End-to-end Test Synchronization
Certain kind of test requires the setup of two or more Mentor 12 units separated in different locations and synchronized with each other. In this case, a very high precision reference clock is necessary, in order to obtain the required timing to trigger the State Sequencer or the reproduction of Fault playback (Comtrade files) on separate units.
The Mentor 12 equipment allows for this synchronism by the use of two alternatives of very precise time reference inputs: GPS and IRIG/B. It requires the installation of the corresponding Printed Circuit Board:
MENTOR- GPS: GPS board, antenna, and extension cable
MENTOR-IRIGB: IRIG-B adapter for MENTOR 12
The GPS signal is broadcasted via satellite, and can thus be received at any place on the terrestrial globe, unlike the use of an IRIG/B signal, which requires the presence of a local setup that generates this signal and transmits it via cable to the Mentor 12.
The GPS and IRIG/B boards are plug-and-play; once the hardware has been detected and the signal is received, the unit is in disposition to initiate a State Sequence or execute a Comtrade file in a previously defined instant with a precision of microseconds.