Re: [time-nuts] GPS Patch Antenna Electrode Tarnish
i...@blackmountainforge.com said: The reason that silver is used is that the oxide is also a very good conductor. That's interesting. Does anybody have numbers to back it up? I poked around a bit but didn't find anything. My memory (from ages ago) is that RF gear is often gold plated even though gold is less conductive than silver because gold doesn't oxidize and it's much more conductive than silver oxide. How much of the crap on exposed silver is oxide vs sulfide? Many years ago, a friend told me this story. His friend was in charge of maintenance of microwave towers in California's central valley. He complained a lot, and Bell Labs finally sent out a microwave engineer. They went out to a tower and climbed up to look at things. Just then, a crop duster came by spraying sulfur on the local grapes. They had sent the right guy. He had grown up in German wine country and instantly recognized what was going on. The next batch of microwave gear was gold plated rather than silver. Problem solved. -- These are my opinions. I hate spam. ___ 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.
[time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
Not sure where to ask this question but thought I would start here. Is there a way to connect a parallel port to a computer via USB? Not a device that shows up as 'USB Print Support' but, instead, shows up in Device Manager as an LPT port? I have been able to do it via PCMCIA to Parallel Port adapters but I have never found a USB device that would do this. My goal is to connect a parallel port chip programmer via USB but the software only looks for LPT ports. It works with PCMCIA to parallel port adapters but I haven't solved the puzzle yet with a USB connected device. Thanks in advance. Joe ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
In message 018101cdeffc$d5239b50$7f6ad1f0$@att.net, J. L. Trantham writes: Is there a way to connect a parallel port to a computer via USB? Yes, USB to LPT adapters are a comodity item, although I suspect they are getting a bit of old stuff we no longer carry these days. You should be able to find one without too much trouble though. -- 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. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] GPS Patch Antenna Electrode Tarnish
The thing is that it has long been known that the black tarnish that forms on silver is silver sulfide. I have noticed that most of the unwashed masses think that anything that corrodes, or discolors a metal is a rust, or oxide... even when it isn't. Silver oxide is not formed easily. It doesn't happen in air under normal circumstances, it takes ozone, or a lot of heat. Pure water won't do it either. That is one of the reasons humans like silver things. Silver does tarnish quickly in the presence of air borne hydrogen sulfide, of which humans are a major source. Silver oxide is water soluble, and forms silver hydroxide, which is a rather strong alkali, similar to lye. Silver sulfide isn't a great conductor, but it is soft, and rubs away easily, and is a whole lot better than tarnished copper... hence the statements that tarnished silver is a good conductor. You won't find any strict numbers on conductivity for silver sulfide because it is a semiconductor, and as such varies all over the place depending on impurities, past and present exposure to light, and a host of other issues. -Chuck Harris Hal Murray wrote: i...@blackmountainforge.com said: The reason that silver is used is that the oxide is also a very good conductor. That's interesting. Does anybody have numbers to back it up? I poked around a bit but didn't find anything. My memory (from ages ago) is that RF gear is often gold plated even though gold is less conductive than silver because gold doesn't oxidize and it's much more conductive than silver oxide. How much of the crap on exposed silver is oxide vs sulfide? Many years ago, a friend told me this story. His friend was in charge of maintenance of microwave towers in California's central valley. He complained a lot, and Bell Labs finally sent out a microwave engineer. They went out to a tower and climbed up to look at things. Just then, a crop duster came by spraying sulfur on the local grapes. They had sent the right guy. He had grown up in German wine country and instantly recognized what was going on. The next batch of microwave gear was gold plated rather than silver. Problem solved. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
Joe, It just so happen I have a never used USB-printer port adapter (with the Centronics connector). There is no driver for it, I believe the driver comes with Windows. You are welcome to it. Didier Sent from my Droid Razr 4G LTE wireless tracker. -Original Message- From: J. L. Trantham jlt...@att.net To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement time-nuts@febo.com Sent: Fri, 11 Jan 2013 7:09 AM Subject: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist? Not sure where to ask this question but thought I would start here. Is there a way to connect a parallel port to a computer via USB? Not a device that shows up as 'USB Print Support' but, instead, shows up in Device Manager as an LPT port? I have been able to do it via PCMCIA to Parallel Port adapters but I have never found a USB device that would do this. My goal is to connect a parallel port chip programmer via USB but the software only looks for LPT ports. It works with PCMCIA to parallel port adapters but I haven't solved the puzzle yet with a USB connected device. Thanks in advance. Joe ___ 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. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] Interval Timer Recommendation
The manual states that loosing the settings on a 6680 is no big problem , but on the 6681 you loose the interpolator calibtation. And it sounds like that's not a good thing. I didn't know you had to watch out for Battery on a PM6680/81. CFO - Tnut-Beginner Denmark Would loss of interpolation calibration have much impact on its use as a TIC? ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
J. L. Trantham wrote: Is there a way to connect a parallel port to a computer via USB? Not a device that shows up as 'USB Print Support' but, instead, shows up in Device Manager as an LPT port? I have been able to do it via PCMCIA to Parallel Port adapters but I have never found a USB device that would do this. Nope. Look at how the original PC LPT port works -- it's basically a buffer chip or two, connected to some address decoders, sitting at a particular spot (0x378) on the CPU's I/O bus. There's simply no way to abstract that -- it'd be like asking for USB RAM or a USB BIOS chip. As computers moved away from ISA, that I/O bus has changed somewhat in appearance; these days it exists almost solely within the southbridge chip and then gets squeezed across an LPC link to a super I/O chip, where the legacy peripherals live. It doesn't leave the motherboard. Software that writes to a lineprinter using the BIOS printer calls, can easily be hooked and redirected. The DOS NET program has done this for decades, as a way to use network printers. But your parallel-port programmer isn't acting like a printer, so the software isn't printing to it -- it's treating the LPT port as a generic 8-bit parallel I/O port, and bit-banging arbitrary signals over it. Software written to bitbang the port will have to be rewritten to use some other form of I/O. For the typical cases of bitbang interfacing, the FT245R is a very capable little chip, and can be dropped in place of the parallel port, to talk to legacy hardware. It just needs new software to take those raw IN and OUT instructions and fire them over an abstraction layer, which will pass them through the USB stack and out to the device. There is an exception -- If you're running legacy software under a modern OS that prevents raw hardware I/O anyway, it's possible to hook those IN and OUT instructions, and write a generic driver that passes the traffic over USB. It's slow, unstable, and basically a miracle if it works. But it's worth a try: http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%20den%20PC/USB2LPT/index.html.en Short of that, your best bet is an old Thinkpad with a hardware parallel port. Good luck! -Nathaniel- ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
Didier, Thanks for the offer but what I need is the DB25 connector. Joe -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of shali...@gmail.com Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 8:40 AM To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist? Joe, It just so happen I have a never used USB-printer port adapter (with the Centronics connector). There is no driver for it, I believe the driver comes with Windows. You are welcome to it. Didier Sent from my Droid Razr 4G LTE wireless tracker. -Original Message- From: J. L. Trantham jlt...@att.net To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement time-nuts@febo.com Sent: Fri, 11 Jan 2013 7:09 AM Subject: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist? Not sure where to ask this question but thought I would start here. Is there a way to connect a parallel port to a computer via USB? Not a device that shows up as 'USB Print Support' but, instead, shows up in Device Manager as an LPT port? I have been able to do it via PCMCIA to Parallel Port adapters but I have never found a USB device that would do this. My goal is to connect a parallel port chip programmer via USB but the software only looks for LPT ports. It works with PCMCIA to parallel port adapters but I haven't solved the puzzle yet with a USB connected device. Thanks in advance. Joe ___ 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. ___ 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. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
Dear Joe, Be aware, the parallel printer ports are not a substitute for the LPT port! My experience is that only two things work: 1. A PCI card in your PC to add a LPT port (cost around 15 Euro) 2. Homebrew LPT ports. If my memory serves me well there was a design in the June or July/August issue of Elektor. For using the LPT for programming one usually needs the port to be bi-directional, something which is not supported on the, so called, USB-to-parallel-printer-port adapters. Good luck, Jeroen On 01/11/2013 02:09 PM, J. L. Trantham wrote: Not sure where to ask this question but thought I would start here. Is there a way to connect a parallel port to a computer via USB? Not a device that shows up as 'USB Print Support' but, instead, shows up in Device Manager as an LPT port? I have been able to do it via PCMCIA to Parallel Port adapters but I have never found a USB device that would do this. My goal is to connect a parallel port chip programmer via USB but the software only looks for LPT ports. It works with PCMCIA to parallel port adapters but I haven't solved the puzzle yet with a USB connected device. Thanks in advance. Joe ___ 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. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
On 1/11/13 7:00 AM, Nathaniel Bezanson wrote: J. L. Trantham wrote: Is there a way to connect a parallel port to a computer via USB? Not a device that shows up as 'USB Print Support' but, instead, shows up in Device Manager as an LPT port? I have been able to do it via PCMCIA to Parallel Port adapters but I have never found a USB device that would do this. Nope. Look at how the original PC LPT port works -- it's basically a buffer chip or two, connected to some address decoders, sitting at a particular spot (0x378) on the CPU's I/O bus. There's simply no way to abstract that -- it'd be like asking for USB RAM or a USB BIOS chip. Actually, though, with modern fast computers, it *is* possible to abstract it (although tricky and difficult), because the printer port is SLOW. You set up that memory area as protected, so an access causes a trap. The kernel fields the trap and does the needed stuff to control your fancy LPT port emulator hardware via USB or Ethernet and send/receive the bits. After all, that printer port was designed/specified to talk to devices at no more often than 1 microsecond (that is, you could change the state of the Strobe line), and practically speaking, with that 4.77MHz ball o'fire, the strobe pulse was typically a bit longer. All those LapLink type cables that did high speed transfers between computers using parallel printer ports back to back ran at transfer rates around 200 kilotransfers/second, sending 4 bits at a crack each way, and that's about as fast as you could bit bang. Ugly? sure Pain in the rear to implement in software? yep Requires a very special hardware interface? Almost certainly. Software written to bitbang the port will have to be rewritten to use some other form of I/O. For the typical cases of bitbang interfacing, the FT245R is a very capable little chip, and can be dropped in place of the parallel port, to talk to legacy hardware. It just needs new software to take those raw IN and OUT instructions and fire them over an abstraction layer, which will pass them through the USB stack and out to the device. That is, trap the I/O instructions in userspace and use a kernel driver to emulate it. There is an exception -- If you're running legacy software under a modern OS that prevents raw hardware I/O anyway, it's possible to hook those IN and OUT instructions, and write a generic driver that passes the traffic over USB. It's slow, unstable, and basically a miracle if it works. But it's worth a try: http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%20den%20PC/USB2LPT/index.html.en Exactly.. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
As mentioned the real answer is no unfortunately. I used to use raw printer bits for all kinds of stuff. Not anymore. Regards Paul WB8TSL On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 10:43 AM, Jim Lux jim...@earthlink.net wrote: On 1/11/13 7:00 AM, Nathaniel Bezanson wrote: J. L. Trantham wrote: Is there a way to connect a parallel port to a computer via USB? Not a device that shows up as 'USB Print Support' but, instead, shows up in Device Manager as an LPT port? I have been able to do it via PCMCIA to Parallel Port adapters but I have never found a USB device that would do this. Nope. Look at how the original PC LPT port works -- it's basically a buffer chip or two, connected to some address decoders, sitting at a particular spot (0x378) on the CPU's I/O bus. There's simply no way to abstract that -- it'd be like asking for USB RAM or a USB BIOS chip. Actually, though, with modern fast computers, it *is* possible to abstract it (although tricky and difficult), because the printer port is SLOW. You set up that memory area as protected, so an access causes a trap. The kernel fields the trap and does the needed stuff to control your fancy LPT port emulator hardware via USB or Ethernet and send/receive the bits. After all, that printer port was designed/specified to talk to devices at no more often than 1 microsecond (that is, you could change the state of the Strobe line), and practically speaking, with that 4.77MHz ball o'fire, the strobe pulse was typically a bit longer. All those LapLink type cables that did high speed transfers between computers using parallel printer ports back to back ran at transfer rates around 200 kilotransfers/second, sending 4 bits at a crack each way, and that's about as fast as you could bit bang. Ugly? sure Pain in the rear to implement in software? yep Requires a very special hardware interface? Almost certainly. Software written to bitbang the port will have to be rewritten to use some other form of I/O. For the typical cases of bitbang interfacing, the FT245R is a very capable little chip, and can be dropped in place of the parallel port, to talk to legacy hardware. It just needs new software to take those raw IN and OUT instructions and fire them over an abstraction layer, which will pass them through the USB stack and out to the device. That is, trap the I/O instructions in userspace and use a kernel driver to emulate it. There is an exception -- If you're running legacy software under a modern OS that prevents raw hardware I/O anyway, it's possible to hook those IN and OUT instructions, and write a generic driver that passes the traffic over USB. It's slow, unstable, and basically a miracle if it works. But it's worth a try: http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.**de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%** 20den%20PC/USB2LPT/index.html.**enhttp://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%20den%20PC/USB2LPT/index.html.en Exactly.. __**_ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/** mailman/listinfo/time-nutshttps://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
I dont have the reference in front of me but it might just be worth checking the article archive for the Elektor magazine.I have a vague feeing I might have seen something there. Many of their past projects have used the LPT as a programmable port. There should be an article index on their web site I think. Alan G3NYK - Original Message - From: J. L. Trantham jlt...@att.net To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement time-nuts@febo.com Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 1:09 PM Subject: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist? Not sure where to ask this question but thought I would start here. Is there a way to connect a parallel port to a computer via USB? Not a device that shows up as 'USB Print Support' but, instead, shows up in Device Manager as an LPT port? I have been able to do it via PCMCIA to Parallel Port adapters but I have never found a USB device that would do this. My goal is to connect a parallel port chip programmer via USB but the software only looks for LPT ports. It works with PCMCIA to parallel port adapters but I haven't solved the puzzle yet with a USB connected device. Thanks in advance. Joe ___ 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. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 5:09 AM, J. L. Trantham jlt...@att.net wrote: My goal is to connect a parallel port chip programmer via USB but the software only looks for LPT ports. It works with PCMCIA to parallel port adapters but I haven't solved the puzzle yet with a USB connected device. I think the best solution is to finally retire that old parallel port chip programmer and replace it with something more modern. You might have paid a lot for it but today $35 will get you something with a USB cnetion and then you don't need the printer port. Chris Albertson Redondo Beach, California ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
Hi Joe As per other replies I was going to suggest this won't work because USB adapters are for printing only and my solution would be to buy an old 486 or early pentium laptop and use that, I've bought several over the past few years for really silly money on Ebay for this very reason, but I have come across what might be a possible solution _http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%20den%20PC/USB2LP T/index.html.en_ (http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%20den%20PC/USB2LPT/index.html.en) I can't vouch for this, just found it via Google, and although the drivers are downloadable you need to buy the adapter and have to email for prices, but it might be worth a try. My preferrred solution would still be the old laptop:-) Regards Nigel GM8PZR In a message dated 11/01/2013 13:09:45 GMT Standard Time, jlt...@att.net writes: Not sure where to ask this question but thought I would start here. Is there a way to connect a parallel port to a computer via USB? Not a device that shows up as 'USB Print Support' but, instead, shows up in Device Manager as an LPT port? I have been able to do it via PCMCIA to Parallel Port adapters but I have never found a USB device that would do this. My goal is to connect a parallel port chip programmer via USB but the software only looks for LPT ports. It works with PCMCIA to parallel port adapters but I haven't solved the puzzle yet with a USB connected device. Thanks in advance. Joe ___ 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. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
Joe: I've been down this road and ended up buying two lease return HP desktops for a nominal price that included on board parallel ports to deal with some amateur radio gear required a real parallel port. As others have mentioned there are fairly recent IBM / Lenovo laptops that also featured parallel ports (or at least their docking stations did.) Regards Mark Spencer ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] Interval Timer Recommendation
On 01/11/2013 03:51 PM, Chris Howard wrote: The manual states that loosing the settings on a 6680 is no big problem , but on the 6681 you loose the interpolator calibtation. And it sounds like that's not a good thing. I didn't know you had to watch out for Battery on a PM6680/81. CFO - Tnut-Beginner Denmark Would loss of interpolation calibration have much impact on its use as a TIC? Yes, as that is what gives you the precision. I don't recall how bad it will get, but I ended up having the PM6681 calibrated. Cheers, Magnus ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
On 1/11/2013 8:46 AM, Chris Albertson wrote: On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 5:09 AM, J. L. Trantham jlt...@att.net wrote: My goal is to connect a parallel port chip programmer via USB but the software only looks for LPT ports. It works with PCMCIA to parallel port adapters but I haven't solved the puzzle yet with a USB connected device. I think the best solution is to finally retire that old parallel port chip programmer and replace it with something more modern. You might have paid a lot for it but today $35 will get you something with a USB cnetion and then you don't need the printer port. Chris Albertson Redondo Beach, California Chris, there are programmers out right now that include the parallel port bitbanging feature. Old isn't part of the equation. They are identified with the willem in the title in some cases. The one I have derives the power for the logic to run the board and oversee the programmer from a USB connection. The data to and from the device is sent via the parallel port to a PC with the software. Power for programming comes from a wall wart. The parallel port must be a physical LPT port as mentioned here, on the PC because of timing issues. I don't think the programming timing is done by the board, but by the PC's code banging the port. Many discussions here all have touched on how good you can rely on timing when USB is involved, so I doubt if the USB extenders will work very well. People who have tried may comment here, but I would not go down that path. A higher cost fully standalone USB attached device is the other alternative, but would probably still require its own power as well to get the programming voltages and currents required. What comes down the USB port probably would not be enough. That is a bit off topic, but worth mentioning. I am commenting on full capability prom programmers which will program a wide variety of devices. If you had to make a USB dongle to program a specific device you might get away with it. However to handle large devices which require high speed to get them programmed in a reasonable time period would probably need more power. Jim http://www.ebay.com/itm/261149380462 ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
I have looked into this at length without success. It appears that the parallel port was orphaned in the USB definition and an emulation can only support printers. Scanners, software key dongles and other parallel port devices are not and apparently cannot be supported. An adapter may say that it supports IEEE1284 but they lie. David On 1/11/13 1:40 PM, Jim Stephens wrote: On 1/11/2013 8:46 AM, Chris Albertson wrote: On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 5:09 AM, J. L. Trantham jlt...@att.net wrote: My goal is to connect a parallel port chip programmer via USB but the software only looks for LPT ports. It works with PCMCIA to parallel port adapters but I haven't solved the puzzle yet with a USB connected device. I think the best solution is to finally retire that old parallel port chip programmer and replace it with something more modern. You might have paid a lot for it but today $35 will get you something with a USB cnetion and then you don't need the printer port. Chris Albertson Redondo Beach, California Chris, there are programmers out right now that include the parallel port bitbanging feature. Old isn't part of the equation. They are identified with the willem in the title in some cases. The one I have derives the power for the logic to run the board and oversee the programmer from a USB connection. The data to and from the device is sent via the parallel port to a PC with the software. Power for programming comes from a wall wart. The parallel port must be a physical LPT port as mentioned here, on the PC because of timing issues. I don't think the programming timing is done by the board, but by the PC's code banging the port. Many discussions here all have touched on how good you can rely on timing when USB is involved, so I doubt if the USB extenders will work very well. People who have tried may comment here, but I would not go down that path. A higher cost fully standalone USB attached device is the other alternative, but would probably still require its own power as well to get the programming voltages and currents required. What comes down the USB port probably would not be enough. That is a bit off topic, but worth mentioning. I am commenting on full capability prom programmers which will program a wide variety of devices. If you had to make a USB dongle to program a specific device you might get away with it. However to handle large devices which require high speed to get them programmed in a reasonable time period would probably need more power. Jim http://www.ebay.com/itm/261149380462 ___ 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. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
Mark Spencer wrote: Joe: I've been down this road and ended up buying two lease return HP desktops for a nominal price that included on board parallel ports to deal with some amateur radio gear required a real parallel port. As others have mentioned there are fairly recent IBM / Lenovo laptops that also featured parallel ports (or at least their docking stations did.) Regards Mark Spencer I have an HP laptop with docking station and the docking station provides serial and parallel ports. The question is: are these real ports (just like built ins) or do they behave as USB dongle versions? One could easily imagine that the docking station did nothing more sophisticated that emulating a USB dongle, but then again, it does access the docking connector so there is some hope it connects directly to the bus. Rick Karlquist N6RK ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
Those should be real ports. They probably connect through the PCI buss as a PCMCIA card would. For those looking to PCMCIA/Card Bus, be careful. There ARE cheap cards that connect through USB rather than PCI. The true PCI cards DO work. David On 1/11/13 2:42 PM, Rick Karlquist wrote: Mark Spencer wrote: Joe: I've been down this road and ended up buying two lease return HP desktops for a nominal price that included on board parallel ports to deal with some amateur radio gear required a real parallel port. As others have mentioned there are fairly recent IBM / Lenovo laptops that also featured parallel ports (or at least their docking stations did.) Regards Mark Spencer I have an HP laptop with docking station and the docking station provides serial and parallel ports. The question is: are these real ports (just like built ins) or do they behave as USB dongle versions? One could easily imagine that the docking station did nothing more sophisticated that emulating a USB dongle, but then again, it does access the docking connector so there is some hope it connects directly to the bus. Rick Karlquist N6RK ___ 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. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 9:55 AM, Mark Spencer mspencer12...@yahoo.cawrote: Joe: I've been down this road and ended up buying two lease return HP desktops for a nominal price that included on board parallel ports to deal with some amateur radio gear required a real parallel port. I bought one of these. The price is under $100 (for the mother board and the soldered down CPU. It has a parallel ports and two serial ports. I needed the serial ports to connt a GPS and a Rubidium oscillator. I still think the solution is to step back and look at what it is you need to program. If it is a PIC or something like that, just buy a USB capable programmer. -- Chris Albertson Redondo Beach, California ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
On 1/11/2013 7:09 AM, J. L. Trantham wrote: Not sure where to ask this question but thought I would start here. Is there a way to connect a parallel port to a computer via USB? Not a device that shows up as 'USB Print Support' but, instead, shows up in Device Manager as an LPT port? I have been able to do it via PCMCIA to Parallel Port adapters but I have never found a USB device that would do this. My goal is to connect a parallel port chip programmer via USB but the software only looks for LPT ports. It works with PCMCIA to parallel port adapters but I haven't solved the puzzle yet with a USB connected device. Yes, there are standard devices that do this. $10 from Newegg if you are in the US (and it looks like you are.) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812186125nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwordscm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-NA-_-NAgclid=CPGX2bqK4bQCFemiPAodDXcAzQ -- mailto:o...@ozindfw.net Oz POB 93167 Southlake, TX 76092 (Near DFW Airport) ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
Hi There are Atom based motherboards that still have true parallel ports on them. They come out to a DB-25, but are otherwise just like the old ones. Bob -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of David McGaw Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 2:23 PM To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist? I have looked into this at length without success. It appears that the parallel port was orphaned in the USB definition and an emulation can only support printers. Scanners, software key dongles and other parallel port devices are not and apparently cannot be supported. An adapter may say that it supports IEEE1284 but they lie. David On 1/11/13 1:40 PM, Jim Stephens wrote: On 1/11/2013 8:46 AM, Chris Albertson wrote: On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 5:09 AM, J. L. Trantham jlt...@att.net wrote: My goal is to connect a parallel port chip programmer via USB but the software only looks for LPT ports. It works with PCMCIA to parallel port adapters but I haven't solved the puzzle yet with a USB connected device. I think the best solution is to finally retire that old parallel port chip programmer and replace it with something more modern. You might have paid a lot for it but today $35 will get you something with a USB cnetion and then you don't need the printer port. Chris Albertson Redondo Beach, California Chris, there are programmers out right now that include the parallel port bitbanging feature. Old isn't part of the equation. They are identified with the willem in the title in some cases. The one I have derives the power for the logic to run the board and oversee the programmer from a USB connection. The data to and from the device is sent via the parallel port to a PC with the software. Power for programming comes from a wall wart. The parallel port must be a physical LPT port as mentioned here, on the PC because of timing issues. I don't think the programming timing is done by the board, but by the PC's code banging the port. Many discussions here all have touched on how good you can rely on timing when USB is involved, so I doubt if the USB extenders will work very well. People who have tried may comment here, but I would not go down that path. A higher cost fully standalone USB attached device is the other alternative, but would probably still require its own power as well to get the programming voltages and currents required. What comes down the USB port probably would not be enough. That is a bit off topic, but worth mentioning. I am commenting on full capability prom programmers which will program a wide variety of devices. If you had to make a USB dongle to program a specific device you might get away with it. However to handle large devices which require high speed to get them programmed in a reasonable time period would probably need more power. Jim http://www.ebay.com/itm/261149380462 ___ 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. ___ 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. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
Yes it exists, and does exactly what you want: your applications see a 'real' LPT port that you can write/read at low level like it was a real hardware port. It has a DB25 connector on the end. I have two of them, they work great. I tried old prom programmers and lots of small PLL loaders etc all ok. and even works fantastic with the old SDR1000 flexradio, that is something that writes assorted bits all over the pins. on Windows devices you will have see an LPT device. Albeit any printer will obviously work it is not a printer gadget. It is really bit wise transparent. The installer creates four extra pages for “Properties” in Device Manager so you can define whatever port type and behavior you need. It is unbelievably complete. You can order or you can make your own clone, all pcb designs all info and firmware and software is free. You need ver 1.7, cypress based for max compatibility and tolerance to OS's applications etc. http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%20den%20PC/USB2LPT/index.html.en Disclaimer: I have zero affiliation with the seller and also no idea if it will work for you or not. I'm just an happy customer. Luis Cupido ct1dmk On 1/11/2013 1:09 PM, J. L. Trantham wrote: Not sure where to ask this question but thought I would start here. Is there a way to connect a parallel port to a computer via USB? Not a device that shows up as 'USB Print Support' but, instead, shows up in Device Manager as an LPT port? I have been able to do it via PCMCIA to Parallel Port adapters but I have never found a USB device that would do this. My goal is to connect a parallel port chip programmer via USB but the software only looks for LPT ports. It works with PCMCIA to parallel port adapters but I haven't solved the puzzle yet with a USB connected device. Thanks in advance. Joe ___ 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. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
My solution was similar. I have a few old systems that work fine and have serial and parallel ports. For my more recent workstations, I add a PCI or PCIe serial/parallel port adapter if needed. On Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:03:48 -0500 (EST), gandal...@aol.com wrote: Hi Joe As per other replies I was going to suggest this won't work because USB adapters are for printing only and my solution would be to buy an old 486 or early pentium laptop and use that, I've bought several over the past few years for really silly money on Ebay for this very reason, but I have come across what might be a possible solution _http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%20den%20PC/USB2LP T/index.html.en_ (http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%20den%20PC/USB2LPT/index.html.en) I can't vouch for this, just found it via Google, and although the drivers are downloadable you need to buy the adapter and have to email for prices, but it might be worth a try. My preferrred solution would still be the old laptop:-) Regards Nigel GM8PZR In a message dated 11/01/2013 13:09:45 GMT Standard Time, jlt...@att.net writes: Not sure where to ask this question but thought I would start here. Is there a way to connect a parallel port to a computer via USB? Not a device that shows up as 'USB Print Support' but, instead, shows up in Device Manager as an LPT port? I have been able to do it via PCMCIA to Parallel Port adapters but I have never found a USB device that would do this. My goal is to connect a parallel port chip programmer via USB but the software only looks for LPT ports. It works with PCMCIA to parallel port adapters but I haven't solved the puzzle yet with a USB connected device. Thanks in advance. Joe ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] Interval Timer Recommendation
The PM6685 is a frequency counter, not a TIC, so it shouldn't suffer from the battery problem. On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 7:33 PM, Magnus Danielson mag...@rubidium.dyndns.org wrote: On 01/11/2013 03:51 PM, Chris Howard wrote: The manual states that loosing the settings on a 6680 is no big problem , but on the 6681 you loose the interpolator calibtation. And it sounds like that's not a good thing. I didn't know you had to watch out for Battery on a PM6680/81. CFO - Tnut-Beginner Denmark Would loss of interpolation calibration have much impact on its use as a TIC? Yes, as that is what gives you the precision. I don't recall how bad it will get, but I ended up having the PM6681 calibrated. Cheers, Magnus __**_ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/** mailman/listinfo/time-nutshttps://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
Hi Nigel, I missed your post before my reply to Joe, so I made no mention to your suggestion. I have those and they are not a printer thing, they really work low level. The list of programmers and bit oriented stuff that was reported to work well is big and surely there are more stuff that works that is not in the list... Joe, take a look a check if you app is reported good: http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%20den%20PC/USB2LPT/liste.en.htm Cheers. Luis Cupido ct1dmk. On 1/11/2013 5:03 PM, gandal...@aol.com wrote: Hi Joe As per other replies I was going to suggest this won't work because USB adapters are for printing only and my solution would be to buy an old 486 or early pentium laptop and use that, I've bought several over the past few years for really silly money on Ebay for this very reason, but I have come across what might be a possible solution _http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%20den%20PC/USB2LP T/index.html.en_ (http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%20den%20PC/USB2LPT/index.html.en) I can't vouch for this, just found it via Google, and although the drivers are downloadable you need to buy the adapter and have to email for prices, but it might be worth a try. My preferrred solution would still be the old laptop:-) Regards Nigel GM8PZR In a message dated 11/01/2013 13:09:45 GMT Standard Time, jlt...@att.net writes: Not sure where to ask this question but thought I would start here. Is there a way to connect a parallel port to a computer via USB? Not a device that shows up as 'USB Print Support' but, instead, shows up in Device Manager as an LPT port? I have been able to do it via PCMCIA to Parallel Port adapters but I have never found a USB device that would do this. My goal is to connect a parallel port chip programmer via USB but the software only looks for LPT ports. It works with PCMCIA to parallel port adapters but I haven't solved the puzzle yet with a USB connected device. Thanks in advance. Joe ___ 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. ___ 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. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
Yes, there are standard devices that do this. $10 from Newegg if you are in the US (and it looks like you are.) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812186125nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwordscm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-NA-_-NAgclid=CPGX2bqK4bQCFemiPAodDXcAzQ I've tested a few of the standard devices for that like that one, and all of them seem to be ONLY printer friendly :-( (don't know about that particular one) lc ct1dmk. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] Interval Timer Recommendation
On 01/11/2013 09:09 PM, Azelio Boriani wrote: The PM6685 is a frequency counter, not a TIC, so it shouldn't suffer from the battery problem. It's single shot resolution would still be from the interpolator, even if you measure on the same signal. Cheers, Magnus ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist ?
Message: 3 Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2013 11:42:42 -0800 From: Rick Karlquist rich...@karlquist.com To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement time-nuts@febo.com Subject: Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist? Message-ID: 5649c7226c28740bc3c75703ea5a91d4.squir...@webmail.sonic.net Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1 Mark Spencer wrote: Joe: I've been down this road and ended up buying two lease return HP desktops for a nominal price that included on board parallel ports to deal with some amateur radio gear required a real parallel port. As others have mentioned there are fairly recent IBM / Lenovo laptops that also featured parallel ports (or at least their docking stations did.) Regards Mark Spencer I have an HP laptop with docking station and the docking station provides serial and parallel ports. The question is: are these real ports (just like built ins) or do they behave as USB dongle versions? One could easily imagine that the docking station did nothing more sophisticated that emulating a USB dongle, but then again, it does access the docking connector so there is some hope it connects directly to the bus. Rick Karlquist N6RK In my experience with my older Toshiba Portege Laptop the parallel port provided by the OEM dongle is equivalent to the parallel port provided by a typical PC. At work (I work in corporate IT) we lend out older laptops from time to time to individuals who want a machine with a real parallel or serial port for a specific task. I recall us providing IBM / Lenovo laptops and docking stations for this task and don't recall ever having a un happy customer. Your mileage may vary (: Regards Mark Spencer ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
Hi Luis No problem, and it's much better anyway to hear from someone who's used it:-) I only took a quick look at the web site before and didn't see the self build instructions at that time, but having seen the SMD chip he's using I think asking for a price might be safer:-) I see from your earlier comments that you've used it ok with old programmers but on the page you've linked do he doesn't recommend that, have you come across any problems with this? Regards Nigel GM8PZR In a message dated 11/01/2013 20:15:15 GMT Standard Time, ct1...@gmail.com writes: Hi Nigel, I missed your post before my reply to Joe, so I made no mention to your suggestion. I have those and they are not a printer thing, they really work low level. The list of programmers and bit oriented stuff that was reported to work well is big and surely there are more stuff that works that is not in the list... Joe, take a look a check if you app is reported good: http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%20den%20PC/USB2LPT /liste.en.htm Cheers. Luis Cupido ct1dmk. On 1/11/2013 5:03 PM, gandal...@aol.com wrote: Hi Joe As per other replies I was going to suggest this won't work because USB adapters are for printing only and my solution would be to buy an old 486 or early pentium laptop and use that, I've bought several over the past few years for really silly money on Ebay for this very reason, but I have come across what might be a possible solution _http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%20den%20PC/USB2LP T/index.html.en_ (http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%20den%20PC/USB2LPT/index.html.en) I can't vouch for this, just found it via Google, and although the drivers are downloadable you need to buy the adapter and have to email for prices, but it might be worth a try. My preferrred solution would still be the old laptop:-) Regards Nigel GM8PZR In a message dated 11/01/2013 13:09:45 GMT Standard Time, jlt...@att.net writes: Not sure where to ask this question but thought I would start here. Is there a way to connect a parallel port to a computer via USB? Not a device that shows up as 'USB Print Support' but, instead, shows up in Device Manager as an LPT port? I have been able to do it via PCMCIA to Parallel Port adapters but I have never found a USB device that would do this. My goal is to connect a parallel port chip programmer via USB but the software only looks for LPT ports. It works with PCMCIA to parallel port adapters but I haven't solved the puzzle yet with a USB connected device. Thanks in advance. Joe ___ 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. ___ 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. ___ 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. ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
A couple of years ago I bought an Intel Atom Dual Core board. It's equipped with 2 com ports and 1 LPT port. A quick check at Newegg.com shows that most, but not all, Atom boards (regardless of brand) still include one or two COM ports and 1 LPT port. So, for somewhere around $100 or less you can get a dual core processor, gigabit ethernet, onboard video, and real serial and parallel ports. I use my system as my GPIB and serial port controller to collect data from test equipment or devices like Tbolt, Z3801A, PICTIC, etc. I reserve the onboard serial ports for critical timing applications. Other serial devices are served through a terminal server. Works for me. Ed ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] OT - USB to LPT Adapter - Does it exist?
Hi I think the answer to the Atom puzzle is that the standard Southbridge chip has an LPT port in it. More or less they get it for the price of the connector or board header plus maybe a few protection devices. Bob On Jan 11, 2013, at 9:18 PM, Ed Palmer ed_pal...@sasktel.net wrote: A couple of years ago I bought an Intel Atom Dual Core board. It's equipped with 2 com ports and 1 LPT port. A quick check at Newegg.com shows that most, but not all, Atom boards (regardless of brand) still include one or two COM ports and 1 LPT port. So, for somewhere around $100 or less you can get a dual core processor, gigabit ethernet, onboard video, and real serial and parallel ports. I use my system as my GPIB and serial port controller to collect data from test equipment or devices like Tbolt, Z3801A, PICTIC, etc. I reserve the onboard serial ports for critical timing applications. Other serial devices are served through a terminal server. Works for me. Ed ___ 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. ___ 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.
[time-nuts] Vectron GPSDO Oscillator stranges...
Just to give the group and update... The Caritronic switching supply in the DATUM 9390 completely failed this afternoon, so obviously it was on its last leg. I did find Caritronics and they are very nice people, but expensive. My friend Stu, K6YAZ told me he had a Cisco power supply model ADP-30RB, which puts out +12 VDC at 2.0 AMPS, -12 Volts at 0.200 AMP, and 5 Volts at 3.0 AMPS. Sounds like just what I need and it's about the same size as the DATUM outboard 12 Volt supply that comes with the 9390. He brought it over this evening and I was going to test it and then connect it up and see if that would solve my problem. I quickly discovered however, my wife had other plans for me for this evening. I may be able to do a little in the morning, but most likely not till Monday afternoon. The ADP-30RB is readily available on eBay (I bought two more that are guaranteed for a total of $12.00). I'll let you know how this progresses. Burt, K6OQK Ed, Thanks for you suggestions. I took a look at the control line and saw about 100 mV of grunge and then took a look at the +12 volts going to the oscillator and saw about 2 volts of the same stuff. I then went and took a look at the DC to DC Converter's output and say the same about 2 volts of grunge and about 1 volt of grunge on the -12 Volt line. The 5 Volt line looks fine. I need to cobble up a +/- 12 Volt supply (ref to ground) to substitute the on board DC to DC Converter and see if that solves the problem. The converter is made by a company called Caritronics. Never heard of them. I'll see what google tells me. I don't really need the DC to DC converter as I never run the thing off of 12 Volts, but I've thought about it. Thanks, Burt, K6OQK Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2013 10:48:38 -0800 From: Ed Breya e...@telight.com Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Vectron GPSDO Oscillator stranges... Can you completely swap the Vectron crystal oscillator modules between the Datum units? Maybe the fault lies in the other part. If they are GPSDOs, each must have a DAC somewhere driving the tuning control line to the VCXO, The 10 kHz may be the DAC serial data rate, or a PWM rate for fine tuning. A fault in that area could cause the sidebands. Maybe you really did hear data. If you can hang a fairly large (several uF or more) plastic capacitor on the tuning line without causing the whole thing to oscillate, you may be able to observe a decrease in the sideband amplitude - a sure indicator that the tuning signal carries the problem. Ed Oops - regarding that capacitance test on the tuning line, I meant to say up to several uF or more. You can start small to see if there's any effect. It all depends on the impedance of the tuning line circuitry, and the existing amount of filtering - you may need quite a bit of C to swamp it out and show a noticeable effect. You're not looking for necessarily normal or perfectly-settled operation under the test condition, just the relative effect on the sidebands. Ed Burt I. Weiner Associates Broadcast Technical Services Glendale, California U.S.A. b...@att.net www.biwa.cc K6OQK ___ 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.
Re: [time-nuts] GPS Patch Antenna Electrode Tarnish
On Fri, 11 Jan 2013 01:25:55 -0800 Hal Murray hmur...@megapathdsl.net wrote: How much of the crap on exposed silver is oxide vs sulfide? Given the very low amount of sulfur and sulfur compounts in the air, i'd say you've mostly silver oxide. If you are living in an area with heavy traffic though, things look a bit different. Gas contains a quite amount of sulfur and with burning you get some quite reactive compounts. It got a lot better (at least here in europe) after gas had to be desulfurized, but probably not yet perfect. Attila Kinali -- There is no secret ingredient -- Po, Kung Fu Panda ___ 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.
