Symmetricom integrates chip scale atomic clock with Jackson Labs' GPSDO

SAN JOSE, USA: Symmetricom Inc. and Jackson Labs Technologies Inc., a designer and manufacturer of cutting-edge GPS-based time and frequency generation products, have announced the signing of a Joint Marketing Agreement (JMA) to market and sell Jackson Lab’s CSAC GPSDO timing and frequency board with Symmetricom’s newest member of the QUANTUM™ family of atomic oscillators, the SA.45s Chip Scale Atomic Clock (CSAC).

The SA.45s CSAC will be utilized as a holdover oscillator for the COTS CSAC GPSDO (Global Positioning System Disciplined Oscillator). The incorporation of the SA.45s CSAC in the CSAC GPSDO is especially well-suited for GPS-denied environments and is targeted for incorporation into dismounted IED jammers; unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); next-generation man-pack radios and military handheld GPS units.

“We are very excited to be able to include the truly revolutionary SA.45s CSAC as the holdover oscillator in our CSAC GPSDO,” commented Said Jackson, president of Jackson Labs Technologies.

“Compared to existing OEM atomic oscillators, the CSAC is 1/3rd to 1/30th the size, and it consumes 1/20th to 1/100th of the power. When compared to Oven-Controlled Crystal Oscillators (OXCOs), the CSAC consumes only 125 milli-watts, and offers a 3x to 10x improvement in stability and accuracy, a 10x to 100x reduction in g-sensitivity, as well as a reduction of the warm-up and lock time from 15 minutes typically to less than 3 minutes. The hold-over performance of the CSAC is especially beneficial in GPS-denied environments where mission-critical military products are being utilized on a daily basis for tactical operations.”

Dan Scharre, executive vice president and general manager at Symmetricom, said: “Partnering with Jackson Labs Technologies, Inc. is a win-win for both companies and our customers. Jackson Labs Technologies, Inc. has an excellent reputation for building GPSDO boards and our two companies have done an excellent job in integrating our respective technologies into a superior product in a short-turnaround time in order to meet the demands of our customers.”

The CSAC GPSDO will be marketed and sold from both companies as part of the Joint Marketing Agreement (JMA), and is now available for shipment. Noteworthy benefits of this integration include excellent holdover performance, ultra low power consumption, low height profile, fast-warm up time and industry-leading 1 Pulse per Second (PPS) accuracy.