Meinberg TCR509 User Manual

FUNKUHREN

Technical Data
Operating Instructions

TCR509

Incl. Software TCRMON

Impressum

Werner Meinberg
Auf der Landwehr 22
D-31812 Bad Pyrmont

Telefon: 0 52 81 / 9309-0
Telefax: 0 52 81 / 9309-30

Internet: http://www.meinberg.de
Email: [e-mail]

19th. of February 2003

Table of Contents

Impressum ............................................................................................ 2

Introduction .......................................................................................... 5

General ................................................................................................. 5

Function ...................................................................................... 6

Setting into operation ............................................................................ 6

Supply Voltage............................................................................ 6

Input Signals................................................................................ 7

Configuration of the Board ................................................................... 7

IRIG-Mode.................................................................................. 7

Serial Port Configuration.............................................................7

Operating mode of the serial ports...............................................8

Configuration of the TTL and 20mA current loop outputs.......... 9

The DCF Simulation Mode .................................................................. 9

TIME_SYN Output............................................................................ 10

Updating the Firmware ....................................................................... 10

Replacing the Lithium-Battery............................................................ 10

Specifications......................................................................................11

CE Label ............................................................................................ 12

Format of the Meinberg Standard Time String ................................... 13

Rear Connector Pin Assignments ....................................................... 14

Pin Assignment................................................................................... 15

Diskette with Software TCRMON ..................................................... 16

The Program TCRMON.EXE ........................................................... 17

The Main Window .................................................................... 18

Setting the TCRs Initial Time and Date..................................... 18

Setting the local Offset from UTC............................................. 19

Menu Help ................................................................................ 20

4

Introduction

In the early 1950's the use of coded timing signals for correlation of data began to take
on widespread importance. Especially the U.S space and missile programs were the
forces behind the development of new time codes. The definition of time code formats
was completely arbitrary and left to the individual ideas of each design engineer.
Hundreds of different time codes were formed, some of which were standardized by the
"Inter Range Instrumantetion Group" (IRIG) in the early 60´s.

Exept these IRIG-Timecodes other formats like NASA36, XR3, 2137 or AFNOR­NFS87500 are still in use. However TCR509 confines to the decoding of IRIG-Codes
A133 and B123. A decoding of AFNOR-NFS87500 is available on special request.

Detailed information about IRIG- and other time codes can be found in the "Hand­book of Time Code Formats", by Datum Inc., 1363 South State College Boulevard,
Anaheim, California 92806-5790.

General

The board TCR509 was designed for the reception of the IRIG code formats A132/
A133 and B122/B123, as well as the translation of these received IRIG codes into a
serial telegram and a pulse telegram as transmitted by the german time code station
DCF77. An automatic gain control allows the reception of signals within an amplitude
range from 600mV to 8V (peak to peak). The potential free receiver input is terminated
in 50Ohms. TCR509 provides two configurable serial ports (RS232, 1xRS485 on
request), a PPS-Signal at TTL-Level, as well as four TTL and four potential free 20mA
outputs which can be configured to issue either a PPS-Signal or a DCF77 telegram. A
LED-Display indicating time, date and synchronization state is available on request.

5

Function

The received IRIG telegram is used for synchronization of software clock and
buffered real time clock. Every received telegram is checked for its consistency. When
detecting an invalid telegram, the software clock is switched into freewheeling mode. A
crystal correction value, which is derived from IRIG in synchronous mode, is used to
limit the deviation of the time base to about 1us/sec in freewheeling mode. Since IRIG
codes do not supply a date information except the day of year, the buffered real time
clock keeps a complete date. Every minute the validity of the RTCs date is checked by a
day of year comparison. When detecting a mismatch between the day of year calculated
from the RTCs date and that received in the IRIG-Telegram, the system clock is
switched into freewheeling mode and the DCF simulation is suppressed, though the time
base which is used for generating the PPS signal is still synchronized by IRIG. Initial
Time and date can be set by a standard Meinberg telegram via serial port COM0.
TCR509 can re-calculate UTC from received IRIG-Time if there are no time zone
changeovers (such as daylight saving) performed in the IRIG telegram. Please see
Chapter TCRMON/UTC Offset for more information.

ATTENTION !

IRIG-Telegrams do not contain any announcement bits for daylight saving changeo­vers or for the insertion of a leap second. Hence, daylight saving changeovers are
performed by TCR509 with a delay of 1 second. In case of the insertion of a leap second,
TCR509 switches into freewheling mode and resynchronizes after one minute.

Time Codes Supported ( configurable by dip switch SW1-10)

a) A133: 1000pps, amplitude-modulated sinusoidal signal ,

10 kHz carrier frequency, BCD time of year, SBS time of day

b) B123: 100pps, amplitude-modulated sinusoidal signal,

1 kHz carrier frequency, BCD time of year, SBS time of day

a) A132: 1000pps, amplitude-modulated sinusoidal signal ,

10 kHz carrier frequency, BCD time of year

b) B122: 100pps, amplitude-modulated sinusoidal signal,

1 kHz carrier frequency, BCD time of year

6

Setting into operation

To obtain a correct operation of the TCR509, please pay attention to the following
points.

Supply Voltage

The board only needs a single supply voltage of +5V. Source should be able to supply at
least 200mA.

Input Signals

The IRIG-A/B signal must be applied to the SMB-Connector. The respective IRIG­Code is selectable by using the dip switch. Please use a shielded or a twisted pair cable.

Configuration of the Board

The time code type as well as the configuration of the serial ports and the pulse outputs
can be selected by the dip switch SW1.

IRIG-Mode

The time code type is selected by dip switch SW1-10. Possible formats are A133 and
B123. Other formats are available on request.

SW1-10 IRIG-Mode

off IRIG-B

on IRIG-A

7

Serial Port Configuration

Baudrate and framing for each of the both serial ports can be configured seperately by
three dip switches.

SW1-1 SW1-2 Baudrate

off off 19200

on off 9600

off on 4800

on on 2400

Baudrate of serial port COM0

SW1-3 Datenformat

off 8N1

on 7E2

Framing of serial port COM0

SW1-5 SW1-6 Baudrate

off off 19200

on off 9600

off on 4800

on on 2400

Baudrate of serial port Com1

SW1-7 Datenformat

off 8N1

on 7E2

Framing of serial port COM1

8

Operating mode of the serial ports

Each of the two serial ports is configurable separately for two operating modes. If the 'per
second' mode is selected, the TCR509 automatically issues a Meinberg standard time
string at the beginnig of every new second. When selecting the 'on request' mode
TCR509 issues a timestring at the beginning of the next second after the character '?'
(ASCII-Code 3Fh) was received.

SW1-4 Mode

off on request

on once per sec.

Operating mode of serial port COM0

SW1-8 Mode

off on reques t

on once per sec.

Operating mode of serial portCOM1

Configuration of the TTL and 20mA current loop outputs

Dip switch SW1-9 selects the mode of the four TTL and current loop outputs.The PPS
Signal (TTL) which is provided at VG-Connector (6a, 6c) is not affected from this
setting. There you can always find a PPS signal.

SW1-9 Outputs

off PPS

on DCF-SIM

Operating mode of the TTL and current loop outputs

9

The DCF Simulation Mode

In DCF-Simulation mode the TTL and current loop outputs provide a time mark signal
similar to the signals transmitted by the german VLF time code transmitter DCF77.
Within one minute a complete time code frame is transmitted. Since there are no
timezone and leap second announcements in the IRIG time code, these announcement
flags (daylight saving flag, leap second flag) are neglected. The generated DCF telegram
always contains the time information which is derived from the IRIG Signal and the
system clock. When receiving a time code telegram containing a leap second ( field sec.
is 60 ) the DCF simulation is turned off for a minute. By this the re-synchronization of all
clocks connected to the simulation outputs is enforced. The issued DCF time code frame
contains a date information which is derived from the system clock. The validity of the
system clock date is ensured by a 'day of year' comparison. In case of an invalid system
clock date the DCF simulation is turned off. System clocks initial date can be set via
COM0. In case of brown out or power failure a lithium battery guarantees the system
clocks operation for at least ten years. ( Option: Gold Cap buffering for 150 hours )

M Start of Minute (0)
R RF Transmission via secondary antenna (0)
A1 Announcement of a change in daylight sa-

Z1, Z2 Time zone identification

A2 Announcement of a leap second
S Start of time code information (1)
P1, P2, P3 Even parity bits

ving

Z1,Z2 = 0,1: Daylight saving disabled
Z1,Z2 = 1,0: Daylight saving enabled

TIME_SYN Output

This TTL-Output, which is provided at the 64Pin VG Connector, turns high as soon
as valid time code telegrams are received. Whenever a faulty telegram is detected or the
reception fails completely ( due to a broken wire e.g. ) the TIME_SYN output turns low.

10

Updating the Firmware

Whenever it is necessarry to upgrade the on-board software, the new firmware can be
downloaded using the serial port COM0.

If the /BOOT input, which is available on the 64 Pin VG-Connector, is pulled low
during a power up reset, an internal bootstrap-loader is activated and waits for instruc­tions from the serial port COM0. A loader program will be shipped together with the file
containing the image of the new firmware. The current fimware is retained in the flash
memory until the download program sends a command to erase the flash. So if the boot
sequence was initiated erroneously, the program memory is not deleted accidently. The
system is ready to go after the next power up.

Replacing the Lithium-Battery

The life time of the lithium battery on the board is at least 10 years. If the need arises to
replace the battery, the following should be noted:

ATTENTION!

Danger of explosion in case of inadequate replacement

of the lithium battery. Only identical batteries or batte-

ries recommended by the manufacturer must be used for

replacement. The waste battery must be disposed as pro-

posed by the manufacturer of the battery.

11

Specifications

Signal Input: potential free

Impedance 50Ohms also available 600 Ohms

Amplitude: abt. 600mV...8V peak to peak (Mark)

Supported Time Codes: IRIG-A133 and IRIG-B123

AFNOR NFS 87-500 on request

PPS-Strobe Accuracy: +/-5us referred to 'On Time'

Free running mode: changeover to crystal time base,

accuracy abt. 1e-6s/s if decoder was synchroni­zed for at least 1h.

Backup Battery: The internal hardware clock (RTC) is supplied

from a backup battery in case of an operating
voltage failure. The lifetime of the Lithium-Battery
is at least 10 years.

Security of operation: hardware watchdog generates a reset in case of

brown out. Software watchdog generates reset in
case of improper program execution

Initialization: Initial time and date of hardware clock can be set

by a Meinberg standard telegram via serial port
COM0.

Pulse Outputs: one PPS-Output, TTL Level, 200ms length,

positive and inverted.
four TTL pulse outputs, DCF-Simulation
or positive PPS
four 20mA current loop outputs, DCF-Simulation
or positive PPS

Serial Ports: two independent RS232 ports

Baud rates: configurable : 2400Bd, 4800Bd ,9600B,19200Bd

Framing: configurable: 7E2, 8N1

12

Serial modes: per second or on request

Format of serial time string: Meinberg Standard Telegram

Connectors: 64 Pin VG-Connector

Coax RF-Connector (SMB)

Supply voltage: +5V, abt. 200mA when option 'LED-Display' is

installed

Dimensions: Eurocard 100mm x 160 mm, 1,5mm Epoxy

Ambient Temperature: 0...50°C

Humidity: max. 85%

CE Label

This device conforms to the directive 89/336/EWG on the
approximation of the laws of the Member States of the
European Community relating to electromagnetc compatibility.

13

Format of the Meinberg Standard Time String

The Meinberg Standard Time String is a sequence of 32 ASCII characters starting with
the STX (start-of-text) character and ending with the ETX (end-of-text) character. The
format is:

<STX>D:dd.mm.yy;T:w;U:hh.mm.ss;uvxy<ETX>

The letters printed in italics are replaced by ASCII numbers whereas the other characters
are part of the time string. The groups of characters as defined below:

<STX> Start-Of-Text (ASCII code 02h)

dd.mm.yy the current date:

dd day of month (01..31)
mm month (01..12)

yy year of the century (00..99)
w the day of the week (1..7, 1 = Monday)
hh.mm.ss the current time:

hh hours (00..23)

mm minutes (00..59)

ss seconds (00..59, or 60 while leap second)
uv clock status characters:

u: ‘ #’ clock has not synchronized after reset

‘ ‘ (space, 20h) clock has synchronized after reset

v: different for DCF77 or GPS receivers:

‘*’ DCF77 clock currently runs on XTAL

GPS receiver has not checked its position

‘ ‘ (space, 20h) DCF77 clock is sync'd with transmitter

GPS receiver has determined its position

x time zone indicator:

‘U’ UTC Universal Time Coordinated, formerly GMT

‘ ‘ MEZ European Standard Time, daylight saving disabled

‘S’ MESZ European Summertime, daylight saving enabled
y anouncement of discontinuity of time, enabled during last hour

before discontinuity comes in effect:

‘! ’ announcement of start or end of daylight saving time

‘A’ announcement of leap second insertion

‘ ‘ (space, 20h) nothing announced
<ETX> End-Of-Text (ASCII code 03h)

14

Rear Connector Pin Assignments

Name Pin Description
GN D 32a+c Ground
VCC in (+5V) 1a+c +5V Supply Voltage

P_SEC out 6c PPS-Signal, TTL-Level, length 200msec
/P_SEC out 6a PPS-Signal, TTL-Pegel, length 200ms inverted

GEN_TTL1 28c DCF-Simulation or PPS-Signal, TTL-Level
GEN_TTL2 27a DCF-Simulation or PPS-Signal, TTL-Level
GEN_TTL3 28a DCF-Simulation or PPS-Signal, TTL-Level
GEN_TTL4 27c DCF-Simulation or PPS-Signal, TTL-Level

GEN_OPT1+ 23 c DCF-Simulation or PPS-Signal, 20mA Collector
GEN_OPT1- 23a DCF-Simulation or PPS-Signal, 20mA Emitter
GEN_OPT2+ 21 c DCF-Simulation or PPS-Signal, 20mA Collector
GEN_OPT2- 21a DCF-Simulation or PPS-Signal, 20mA Emitter
GEN_OPT3+ 16 c DCF-Simulation or PPS-Signal, 20mA Collector
GEN_OPT3- 16a DCF-Simulation or PPS-Signal, 20mA Emitter
GEN_OPT4+ 17 c DCF-Simulation or PPS-Signal, 20mA Collector
GEN_OPT4- 17a DCF-Simulation or PPS-Signal, 20mA Emitter

COM0 RxD in 26c COM0 RS-232 Input
COM0 TxD out 30c COM0 RS-232 Output
COM1 RxD in 29c COM1 RS-232 Input
COM1 TxD out 24c COM1 RS-232 Output

TIME_SYN 19c synchronization signal, TTL-Level, active high
/BOOT 4 a Boot-Input, Starts the bootstrap-loader

Reserve 10c Reserved I/O-Pin

15

Pin Assignment

1 VCC in (+5V) VCC in (+5V)
2
3
4/BOOT
5
6 /P_SEC P_SEC
7
8
9

10 Reserve

11
12
13
14

ac

15
16 GEN_OUT3- GEN_OUT3+
17 GEN_OUT4- GEN_OUT4+
18
19 TIME_SYN
20

21 GEN_OUT2- GEN_OUT2+
22
23 GEN_OUT1- GEN_OUT1+
24 COM1 TxD
25
26 COM0 TxD
27 GEN_TTL2 GEN_TTL4
28 GEN_TTL3 GEN_TTL1
29 COM1 RxD
30 COM0 RxD

31
32 GND GND

16

Diskette with Software TCRMON

17

The Program TCRMON.EXE

The program TCRMON was designed to monitor and control all functions of the
Meinberg IRIG-Time Code Reader TCR509. TCRMON is executable in a Win9x and
WinNT environment. To install TCRMON just start Setup.exe from the enclosed Disk
and follow the instructions of the installation program.

To obtain a connection between your PC and TCR509 connect the IRIG Readers serial
port COM0 to a free serial port of your host PC. Selected comport of your PC as well as
used baudrate and framing can be adjusted by means of menu TCR-Init/PC-Comport.
Furthermore the mode of TCRs serial port COM0 must be set to STRING_PER_SEC.

If the PC-Comport parameters have been changed accidently, the user can reload the old
values by clicking the RELOAD button, as long as the OK button has not been pushed

18

The Main Window

The main window provides an overview of all essential data like time, date, etc.

Time,Date,Weekday: Show time, date and day of week. The displayed time is

extended by a 'U' if the serial timestrings UTC-Timezone

identifier is enabled.
Local Offset: Shows the offset from local time to UTC
Ser. No.: Displays the connected boards serial number
SW.Rev.: Displays the connected boards firmware revision
AGC-Level: Level of the TCR's automatic gain control. 0 correspons

lowest, 255 highest gain.
Led Synchronized: This field turns red if TCR509 is running in freewheeling

mode. It turns green in synchronous mode.
Led Already Sync'ed: Shows whether the timecode reader was able to synchro-

nize after a power up reset (green)

Setting the TCRs Initial Time and Date

To set the TCR509's on board battery buffered real time clock, the submenu Set

Initial Time which can be found in menu TCR-Init must be selected. Host PCs time

and date are transferred into the IRIG-Receivers RTC, when the appearing pop up box is
confirmed

19

Setting the local Offset from UTC

The Timecode receiver TCR509 is able to re-calculate UTC from the received IRIG­Time, on condition that there are timezone changeovers, such as daylight saving e.g.,
performed in the IRIG-Telegram. To carry out this re-calculation TCR509 needs to
know the offset from local time to UTC. When selecting the topic Local Offset from the
Menu TCR-Init the following window pops up.

The field Sign determines whether the local Offset is added or subtracted from UTC to
obtain the local time. (ann.: this example shows the offset for central european summer ­time). The value of the offset given in hours is entered in field Hours. In the example
shown above, an offset of two hours is added to UTC to get the local time. Thus
TCR509 will subtract two hours from the received IRIG Telegram to obtain UTC.
Checkbox Enable UTC String Indicator selects whether the UTC Identifier shall appear
in the issued timestrings. (s. Chapter Format of Standard Meinberg Timestring ).
When using a Meinberg-Driver to synchronize a PC, the correct UTC offset must be
entered and the UTC identifier must be enabled.

20

Menu Help

This window shows information about the current release of TCRMON and the system
ressources.

21

22