>>>>>>>> and VLF preamp interface board and power distribution. It's designed to
>>>>>>>>>> capture VLF spectrum from an E-field receiver and an orthogonal loop dual
>>>>>>>>>> channel H-field receiver for triple axis reception of the VLF band. With
>>>>>>>>>> it, bearing can be determined and the loops can be synthesized for any
>>>>>>>>>> bearing based on how the loop signals are mixed. This provides additional
>>>>>>>>>> analysis of VLF signals using the powerful vlfrx-tools software. Everything
>>>>>>>>>> in mounted in a Hammond dicast aluminum enclosure. In the center is the
>>>>>>>>>> Raspberry Pi 3B, Audio Injector Octo Soundcard with audio breakout board,
>>>>>>>>>> and TTL<>RS232 adapter for the serial console. On the left are power,
>>>>>>>>>> capture, and timing status indicator LEDs as well as a safe shutdown button
>>>>>>>>>> to safely unmount the data USB drive. On the right is the Trimble
>>>>>>>>>> Resolution SMTx and interface board. On the bottom is the VLF receiver
>>>>>>>>>> interface board.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> This is the Pi 3B with Audio Injector Octo soundcard. It has 6
>>>>>>>>>> audio inputs and can sample up to 96 kHz. The audio breakout board breaks
>>>>>>>>>> out the audio inputs to RCA jacks, which I removed, for a direct solder
>>>>>>>>>> connection. The PPS from the GPS gets get through a potentiometer for
>>>>>>>>>> adjustment to 80% of the soundcard’s full scale. I will be feeding it
>>>>>>>>>> through an RC network to shape the 125 us pulse. The PPS is also connected
>>>>>>>>>> to a GPIO pin for use with the ppsgpio driver, GPS Daemon, and ntp and
>>>>>>>>>> functions as a networked stratum 1 time server as well. Data is stored on a
>>>>>>>>>> 512 MB USB drive. The console port is accessible via TTL<>RS232 adapter (in
>>>>>>>>>> blue heat shrink) for complete headless operation, especially when the
>>>>>>>>>> network is not available. Both the Ethernet and RS232 are connected to RJ45
>>>>>>>>>> bulkhead couplers for panel jack connection. The indicator LEDs, shutdown
>>>>>>>>>> button, console port, and GPIO PPS all connect through a 40-pin female
>>>>>>>>>> header.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> The GPS is a Trimble Resolution SMTx GPS timing receiver. I used
>>>>>>>>>> it because it was cheap and what I had on hand, but still performs well for
>>>>>>>>>> an older model of the Trimble/Protempis GNSS timing receiver line. The PPS
>>>>>>>>>> time pulse width is 125 us. It’s powered using the handy PPS Piggy
>>>>>>>>>> interface board for Trimble/Protempis receivers. The antenna is connected
>>>>>>>>>> through an SMA to SMB pigtail with bulkhead SMA jack. The other hole in the
>>>>>>>>>> enclosure is for the Raspberry Pi WiFi antenna jack which I will add later.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> The indicator LEDs are panel mounted as well as the safe shutdown
>>>>>>>>>> button. These provide an indicator for power, soundcard capture, and GPS
>>>>>>>>>> timing, with the later two controlled by GPIO pins and series resistors.
>>>>>>>>>> The safe shutdown button will issue “shutdown -h now” when pressed for
>>>>>>>>>> longer than 3 seconds to safely unmount the USB drive if no network or
>>>>>>>>>> console access is available. Data will constantly be written to the USB
>>>>>>>>>> drive during normal operation in bursts. The USB drive is ext2 fornated.
>>>>>>>>>> The LED indicators and safe shutdown button are monitored via script.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Lastly, this is the VLF receiver interface board. It provides
>>>>>>>>>> power to the Pi and GPS receiver using an adjustable 3A DC-DC converter set
>>>>>>>>>> to 5.1V. Power to the E-field and H-field VLF receiver channels is through
>>>>>>>>>> 24V isolated DC-DC converters. Main power comes in via 12V unregulated
>>>>>>>>>> wallwart and drives both the adjustable DC-DC converter and the isolated
>>>>>>>>>> DC-DC converters. The VLF receiver channels also have audio isolation
>>>>>>>>>> transformers to maintain isolation between the backend system and VLF
>>>>>>>>>> preamp and connect to the audio inputs on the audio breakout board. Both
>>>>>>>>>> the power and signal paths have 10M bleeder resistors to bleed off any
>>>>>>>>>> excess charge on the feedline as well as gas discharge arrestors for surge
>>>>>>>>>> protection. The feedline is shielded cat5 or cat 6 cable pairs and connect
>>>>>>>>>> to the green screw terminals. The isolated DC-DC converters are plugged
>>>>>>>>>> into pin sockets and are removable in case the feedline is too long and 48V
>>>>>>>>>> DC-DC converters are used to maintain the voltage at the end of the
>>>>>>>>>> feedline due to the voltage drop of a long feedline. The board also
>>>>>>>>>> provides a connection to power LED indicator as well.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> My next step is to fine tune the shaped PPS pulse for more
>>>>>>>>>> accurate timing. Once complete, I will start work on the dual channel
>>>>>>>>>> H-field receiver.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Jonathan
>>>>>>>>>> KC3EEY
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> --
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>>>>>>>>> To view this discussion on the web visit
>>>>>>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hamsci-grape/CAOY0kB1oFMEHL2-ph5Re%3DOBnBBz%2Bv7aKhZiYnvH5gFTS0L4K-g%40mail.gmail.com
>>>>>>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/hamsci-grape/CAOY0kB1oFMEHL2-ph5Re%3DOBnBBz%2Bv7aKhZiYnvH5gFTS0L4K-g%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>
>>>>>>>>> .
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
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