Re: [time-nuts] One more free thing...

[Bob Darlington]

Neat.  I'm all set in this department but wanted to say I'm glad somebody
is rescuing an older gen paper paper aided design system.

On Fri, Jun 8, 2018, 3:38 PM Burt I. Weiner  wrote:

> Gang,
>
> There's one more free thing left from the stuffs I posted a week or
> so ago.  I know everyone, almost everyone uses computers for
> drafting.  That said, there is a drafting table complete wit a
> Drafting Machine and various attachments.  There are also French
> Curves, compassesessess and other related stuffs. It would really be
> a shame to see it go to the dump :(This has to go right away and
> you have to come and pick it up in the Sierra Madre area near
> Pasadena.  If you or anyone you know might be interested, please have
> them contact me direct via: b...@att.net  Pictures are available.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Burt, K6OQK
>
> Burt I. Weiner Associates
> Broadcast Technical Services
> Glendale, California U.S.A.
> b...@att.net
> K6OQK
>
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Re: [time-nuts] lady heather on headless linux box

[Bob Darlington]

Works fine.

I'm running RHEL6 and had to add -rlt to the linker line in the makefile
(and no additional changes), as well as do a yum install libX11-devel (and
install the dependencies yum wanted me to install).

Douglas Bercich is exactly right, you need the X11 dev libraries installed
even if you're headless without X11.

-Bob N3XKB


On Fri, Apr 20, 2018 at 6:39 AM, jimlux  wrote:

> Looking over the readme, it looks like LH uses X11.
> Does that mean that if I build it, and run an Xserver on a box, I can run
> LH on another (headless) box via ssh?
>
> I'm not sure I want to start down this path, so just curious if that's how
> it works.
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Re: [time-nuts] Repairs and mods underway on HP 3586b

[Bob Darlington]

Tisha,

Magnus encouraged me to share my "Happy Easter" with you, or at least this
demo that's kinda like an easter egg:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MZpnVs6CWc

Enjoy, all.

On Sun, Apr 1, 2018 at 8:24 PM, Tisha Hayes  wrote:

> Thanks to those who responded to my requests off-list for details on
> correcting a partially functional HP 3586b. Here is where I am at with it;
>
> Replaced the incandescent lamp inside of the 5060-0329 rotary encoder for a
> white LED with a resistor to work at 5VDC.
> Ordered a 75 ohm BNC chassis jack
> Installed two BNC-SMB cables for the 50 MHz connections that are normally
> covered with blank plugs on the back panel
> Removed all of the buttons and soaked them for a few hours in a mixture of
> hydrogen peroxide and oxy-clean to remove the brownish oxidation
> (in the process) of pulling the little wafer springs out of each switch and
> rotating the metal around 180 degrees so the buttons do not need to make a
> hard "click"
> replaced the NiCad battery with an NiMH
>
> The unit already had the 10 MHz precision oscillator module (thanks to
> Perry Sandeen for that).
>
> I have a couple of Rb standards that are already used for metrology
> (spec-an's, tracking generators, R-590 and a couple of other receivers). I
> will probably stick with those as frequency references as they are usually
> running for days at a time.
>
> *Ms. Tisha Hayes, AA4HA*
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Re: [time-nuts] M12 furono

[Bob Darlington]

I have a unit out to Mark Sims for eval and testing with Lady Heather.

Furuno isn't honoring last year's quote.   For qty 100+ they quoted me
$35.00 each.  That was the quote for qty 1 last year.  I pushed back and
they dropped it slightly to $33.94 -not much of a discount and that's their
1000+ unit price.

Assuming all is well on the Lady Heather front I will offer them at the
$35.00 price+shipping, whatever that may be.  When they were several
dollars cheaper I didn't worry about moving them.  At this price, I don't
want to risk having 65 sitting on the shelf and 65*cost to pay back on the
toy card.This way I can open a time period for orders and just order as
many as are needed.  If it's over 100, I will absolutely pass the slight
savings on to the buyer.

Hang tight!

-Bob
N3XKB

On Fri, Mar 2, 2018 at 6:03 AM, ewkehren via time-nuts 
wrote:

> What is latest on a group buy, have I missed something I am ready to buy
>   Bert Kehren
>
>
>
> Sent from my Galaxy Tab® A
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[time-nuts] Furuno GT-8736 group buy status

[Bob Darlington]

Hi all,

As mentioned a few times over this year I've been kicking around the idea
of doing a group buy for the Furuno GT-8736 GPS receiver boards:

http://www.furuno.com/en/products/gnss-module/GT-8736

I have a quote from a vendor here in the States from last year that puts
them at roughly $27 a pop at QTY 100 units.  But... the guy retired and the
latest quote I got back (yesterday) was for the original QTY 1 price of
$35.  I sent them the lower quote and am awaiting a response.

I'll also see about buying a couple tubes of the PCB connector.  I believe
Mouser part number 855-M50-3120545 is correct ($1.45).  Looking at the
measurements, a 10mm stand off should allow the board to mate properly, and
I can supply these as well.

These are bare boards and need an MMCX pigtail cable to go off to an
antenna as well as a cable for data IO.   Antenna power comes in through
one of the pins, independently of the main power to the receiver so you can
run a 5V antenna from this 3.3 (2.85 to 3.6) volt board if you wanted to.

One of the units I had at home was just sent out today to a list member for
some testing.

Hang tight.  I'll start taking orders once everything looks good and I get
the price down to where it was.  I want to stress that I'm doing this at
cost so I will not gouge anybody.   And sorry to clutter up the list with
non-techie stuff.  I will ask that any inquiries come directly to me unless
they're of a technical nature.

-Bob
N3XKB
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Re: [time-nuts] Furuno GT-8031 breakout board

[Bob Darlington]

I bought some of the Furuno GT-8736 boards for $35 a pop, qty 1 (or 2 as
was the case).  And was quoted at $26.91 a pop if I buy 100.   If there's
interest, I'm happy to coordinate a group buy at cost.  Just paid off that
credit card yesterday so why not?   If there are more desirable boards from
Furuno, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

-Bob

On Thu, Feb 15, 2018 at 3:59 AM, ew via time-nuts 
wrote:

> Talking about Furuno has any one looked at the GT-87. I have known about
> it for years but found no way to buy some now DigiKey has them for $ 100,
> Buerklin in Germany for half that price. Saw tooth is +- 1.7 nsec we are
> not going to bother with correction. We are in the process to lay out a
> board any recommendations are appreciated
> Bert Kehren
>
> In a message dated 2/15/2018 12:39:48 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> hol...@hotmail.com writes:
>
>
>  I just did a small adapter board that converts the 2x5 pin 2mm header on
> the Furuno GT-8031 to a 1x9 pin 0.1" connector with the pinouts of the
> Adafruit Ultimate GPS. There a couple of minor pin differences... the
> Adafruit FIX pin is not used and the Adafriuit 3.3VREG output pin is used
> as the Furuno antenna power connection. The Furuno can be soldered to the
> board or a female connector could be installed.
>
> I'm getting ready to order a few boards. If interested, contact me off
> list.___
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>   1 Attached Images
>
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Re: [time-nuts] Tourbillon: Recalling and honoring our heritage

[Bob Darlington]

Agreed that it's a pretty amazing feat of engineering.  It's just
redundant.  Our bodies come with multi-axis systems that constantly move
and counter much of what a tourbillon movement attempts to remedy.  It's
our arms.  Food for thought anyway ;-)

On Wed, Jan 3, 2018 at 10:56 AM, Tom Knox  wrote:

> 
> Then several centuries ago the Tourbillon movement was design by a
> Time-Nut like ourselves. I my humble opinion it is still one of the most
> amazing feats of engineering ever. And if you are lucky enough to own one
> you could trade it for a Time-Nuts dream lab today.
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourbillon




-Bob
N3XKB
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Re: [time-nuts] current crop of GPS receivers for Rpi/Beaglebone for NTP server/etc

[Bob Darlington]

Jim,

I'm happy to give you my BBB and custom made gps cape for it if you want to
continue the work.  I stopped all work right about the time I got married
(2 years ago) and likely will never circle back around to play with it
again.

It uses a Furuno GT-8736 timing receiver and I had it working with NTP
pretty easily.  I'll try to dig it out and get into it and get it ticking
again before mailing it to you if you are interested in it.

Here are some plots I made before pulling the plug the last time:
http://nerdhouse.org/ntp/

-Bob

On Mon, Oct 16, 2017 at 7:45 AM, jimlux  wrote:

> I have beagles, but others have pis.
>
> There seem to be dozens of GPS receivers out there in a variety of form
> factors.
>
> What's the current "best" inexpensive choice for run of the mill
> time-setting/1pps  that's a "catalog" item
>
> Plenty of online "how-to" from 2013 and 2014, but we here on the list know
> that the "cheap GPS" receiver business is a very moving target - 4 years is
> a long time.
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Re: [time-nuts] CF cards cloned S250

[Bob Darlington]

Think they'll boot in my S300 that fails at start up?

-Bob

On Sep 27, 2017 2:49 PM,  wrote:


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Re: [time-nuts] Machining some aluminum help!

[Bob Darlington]

Ask them what they'd do it for without the tapping.  Normally I'd do
something like this for free but 40 tapped 4-40 holes in heavy wall
aluminum is a pain.  It would be a miracle if I didn't break the tap off at
least once.  Last time was for a resonant cavity amp (23cm band) and I had
to soak my cavity ring in nitric acid for a month to get the tap out.

At least it's not steel.

-Bob

On Thu, May 18, 2017 at 10:54 AM,  wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I have a square aluminum tube 5" X 5" with a .25" wall it's 8 1/2" long.
>
> I need 20 holes in each end tapped for 4/40 and 1/2" deep.
>
> This is for a Rubidium project.
>
> The local machine shop want's $360.00
>
> Anyone have a machining setup that could do the work a bit cheaper?
>
> If not I'll give it a try myself.
>
> Please contact me off list.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Corby Dawson
>
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Re: [time-nuts] more of a time distribution question

[Bob Darlington]

I'm happy to run a group buy for just the 8736.My last quote from the
vendor was just a bit under $27 each, and that does not come with the board
connector.  I picked these boards for compatibility with Motorola
footprint, but also because it doesn't insist on goofy 3.0 volt power and
logic levels for communication.   It's happy with and rated for 3.3 volts
which is desirable.

I'll start a new thread for a group buy with details once I get a fresh
quote from the vendor.

-Bob
N3XKB

On Fri, Mar 31, 2017 at 12:45 PM, Bob Camp  wrote:

> Hi
>
> The 8736 is a very nice part. I think some sort of group buy would be a
> good idea.
>
> Bob
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Mar 31, 2017, at 12:14 PM, Bob Darlington 
> wrote:
> >
> > I guess it's time for me to finish up that NTP cape for the BeagleBone.
> > I'm using a Furuno GT-8736 ( http://www.furuno.com/en/
> > products/gnss-module/GT-8736 )
> >
> > I built up a prototype about two years ago but... got married very
> shortly
> > after that and haven't played with it since.
> >
> > Is there any interest in something like this?   As with past group buys,
> I
> > never charge a penny of profit and sell at cost.   I want to say the
> brand
> > new GT-8736 boards are $26 a pop (my cost) from the vendor.
> >
> > Is there a better board from Furuno for timing applications?
> >
> > -Bob
> > N3XKB
> >
> > On Fri, Mar 31, 2017 at 1:03 AM, David J Taylor <
> > david-tay...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> >
> >> From: Hal Murray
> >>
> >> That should work.  I haven't found a GPS with PPS for the beaglebone.
> What
> >> level of accuracy do you want?  If you only need 100 ms or so, then a
> >> normal
> >> junk GPS (no PPS) on USB should work.
> >> ==
> >>
> >> This works with the BeagleBone:
> >>
> >> https://www.adafruit.com/product/746
> >>
> >> Cheers,
> >> David
> >> --
> >> SatSignal Software - Quality software written to your requirements
> >> Web: http://www.satsignal.eu
> >> Email: david-tay...@blueyonder.co.uk
> >> Twitter: @gm8arv
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Re: [time-nuts] more of a time distribution question

[Bob Darlington]

I guess it's time for me to finish up that NTP cape for the BeagleBone.
I'm using a Furuno GT-8736 ( http://www.furuno.com/en/
products/gnss-module/GT-8736 )

I built up a prototype about two years ago but... got married very shortly
after that and haven't played with it since.

Is there any interest in something like this?   As with past group buys, I
never charge a penny of profit and sell at cost.   I want to say the brand
new GT-8736 boards are $26 a pop (my cost) from the vendor.

Is there a better board from Furuno for timing applications?

-Bob
N3XKB

On Fri, Mar 31, 2017 at 1:03 AM, David J Taylor <
david-tay...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

> From: Hal Murray
>
> That should work.  I haven't found a GPS with PPS for the beaglebone.  What
> level of accuracy do you want?  If you only need 100 ms or so, then a
> normal
> junk GPS (no PPS) on USB should work.
> ==
>
> This works with the BeagleBone:
>
>  https://www.adafruit.com/product/746
>
> Cheers,
> David
> --
> SatSignal Software - Quality software written to your requirements
> Web: http://www.satsignal.eu
> Email: david-tay...@blueyonder.co.uk
> Twitter: @gm8arv
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Re: [time-nuts] Austron 2010B Manual.

[Bob Darlington]

OH YEAH!

I found my Austron manuals CD last night while cleaning up the ham shack.
I'll send a copy tonight.

-Bob

On Mon, Dec 12, 2016 at 2:38 PM, Angus  wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I know this has been asked about a few times over the years, but I've
> not been able to find any user or service manuals for an Austron 2010B
> to download anywhere - anyone know of any?
>
> Thanks,
> Angus.
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Re: [time-nuts] Austron 2010B Manual.

[Bob Darlington]

And like a fool, I sent this to the list.

Angus, ping me direct with your address and I'll send you my CD.

-Bob

On Mon, Dec 12, 2016 at 2:49 PM, Bob Darlington 
wrote:

> OH YEAH!
>
> I found my Austron manuals CD last night while cleaning up the ham shack.
>   I'll send a copy tonight.
>
> -Bob
>
> On Mon, Dec 12, 2016 at 2:38 PM, Angus  wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I know this has been asked about a few times over the years, but I've
>> not been able to find any user or service manuals for an Austron 2010B
>> to download anywhere - anyone know of any?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Angus.
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Re: [time-nuts] Net4501 case

[Bob Darlington]

Joe, I'll be glad to give you my whole system.  Send me your contact info
on a direct message and it's yours.

-Bob
N3XKB

On Nov 30, 2016 8:58 PM, "Joseph Gray"  wrote:

> Does anyone have a spare case for a Soekris Net4501? It looks like
> Soekris no longer sells them.
>
> Joe Gray
> W5JG
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Re: [time-nuts] Hobbyist grade or homebrew temperature testing chamber?

[Bob Darlington]

Rick,

I'm going from memory here.  My former business partner (now deceased) had
a "beer fridge" setup as an environmental chamber for our instruments.  The
trick for stability was to run the AC compressor all the time, and push
against it with heat lamps.  The lamps were controlled with an Omega PID
controller with an RTD hanging in the fridge.   Model was RTD-805 (I just
happen to have it here in my office).  It has a little metal bird cage
around the sensor.  I believe he had a small fan in there too, to circulate
the air.  I removed the electronics and have since sold the commercial
refrigerator.

The instrument he was using in the chamber was an SRS 830 lock in
amplifier.

This is where my memory gets fuzzy.  SRS comped him another 830 because he
taught them how to get 10x or 100x the performance out of it.  I wasn't
working with him at the time but heard the story 50x over the years about
how impressed the SRS folks were about what he did.  I wish I knew those
details.

A buddy of mine that is now at Life Sciences contacted me about how we did
this.  He had the fridge and heater, but was heating using a thermostat to
controller the refrigeration compressor as well as the heater.  This did
not work.

And forgive me if this is way too course for time nuttery.  Just trying to
thow my 2 cents in and worst case you guys will school me on methods that
work even better.   Now I'm using a Sun environmental chamber which is
significantly smaller and meets my needs.

-Bob


On Mon, Sep 5, 2016 at 8:48 PM, Richard (Rick) Karlquist <
rich...@karlquist.com> wrote:

> As we all know, step #1 in making a clock is NOT
> to build a thermometer :-)
>
> I thought I would check the brain trust here to see
> if anyone has seen a hobbyist grade temperature
> testing chamber or kit or homebrew design.  I
> have some crystals, oscillators, and other
> electronics I would like to characterize over
> temperature.  I know this reflector has discussed
> homebrew stabilization ovens; however, they
> have tended to have very long time constants
> (which makes sense for that application).  I
> need to be able to change temperature in a
> reasonable amount of time, and I don't need
> extreme stability.  Looking for any ideas,
> maybe in the "maker" spirit.  I think the
> size I need would be perhaps 1/2 the size
> of a shoebox.
>
> BTW, in case someone has a chamber to sell,
> let me know...
>
> Rick Karlquist N6RK
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Re: [time-nuts] Working with SMT parts.

[Bob Darlington]

I use a Nikon and a Meiji that I picked up surplus on the cheap.

Lighting matters.  Fostec ring illuminators are okay, but I prefer
something with gooseneck arms so I actually do have shadows.  Light from a
particular angle can help rather than nice uniform illumination.

#1 recommendation I have for a stereo microscope for soldering use is get
one that can take a filter disc.  In the very least put some saran wrap
around the bottom.  Condensing flux vapors make a mess of the optics over
the years.

#2 is recognizing you don't need all that much magnification to do the
work.  50x is a lot of magnification.  Way more than you need for 0402
parts.

I've also found that brains are a pretty amazing PID controller.  10x
magnification seems to result in 1/10th the hand shake.

-Bob


On Thu, Aug 11, 2016 at 11:24 AM, Bob Albert via time-nuts <
time-nuts@febo.com> wrote:

> What are the important parameters regarding purchase of a stereo
> microscope?  I see some on ebay for around $50; are those good?
> Bob
>
>
> On Thursday, August 11, 2016 10:00 AM, Didier Juges <
> shali...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>  I concur. I have been using ExpressPCB extensively over the last 2 years
> with great satisfaction now that it is possible to get Gerber files from
> them.
> I typically use the mini board pro service (3 bare boards, 2 sided with
> solder mask and silk screen) for prototypes and then buy the Gerbers to
> have production quantities done overseas.
> The boards are of high quality and the service is very fast at a very
> reasonable price.
> The only gotcha with regard to Gerber files is that you can only buy
> Gerbers for boards that you have actually bought from them, so the process
> is to buy the prototypes, then if you are happy with those, buy the Gerbers
> for that design.
>
> Didier KO4BB
>
> On Tue, Aug 9, 2016 at 3:06 PM, Brooke Clarke  wrote:
>
> > Hi:
> >
> > I've had good luck using any of the the ExpressPCB services that include
> > solder mask with surface mount parts where the pitch is 0.05" (half
> normal
> > DIP) and hand soldering (requires stereo microscope).
> > http://www.prc68.com/I/BTSG.shtml (battery top signal generator)
> > http://www.prc68.com/I/Images/ICS525v1o.jpg
> >
> > http://www.prc68.com/I/SMT.shtml 
> >
> > --
> > Have Fun,
> >
> > Brooke Clarke
> > http://www.PRC68.com
> > http://www.end2partygovernment.com/2012Issues.html
> > The lesser of evils is still evil.
> >
> >
> > ___
> > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com
> > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/m
> > ailman/listinfo/time-nuts
> > and follow the instructions there.
> >
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Re: [time-nuts] HP 106a oscillator connectors question

[Bob Darlington]

They look like microdot connectors.  Like what I have on my ultrasound
transducers.
On Jun 3, 2016 3:59 PM,  wrote:

> Well the checkout of the 106A oscillator section is going well.
>
> I ran it for 6 hours and the outer oven came down OK, will have to wait
> until I can do a longer attended run for the inner oven as it takes 8 1/2
> hours per the manual to come down!
>
> This unit was not built with the fine adjust via an internal pot as shown
> in the manual but does have the external EFC jack show. (EFC jack does
> work)
>
> After the 6 hours Frequency was within a HZ and could be adjusted. Quit
> there until I can find a spot for it to live for an extended test.
>
> Need help identifying the RF connectors on the unit.
>
> They are not SMA but look to be the same diameter. would need two
> adaptors or a couple old cables with the matching connector I could
> splice into. I had to poke in a wire and use clip leads!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Corby
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Re: [time-nuts] beaglebone black, debian, NTP client

[Bob Darlington]

Me.  It's pretty straight forward.  "apt-get install ntp"

-Bob

On Thu, Dec 31, 2015 at 6:27 PM, jimlux  wrote:

> Has anyone fooled with using NTP on a beaglebone black running Debian (the
> beagleboard.org image)?
>
>
> I assume it's just a matter of turning on ntpd (which I'm not sure is even
> installed) and/or running ntpdate (I'm not looking for super accuracy..
> it's for a sprinkler timer)
>
>
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Re: [time-nuts] Symmetricom experts?

[Bob Darlington]

I've had the same problem with an S300 so I gave up and started working on
a replacement.  Eventually I'll get everything documented and offered to
the group, but far I've built a custom sheild for a BeagleBone Black with a
Furuno GT-8736 timing receiver, and it looks great so long as it's doing
nothing but running NTP.  As soon as I put load on the thing, it warms up,
and throws the time off.  NTP adjusts of course, but there's that  short
spike in offset that I find annoying and it makes my pretty graphs not so
pretty.  Perhaps it'll stabilize under a more realistic scenario of where
it services lots of NTP requests, and perhaps a small heatsink on the CPU
will help as well.  Much to do.

If you find a solution for the SyncServer products that doesn't involve a
complete replacement or a service contract, I'd love to hear about it.

-Bob

On Thu, Sep 24, 2015 at 1:21 AM, G1FEF  wrote:

> Do we have any Symmetricom experts on this list?
>
> I've had a Symmetricom Syncserver S200 GPS+PPS with rubidium clock running
> for several years until we had a power cut and the UPS battery failed, on
> powering back up it won't boot at all.
>
> I suspect the flash is corrupt but they protect it in some way, so one
> can't just copy the o/s onto a new card, and the company want 's to fix
> it for me!
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Chris
>
>
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Re: [time-nuts] 10MHz Square to Sine Wave Conversion

[Bob Darlington]

Here's the URL to the document I was referring to:

http://www.w1ghz.org/small_proj/10MHz_Filter_for_GPS_Reference.zip

And I see in my simulation I have the inductor and cap in the center of the
schematic reversed, however it was built properly.

-Bob

On Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 3:24 PM, Bob Darlington 
wrote:

> For the life of me I can't find the link to the schematic or any mention
> of it in the archives.  Google fail.   However, I was able to find some
> screen shots and pictures from the Chebyshev filter that I built from the
> docs that I originally found here.  This should get you started if you want
> to roll your own.  Mini-Circuits makes a filter if memory serves, but this
> is a very cheap and fun project if you already have a little project box.
> Screen shots show simulation and most importantly, the values of the parts
> in the project.  The 0.06uH inductor was hand wound and tweaked till I got
> it right.  S parameters were measured with the cover ON and the cover does
> de-tune the circuit so you have to compensate before buttoning it up.
>
> https://goo.gl/photos/UiqRrFRNYczvcbNh6
>
> -Bob N3XKB
>
> On Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 11:49 AM, skipp Isaham via time-nuts <
> time-nuts@febo.com> wrote:
>
>> re: 10MHz Square to Sine Wave Conversion
>>
>> The GPSDO I recently acquired outputs a 10 MHz square wave. I'd like
>> to convert it to a sine wave and I am looking for suggestions and info re
>> any reasonable pre-made circuits and/or boards. No sense reinventing the
>> wheel if I can avoid it.
>>
>> Otherwise I will start from scratch and make a new wheel
>>
>> Thank you in advance for your replies.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> skipp
>>
>> skipp025 at yahoo dot com
>>
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>
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Re: [time-nuts] 10MHz Square to Sine Wave Conversion

[Bob Darlington]

For the life of me I can't find the link to the schematic or any mention of
it in the archives.  Google fail.   However, I was able to find some screen
shots and pictures from the Chebyshev filter that I built from the docs
that I originally found here.  This should get you started if you want to
roll your own.  Mini-Circuits makes a filter if memory serves, but this is
a very cheap and fun project if you already have a little project box.
Screen shots show simulation and most importantly, the values of the parts
in the project.  The 0.06uH inductor was hand wound and tweaked till I got
it right.  S parameters were measured with the cover ON and the cover does
de-tune the circuit so you have to compensate before buttoning it up.

https://goo.gl/photos/UiqRrFRNYczvcbNh6

-Bob N3XKB

On Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 11:49 AM, skipp Isaham via time-nuts <
time-nuts@febo.com> wrote:

> re: 10MHz Square to Sine Wave Conversion
>
> The GPSDO I recently acquired outputs a 10 MHz square wave. I'd like
> to convert it to a sine wave and I am looking for suggestions and info re
> any reasonable pre-made circuits and/or boards. No sense reinventing the
> wheel if I can avoid it.
>
> Otherwise I will start from scratch and make a new wheel
>
> Thank you in advance for your replies.
>
> Regards,
>
> skipp
>
> skipp025 at yahoo dot com
>
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Re: [time-nuts] Small time server for mobile use.

[Bob Darlington]

What's your budget?  I've done this with 1U sized NTP servers from
Symmetricom (S300 and S350 systems) for mobile military use.  These are a
few thousand bucks a pop.  They're rugged, and held up just fine in places
the military goes.Compared to the rest of the system I was working on, this
was quite small in comparison and we used more than one at each location.
My personal one died recently so I'm working on developing a cape for the
BeagleBone Black.  The prototype is working just fine so far so I'm moving
forward with a board layout and eventual sale to the list members if there
is any interest (I'm not asking for interest yet).

-Bob

On Tue, May 12, 2015 at 11:11 AM, Mark Spencer 
wrote:

> Hi sorry for a possibly OT post.
> Has anyone had practical experience with small commercially available time
> servers / ntp servers suitable for mobile  use in a vehicle.
>
>  The use case is I am in need of an accurate (ie.  within 100 ms) time
> source for several pc's in moving vehicle.Being able to run directly
> off a 13.8 or 28 VDC  source would be a major plus but AC power is also
> available.
>
> Hold over if there are gaps in GPS coverage is also a major plus.
>
> We already have a GPS with a 1 pps output, but an integrated box with it's
> own GPS would be best.
>
> Yes I am aware I could feed a 1 pps signal into a laptop and use that as a
> time server and I may end up going that route.
>
> There is a small Ethernet LAN in the vehicle.  The pc's currently get
> their time via a wireless connection to various NTP servers.   I need to be
> able to ensure accurate time on the PC's if there is no wireless coverage.
>
>
> This is for a one off project so piecing together various parts is an
> option but a single box COTS solution would be nice.  I've found a few
> candidates via web searches but would welcome any feed back.
>
> Thanks in advance
>
> Mark Spencer
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Re: [time-nuts] Microsemi versus Spetracom

[Bob Darlington]

That's what mine is doing.  The hourglass stops and a random ascii
character appears overlapped with the top left corner of the hourglass.
David and Brian, I'll ping you guys off list so we don't clutter this place
up.

Thanks,
Bob

On Wed, May 6, 2015 at 4:58 PM, David & Laura 
wrote:

> I had this happen with my S250. It hangs during boot with the spinning
> hourglass stopping, right?
>
> The problem ended up being that the processor module had come slightly
> unseated. The initial boot messages on the display are independent from the
> functioning of the processor module.
>
> Thanks,
>
> David Slik
> VE7FIM
>
> On Wed, May 6, 2015 at 2:35 PM, Bob Darlington 
> wrote:
>
> > My personal S300 died last month but otherwise I've fielded them in hot,
> > cold, dusty, wet, and dry environments and they seem to keep going.It
> > passes the initial self tetst but won't fully boot.  I suspect CF card
> > failure.  Microsemi won't talk to me without an active support contract.
> >
> > Due to its death, I'm now working on a BeagleBone Black "cape"
> specifically
> > for M12+ or Furuno timing receivers.  I appreciate COTS hardware, but
> I'm a
> > hobbyist.   Mine will be cheaper, but I can't vouch for more reliable
> yet.
> >
> > -Bob
> >
> > On Wed, May 6, 2015 at 1:58 PM, Andrew Cooper 
> > wrote:
> >
> > > So, yes, our old TS2100's suffered the 1995 bug over the weekend like
> all
> > > of the others in the world.  Kludged into working for the moment using
> > 1PPS
> > > and two units.
> > >
> > > I do need to buy a couple replacements, good time is critical around an
> > > observatory, looking at a $16K purchase order.  We have quoted both the
> > > SecureSync from SpectraCom and the S350 from Microsemi, both fully
> spec'd
> > > out with IRIG and IEEE1588.
> > >
> > > I am not really a time expert, just an everyday electrical engineer.
> > > Thrust into the problem three days ago.  I have learned a bit reading
> > > through the Time Nuts archive... Thanks!
> > >
> > > Anything I should be aware of with these units.  Any opinions on this
> > > purchase?
> > >
> > > Thanks for your advice,
> > > Andrew
> > >
> > > Andrew Cooper
> > > Electrical Engineer
> > > W. M. Keck Observatory
> > > 808-881-3862
> > > mailto:acoo...@keck.hawaii.edu
> > >
> > > ___
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Re: [time-nuts] Microsemi versus Spetracom

[Bob Darlington]

My personal S300 died last month but otherwise I've fielded them in hot,
cold, dusty, wet, and dry environments and they seem to keep going.It
passes the initial self tetst but won't fully boot.  I suspect CF card
failure.  Microsemi won't talk to me without an active support contract.

Due to its death, I'm now working on a BeagleBone Black "cape" specifically
for M12+ or Furuno timing receivers.  I appreciate COTS hardware, but I'm a
hobbyist.   Mine will be cheaper, but I can't vouch for more reliable yet.

-Bob

On Wed, May 6, 2015 at 1:58 PM, Andrew Cooper 
wrote:

> So, yes, our old TS2100's suffered the 1995 bug over the weekend like all
> of the others in the world.  Kludged into working for the moment using 1PPS
> and two units.
>
> I do need to buy a couple replacements, good time is critical around an
> observatory, looking at a $16K purchase order.  We have quoted both the
> SecureSync from SpectraCom and the S350 from Microsemi, both fully spec'd
> out with IRIG and IEEE1588.
>
> I am not really a time expert, just an everyday electrical engineer.
> Thrust into the problem three days ago.  I have learned a bit reading
> through the Time Nuts archive... Thanks!
>
> Anything I should be aware of with these units.  Any opinions on this
> purchase?
>
> Thanks for your advice,
> Andrew
>
> Andrew Cooper
> Electrical Engineer
> W. M. Keck Observatory
> 808-881-3862
> mailto:acoo...@keck.hawaii.edu
>
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Re: [time-nuts] NTP stratum 1 appliances with different (GPS, etc) cores...

[Bob Darlington]

I run a Symmetricom Syncserver S300 at home and am trying to convince the
fine folks at work that running "ntpdate" every 15 minutes is about the
worst possible way to set time.  I'm in the NTP.org pool but am open to
direct peering if you ever get something setup:

http://www.pool.ntp.org/scores/23.31.117.13

This server hardware can support an orginization at least 10x the size of
mine (Los Alamos National Laboratory).

-Bob

On Mon, Mar 9, 2015 at 2:31 PM, Robert Seastrom 
wrote:

>
> Hi folks,
>
> Had a recent requirement at $DAYJOB to give our NTP architecture a good
> swift kick in the pants.  High precision is not a particular requirement (1
> ms is more than adequate) but high reliability is.  I'm about done with
> explaining the difference between the two to people internally who don't
> get it.  :-(
>
> Unfortunately, these days it's impossible to get sufficient out-of-band
> sources for stratum 1 clocks unless we're building our own constellation of
> primary frequency standards (Not Gonna Happen).  So I definitely intend to
> have our stratum 2 clocks (which customer and production devices will be
> pointing at) chiming off of plenty of off-site stuff too, hopefully things
> that are connected physically to a diverse set of primary sources (i.e. not
> gps or wwvb)
>
> This approach would probably be fine for our internal consumption,
> frankly, considering our need for reliability but not supreme accuracy.
> But there's still a desire internally to run a set of stratum 1 radio
> clocks.  In the course of this discussion, I invoked a particularly nasty
> "conspiracy" that happened back in 2002 wherein every TrueTime NTS-100
> (which were extremely popular in those days) simultaneously decided that it
> was 20 years in the future and warped the time.  That's not the only case
> of devices losing their cookies; I seem to recall a problem with certain
> Motorola cores having an issue with leap seconds.
>
> Anyway, I couldn't keep my mouth shut and suggested that at the very
> least, trying for multiple vendors (we have a strong preference for
> appliancey stuff here due to internal fiefdoms, ownership issues, and
> balkanization typical of a Fortune 200 company) with different GPS cores
> would be a really fine plan.
>
> So of course, now it's my job to come up with proper nominees for this
> list.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Hopefully someone's
> already done the legwork for this.  I will likely send this same request to
> the ntp dev list...
>
> Thanks,
>
> -r
>
>
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Re: [time-nuts] Lucent KS-24361 power connector

[Bob Darlington]

This appears to be a compatible part for the DE sized connectors:

http://www.newark.com/harting/09-67-000-9914/slide-lock-de/dp/93C7911

Search through the technical data sheet for "9914" and you'll see it listed
for 9 pin connectors.  Of course, these may be completely wrong so do your
homework and don't take my word for it.

-Bob

On Tue, Dec 30, 2014 at 7:51 AM, Graham  wrote:

> I have seen D connectors with the these lock type fittings before but
> never did know their correct name. I tried a variety of Google searches but
> never did find what I was looking for. I just never looked for D connector
> slide latches or slide locks.
>
> Because I didn't have the correct fittings and couldn't find them, I tried
> simply substituting with the more common screw type as you find on your
> typical desktop computer. I have them all changed out on my units now
>
> cheers, Graham
>
>
>
>
> On 2014-12-29 19:14, Martin A Flynn wrote:
>
>> I am making up cables with slide latches for the Lucent KS-24361.
>>
>> Questions:
>>
>>  * Are pins (Pin3 - Pin 9) in the P1 / DE-9 power connector assigned,
>>or spare?
>>  * Has anyone determined the pin out for J3 / DE-9 alarm connector?
>>
>> Martin Flynn
>>
>>
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Re: [time-nuts] gravity, space and time

[Bob Darlington]

Well, funny you should mention laser inteferometry.  My old company
designed the shock mounts for the LIGO gravity wave detector.

http://www.ligo.caltech.edu/

So far they haven't seen any signal in the noise.

-Bob

On Fri, Dec 12, 2014 at 2:05 PM, Chris Albertson 
wrote:
>
> On Fri, Dec 12, 2014 at 12:42 PM, folkert  wrote:
> >
> > Hi,
> > ... create some kind of grassroots effort where our very
> > accurate clocks can detect this?
>
>
> To do this you'd need a clockso accurate that it will run at the different
> speed when you move it from the bottom to the top shelf in your lab because
> of the different gravitational field at those two different elevations.
> Some people will have such clocks but most have only those eBay 10MHz OCXOs
>
> Maybe some kind of laser interferometer would wrk?
>
> --
>
> Chris Albertson
> Redondo Beach, California
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Re: [time-nuts] Beaglebone NTP server

[Bob Darlington]

Hourly cron jobs, perhaps?

-Bob

On Tue, Dec 9, 2014 at 8:04 AM, David J Taylor <
david-tay...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

> Thanks for pointing this out David,
> Compiling an new kernel was holding me back. I followed your instructions
> and
> everything works beautiful. The PI that is running the PPS timekeeping
> with NTP
> is serving as a VLF receiver as well. Taxing the poor CPU, but with
> kernel PPS support
> the NTP daemon has become way happier! (see attachment)
>
> 73, Frits W1FVB
> ==
>
> Oh, yes!  That's much better, Frits!  Delighted to have helped!
>
> (Although it now shows up an hourly periodicity - any idea what might be
> causing that?)
>
> 73,
> David GM8ARV
>
> --
> SatSignal Software - Quality software written to your requirements
> Web: http://www.satsignal.eu
> Email: david-tay...@blueyonder.co.uk
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