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When an oscillator is rotated 1800
about a horizontal axis, the scalar product of the gravitational field and
the unit vector normal to the initial “top” of the oscillator changes
from -1g to +1g, i.e., by
2g. A simple “2g tipover” test is
sometimes used to test an oscillator’s acceleration sensitivity. Above is actual data of the fractional
frequency shifts of an oscillator when the oscillator was rotated about three
mutually perpendicular axes in the earth’s gravitational field. For each curve, the axis of rotation was
horizontal. The sinusoidal shape of
each curve is a consequence of the scalar product being proportional to the
cosine of the angle between the acceleration-sensitivity vector (see later)
and the acceleration due to gravity.
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The 2g tipover test must not be used
indiscriminately because many oscillators exhibit irregular variations of
frequency with attitude when tested in small increments of angle rather than
with just simple 180o rotations.
Irregularities can be caused by, for example, temperature changes due
to air convection in the oscillator, and tiny movements of components,
circuit boards and wires. When the
frequency vs. attitude behavior is nonsinusoidal, the results of a simple 2g
tipover test can be highly misleading.
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R. L. Filler, "The Acceleration
Sensitivity of Quartz Crystal Oscillators:
A Review," IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and
Frequency Control, Vol. 35, No. 3, pp. 297-305, May 1988.
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J. R. Vig, C. Audoin, L. S. Cutler, M. M.
Driscoll, E. P. EerNisse, R. L. Filler, R. M. Garvey, W. L. Riley, R. C.
Smythe, and R. D. Weglein, "Acceleration, Vibration and Shock Effects -
IEEE Standards Project P1193," Proc. 1992 IEEE Frequency Control
Symposium, 763-781, 1992; also, The Effects of Acceleration on Precision
Frequency Sources, U. S. Army Laboratory Command Research and Development
Technical Report SLCET-TR-91-3, March 1991, AD-A235470.
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IEEE Standard 1193-1994, “IEEE Guide for
Measurement of Environmental Sensitivities of Standard Frequency Generators”.
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