[time-nuts] 59503A GPIB clock windows/linux software.

[Tom Van Baak]

Lizeth Norman wrote:
> The 59309A can be updated via HPIB.
> I did it two ways. The first was to use windows system time and then write
> to the instrument. The other was to poll a M12+T and get the proper time.
> Sadly, both are in Labview, and as such probably aren't much help.

Hans Holzach wrote:
> i use a 59309A as a time and date display in a setup of old HP devices: 
> 10 mhz are taken from a fury gpsdo to keep the clock stable. an HP 71B 
> reads the time from the gpsdo via an HP-IL/RS-232 interface and delivers 
> it to the clock via an HP-IL/HPIB interface. setting the clock looks 
> pretty cool, there is quite some action on the display! the system is so 
> slow, it takes several seconds until time and date are set. sorry, no 
> linux/windows involved here...

Norm and Hans,

Were either of you able to sync the 59309A to better than a second? From the schematic it looks like the P (stoP) and T (starT) commands have 1 second granularity and the R (Reset) command clears only the last MC14518 decade counter. This would suggest that one can set to within 100 ms, but no better.

The code that I'm using (http://leapsecond.com/tools/hp59309.c) solves the 1 second problem but I wasn't able to get it to sync better than 0.1 second. If you have suggestions or solved this without a soldering iron, let me know.

Thanks,
/tvb