Performance Evaluation Medthos for PCM Bit Synchronizer/Signal Conditioners

Abstract

PCM Bit Synchronizer/Signal Conditioners (BSSC) possess 3 basic performance characteristics which directly affect the processing of PCM telemetry data. These characteristics are: bit error rate (BER), bit slippage rate (BSR), and bit sync acquisition (BSA). This paper describes proven methods to meaningfully, and accurately measure these characteristics with particular emphasis on BSR and BSA. These methods require relatively simple and inexpensive procedures and instrumentation, and could be used by manufacturers and users to evaluate and acceptance test BSSC. The basic principle employed in these methods is "fixed threshold frame synchronization" with a unique strategy. Thus, there is no requirement for bit delay between the reference and BSSC output data, and synchronization of the reference data in the comparator with the BSSC output data takes place automatically. Moreover, this approach to testing BSSC represents the actual situation in which the BSSC would be operating as part of the telemetry data system, and hence would provide a direct measure of system performance. In actual application, these methods proved to be very effective and accurate for input SNR of E(b) /N(0) > O dB, and slightly less accurate for E(b) /N(0) < O dB (data having more than 10% errors). In general, BSA and BSR measurement accuracies of 20-30 bits can be achieved. A detailed discussion of accuracy is presented in the paper. In addition, the BSR and BER measurement methods are applicable to assessing the performance of tape recorders (TR) as it affects the actual system performance, rather than just the peculiar TR characteristics of TBE (time base error), bit dropout, and wow and flutter.