Meinberg TCR511PEX User Manual

Technical Information
Operating Instruction

TCR511PEX

Contact Information

Meinberg Funkuhren GmbH & Co. KG
Lange Wand 9
D-31812 Bad Pyrmont

Telefon: ++49 (0) 52 81 / 9309-0
Telefax: ++49 (0) 52 81 / 9309-30

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

September 11, 2007

Table of Contents

Contact Information .............................................................................. 2

Diskette with driver software ................................................................ 4

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

Description of IRIG-Codes................................................................... 5

IRIG-Standard format ........................................................................... 6

AFNOR-Standard format ..................................................................... 7

Features TCR511PEX.......................................................................... 8

Functional description ................................................................. 9

Pulse outputs ............................................................................. 10

Asynchronous serial port........................................................... 10

Connectors and LEDs in the bracket......................................... 10

Pin assignments of the D-Sub-connector................................... 11

Putting into operation.......................................................................... 12

Installing the TCR511PEX in your Computer .......................... 12

Power supply.............................................................................12

Input signals .............................................................................. 12

Input impedance ........................................................................ 13

Photocoupler input .................................................................... 14

Configuration of TCR511PEX ................................................. 14

Firmware Updates .............................................................................. 15

Replacing the Lithium Battery ............................................................ 15

Technical specification TCR511PEX................................................. 16

CE Label ................................................................................... 17

Format of the Meinberg Standard Time String .......................... 18

Driver software supplied with the board is keeping the computer’s system time
synchronous to the board time. If the diskette delivered with TCR511PEX doesn’t
include a driver for the used operating system, it can be downloaded free of charge
at:

http://www.meinberg.de/german/sw/
Manuals for the drivers are available at this site also.
The microprocessor system of TCR511PEX is equiped with a Bootstrap-Loader

and a Flash-EPROM. These features enable updating of the onboard software via
the serial RS-232 interface COM0 by using the Meinberg program ‘Flash509’.

4

Introduction

The transmission of coded timing signals began to take on widespread importance in
the early 1950´s. Especially the US missile and space programs were the forces behind
the development of these time codes, which were used for the correlation of data. 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 Instrumantation Group“ (IRIG) in the early 60´s.

Except these „IRIG Time Codes“ other formats, like NASA36, XR3 or 2137, are still
in use. The board TCR511PEX however only decodes IRIG-A, IRIG-B or AFNOR
NFS 87-500 formats. The AFNOR code is a variant of the IRIG-B format. Within this
code the complete date is transmitted instead of the ‘Control Functions’ of the IRIG­telegram.

Description of IRIG-Codes

The specification of individual IRIG time code formats is defined in IRIG Standard 200-

98. They are described by an alphabetical character followed by a three-digit number
sequence. The following identification is taken from the IRIG Standard 200-98 (only the
codes relevant to TCR511PEX are listed):

character bit rate designation A 1000 pps

B 100 pps

1st digit form designation 0 DC Level Shift

width coded

1 sine wave carrier

amplitude modulated

2nd digit carrier resolution 0 no carrier (DC Level Shift)

1 100 Hz, 10 msec resolution
2 1 kHz, 1 msec resolution
3 10 kHz, 100 µsec resolution

3rd digit coded expressions 0 BCD, CF, SBS

1 BCD, CF
2 BCD
3 BCD, SBS

BCD: time of year, BCD-coded
CF: Control-Functions (user defined)
SBS: seconds of day since midnight (binary)

5

IRIG-Standard format

6