[time-nuts] Timing Health Monitoring

[Magnus Danielson]

On 07/19/2012 05:48 PM, Chris Hoffman wrote:
> Richard,
>
> This paper is fascinating to me. I finally understand how the TMDE/Metrology lab to which I continually sent my measurement equipment for calibration was so important.
>
> Looking back, I recall something that looked exactly like an FMS rack shown in the paper! It was accompanied by a make-shift cubicle with walls of HP and Marconi gear in various states... and a sweet, aged, bearded geek with trifocals...
>
> It's telling, I think, that the first FMS was built on an Apple II.

The NIST time-scale algorithm was run on a PDP-8 with 5kWord memory. It 
used to run on a pair of AT machines, but they have upgraded to a pair 
of 386s now. Every 12 min they will execute for 40 s and then go back to 
idle waiting. Processing-wise, there is no need to get more modern machines.

Can't recall seeing that paper, so thanks for the reference. Had a nice 
chat with one of the techs dealing with those services. Very nice folks!

Cheers,
Magnus