Trimble Thunderbolt - Cheating? Aging product? Total lack of technical support

[idpromnut]

How long should they fix things like that?

If its easy I think they should for at least 20 years. Or make the software modular or user-configurable.

To put that in perspective, Windows XP was released to manufacturing in 2001, sales halted in 2008 and extended support discontinued in 2014. So that is ~13 years, for a /hugely/ deployed and popular product, from a company that had a ton of money to support a product. I think it is extremely unlikely to think any company would support a product much past a few years after EOL'ing said product.

[metrologist]

you rub salt on those old wounds 

[texaspyro]

I'm using Lady Heather, to dicipline my tbolt's , and "TP, the author"    even made it automatically detect the rollover. AND show the "corrected date".
See the yellow "ro" after the date , indicating it's rollover corrected.


I wonder what happens at the next leap second though ... Well see.
And i'm quite sure that it will still output a nice 1PPS & 10Mhz , maybe with a glich around the leap

BTW,  the GLP keyboard command will set the location to "private" so you don't have to photoshop the screen dumps.

The code should still handle the leapsecond properly... but maybe not.  The tbolt reports a "leap pending" flag based upon the satellite almanac... but that gets set months before the actual date of the leapseoncd.   Heather calculates the date of the leapsecond (and shows a countdown clock) based upon values in the almanac message.   Heather attempts to adjust the almanac values based upon the rollover compensation,  but there's no way to test that... unless somebody wants to buy me a GPS simulator.

[max-bit]

Propose to read the code from the firmware, and try yourself to make a correction in the software ?

[ebastler]

Propose to read the code from the firmware, and try yourself to make a correction in the software ?

Who are you proposing this to? You want your Thunderbolt roll-over issue fixed, so feel free to give it a shot.

[max-bit]

Do you have to write a concrete thing in the matter?
So far not so much apart from pointless advice.

[ebastler]

max-bit, I can certainly give you more concrete advice if that helps:
Stop whining! 

Seriously: You are disappointed with Trimble. This is based on what I consider unrealistic expectations; as pointed out before you have probably bought an end-of-life product via ebay. And now you seem to seriously expect that the forum members should write you an updated firmware?!

[metrologist]

Do you have to write a concrete thing in the matter?
So far not so much apart from pointless advice.

Do you have an example of something that is supported after a 20 year life, especially a "technology" device?

I cannot think of anything. Even regular old household appliances, automobiles, and my very first cell phone will no longer function today. Even my television is no longer compatible with the "new" digital broadcasts in my country (and Sony is not going to fix that).

But if you come here just to vent, that is understandable. Maybe try and make a dent in Trimble's sales for some vengeance?

How do you use the date output from your device? Maybe if we better understand how the issue impacts you a solution may present?

[ebastler]

How do you use the date output from your device? Maybe if we better understand how the issue impacts you a solution may present?

Turns out that max-bit actually has a nice web page online which describes his GPSDO build:
http://www.rflab.pl/rflab_wp/wzorzec-czestotliwosci-10-mhz-w-oparciu-o-gpsdo/
(Scroll down a bit for English translation in blue.)

It uses a semi-commercial display solution by VK4GHZ -- unfortunately discontinued, and not open source:
http://vk4ghz.com/thunderbolt-display/

It seems that the date is merely displayed in the LCD for information, in which case it would just be a nuisance to see the wrong date. But maybe VK4GHZ can be talked into updating his firmware? His product seems to be a relatively recent one, last built in 2013. Maybe VK4GHZ (Adam from New Zealand) is even on this forum?

[texaspyro]

It uses a semi-commercial display solution by VK4GHZ -- unfortunately discontinued, and not open source:

Dieder, of ko4bb.com fame,  sells a Tbolt monitor and is currently updating the firmware.

But, for some perverted reason,  I prefer using Lady Heather... perhaps on an RPI with the touchscreen.  The code now supports touchscreens and has some screen optimizations for smaller screens and a video mode setting for full screen on the 800x480 screen.

[cdev]

I have a triple power supply that was manufactured in the 80s but "is still a current model".

It has transformer hum

I sent them email and they made some constructive suggestions that I have been considering.

If I want they will sell me 3 replacement transformers that don't hum.. For more than I paid for it used. Of course.

Now that's support.

Solution for now?

Bought GW Instek GPC-3020

[max-bit]

I will contact VK4GHZ to see if he will reply.

[metrologist]

Now you all are tempting me with more buying stuff...

[cdev]

another Human Error.

[max-bit]

I want to refresh the topic a bit.
Trimble Thunderbolt E
The version marked 60333-50 (this is a newer version from 2010)

Unfortunately, support for these devices is still a mistake.
Trimble seems to have forgotten about these devices (zero support)
There is a new company selling these devices called Novotech, although you can also find the same devices branded as PROTEMPIS???
And now no company supports the device??
This is some big joke

[The Doktor]

Perhaps you can find a nice crying towel on eBay?

[max-bit]

Very funny HyHy