How to measure ticks? - briefly
Use a high‑resolution timer (e.g., QueryPerformanceCounter on Windows or clock_gettime with CLOCK_MONOTONIC on POSIX) to read the current tick count and calculate differences between successive readings. Calibrate the timer against the processor’s frequency to convert tick differences into precise time intervals.
How to measure ticks? - in detail
Measuring tick intervals requires a reliable time source and a method to record each occurrence. The most common approach uses a high‑resolution timer that can capture intervals down to microseconds. Begin by synchronizing the system clock with an external reference (e.g., NTP server) to eliminate drift.
- Initialize the timer before the first event.
- Record the timestamp at the start of each tick using a monotonic counter.
- Subtract the previous timestamp from the current one to obtain the elapsed ticks.
- Store the result in a buffer for statistical analysis.
When precision is critical, prefer hardware‑based counters such as the CPU’s Time Stamp Counter (TSC) or dedicated real‑time clocks. These devices provide consistent granularity and are less affected by operating‑system scheduling.
For software implementations, many programming environments expose functions like QueryPerformanceCounter (Windows) or clock_gettime(CLOCK_MONOTONIC) (POSIX). Use these calls to fetch timestamps with nanosecond resolution.
After data collection, calculate average, minimum, and maximum intervals to assess stability. Apply outlier filtering if occasional spikes distort the distribution.
To validate the measurement system, compare recorded intervals against a known reference signal (e.g., a signal generator producing a fixed frequency). Adjust calibration parameters until the recorded values match the expected period within the desired tolerance.