[time-nuts] help

[Tom Van Baak]

It turns out OP (Bill Baker) is using a very nice GMR1000 GPS time standard:

http://www.masterclock.com/products/master-clocks/gmr1000/

So that's why he was asking about an off-the-shelf device to turn SMPTE into an hourly switch for his fog bell.

Since the GMR1000 also has a network connection, the proposed Raspberry Pi solutions will work. In addition, the GMR1000 has a serial port that will output NMEA (GPZDA), so even a simple PIC or Arduino solution is possible.

Given a choice between RS232 + Arduino on the one hand and LAN + Raspberry Pi + Linux + NTP on the other, I'd pick Arduino. But I know people that would throw Linux at this; everyone has their favorite hammer. In fact, I bet Walter Shawlee could design a simple TTL shift-register circuit that would parse the RS232 GPZDA bitstream and drive the fog bell on the hour. And a hundred years from now his TTL board and the bell would be the only parts still working.

/tvb

For more information read GMR1000.pdf and GMR+Series+User+Manual.pdf from the site above.


> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Bill Baker via time-nuts" <time-nuts at febo.com>
> Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2016 12:26 PM
> Subject: [time-nuts] help
>
> My problem:  I'd like some kind of off-the-shelf device that can take the time code
> and switch on or impulse another circuit-- specifically  I'd like to trigger a 180 year-old
> fog bell (I'm a lighthouse nut as well, www.henryisland.com) on the hour and maybe
> be able to impulse my minute school clocks.  I'm not at this group's technical level,
> so it's got to be pretty easy to program. So I need a box that I can program with
> SMPTE time in and a timed switch impulse out.  Any ideas?
>    Many thanks,
>    W1BKR