Boston Linux Meeting Wednesday, October 20, 2010 Hardware Hacking: Atomic Clock Building

[Ric Werme]

> From: Bruce Labitt <bruce.labitt at myfairpoint.net>
>    On 10/13/2010 9:25 AM, Jerry Feldman wrote: 
[apologies for confused attributions.  Death to HTML Email.]

> According to the announcement:
> "Using the lowest amount of custom hardware and pouring Perl and Shell
> Script over everything as the glue binding it all, we create a
> minimalistic device delivering a perfectly tuned network time source:
> your very own stratum-1 ntp server, turning a pocket-sized Sheevaplug
> device into your personal atomic clock."

> and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTP_server#Clock_strata

> snipped for your convenience:

> Stratum 0

> These are devices such as atomic (caesium, rubidium) clocks, GPS clocks or
> other radio clocks. Stratum-0 devices are traditionally not attached to the
> network; instead they are locally connected to computers (e.g., via an RS-232
> connection using a Pulse per second signal).

> Stratum 1

> These are computers attached to Stratum 0 devices. Normally they act as
> servers for timing requests from Stratum 2 servers via NTP. These computers
> are also referred to as time servers.

> I would think this implies the Sheevaplug is connected to a Stratum-0 source.
> What was the source that Federico used?  Anyone know?

So instead of building an atomic clock, it's really an exercise in RS-232 or
parallel port wiring?

All the hype and none of the clock?

My sister is a marine biologist.  I talked to her on the phone yesterday,
but that didn't make me a marine biologist.

  -Ric Werme