Masterclock makes products for people who need accurate time.
Our clocks give a variety of way to display that time.
Their accuracy comes from synchronizing to a trusted source, called a Time Server.
We also make Time Servers, and devices for connecting clocks in a network.
And we make software to show the clocks on a network and configure them.
We have 2 ways to synchronize clocks:
1. Network Time Protocol (NTP)
2. Time Code
Masterclock makes products for each of them, and a couple that handle both.
Both NTP and Time Code are time and date signals sent over wiring.
They differ by the format of the signals and the type of wiring.
A. Wiring:
NTP uses Ethernet (network) cables, Time Code uses coaxial or telephone cables.
B. Format:
NTP has only one format, but Time Code has several.
Most of our Time Code products read the formats called
1. IRIG-B
2. SMPTE
3. EBU
Each format was developed by an industry or the military to best meet their need.
Our clocks use one of these codes to keep their time accurate.
They can get NTP from the Internet because there are public time servers there,
or NTP can be generated locally (on your premises) by a time server.
Local NTP installations have the advantage of greater control
and freedom from reliance on an Internet connection.
Time Code MUST be created locally, as there is no public distribution of it.
So, to fully supply our customers with solutions to their need for accurate time,
Masterclock makes time servers (generators) of both NTP and Time Code
and clocks that can read NTP or Time Code.
The time servers can be referenced to GPS satellites or to their own internal oscillators.
We also make amplifiers, distributors and converters to complete an installation.
There are a lot of settings in our devices, for time zone, daylight saving time, etc.
In fact, we stuff in as many configuration options as we can
and have several software programs to control those settings.
The one for NTP is
WinDiscovery, which sees our devices on an Ethernet network.
The one for Time Code devices is CLKTCD-Set, which sees a clock over a USB cable.
Please look over our products and contact us for answers to your questions.
