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USERS MANUAL 

NR300 

 

REVISION 

DATE  

 

8/16/21 

Page  #: 

 

1 of 48 

www.novuspower.com

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

NR300 

 

Portable Battery Powered Rubidium Reference 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All information provided herein is the property of Novus Power Products 

LLC. The information included may be reproduced without the permission of Novus 

Power Products LLC for the purpose of operating the equipment. 

 

Summary of Contents for NR300

Page 1: ...er com NR300 Portable Battery Powered Rubidium Reference All information provided herein is the property of Novus Power Products LLC The information included may be reproduced without the permission of Novus Power Products LLC for the purpose of operating the equipment ...

Page 2: ...librator 14 GNSS Lock Reacquire 14 Frequency Verification 14 Functional Controls and Indicators 15 LED Indicators 15 Power 15 Lock 15 Ready 16 Holdover 16 Battery 17 Power Good 17 Battery Charge 17 Status Banner Notification Bar 18 GPS Lock Status and PPS 18 Rubidium Status Lock State 19 Rubidium Status Discipline State 20 Temperature 21 NR300 Display and Menu Navigation 22 NEXT and SELECT Buttons...

Page 3: ... Onboard Sensors 28 User Settings 29 Alerts 31 Accelerometer 32 DB9 RS232 RS485 33 USB Port Mini B 34 USB Power 34 Frequency Reference Output 35 PPS 35 IRIG B Output 36 AUX 37 IRIG B Sine 37 Quick Start Guide 38 Programming Guide RS232 Port 40 Accessories 43 Antenna 43 Power 44 Technical Specifications 45 LIMITED HARDWARE WARRANTY 47 ...

Page 4: ...atomic holdover NMEA simulator that continues to provide NMEA data even after GNSS loss PPS output that is GNSS derived with atomic holdover Battery powered to provide 5 hours field use Optional IRIG B output modulated and unmodulated Optional auxiliary output Optional event input with 1us timestamping Built in drift estimation and measurement Rugged shock protected case When locked to the GNSS th...

Page 5: ... to a resolution of 100 ns Battery life is a function of configuration and use The NR300 in its base configuration can achieve well over five hours of battery life The battery recharges in approximately six to eight hours Charge status and battery remaining capacity indicated on the front panel The battery is accessible and easily replaced through a removable panel Power is provided by either a po...

Page 6: ... GNSS Rb synchronization in open air environments The antenna input to the GNSS can be easily switched to the external SMA antenna input Antenna 1 and a different active antenna can be used Antenna status is presented on the front panel screen GNSS Status To switch between antenna inputs use the SELECT button on the GNSS STATUS screen or the USER SETTINGS screen When the ANT field is highlighted u...

Page 7: ...USERS MANUAL NR300 REVISION D DATE 8 16 21 Page 7 of 48 www novuspower com Key Functional Elements ...

Page 8: ...large errors especially when a change in height does occur A 2D position fix is not considered a good or accurate fix it is simply better than nothing The receiver s antenna must have a clear view of the sky to acquire satellite lock Remember it is the location of the antenna that will be given as the position fix If the antenna is mounted on a vehicle survey pole or backpack allowance for this mu...

Page 9: ...compares the incoming signal with its own internal copy of the code and clock the two will no longer be synchronized Timing error in the satellite clocks the receiver and other anomalies mean that the measurement of the signal transit time is in error This effectively is a constant for all satellites since each measurement is made simultaneously on parallel tracking channels Because of this the re...

Page 10: ...e basis for the 10 MHz generated The stability of the source is less than 1 ppb year which is almost two orders of magnitude better than a typical OCXO It is successfully used in applications where long term stability is a necessity but GNSS may not be accessible During GNSS lock the Rb atomic clock output frequency of 10 MHz is synchronized to the GNSS PPS The 10 MHz clock drives a counter to gen...

Page 11: ... be easily replaced through an access panel The internal charger operates either from an external 5Vdc source 4 8 to 5 25Vdc or a splash proof charger that operates from 90 to 264Vac The charger is housed within the unit The NR300 is fully functional during charging with the PA0003 adapter A full charge takes approximately six to eight hours ...

Page 12: ...d battery life This is done with HOLDOVER mode During Holdover the Rb module maintains frequency accuracy of 0 5ppb day providing an ideal source for calibrating systems where a GPS signal is unavailable After the NR300 has been used as a calibrator the unit can be returned to an area where GNSS signal is available and the GNSS can be restarted without disciplining the Rubidium When the GNSS signa...

Page 13: ...ps provide a quick reference for measuring the quality of the GNSS lock status When GNSS lock is achieved the LOCK LED indicator is solid green and Rubidium discipline begins PPS Est Accuracy vs Accuracy Threshold 18 40 ns If the unit indicates LOCKED but the PPS accuracy is not within range the STAT indicator will flash ACCY to indicate the accuracy indicator is beyond the threshold The PPS estim...

Page 14: ...e GNSS receiver reducing power consumption The LOCK indicator shuts off and the READY and HOLDOVER indicators are lit The unit can be taken away from the area where GNSS signal is available and used as a Rubidium source GNSS Lock Reacquire When the NR300 has completed its calibration duties the unit can be returned to an area where GNSS signal is available and reacquire GNSS lock To do this press ...

Page 15: ... green This indicates that the frequency of the Rubidium is within the threshold loop variance A single blink in a green GNSS LOCK illumination indicates that the GNSS is locked and is producing a disciplining pulse to the Rubidium but the loop variance is outside the specified parameters or the Rubidium is not locked On startup one blink indicates the GNSS receiver has acquired a sufficient numbe...

Page 16: ...um reports Discipline Good The Ready indicator illuminates and the status banner shows DGOOD The NR300 is now ready to enter HOLDOVER Holdover Holdover is mode the unit needs to be in if the instrument is to be used in a GNSS denied environment The unit will hold frequency accuracy for 0 5 ppb Actual holdover performance will be measured when the unit is returned to a GNSS environment At this poin...

Page 17: ...about six to eight hours of charge time Be certain you have charged the battery sufficiently to perform the required holdover time Power Good The Power Good indicator illuminates when the adapter input is in an acceptable range for the charger to provide charge to the battery and run the system power If the Power Good LED indicator is not illuminated the power input is either not present or not in...

Page 18: ...dium Discipline State indicator If the flashing arrow is not present no PPS is yet available to discipline the Rubidium Consider moving the unit to get a better view of the sky After the holdover period and when the GNSS has been powered on again and GNSS lock has been achieved and the PPS is used to verify the Rubidium frequency without discipline enabled the GPS indicator will show a stopwatch i...

Page 19: ... through stages Upon power up the Rubidium enters a heating and initialization period during which the status bar reports INIT for the Rubidium Lock State Until the Rubidium reaches Lock State the border of the Lock State indicator will flash When the Rubidium has initialized it will begin laser lock and report LSRL on the status bar The border around the Lock State will remain flashing Within app...

Page 20: ... has sufficient averaging time from the available PPS it indicates DGOOD for discipline good At this point the NR300 is ready to enter holdover mode Prior to discipline good the Rubidium indicates DISCP which indicates a valid PPS signal is present and tuning is in process When no valid PPS is present the Rubidium indicates that the unit is in holdover condition The Rubidium considers holdover to ...

Page 21: ... including voltage current SOC press the NEXT button until the menu reads BATTERY FUEL GAUGE NOTE If battery is replaced allow a complete charge discharge charge cycle to acquire accurate values Temperature The NR300 has multiple internal temperature sensors Included in the status bar is the indicator for general internal temperature The units are C or F selectable in the USER SETTINGS menu During...

Page 22: ...ttons LCD Menus The LCD is used to provide detailed information regarding the status of the NR300 The NEXT and SELECT buttons are used for navigation of the LCD based menus and displays Pressing the NEXT button will advance the display to the next screen or menu The select button is used to navigate further options in each menu ...

Page 23: ...o select highlight this field by using the SELECT button then press AUX to toggle value When using the internal antenna the unit must be in the low gain setting ns nn nn During GNSS lock this is an estimate of the accuracy of the current GNSS provided PPS in ns versus the threshold required for PPS generation This is the PPS used to discipline the Rb Pulse excessive values threshold indicate that ...

Page 24: ...GNSS is not locked the value will not appear GATE s The sample period of the frequency counter which expands up to 50 seconds as valid data is acquired PPSRB ns Difference between the GNSS PPS and Rb PPS as reported by the Rb module ACCY ns ns estimate threshold Estimate of current PPS accuracy provided by the GNSS receiver vs the current accuracy threshold needed to produce discipline and monitor...

Page 25: ...um discipline state as reported by the Rb module ALRT Alert Alert condition if any as reported by the Rb module MODE Disc Mode hex The current discipline mode as reported by the Rb module STATE Holdover State Holdover state machine counter value STATE Holdover State Holdover state machine counter description PHAS Phase ns The phase value reported by the Rb module STER Steer The steer value reporte...

Page 26: ...apacity TEMP C or F Temperature as reported by Fuel Gauge RCAP Ah Remaining battery capacity in Ah TCAP Ah Total Battery capacity in Ah TTE minutes Time to Empty in minutes FLAG hex Reported values of Fuel Gauge Flag register STAT hex Reported values of Fuel Gauge Status register UPD hex Reported values of Fuel Gauge Update register NOTE If battery is replaced allow a complete charge discharge cha...

Page 27: ... status Status of charger PRE Condition battery prior to fast charge FAST Currently in Fast Charge Mode DONE Charging complete NC Not charging SRC Input Power Input Power Source UNKN Not known USB USB input is current power source ADPT Adapter Input is current power source VINMNM V Minimum input voltage for charger operation IINMX A Maximum input current allowed by charger VCHG V Battery charge te...

Page 28: ... V Measured 5V analog supply 5V V Measured 5V analog supply TMP1 C or F Temperature sensor 1 TMP2 C or F Temperature sensor 2 CH1 Vrms Output amplitude monitor channel 1 CH2 Vrms Output amplitude monitor channel 2 CH3 Vrms Output amplitude monitor channel 3 ANT1 V Antenna 1 input active voltage measurement ANT2 V Antenna 2 input active voltage measurement ...

Page 29: ...ated when BACKLIGHT button is pressed 0 60 in 10s increments ANT 1 2 Selects between antenna input 1 external or antenna input 2 chassis mounted GAIN Hi Lo Selects between high gain LNA or low gain For active antenna select low gain For passive antenna select high gain To select highlight this field by using the SELECT button then press AUX to toggle value SAVE FLASH To save current settings to no...

Page 30: ...that is assigned by the user via serial port Choose frequency output with AUXFR command SER RS232 RS485 Selects DB9 serial connector I O format RS232 selects RS232 on pins 2 3 RS485 selects half duplex RS485 on pin 4 RS485 A and pin 7 RS485 B TEMP C F Selects temperature reporting format in Celsius or Fahrenheit OUT SERIAL USB Select between serial RS232 485 DB9 or USB VCOM data output ...

Page 31: ...n specification The unit should be disciplined to GNSS FREQUENCY DRIFT The frequency reading is outside the 1ppb specification EXCESSIVE TEMP The unit has exceeded a temperature change of 20C while in holdover SHOCK COUNT The unit has experienced moderate shock as registered by the accelerometer The number of hit counts is displayed BRD SENSOR FAIL An internal sensor or component is providing an i...

Page 32: ...status register reading FRFL n Current count of freefall threshold alerts SHOX n Current count of Shock or hit threshold alerts SRC 0xFF Contents of SRC register X n nn Current acceleration reading in X coordinate g Y n nn Current acceleration reading in Y coordinate g Z n nn Current acceleration reading in Z coordinate g When the NR300 is in an inverted position an audible chirp is provided to al...

Page 33: ...novuspower com DB9 RS232 RS485 Pin Function I O 1 Optional PPS O 2 NMEA port Command Port TX O 3 NMEA Port Command Port RX I 4 RS485 A I O 5 GND 6 NC 7 RS485 B I O 8 NC 9 NC The RS485 outputs are internally terminated in the following manner with Vdd typically 5V ...

Page 34: ...nected to a PC the device will enumerate as a Virtual Com Port After enumeration standard serial commands can be entered via a terminal program or script USB Power A standard USB interface is not adequate to power the NR300 and therefore the NR300 will not draw in excess of 500mA when connected via the USB port However if the battery is depleted and the unit is not running charging can take place ...

Page 35: ...locked to the atomic clock It is a low noise 50 Ohm output 0 5 volts rms There is an auxiliary port to support optional frequency outputs and other features Typical Phase Noise Performance PPS 3 3Vdc CMOS logic output Rubidium derived PPS Offset Frequency Hz Typical dBc Hz Low Noise Option Typical dBc Hz 10 68 115 100 110 140 1K 125 155 10K 140 155 ...

Page 36: ...binary seconds SBS The configuration of the IRIG B output can be changed by using the IMOD command over the RS 232 port The IRIG format can be with or without year SBS or IEEE1344 bits enabled The following modes are available The IRIG B output is affected by the UTC Offset setting and will report the offset in positions 64 68 of the 100 bit IRIG B frame according to the IEEE 1344 format DCLS Sine...

Page 37: ...dulated Provides an unmodulated pulse output that conforms to the IEEE 1344 standard The IRIG output is synchronized to the Rb PPS such that GPS lock and holdover are consistent across the IRIG outputs The synchronization of the IRIG B DCLS to the Rb pulse is 1us Output of AUX BNC is selectable between IRIG B or PWM output on the USER SETTINGS menu For event input the function of the AUX must be c...

Page 38: ...USERS MANUAL NR300 REVISION D DATE 8 16 21 Page 38 of 48 www novuspower com Quick Start Guide ...

Page 39: ...USERS MANUAL NR300 REVISION D DATE 8 16 21 Page 39 of 48 www novuspower com ...

Page 40: ...ent settings Table 1 shows a complete list of input commands and descriptions that are handled by the internal processor In general a command may be input without or an additional value and the unit will respond with the current settings value If the input is not understood the microcontroller will return the value 3F CR LF NOTE All commands should be prefixed with and followed by cr lf Checksum c...

Page 41: ... current CSUM Query or set mandatory checksum on all incoming STATUS port communication For PERD commands checksum is always required 1 Enabled 0 Disabled Default 0 CSUM 1 ID IDN IDN Returns PCB and SW version information PPS OUTPUT SELECTION PPS PPS 0 Select PPS output between the GPS PPS or the OCXO derived low jitter synthesized PPS Default is the OCXO PPS 1 GPS PPS 0 OCXO PPS WARM UP PERIOD WU...

Page 42: ...nds If an event is triggered the holdoff period will elapse before another event can be recorded Range 1 to 2000000 us CLEAR EVENT HISTORY CLREV EVENTS_CLEARED Clears all events from RAM and starts event record at Event 1 ENABLE EVENTS ENEV 1 ENEV 1 Enable Disable triggering of events and event functionality The unit will determine if events are ready to be triggered based on GPS lock leap second ...

Page 43: ...on even in weak signal environments The antenna LNA is powered over the antenna cable with 3 3Vdc The power level is limited to 45 mA The antenna can be easily removed and an alternate antenna used or the unit can be connected to an in house GNSS signal source If an alternate antenna is used and lock cannot be achieved confirm that the antenna operates from 3 3Vdc or consider using a DC blocking c...

Page 44: ...is unmodified and can be replaced with an OTS battery Battery vendor and part number Ultralife UBBL07 Depending on how the device is used temperature battery age battery life will vary with the mode and user operating methods User variability is a function of the functions used time allowed for synchronization etc Approximately five hours battery life is typical The battery pack has a built in fue...

Page 45: ...curacy 1E 10 locked Stability Allan Deviation 1s 3E 10 10s 1E 10 100s 3E 11 SSB phase noise for 10MHz Standard Low Noise 10Hz 85dBc 115 100Hz 110dBc 140 1000Hz 130dBc 155 10000Hz 140dBc 155 Amplitude for 10MHz frequency output 0 5 Vrms optional 1Vrms G sensitivity 0 2 ppb g Temperature Stability 0 5 ppb 10 to 60 C PPS Amplitude for 1PPS 3 3 Vdc CMOS Pulse width for 1PPS Programmable 1 to 500ms in ...

Page 46: ...tart 157 dBm Warm Start 143 dBm Cold Start 143 dBm Reacquisition 157 dBm With Novus recommended antenna Antenna with LNA Internal patch antenna or external antenna with LNA Antenna power 3 5 Vdc 35 mA on center conductor Frequency 1574 1607 MHz Nominal gain 2 dBic Amplifier gain 26 dB Noise figure 2 0 dB Out of Band rejection Fo 50MHz 60 dBc Fo 60 MHz DC current 25 mA 3 3 Vdc Battery Life 4 hours ...

Page 47: ...pection and testing costs for any item returned by Buyer under this paragraph which is found to be within specifications and or otherwise not the responsibility of NOVUS under the terms and conditions of this paragraph or any other part of this Agreement Your dated sales or delivery receipt is your proof of the purchase date You may be required to provide proof of purchase as a condition of receiv...

Page 48: ... FORTH HEREIN FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE IN NO EVENT WILL NOVUS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY SPECIAL CONSEQUENTIAL INDIRECT OR SIMILAR DAMAGES INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS BUSINESS INTERRUPTION LOSS OF DATA OR BUSINESS INFORMATION OR OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE HARDWARE SUPPLIED THEREWITH EVEN IF NOVUS OR ANYONE ELSE H...

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