Orolia / Spectracom NetClock 9483 - GPS Time Server repair - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / repair

author: Omn
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 18, 2022, 12:16:21 pm
content: I stumbled upon a faulty Spectracom NetClock 9483 recently that I've just started to troubleshoot.The u-blox M8T GPS module checked out, as did the internal battery & memory module etc. I tried the serial port but wasn't getting anything out of it.I haven't come across this before in an appliance but socketed in the main mainboard is a SOM-4455 - System On Module - containing an AMD CPU, memory socket and a bunch of IO interfaces.I spotted what looked to be a VGA connector on the mainboard near the SOM module and plugged in a monitor just for fun - here's the result:Quite cool to get a picture up on the screen. I tested the CF card externally, and sure enough - it was stuffed.I plugged a keyboard in to the USB port on the back of the appliance and was able to use it to get into the BIOS as well:I read a few of @SoundTech-LG's posts about these units and reached out for help and they found the internal VGA connectivity quite interesting like I did and worth a post

author: SoundTech-LG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2022, 05:40:10 pm
content: Hi, yes the mini computer module (SOM) does have that VGA connector on it. Thought you were referring to a connector on the outer case. Trying to remember if I hooked it up before. The Display results look familiar. Either way it is very good to know.If the serial port was working it's possible you could see interactions on the CLI (command line interface). Not sure if the serial port should work with no CF card installed.

author: rkrenicki1
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 26, 2024, 03:03:04 pm
content: I know that this is an ancient post, but I have recently been able to recover one of these NetClock 9400/SecureSync 1200 units by rebuilding the CF card. The SOM CF slot is supposed to be empty, it boots from the 1GB card that is in the slot on the backplane board. There are a pair of images on archive.org that will get this up and going. Search for "SecureSync 1200" and you will find it.I did have a question about the GPS module though. Both of my SecureSync units have Trimble GPS modules. I purchased a generic u-Blox M8T module to try to upgrade one of them to support Galileo and BeiDou, but the system does not recognize it. I am unsure if it is either incompatible or defective. The form factor of the module is identical and it bolts straight in, so I figured it was a standard. If you still happen to still have your unit, can you tell me how you checked your M8T module? Also, if you can post a photo of it so I can see if mine is actually the same, that would be super helpful too.

author: purplxed
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 11, 2025, 02:47:49 am
content: Quote from: rkrenicki1 on September 26, 2024, 03:03:04 pmI actually have the same problem with two of my SecureSync 1200 units. They're old (serials in the 2000s) and did come with the Trimble Resolution T GPS cards. I have yet to get them to recognize the uBlox M8T module I had laying around, _however_, my newer SecureSync 1200 units (serials in the 22000s) talk to the uBlox M8Ts just fine. There are hardware revisions between the 2000 serial units (Rev B) and the 22000 serial units (Rev D), but I haven't seen anything obvious outside of some deleted caps around the onboard switchers. Depending on how spicy I'm feeling this weekend, I may break out the microscope and have a close look at the circuitry around the oscillator/gps section of the board to see if I can find differences.I'm still investigating, however my guess is the firmware on the timing processor (back of the board in the same location where the SBC sits on the top) differs between the two revs, which would explain the skew around which units can talk to the newer uBlox modules. There's no easy way that I've found to dump the firmware off the flash chip (it's also BGA), so that's a dead-end from my perspective.If you're feeling exploratory, it may be worth poking around in the Linux image as well, there are a ton of binaries in `/usr/bin` which seem to correspond with API calls to the timing hardware.Sorry I don't have a solution for you, but I figured I add some data and let you know you're not alone.PS: One other thing to call out is that my older units are using OCXOs, whereas my newer units are only TCXO. Which oscillator does yours have installed?Edit: The firmware I'm running between the old/new units is also the same (latest from Safran 6.1.0)

author: deandean
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 21, 2025, 08:36:47 am
content: Hello, my CF card is malfunctioning and the Linux system cannot start. Where can I find a backup of this system

author: deandean
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 21, 2025, 08:38:26 am
content: Hello, my CF card is malfunctioning and the Linux system cannot start. Where can I find a backup of this system

author: purplxed
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 29, 2025, 04:22:11 am
content: It kinda depends on what version of the OS your unit was running prior to the SD card failing. Looking at your pictures, you have a low serial/early production 1200 model which means unless you've updated that appliance in the last 6 months or so, it was likely on 5.x, at most.Given that, you can start with the image located here:https://archive.org/download/securesync1200-v596.img/securesync1200-596-clean.img.gzIf you did update the appliance in the last 6 months using the updates available from Safran, you're on 6.x and you'll need to use this image instead:https://archive.org/download/securesync1200-v600.img/securesync1200-600-clean.img.gzYou'll need to copy the raw image (IE remember to un-gzip it) onto a brand newIndustrialCF card (don't use consumer grade CF cards, they will fail very quickly). Keep in mind that the copy must be a bit-for-bit copy (IE use `dd` in Linux, not sure what you'd use in Windows, but there are posts elsewhere on the forums that mention direct-copy software for Windows).Also useful to keep in mind, 1GB industrial flash cards vary wildly in 'formatted' size, so if you run out of space copying that image to a card, you'll need to try another manufacturer.I use 1GB CF cards from SMART, which you can get from Ebay (Model is SS9FD01GH3B4IS01). Or you can use these:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ZNWOSS(Transcend TS1GCF200I). I can also confirm that Transcend Industrial 4GB CF cards will also work, as I have one running in a SyncServer 1200 with zero trouble.PS: You've got a dual power DC/AC unit there, which are hard to find here in the US, I'm jealous!

author: rkrenicki1
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 04:41:26 pm
content: Sorry, I did not get a notification of this reply, so I did not see it until just now. The unit that I kept for my Homelab has the Rubidium oscillator in it, but I've had a few of these over the years with either the OCXO or TCXO. This unit is also AC/DC Dual-powered.I came back to this thread because I installed a Trimble Resolution SMT 360 unit in back shortly after I replied in this thread, and I recently lost reception of all GLONASS satellites. I can see all of the GPS birds without a problem. I dug out my old GNSS modules trying to find another that worked, but the rest that I have (Resolution T 052664 and Resolution SMT 66266) do not give me the option of doing both GPS and GLONASS at the same time.