[ntp:questions] Announcing the TAPR "Clock-Block" Clock Synthesizer

John Ackermann N8UR jra at febo.com
Sun Nov 5 02:30:42 UTC 2006


Sorry for the advertisement, but I thought this would be of particular
interest to the folks on these lists.

Some time ago I mentioned that I was working on a clock synthesizer
board that could be used (among other things) to get much better
timekeeping for applications like NTP.

The idea is to replace the motherboard crystal with a connection to the
synthesizer, which can be programmed to generate the correct frequency
when driven by a higher quality external oscillator.  The end result is
a PC clock that's far more accurate and stable than the original crystal
can provide.

I'm pleased to announce that my project worked out, and TAPR is now
taking orders for the "Clock-Block" as a fully-assembled unit (however,
you'll still have to do some soldering on your motherboard to replace
the crystal with the connection to the Clock-Block).

We are having the first batch manufactured now, and hope to begin
shipment within a couple of weeks.  I'm pleased that we'll be able to
offer the assembled unit for a price not much more than I originally
thought a kit version would cost; the circuit uses surface mount parts
that might be challenging for some folks to solder, so offering it
assembled makes life easier for everyone.

There's more information about the Clock-Block, and you can place an
order, at http://www.tapr.org/kits_clock-block.html

John

PS -- if you're not familiar with TAPR (http://www.tapr.org), it's a
non-profit organization that does research and development for the ham
radio and amateur electronics enthusiast community.  I've been involved
with the group for many years and have developed several projects for
TAPR, but have no financial interest in the organization or any of its
products other than as a member.



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