TCR167PCI : IRIG Time Code Receiver and Generator for Computers (PCI/PCI-X bus)

Features

Generation of IRIG-B or AFNOR time codes
2 time-trigger-inputs
2 TTL inputs for status information
PCI LOCAL BUS interface, 3.3V or 5V, 33MHz or 66MHz,
PCI-X compatible
Plug and play
Pulses per second and per minute
Periodic interrupts
RS232 interface
Status LEDs
Reception of time code formats IRIG A/B or AFNOR
Configurabel time zone
Driver software for all popular operating systems

Overview

The board TCR167PCI has been designed to receive and to generate IRIG and AFNOR time codes.

Receiver: the module provides two input channels for decoding of modulated and unmodulated time codes in IRIG-A/B or AFNOR format. The receiver´s automatic gain control (AGC) allows the reception of modulated IRIG signals within an amplitude range from 600 mVpp to 8 Vpp. In addition, the TCR167PCI provides an optocoupler input for decoding unmodulated codes with TTL- or RS-422 level for example. The board can be delivered with an optical input for unmodulated codes optionally.
The decoded date and time can be read via the PCI/PCI-X bus interface and is also transmitted via the board´s RS-232 port. A buffered real time clock keeps time and date after power down.

Generator: the board TCR167PCI can generate time codes in IRIG-B or AFNOR format. These signals are provided as modulated (3 Vpp/1 Vpp into 50 ohm) and unmodulated (TTL into 50 ohm and RS-422) time codes. An optical output for unmodulated codes is available on request.

The independant configuration of the time code and its offset to UTC of the receiver and the generator allows the use of TCR167PCI for code conversion.

The drivers package for Windows contains a time adjustment service which runs in the background and adjusts the Windows system time continously and smoothly. A monitor program is also included which lets the user check the status of the device and the time adjustment service, and can be used to modify configurable parameters.

The driver package for Linux contains a kernel driver which allows the board to be used as a reference time source for the NTP daemon which is shipped with most Linux distributions. This also turns the computer into a NTP time server which can also provide accurate time to other NTP clients on the network. Some command line tools can be used to setup configurable parameters and monitor the status of the board.

Additional drivers packages are available for DOS, Novell NetWare, and OS/2. At the bottom of this page there´s a link to the download area.

The device´s serial port can be used to update the card´s firmware. Additionally it can be connected to the serial port of a computer to use the card as reference time source under operating systems where a serial time string is supported, e.g. by NTP, but no kernel device driver is available.