[time-nuts] Re: Trimble Netrs How do you open it up?

[Bob kb8tq]

Hi

Could be 256 MB vs 1GB and my tired old brain needs another cup 
of coffee to really get it functional  ….

Bob

> On Mar 20, 2022, at 11:10 AM, paul swed <paulswedb at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Bob totally agree with the card comment. However mine is a 256 MB card and the fact is the only other card I have at the moment is a 1 GB. I do swear some place I have a 512MB or two from a Cisco switches. Safely stored away..... Really safely.
> I was going to look at setting up ftp. But there also seems to be streaming services. More to study.
> At least the unit is not bad.
> To be useful for time nuts I believe I really do need a dual band L1/L2 antenna.
> Regards
> Paul
> WB8TSL
> 
> On Sun, Mar 20, 2022 at 11:06 AM Bob kb8tq <kb8tq at n1k.org <mailto:kb8tq at n1k.org>> wrote:
> Hi
> 
> A bit of NetRS flash card trivia:
> 
> The original cards that came with these had a Trimble part number sticker
> on them with something like P/N 51212-00 on it. In some cases it’s just
> a white label card that has no manufacturer ID at all ( so it doesn’t even 
> say Trimble …). In other cases it’s a sticker that has obviously gone on 
> a “generic” card made by somebody. Those stickers typically do say 
> Trimble on them. 
> 
> Some units went through Unavco and have their preferred cards in them. 
> They got replaced at some point in their life. Might have been 2010 could
> have been much later. Those cards are typically marked with hand written
> date and version numbers per the “how to” pdf.
> 
> There is no advantage at all to the 1GB setup vs the 512 MB other than 
> onboard survey recording. There is plenty of room on the 512 for the normal
> logs. ( Ok, a 1GB has more sectors to swap so with good wear leveling it 
> *might* last longer …). Functionally in a TimeNut environment you pull the
> data off via serial or ethernet and store it on a hard drive somewhere. Even
> with the 1GB card, there really isn’t enough room to be “TimeNut Useful”. 
> 
> Given the age of these beasts, it is unlikely that a high(er) speed card will do
> any good. The interface on the board probably has some very basic speed
> capabilities. ( Yes, the re-flash on your PC might take 15 minutes with a 
> faster card vs 26 minutes ….). 
> 
> If you get old enough cards from the very bottom of your “goodie pile” you 
> could turn up some that may not be very robust cycle wise. The originals should
> have been “Industrial Grade” versions. Anything you buy new these days should
> be plenty good for this application. I see no reason to get exotic cards as
> replacements. 
> 
> Bob
> 
>  
> 
>> On Mar 19, 2022, at 6:25 PM, paul swed <paulswedb at gmail.com <mailto:paulswedb at gmail.com>> wrote:
>> 
>> Bob
>> Thanks just didn't use a bit more of a hit. Everything pops loose. I took a quick look inside and nothing at all obvious as an issue. In reassembling the unit the back assembly micro-ide connector is delicate. Not a real problem but is easy to get mis-aligned.
>> When booting up the system does blink the lEDs but not the gps satellite or Frequency LED. The frequency LED will be easy to check.
>> Regards
>> Paul
>> 
>> On Sat, Mar 19, 2022 at 4:55 PM Bob kb8tq <kb8tq at n1k.org <mailto:kb8tq at n1k.org>> wrote:
>> Hi
>> 
>> Quick way to take apart a NetRS:
>> 
>> 1) Pull out all the screws from the front panel ( the one with the LED’s on it).
>> 
>> 2) Pull the screws from the mounting bracket (if it’s still there). All are T10 Torx. 
>> 
>> 3) Reverse the Torx driver and use it as a small hammer. Tap the “ears” on 
>> the front panel. You don’t need to go crazy. It will pop off. 
>> 
>> The D connector on the front panel is normally attached with ribbon cable. 
>> There is no need to unscrew it. If anything, unscrewing it is a bad idea since
>> doing so would allow the sub-cabe to the front panel to flex / break. 
>> 
>> Next use a pair of needle nose pliers to unbend the latching strap that holds
>> the flash card in place. It’s directly above the place the ribbon cable from the 
>> front panel comes into the main assembly. 
>> 
>> Now you can unplug the flash card and replace it. 
>> 
>> On normal power up, with only power applied ( nothing else attached ). The 
>> front panel LED’s go through a series of flash flash flash stuff. Eventually they
>> calm down and you just get a green light showing you which power input you
>> are connected to.
>> 
>> Normal drill is to just leave the back panel in place. Unless something is broke,
>> there is no reason to pull it. 
>> 
>> Fun !!
>> 
>> Bob
>> 
>> > On Mar 19, 2022, at 4:04 PM, paul swed <paulswedb at gmail.com <mailto:paulswedb at gmail.com>> wrote:
>> > 
>> > OK have figured the main and standby power out. They work fine.
>> > I want to check the internals of the receiver for any damage.
>> > Have removed the front and back torx screws and front DE9 locking nuts.
>> > But it refuses to let loose. Am I fighting a rubber grommet? Maybe I do
>> > need to take all of the back N and BNC connector nuts off. This thing feels
>> > very tough to open and do not want to damage it.
>> > 
>> > Also all of the almanacs and such are totally 0. That could have easily
>> > happened when I was doing a factory reset. Especially since the data zero
>> > is almost exactly the same as a factory reset.
>> > Thanks
>> > Paul
>> > WB8TSL
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts at lists.febo.com <mailto:time-nuts at lists.febo.com> -- To unsubscribe send an email to time-nuts-leave at lists.febo.com <mailto:time-nuts-leave at lists.febo.com>
>> > To unsubscribe, go to and follow the instructions there.
>> 
>