Author Topic: bg7tbl gpsdo master reference (Read 370065 times)

Amateurtelecom · « **Reply #225 on:** September 29, 2016, 07:34:38 pm »

Hi folks! This is my first post om this forum. I hope my contribution is usefull... Yesterday I received my BG7TBL GPSDO and made some images of the device for my website. (http://www.amateurtele.com - http://www.amateurtele.com/index.php?artikel=203) And I think the images are here also in the right spot...
I have some other GPSDO projects being built (VE2ZAZ and W5OJM), and as long as the projects aren't finished, this device is ready for use right now. Now its time to turn it on and see if it works.

Amateurtelecom · « **Reply #226 on:** September 29, 2016, 07:39:43 pm »

And part two...

Amateurtelecom · « **Reply #227 on:** September 29, 2016, 07:41:18 pm »

Part three.

Amateurtelecom · « **Reply #228 on:** September 29, 2016, 07:42:23 pm »

Images can say more than thousand words, right?!

usagi · « **Reply #229 on:** September 30, 2016, 08:03:37 am »

really nice pictures there, well done

i've updated the list.

panman · « **Reply #230 on:** October 09, 2016, 01:21:23 am »

This too is my first post on the forum. I've been following the eevblog saga of the BG7TBL for the last few months with hopes of purchasing one when the infamous "bug" is resolved. I notice Amateurtelecom received a unit with a new data code, 2016-05-31, which was dutifully cataloged in the thread. I've been Google searching this new version for several days on any reference as it relates to the bug. So far nothing has surfaced. If it's fixed, I'll order it. I'm reluctant to query an Ebay reseller as I'm not sure I'd get an accurate answer. If anyone has objective evidence one way or another as to the bugs remediation I, and likely others, would appreciate a post. I realize it may take some time. Thanks again for a new found valuable resource (eevblog that is).

DaJMasta · « **Reply #231 on:** October 09, 2016, 01:40:28 am »

So I've got one of these current version GPSDOs with the more recent ublox module and I've got a good counter, but I only have the one time source (no tbolt or cesium to compare to

) so I'm not sure if any testing I can do will be of value. That being said, I've had it running into the front of the counter for about a day now (mainly as a test for the counter's timebase), but I'd be happy to show the graph and statistics after it runs a bit longer.

steverino · « **Reply #232 on:** October 09, 2016, 08:14:31 pm »

Quote from: DaJMasta on October 09, 2016, 01:40:28 am

So I've got one of these current version GPSDOs with the more recent ublox module and I've got a good counter, but I only have the one time source (no tbolt or cesium to compare to ) so I'm not sure if any testing I can do will be of value. That being said, I've had it running into the front of the counter for about a day now (mainly as a test for the counter's timebase), but I'd be happy to show the graph and statistics after it runs a bit longer.

Where did you source the 2016-05-31 version? I've only found it on Chinese sites (taobao.com, etc.). Thanks.

panman · « **Reply #233 on:** October 10, 2016, 03:18:23 am »

DaJMasta, I agree without a reference you'd be unable to assess remediation of the bug. Appreciate the response. It may take some time before someone can verify.

steverino, I too had issues locating this new version.

DaJMasta · « **Reply #234 on:** October 10, 2016, 04:28:57 am »

Quote from: steverino on October 09, 2016, 08:14:31 pm

Where did you source the 2016-05-31 version? I've only found it on Chinese sites (taobao.com, etc.). Thanks.

ebay, from diyelecmall108 http://www.ebay.com/itm/171742240714

bitseeker · « **Reply #235 on:** October 11, 2016, 01:52:48 am »

Quote from: DaJMasta on October 10, 2016, 04:28:57 am

Quote from: steverino on October 09, 2016, 08:14:31 pm
Where did you source the 2016-05-31 version? I've only found it on Chinese sites (taobao.com, etc.). Thanks.
ebay, from diyelecmall108 http://www.ebay.com/itm/171742240714

Their photos show two different older versions and the description says, "Our GPSDO is newest version,produce at 2015-9-17,include OCXO." So, they sent you the 2016 version from this listing?

DaJMasta · « **Reply #236 on:** October 11, 2016, 02:01:17 am »

Yep, I got the link from my ebay history and images of my unit are a dozen posts or so above.

Interestingly, I was shipped the square wave version and amateurtelecom's photos are of the sine wave version. The chips near the output the same, but mine is missing a handful of passives between that sot-23-6 and the 10MHz output, so it looks like the output approach is just filtering the square wave output to make a sine out of it, even though the oven has a sine coming out of it.

bitseeker · « **Reply #237 on:** October 11, 2016, 02:04:03 am »

Yeah, amateurtelecom has both versions. I guess they just mixed them up. It is funny that the sine version still generates a square and then filters it.

In what equipment does it matter whether the clock input is sine or square? Not that it's hard to convert from one to the other, just curious.

DaJMasta · « **Reply #238 on:** October 11, 2016, 02:36:57 am »

I'm not entirely sure.... You'd lose a tiny bit of timing precision triggering off of a sine wave, lower slope means variation in trigger level sensitivity can manifest as jitter, but you'd be able to adjust the trigger level to hit different phases of the same signal (or have multiple triggers, maybe?) And if it really mattered and you needed a sine, you could just filter it on the input side and be sure. I've yet to see a piece of an equipment with an input that specifies one or the other, but maybe they exist.

As for the listing, it could be just that it's an old one - I think ebay lets some sellers list an item for up to a year, so maybe they were originally selling the older model and then just didn't notice that it changed or didn't remember to update the description. There seem to be a lot of sellers that sell stuff in a lot of genres, so maybe they don't really know much about it.

bitseeker · « **Reply #239 on:** October 11, 2016, 03:56:39 am »

I haven't seen anything that specified sine vs. square, either. Hence, my curiosity.

If anyone has more info, we're keen to know what the deal is on sine vs. square for clock input.

Bryan · « **Reply #240 on:** October 11, 2016, 09:13:34 am »

Quote from: burkm on May 27, 2016, 02:21:07 pm

2nd: A fix for that small frequency "bug" discovered earlier (KE5FX) is been tested right now as mentioned by BG7TBL Testing will go on for several months (!) and a firmware update will be available after that. A fix is not yet available as told by BG7TBL. I hope this will help.

I wonder if the end user will be able to do a firmware update after purchasing?

DaJMasta · « **Reply #241 on:** October 11, 2016, 05:30:33 pm »

It looks like the parts used are off the shelf and the programming header footprints are on the board, just are unpopulated, so I would assume that's a yes.... but I guess one can only wait for official word.

KenGaler · « **Reply #242 on:** November 03, 2016, 08:03:56 pm »

I just order from diyelecmall108 on ebay. I emailed him first and confirmed that the version that he's selling is 2016-05-31 and not the older version he's showing in the pics.

Ken

K1FPV · « **Reply #243 on:** November 03, 2016, 09:55:52 pm »

There was a post a while back where GPS Con was used to monitor the GPSDO. I have the 9/17/16 version and am not able to get GPS Con to communicate with the receiver. Any info on settings?

Thansk,
Bill
K1FPV

K1FPV · « **Reply #244 on:** November 05, 2016, 12:50:02 am »

OOOOPS ! I just noticed I messed up on the date of the GPSDO version. It is supposed to read 9/17/2015....not 2016. Anyone have luck with any kind of control software?

DaJMasta · « **Reply #245 on:** November 05, 2016, 06:53:45 am »

Don't know about GPS Con (and a quick google didn't help), but my version is not controllable via the RS232 port, it just sends the NMEA data as text strings. Many programs can read this, I've been using VisualGPS which is a free download - there's also software from the ublox manufacturer (and this is the GPS can that lives in your GPSDO).

So for monitoring it works great, but you don't get access to any of the feedback or control stuff you can get in more advanced units.

K1FPV · « **Reply #246 on:** November 10, 2016, 06:42:04 pm »

Thanks for the reply. I've tried Visual GPS View to read the data, but unfortunately, it merely prints Hieroglyphics as does Hyper-terminal. I'd just like to see my location coordinates etc as well as the satellites I'm receiving but I guess it is a lost cause with these low end receivers that just output the NMEA data in hieroglyphic form.

DaJMasta · « **Reply #247 on:** November 10, 2016, 07:05:25 pm »

Try changing baud settings, the default for this unit is 9600. When I let my computer go to sleep with the GPSDO connected, when I wake it, all the data coming in is garbled until I reconnect from the menu.

If that fails, maybe try some other settings, it should be standard RS232 communication.

K1FPV · « **Reply #248 on:** November 11, 2016, 06:59:02 pm »

Just got a newer version of the GPSDO from BG7TBL and it does receive the data fine with Visual GPS View. It seems like a neat program now that it is working. Too bad the other makes of Chinese GPSDOs won't work with Visual GPS View.

Bryan · « **Reply #249 on:** November 11, 2016, 08:13:51 pm »

Quote from: K1FPV on November 11, 2016, 06:59:02 pm

Just got a newer version of the GPSDO from BG7TBL and it does receive the data fine with Visual GPS View. It seems like a neat program now that it is working. Too bad the other makes of Chinese GPSDOs won't work with Visual GPS View.

If the RS232 connectors can output NMEA sentences on one of the pins. Using U-Center from U-Blox works very well. Lot's of features.

https://www.u-blox.com/en/product/u-center-windows] [url]https://www.u-blox.com/en/product/u-center-windows[/url]


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Author Topic: bg7tbl gpsdo master reference (Read 370065 times)

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