Pendulum Instruments
Encyclopedia
Pendulum Instruments is a line of scientific instrument
s for high-resolution time
and frequency
measurements.
Pendulum was originally created in the 1960s as the Philips
time and frequency competence center. After 30 years of existence within Philips, it was spun off from 1998 but continued to sell Philips-branded instruments for another two years before starting to sell instruments under its own brand name.
A Russia
n subsidiary was established in 1999, and in 2001, XL Microwave (an Oakland, CA-based manufacturer of microwave
frequency counters and similar equipment) was acquired and transformed into the US branch Pendulum Instruments, Inc.
In 2008, Pendulum became part of the Orolia Group, and in 2009 its operations were combined with another Orolia company, Spectracom
to form one global time & frequency systems & services organization operating under the Spectracom umbrella. Pendulum Instruments continues to be a leading brand of test & measurement instruments and are also sold under the Fluke
brand name in most parts of the world, and total sales in the specific field are second only to Agilent Technologies
.
Pendulum's range of producs:
Measuring instrument
In the physical sciences, quality assurance, and engineering, measurement is the activity of obtaining and comparing physical quantities of real-world objects and events. Established standard objects and events are used as units, and the process of measurement gives a number relating the item...
s for high-resolution time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
and frequency
Frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency...
measurements.
Pendulum was originally created in the 1960s as the Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
time and frequency competence center. After 30 years of existence within Philips, it was spun off from 1998 but continued to sell Philips-branded instruments for another two years before starting to sell instruments under its own brand name.
A Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n subsidiary was established in 1999, and in 2001, XL Microwave (an Oakland, CA-based manufacturer of microwave
Microwave
Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...
frequency counters and similar equipment) was acquired and transformed into the US branch Pendulum Instruments, Inc.
In 2008, Pendulum became part of the Orolia Group, and in 2009 its operations were combined with another Orolia company, Spectracom
Spectracom
Spectracom is a global manufacturer of precision time and frequency instruments and network-centric equipment used in a wide range of industries....
to form one global time & frequency systems & services organization operating under the Spectracom umbrella. Pendulum Instruments continues to be a leading brand of test & measurement instruments and are also sold under the Fluke
Fluke Corporation
Fluke Corporation, a subsidiary of the Danaher Corporation, is a manufacturer of industrial testing equipment including electronic test equipment. It was started in 1948 by John Fluke, Sr., a friend and roommate of David Packard, future co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, when both were employed at...
brand name in most parts of the world, and total sales in the specific field are second only to Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies , or Agilent, is a company that designs and manufactures electronic and bio-analytical measurement instruments and equipment for measurement and evaluation...
.
Pendulum's range of producs:
- CrystalCrystalA crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
, OCXO and rubidiumRubidiumRubidium is a chemical element with the symbol Rb and atomic number 37. Rubidium is a soft, silvery-white metallic element of the alkali metal group. Its atomic mass is 85.4678. Elemental rubidium is highly reactive, with properties similar to those of other elements in group 1, such as very rapid...
-based frequency counterFrequency counterA frequency counter is an electronic instrument, or component of one, that is used for measuring frequency. Frequency is defined as the number of events of a particular sort occurring in a set period of time. Frequency counters usually measure the number of oscillations or pulses per second in a...
s and timers - Frequency references (OCXO and rubidium based, stand-alone as well as GPS disciplined)
- Reference frequency distribution systems (coaxialCoaxial cableCoaxial cable, or coax, has an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis...
and optical) - Instruments for measuring the stability of synchronizationSynchronizationSynchronization is timekeeping which requires the coordination of events to operate a system in unison. The familiar conductor of an orchestra serves to keep the orchestra in time....
clocks