Sorry for confusing information. I have some small Trimble antenna which currently connected to BC637PCI. However I never get it "locked" with that antenna:

GPS PACKET 46 - GPS HEALTH PACKET
Status: No usable satellites
Error: 63

Binary Time: 02/11/2014  17:28:40.0572284   Status: 7
Binary Time: 02/11/2014  17:28:40.0672927   Status: 7
Binary Time: 02/11/2014  17:28:40.0773571   Status: 7

Notice "Status: 7". Ideally it should be "Status: 0". As far as I understood from the documentation, if GPS is not locked then BC637PCI will using its "freerun mode".

My board FW even older. Its DT10041V11.

Since I am using this card for my "home-brewed" Startum 1 NTP server, I am thinking to connect to BC637PCI some external 10MHZ GPSDO to keep it in sync and not using the GPS part at all. The card itself doing well if its in "free run" mode.

Regards,
V.P.


On 2014-02-11 12:09, [email protected] wrote:
Ah, sorry, when you commented before about modifying the demo software it
obviously didn't register with me quite what you were trying to do.
In the BC637PCI Demo software, I'm using version 7.0.0, under the "Help" menu, one item is Receiver Firmware Version and this returns the Packet 45
data.

If it's any consolation, mine is the same as yours, except for the date
showing as 4/1/1900:-)

2000 doesn't seem unreasonable for the Ace3 firmware date, my  BC637
itself, another drop down on that same Help menu, shows as Version DT10041V12, Number 2.21, Date 2/10/2003, which ties in pretty well with Symmetricom
completing their takeover of Datum in late 2002  and introducing their
BC637PCI-U
own brand replacement in 2004.

What I do find intriguing though is that your Packet 41 data is returning the correct GPS week number and Leap Second offset when there's no antenna
connected, how the heck does it do that?:-)

Regards

Nigel
GM8PZR



In a message dated 11/02/2014 16:36:21 GMT Standard Time, [email protected]
writes:


I figured out why GPS FW information was not available by request. To do
such requests BC637PCI needs to be in "GPS MODE". If I run the request
in "Free Run", it return the error code. Here is FW infomation from my
GPS module:

GPS Packet Menu

1. Request Packet 41 -  Gps Time Packet
2. Request Packet 42 - Gps Position Packet
3. Request Packet 46 - Gps Health Packet
4. Request Packet 45 - Gps  FW
0. Back to main menu

Select:  1

GPS PACKET 41 - GPS TIME PACKET

Seconds of Week:  232505.89
GPS Week Number: 1779
GPS/UCT Offset:   16.00

Select: 4

GPS PACKET 45 - GPS  FW

FW: 08-08, 04/01/2000 : 10-16, 04/01/2000

If its correct, than I have pretty old GPS module. I got my GPS antenna,
however it has  N-type connector on it. Now I need to find the way to
connect it to  SMA.

Regards,

V.P.

On 2014-02-10 18:51, [email protected]  wrote:
In a message dated 10/02/2014 21:56:25 GMT Standard  Time,
[email protected] writes:

On   10/02/14 11:15, [email protected] wrote:
Ah, I took 1999 as I  thought  that was the only relevant date for
 another
1024 weeks, I'm not  familiar with the shifted 1024  week period so
will
take a
   look  at that.

Does "shifted" imply a shift at the whim of  the  manufacturer, ie
could
it
explain why these boards might have been ok a few years ago but not
now?

Yes. We have seen week 500  and  week 512 occuring.

Considering this simple code:

if (gpsweek  < 500)
gpsweek += 1024;

This means that GPS week 500 to 1023 maps straight and truncated GPS
week 0 to 499 is mapped to GPS  week 1024 to 1523.

However, when GPS week 1524 occurs, GPS week 500 is   transmitted, so
receivers jump from GPS week 1523 to GPS week 500 and the NMEA readout
date jumps 19.3 years. Woops.

 The interesting thing is  that the GPS otherwise operate properly, as
it
is only the read-out date which goes wrong, not the internal gears of
the GPS, so the leap second  applied will be  the current and not the
one
from 19 years  ago.
 -------------------------------------
Yes, that's what I was seeing, anything received by the GPS module was
passed through correctly, week  number, leap seconds, etc, it was what
the BC637
 did  with it after that wasn't quite so helpful.
 -------------------------------------



 Oh dear, I think a wee light bulb has just  exploded:-)

 Good. :)

I haven't checked this yet, but if   shifting means to  start a 1024
week
period that's approximately from or not too far before the date of manufacture, either for individual units or just as a ballpark for a
given production
run, that would buy them nearly twenty years from then, which would
 mean
these boards should still be ok.

It's  arbitrary. It could  be from writing the code to just before a
 certain batch. Who knows.  Adjusting it is trivial.

If shifting means to do this say at the design stage or starting with
the
first production run then they might  buy  twenty years from then but
regardless of individual  manufacturing  date.

It's arbitrary. Considering that  GPS week 500 and GPS week 512  have
been
found in equipment, and these are not "random numbers", it seems like
 a
random pick early in the design.

I'm not too  sure that  even the earliest of these boards should be
 twenty
years old yet, but if plan Z was to stick with some previously picked arbitrary date, such as company formation or granny's birthday, then
that might
 well  be  the answer:-)

Thank you, will definitely  look  more closely at this, perhaps it's
not
 time
  yet to put the  boards back into hibernation  after all:-)

Good, now you learned  something.  :)
------------------------
Certainly seems that way, perhaps  the old brain cell does  still fire
up
now and again  after all:-)

I was quite surprised though just how little a  Google search threw up
on
1024 week offsets, however I worded  it I got plenty of hits regarding
the
1024  week  rollover itself, plus its implications, but virtually
nothing
 regarding the use of offsets and any consequences of that.
 -----------------------





I agree re the TMS29F010, and I'm sure I could read  it, but  would
definitely need an adapter for that.

 Ah.  Yes.

I don't know what FW my boards have, if it has  the GPS FW latent  or
not.
 ----------------------------
I bought a set of PLCC adapters on Ebay this afternoon, probably about
time
 my programmers  joined the 19th century, so with a bit of luck, a
 following
 wind, and a good head of steam, I might even have a  dump of the
firmware
by the weekend:-)

 Regards

Nigel
GM8PZR
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--
WBW,

V.P.
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V.P.
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