[time-nuts] Fwd: Fwd: HP5061B Ion Current

2017-03-27 Thread Donald E. Pauly
https://www.febo.com/pipermail/time-nuts/2017-March/104374.html

The -2500 supply is nearly identical to the +3500 supply.  We will
post some photos on the disassembly process.  We also had to
disassemble the +3,500 supply because the 200 Meg resistor had gone up
in value.   It showed only 1,900 V with no load when it should have
shown 3,200 V.  We replaced the 47 uFd electrolytic with a tantalum as
a preventive measure.

After we repaired the -2,500 supply we measured the output voltage
versus beam current as set by front panel adjustment. Note that about
a 10% increase in electron multiplier voltage will double beam
current.

beam current  High Voltage
30 -1,755
20 -1,658
10 -1,507

On our freshly repaired HP5061B, we ran it four hours with no voltage
on the ion pump.  It maintained lock when voltage was reapplied.  Ion
current and voltage were unchanged at 76 uA and 2500 V.  You
apparently can operate for some time with no ion pump.

Really good pix on the inside of the 3500V module. So the opening of the
can is the typical lots of heat and pry it open approach right?
How about a good pix of the 2500 Volt module?
Thanks
Paul
WB8TSL
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Re: [time-nuts] TAPR Oncore M12+ kit

2017-03-27 Thread Bob kb8tq
Hi

That’s a very good price for what it is !!

Bob

> On Mar 27, 2017, at 9:31 AM, Gregory Beat  wrote:
> 
> The TAPR offering is a "partial kit" from the Synergy's SynPaQ/E product.
> Here is that data sheet:
> http://www.synergy-gps.com/images/stories/pdf/synpaq%20product%20data%20sheet%20040110.pdf
> Blank aluminum end-plates can be fabricated, or purchased from the OEM 
> supplier.
> 
> w9gb
> 
> Sent from iPad Air
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Re: [time-nuts] Timelab, GPIB-USB-B in a VM

2017-03-27 Thread Bob Stewart
I don't know how they're done in VMWare, but in VirtualBox, you have to setup 
the USB configuration for the VM before you start it.  You just click the 
machine, settings, then USB, then add a device, then select from what's 
available.  Which means you have to have it plugged in and enumerated first.

Bob 


  From: Bob Bownes 
 To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement  
 Sent: Monday, March 27, 2017 8:03 PM
 Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Timelab, GPIB-USB-B in a VM
   
John,

Thanks for the reply.

I'm obviously missing something as I can't see the GPIB-USB-B or the
ethernet connected GPIB-ENET.

It's really as simple as going to aquire->HP5371/5372 and the interfaces
should be in the list, correct?

Thanks,
Bob


On Mon, Mar 27, 2017 at 6:42 PM, John Miles  wrote:

> Try running the 32-bit version (timelab.exe) instead of timelab64.exe,
> even if the VM supports 64-bit execution.  That can sometimes help with
> compatibility.
>
> -- john, KE5FX
> Miles Design LLC
>
> > -Original Message-
> > From: time-nuts [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Bob
> > Bownes
> > Sent: Monday, March 27, 2017 2:49 PM
> > To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
> > Subject: [time-nuts] Timelab, GPIB-USB-B in a VM
> >
> > So I'm trying to run timelab in a windows 7 VM with a GPIB-USB-B
> interface.
> >
> > Anyone ever tried such a thing?
> >
> > The NI explorer sees the interface but nothing else does.
> >
> > Pointers welcome!
> >
> > Data on a bunch of oscillators as soon as I get it to work...:)
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Bob
> > ___
> > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com
> > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-
> > bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
> > and follow the instructions there.
>
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Re: [time-nuts] Single ended or differential input to TDC chip

2017-03-27 Thread Bob kb8tq
Hi

Eventually you will want multiple inputs to any chip like this. The more I/o 
the more crosstalk.
Properly done, differential inputs will reduce your crosstalk quite a bit. You 
might as well debug that part of it now.

Bob

> On Mar 27, 2017, at 9:05 AM, Attila Kinali  wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> We (the group I am with and a group at TU Vienna) are currently designing
> an ASIC (digital 65nm process) that will contain a TDC part. The TDC will
> be a simple delay line TDC design using differential buffers, which we
> expect to give us something in the order of 20ps of resolution (hopefully
> better, but we will not know until we get post-layout simulation data).
> We are loosely following the design CERN came up with for their new TDC 
> chip[1].
> 
> 
> Now, the TDC expects a differential input, but the system gets single-ended
> pulses as input (50R coax input, level likely to be CMOS 3.3V, but level not
> fixed yet, ie can be freely choosen). I can either convert these single-ended
> signals into differential off-chip or on-chip. Unfortunately, I lack knowledge
> and experience to judge either approach. The issues I see are:
> 
> * Single-ended input in a chip might lead to shifting ground potential
>  on the chip and thus to measurment jitter.
> * There are different architectures to preform the single-ended to 
> differential
>  conversion on-chip, but I have no clue which one to choose or even how
>  to judge them without extensive simulations for which we do not have the
>  time, know-how and probably not even the tools.
> * Conversion to differential off-chip means another component off-chip
>  that might introduce additional delay uncertainty (our application is
>  very sensitive to that) and an unknown amount of jitter.
> 
> My google foo has been so far not strong enough to find answers to these
> questions.
> 
> I would appreciate if someone could give me some hints in this matter
> or tell me where I could find appropriate literature and maybe even
> tell me whether I am missing anything.
> 
> Thanks in advance
> 
>   Attila Kinali
> 
> [1] 
> https://indico.cern.ch/event/228972/contributions/1539621/attachments/378552/526492/TDC_TWEPP_2013.pdf
>  
> -- 
> It is upon moral qualities that a society is ultimately founded. All 
> the prosperity and technological sophistication in the world is of no 
> use without that foundation.
> -- Miss Matheson, The Diamond Age, Neil Stephenson
> ___
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Re: [time-nuts] Single ended or differential input to TDC chip

2017-03-27 Thread Gerhard Hoffmann

Hi, Attila!

Somewhere you'll have to produce sharp differential edges and this
semi-analogue stuff is probably hard on a chip shared with thousands of
other gates and a digital process. Going differentially into the chip will
reduce the effects of ground bounce etc a lot.

This is what you can expect from an ADCMP580 on a homebrew
board and soldered-in semi rigid cable:
< 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/137684711@N07/33305853110/in/album-72157662535945536/ 
>


Some will cry: eeek - a comparator, and an ECL or CML one at that, but 
in the end
it is just a differential amplifier like that Wenzel design, made by 
people who

know their SiGe process.

If you have a slowly rising source, you'll need multi-stage slope 
amplification
and low pass filtering in Collins style anyway which will be safer to do 
off-chip.


If you can specify the interface, go for something speedy, then
the guys who do the the signal source have the hard time and
can be pointed at.  :-))

regards, Gerhard



Am 27.03.2017 um 18:05 schrieb Attila Kinali:

Hi,

We (the group I am with and a group at TU Vienna) are currently designing
an ASIC (digital 65nm process) that will contain a TDC part. The TDC will
be a simple delay line TDC design using differential buffers, which we
expect to give us something in the order of 20ps of resolution (hopefully
better, but we will not know until we get post-layout simulation data).
We are loosely following the design CERN came up with for their new TDC chip[1].


Now, the TDC expects a differential input, but the system gets single-ended
pulses as input (50R coax input, level likely to be CMOS 3.3V, but level not
fixed yet, ie can be freely choosen). I can either convert these single-ended
signals into differential off-chip or on-chip. Unfortunately, I lack knowledge
and experience to judge either approach. The issues I see are:

* Single-ended input in a chip might lead to shifting ground potential
   on the chip and thus to measurment jitter.
* There are different architectures to preform the single-ended to differential
   conversion on-chip, but I have no clue which one to choose or even how
   to judge them without extensive simulations for which we do not have the
   time, know-how and probably not even the tools.
* Conversion to differential off-chip means another component off-chip
   that might introduce additional delay uncertainty (our application is
   very sensitive to that) and an unknown amount of jitter.

My google foo has been so far not strong enough to find answers to these
questions.

I would appreciate if someone could give me some hints in this matter
or tell me where I could find appropriate literature and maybe even
tell me whether I am missing anything.

Thanks in advance

Attila Kinali

[1] 
https://indico.cern.ch/event/228972/contributions/1539621/attachments/378552/526492/TDC_TWEPP_2013.pdf



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Re: [time-nuts] Timelab, GPIB-USB-B in a VM

2017-03-27 Thread Bob Bownes
John,

Thanks for the reply.

I'm obviously missing something as I can't see the GPIB-USB-B or the
ethernet connected GPIB-ENET.

It's really as simple as going to aquire->HP5371/5372 and the interfaces
should be in the list, correct?

Thanks,
Bob


On Mon, Mar 27, 2017 at 6:42 PM, John Miles  wrote:

> Try running the 32-bit version (timelab.exe) instead of timelab64.exe,
> even if the VM supports 64-bit execution.  That can sometimes help with
> compatibility.
>
> -- john, KE5FX
> Miles Design LLC
>
> > -Original Message-
> > From: time-nuts [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Bob
> > Bownes
> > Sent: Monday, March 27, 2017 2:49 PM
> > To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
> > Subject: [time-nuts] Timelab, GPIB-USB-B in a VM
> >
> > So I'm trying to run timelab in a windows 7 VM with a GPIB-USB-B
> interface.
> >
> > Anyone ever tried such a thing?
> >
> > The NI explorer sees the interface but nothing else does.
> >
> > Pointers welcome!
> >
> > Data on a bunch of oscillators as soon as I get it to work...:)
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Bob
> > ___
> > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com
> > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-
> > bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
> > and follow the instructions there.
>
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>
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Re: [time-nuts] Timelab, GPIB-USB-B in a VM

2017-03-27 Thread Tim Lister
On Mon, Mar 27, 2017 at 2:48 PM, Bob Bownes  wrote:
> So I'm trying to run timelab in a windows 7 VM with a GPIB-USB-B interface.
>
> Anyone ever tried such a thing?
>
> The NI explorer sees the interface but nothing else does.
>
> Pointers welcome!

I believe you have to configure the Virtual Machine hosting software
to allow USB passthrough to the host OS. I cam across this recently in
a Youtube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ0Mfuj0KUQ) which
was getting an ADF4351 board's Windows software working under Linux -
unfortunately I don't have a stream pointer as to how far in it was
but I think it was towards the early-middle

>
> Data on a bunch of oscillators as soon as I get it to work...:)
>
> Thanks,
> Bob

Cheers,
Tim
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Re: [time-nuts] Timelab, GPIB-USB-B in a VM

2017-03-27 Thread John Miles
Try running the 32-bit version (timelab.exe) instead of timelab64.exe, even if 
the VM supports 64-bit execution.  That can sometimes help with compatibility.

-- john, KE5FX
Miles Design LLC

> -Original Message-
> From: time-nuts [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Bob
> Bownes
> Sent: Monday, March 27, 2017 2:49 PM
> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
> Subject: [time-nuts] Timelab, GPIB-USB-B in a VM
> 
> So I'm trying to run timelab in a windows 7 VM with a GPIB-USB-B interface.
> 
> Anyone ever tried such a thing?
> 
> The NI explorer sees the interface but nothing else does.
> 
> Pointers welcome!
> 
> Data on a bunch of oscillators as soon as I get it to work...:)
> 
> Thanks,
> Bob
> ___
> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com
> To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-
> bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
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[time-nuts] Timelab, GPIB-USB-B in a VM

2017-03-27 Thread Bob Bownes
So I'm trying to run timelab in a windows 7 VM with a GPIB-USB-B interface.

Anyone ever tried such a thing?

The NI explorer sees the interface but nothing else does.

Pointers welcome!

Data on a bunch of oscillators as soon as I get it to work...:)

Thanks,
Bob
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Re: [time-nuts] Single ended or differential input to TDC chip

2017-03-27 Thread Magnus Danielson

Hi,

On 03/27/2017 06:05 PM, Attila Kinali wrote:

Hi,

We (the group I am with and a group at TU Vienna) are currently designing
an ASIC (digital 65nm process) that will contain a TDC part. The TDC will
be a simple delay line TDC design using differential buffers, which we
expect to give us something in the order of 20ps of resolution (hopefully
better, but we will not know until we get post-layout simulation data).
We are loosely following the design CERN came up with for their new TDC chip[1].


Now, the TDC expects a differential input, but the system gets single-ended
pulses as input (50R coax input, level likely to be CMOS 3.3V, but level not
fixed yet, ie can be freely choosen). I can either convert these single-ended
signals into differential off-chip or on-chip. Unfortunately, I lack knowledge
and experience to judge either approach. The issues I see are:

* Single-ended input in a chip might lead to shifting ground potential
  on the chip and thus to measurment jitter.
* There are different architectures to preform the single-ended to differential
  conversion on-chip, but I have no clue which one to choose or even how
  to judge them without extensive simulations for which we do not have the
  time, know-how and probably not even the tools.
* Conversion to differential off-chip means another component off-chip
  that might introduce additional delay uncertainty (our application is
  very sensitive to that) and an unknown amount of jitter.

My google foo has been so far not strong enough to find answers to these
questions.

I would appreciate if someone could give me some hints in this matter
or tell me where I could find appropriate literature and maybe even
tell me whether I am missing anything.


There is benefit of going diffrential over the chip border, and there is 
plenty of examples where it has been used for great benefit. Make sure 
to keep ground attached to neighbor pins/balls. When we run 10 Gb/s with 
low jitter (7 ps RMS max), then we need and use differential signals.


Single-mode to differential mode conversion can be done off-chip if 
needed, and it may suffice with very simple setups, allowing for passive 
components.


What you might want to look at iis if you have a good CMRR of your 
differential input or if you should have a inputstage to get better margin.


Cheers,
Magnus
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Re: [time-nuts] Single ended or differential input to TDC chip

2017-03-27 Thread Poul-Henning Kamp

In message <20170327180513.307125ed395c80e4e6490...@kinali.ch>, Attila Kinali w
rites:

>Now, the TDC expects a differential input, but the system gets single-ended
>pulses as input (50R coax input, level likely to be CMOS 3.3V, but level not
>fixed yet, ie can be freely choosen). I can either convert these single-ended
>signals into differential off-chip or on-chip. Unfortunately, I lack knowledge
>and experience to judge either approach. The issues I see are:

I would give the chip differential inputs, because that way it can
also be used, without loss of performance, on future differential
signals.

-- 
Poul-Henning Kamp   | UNIX since Zilog Zeus 3.20
p...@freebsd.org | TCP/IP since RFC 956
FreeBSD committer   | BSD since 4.3-tahoe
Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by incompetence.
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[time-nuts] Restoring HP 3048A software: converting TDO files

2017-03-27 Thread Jonathan Borden
Adrian,

Thanks for the links to the links to software. I'm posting this in the
hopes someone might find it useful either here, or for anyone who googles
looking at how to deal with TELEDISK TDO format archives.

I likewise have components of the 3048A Phase Noise Measurement system that
I am restoring. The archives of this group are great. The HP site is really
a terrific resource. Those TDO archives are pesky though. I was searching
for the HPIB.SYS MS/DOS driver for the HP 82355A ISA card.

Here is the link: http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=879
and under software: http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?sw=57
which leads us to HPIBTOOL.TDO

Here is how to use it:
I created a very small VirtualBox client that I name "DOS" with 1 CPU held
to 10%, 4mb RAM, 10Mb disk of type "Windows 98". All acceleration turned
off.
I then installed DOS 6.22 by mounting the *.img files as floppies (it comes
as a 3 floppy set).
I then created another floppy using the command:
$ dd if=/dev/zero of=myfloppy.img bs=1024 count=1440

Mounted this in the DOS client and formatted it:

C:\> FORMAT A:

I then mounted the floppy on my Mac and copies both the HPIBTOOL.TDO file
as well as the Teledisk software TELEDISK.EXE obtained from:

http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/img54306/teledisk.htm

mounted this "floppy" in DOS, and then ran TELEDISK.EXE to extract the TDO
file into a second floppy, created the same way as the first. This creates
an installation floppy for the HPIB driver.

Now only if there were a virtualization tool that allowed us to attach one
of the USB<->GPIB converters *as if* they were an 82355A ... oh well

In any case this is a general way to extract a TDO archive to a "floppy"
.img in the comfort of your laptop while sipping espresso.

Jonathan
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Re: [time-nuts] Single ended or differential input to TDC chip

2017-03-27 Thread Bruce Griffiths
Attila

Differential inputs, either LVDS or PECL compatible, together with a fast 
single supply comparator for the CMOS to PECL to LVDS/differential PECL would 
be the conservative approach. Ultra fast comparators with aaa delay belo 
2ns are readilyy available.

Alternatively a CMOS to LVDS converter like:

http://www.analog.com/media/en/technical-documentation/data-sheets/ADN4661.pdf

could be used.

There are commercial TDCs that claim similar resolution that use CMOS inputs.

One could provide both CMOS and differential inputs so that if the CMOS inputs 
prove problematic one could just use the differential inputs.

Bruce

> 
> On 28 March 2017 at 05:05 Attila Kinali  wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> We (the group I am with and a group at TU Vienna) are currently designing
> an ASIC (digital 65nm process) that will contain a TDC part. The TDC will
> be a simple delay line TDC design using differential buffers, which we
> expect to give us something in the order of 20ps of resolution (hopefully
> better, but we will not know until we get post-layout simulation data).
> We are loosely following the design CERN came up with for their new TDC 
> chip[1].
> 
> Now, the TDC expects a differential input, but the system gets 
> single-ended
> pulses as input (50R coax input, level likely to be CMOS 3.3V, but level 
> not
> fixed yet, ie can be freely choosen). I can either convert these 
> single-ended
> signals into differential off-chip or on-chip. Unfortunately, I lack 
> knowledge
> and experience to judge either approach. The issues I see are:
> 
> * Single-ended input in a chip might lead to shifting ground potential
>   on the chip and thus to measurment jitter.
> * There are different architectures to preform the single-ended to 
> differential
>   conversion on-chip, but I have no clue which one to choose or even 
> how
>   to judge them without extensive simulations for which we do not 
> have the
>   time, know-how and probably not even the tools.
> * Conversion to differential off-chip means another component off-chip
>   that might introduce additional delay uncertainty (our application 
> is
>   very sensitive to that) and an unknown amount of jitter.
> 
> My google foo has been so far not strong enough to find answers to these
> questions.
> 
> I would appreciate if someone could give me some hints in this matter
> or tell me where I could find appropriate literature and maybe even
> tell me whether I am missing anything.
> 
> Thanks in advance
> 
> Attila Kinali
> 
> [1] 
> https://indico.cern.ch/event/228972/contributions/1539621/attachments/378552/526492/TDC_TWEPP_2013.pdf
> --
> It is upon moral qualities that a society is ultimately founded. All
> the prosperity and technological sophistication in the world is of no
> use without that foundation.
> -- Miss Matheson, The Diamond Age, Neil Stephenson
> 
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Re: [time-nuts] TAPR Oncore M12+ kit

2017-03-27 Thread Gregory Beat
The TAPR offering is a "partial kit" from the Synergy's SynPaQ/E product.
Here is that data sheet:
http://www.synergy-gps.com/images/stories/pdf/synpaq%20product%20data%20sheet%20040110.pdf
Blank aluminum end-plates can be fabricated, or purchased from the OEM supplier.
 
w9gb

Sent from iPad Air
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Re: [time-nuts] Smart Phone time display accuracy...? (shouldbe q931)

2017-03-27 Thread Thomas D. Erb
I believe some of the cell phone protocols actually provide time to the phone 
as part of the authentication process.
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[time-nuts] Single ended or differential input to TDC chip

2017-03-27 Thread Attila Kinali
Hi,

We (the group I am with and a group at TU Vienna) are currently designing
an ASIC (digital 65nm process) that will contain a TDC part. The TDC will
be a simple delay line TDC design using differential buffers, which we
expect to give us something in the order of 20ps of resolution (hopefully
better, but we will not know until we get post-layout simulation data).
We are loosely following the design CERN came up with for their new TDC chip[1].


Now, the TDC expects a differential input, but the system gets single-ended
pulses as input (50R coax input, level likely to be CMOS 3.3V, but level not
fixed yet, ie can be freely choosen). I can either convert these single-ended
signals into differential off-chip or on-chip. Unfortunately, I lack knowledge
and experience to judge either approach. The issues I see are:

* Single-ended input in a chip might lead to shifting ground potential
  on the chip and thus to measurment jitter.
* There are different architectures to preform the single-ended to differential
  conversion on-chip, but I have no clue which one to choose or even how
  to judge them without extensive simulations for which we do not have the
  time, know-how and probably not even the tools.
* Conversion to differential off-chip means another component off-chip
  that might introduce additional delay uncertainty (our application is
  very sensitive to that) and an unknown amount of jitter.

My google foo has been so far not strong enough to find answers to these
questions.

I would appreciate if someone could give me some hints in this matter
or tell me where I could find appropriate literature and maybe even
tell me whether I am missing anything.

Thanks in advance

Attila Kinali

[1] 
https://indico.cern.ch/event/228972/contributions/1539621/attachments/378552/526492/TDC_TWEPP_2013.pdf
 
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use without that foundation.
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Re: [time-nuts] Smart Phone time display accuracy...?

2017-03-27 Thread Attila Kinali
On Sun, 26 Mar 2017 16:29:10 +0100
shouldbe q931  wrote:

> Not all phone networks provide time, I was quite surprised in the 90s
> when I crossed the English channel going to France and the time on my
> (GSM) phone automatically updated, and just as disappointed when I
> returned and the clock did not update, this was of course long before
> "smartphones" with GPS or NTP clients...

Ok.. to get this back on a bit more time-nutty things:

Modern cell phone protocols either require or contain provisions
to diseminate local (and UTC) time to the cellphones. This is also
being used as a timing standard for situations where LF stations (WWVB/DCF/..)
are not good enough, but no GPS antenna can be used for whatever reason.
I most civilized countries this timing code will be quite accurate,
down to the µs level. But there are a lot countries where you cannot
expect the time code to be anywhere close to reality. E.g. Networks
in India are known for transmitting time codes that are multiple minutes
off and nobody cares about correcting that.


Attila Kinali


-- 
It is upon moral qualities that a society is ultimately founded. All 
the prosperity and technological sophistication in the world is of no 
use without that foundation.
 -- Miss Matheson, The Diamond Age, Neil Stephenson
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Re: [time-nuts] TAPR Oncore M12+ kit

2017-03-27 Thread Norm n3ykf
M12+ or M12+T?

There are two different versions of firmware, same hardware.

The M12+ does NMEA and Moto bin, the +T does Moto Bin only.

Norm n3ykf

On Mon, Mar 27, 2017 at 9:17 AM, Majdi S. Abbas  wrote:
> TAPR has announced a new kit that may be of some interest here:
>
> https://www.tapr.org/gps_exp-kit.html
>
> It's certainly well worth the $30.
>
> --msa
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[time-nuts] TAPR Oncore M12+ kit

2017-03-27 Thread Majdi S. Abbas
TAPR has announced a new kit that may be of some interest here:

https://www.tapr.org/gps_exp-kit.html

It's certainly well worth the $30.

--msa
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