Vivaldi Clock Settings With External Reference Clock

[Cleop (Craig C.)]

I’m adding an SRS PERF10 reference clock to my Vivaldi stack (what the heck – in for a penny, in for a dollar). Does anyone know if the “Reference In” setting in the Vivaldi clock menu should be set to “TTL” or “AC” for the PERF10? I did a search for the subject on this community but couldn’t find an answer.

Thanks for any help you can give me with this.

[Anupc (Anup)]

Hi Craig, welcome to the community.

It should be set for AC as the PERF10 outputs a sine-wave on it’s Clock outputs.

(From the PERF10’s Manual)

1. Outputs 1-8. 75Ω BNC connectors which carry the 10 MHz output. Each output is a 10 MHz sine wave with an amplitude of 1 Vpp when terminated in 75 Ω

By the way, you might want to read-up on this thread from @PaleRider who discusses the use of the PERF10 extensively.

Reference Clock for Vivaldi Master Clock

Hi All. I hope it’s okay that I am starting this new topic. A previous thread on this topic is currently closed due to devolution. And we have a lot of various discussions on this topic scattered around a number of cable and clock threads, with some exceptionally helpful info from James here and here, but no specific place to discuss current reference clock options and member activities. I and others have posted in some of those other places experiences with the Cybershaft, Mutec, Abendrot, may…

[Cleop (Craig C.)]

Thank you so much for the quick reply!

I didn’t realize a sine wave output is the same as an AC output. I guess it’s pretty apparent electrical engineering is not my field.

I did see @PaleRider’s earlier post, but I didn’t see the answer to my question anywhere in that thread. Thanks for directing my attention to it, though – I’ll re-read his comments to see if he has any other pointers for using the PERF10.

[PaleRider (Greg)]

Hello Craig and welcome. Page 18 of the Vivaldi Clock manual also implicitly states that the appropriate input is AC with its reference to use of a rubidium clock.

[Cleop (Craig C.)]

Hi Greg,

Thanks for the welcome, and thanks also for the reference to Page 18 of the clock manual. Yes, I missed that – I was stuck on the information at Page 13. Now I’m a bit embarrassed (but better informed, at least!).

Do you have any other tips on how to get the most out of the PERF10? Did you ever try it with a separate linear power supply, for instance?

[PaleRider (Greg)]

Hey Craig, you’re not the first to miss info in the manuals; I sure did! dCS manuals are very informative, but often not intuitive. No real suggestions. The PERF10 is a great device, pretty much set and forget. Some here will advocate exploration of clock cables, or improved power supply [I had one built for mine by Plixir], and if you are so inclined, it could be worth your time. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy.

[Cleop (Craig C.)]

Thanks for the advice. I already went down the rabbit hole on clock cables for my Vivaldi stack, but I think I may try an external power supply at some point. I’ve had good success with Paul Hynes units in the past, but now that he’s gone dark, I’ll have to explore other options. I heard good things about Plixir from someone else who used to own a Paul Hynes power supply, so that sounds like an avenue worth exploring.

[Kirill]

Hey, if you don’t mind me asking, what cables have you tried for your Vivaldi and what did you like best? I have the transparent reference (red) cables now and am thinking of upgrading to their XL range (blue)…