So, in effect, a 1PPS signal would be sufficient to clock second to second? I suppose it could be, there would be little drift in the oscillator per the second.

As for NTP, this has been suggested to me, and I acknowledge its place, certainly. However, I do not wish to tie up network resources in terms of clocking, and GPS provides me with an independent reference - Navsync CW12-TIMs can be had for $89, and do not tie up network resources. You could then say "Ah, but you said a 1PPS is fine... now you're saying 1PPS via the network isn't?" That is due to a mesh topology being used in the eventual network, and the bandwidth, latency and propagation issues inherent in such a network. I wish to dedicate the network wholly and solely to requisite control data traffic, not superfluous traffic like clocking, which may not get there in time. Certainly, mine is a complex undertaking, but one I think can work.


On Wed, Jan 1, 2014 at 9:03 AM, erik quanstrom <quanstro@quanstro.net> wrote:
> Of things interrelated, I wish to sample a 10kHz square wave into a GPIO,
> which I am certain the RPi will do, see my earlier post with link to RPi
> forums. This will be a constant signal (an output of a GPSDO, with
> potentially a rubidium oscillator backup). So while the 10kHz is constant,
> the users input is not, and I wish to correlate in time the users input to
> the rising edge of the 10kHz signal, as it is then to be sent over a
> network with the time data of the event.
[...]
>
> I could be wildly off here Erik in my way of thinking, but my motivation is
> to extend the syncfs module to correlate precisely in time. The example
> system used by the Indiana University had no synchronisation across the
> network - presumably the only synchronised filesystem was the local
> filesystem on the cart robot? I will also be writing some kind of memory
> bounding for the ramfs. So, the events themselves are asynchronous and
> non-deterministic, however the clock source against which the events are
> placed in time is deterministic, and allows for easy reference and auditing.
>
> Perhaps there is a better way of doing this, I am not sure. Remember, I am
> an outsider to Plan 9 ways of thinking, although I am mostly unspoiled by
> Linux ways of thinking. To be precise, my ways of thinking are MSDOS, if
> that is at all possible in this day and age. I accept any and all better
> suggestions.

it seems that the system timer is already 1mhz.  but i suppose the issue is
that there is no external reference.  do you think you could get .1 ppm
time resolution with ntp between raspberry pis?  if not, i don't think i know
enough about your setup to say much of use other than to note frequency
is not directly related to precision.  if local timing can is stable to .1ppm for
a longish period of time, then a low-frequency strobe of high precision and
known timing could be enough.  the bbc does this with the tone at the top
of the hr.

- erik