Precise Time Scale System
Overview
Fully Integrated, World-Class Turnkey Timing System
The Precise Time-Scale System (PTSS) is a fully integrated, world class timing system capable of providing timing accuracies comparable to the best national laboratories. It can combine up to six high performance cesium frequency standards or Active Hydrogen Masers (AHMs) in a time scale that drives the local Real-Time Clock (RTC) signal. A high performance timing quality GNSS receiver provides the information used to steer the system output to UTC and generate GPS Common-View (CV) data. This allows the frequency standards to be reported to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) for inclusion in the international time scale.The PTSS is a fully integrated solution that provides industry leading frequency stability, phase-noise performance, and time scale availability in a unit as small as one instrument rack. Microsemi's single rack Precise Time-Scale System provides a real-time local UTC time scale. It can also apply the most accurate GNSS and Two- Way Satellite Time and Frequency Transfer (TWSTFT) techniques for measuring offsets between geographically dispersed clocks.
As the international standard time scale, Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) is the composite of clocks throughout the world. The time of each clock is reported to BIPM using either GNSS CV or TWSTFT. National laboratories also compute a local time scale steered to agree with UTC designated as UTC(lab), where lab is the BIPM assigned name of the laboratory producing the time scale. Local UTC Time-Scale systems have state-of-the-art frequency stability, phase noise performance, and system availability.
The Microsemi Precise Time-Scale System meets those requirements using Microsemi manufactured precise timing products. The PTSS offers faster deployment, ease of use, lower ownership cost, higher product quality, reliable operation, and a single point of responsibility for all system support.
Key Features
- One 5071A high performance Cesium clock standard
- 8 Channel measurement system
- Real Time Clock with user outputs
- GPS Common View time comparison
- BIPM reporting
- Frequency accuracy: ±1x10-14 (Long Term)
- Time Accuracy to 10ns RMS to UTC
- Battery back-up
- Local Graphical User Interface
- World-class KAS 2 time-scale algorithm that estimates time error clocks
Optional Features
- Ability to upgrade with two additional cesium clocks in the same rack
- Ability to add up to three additional cesium or hydrogen Maser clocks externally
- Accommodates second redundant time scale for high reliability applications
