You could also configure the time service to update every 10 minutes,
even the XP one. Then, it would never get very far out of sync. I'd
suggest having it sync to the house computer, and have it sync to the
outside world. Then, if there's an internet delay, it won't be the
guiding computer that's waiting.
Craig Colvin wrote:
>I can think of two possiblities.
>
>1) It actually is the battery. Just because the computer is new doesn't mean
>the motherboard didn't sit on a shelf for a while.
>
>2) It could possibly be temperature dependent. The real time clocks on PCs
>use a low frequency, typically very cheap crystal to set the time, crystals
>are very sensitive to temperature and change frequency as the temperature
>changes. This especially true for the cheap crystals. You might want to put
>a thermometer in the PC and see what the temperature is thoughout the
>evening and if it appears that is lower than it should be then you could
>look at getting a higher quality crystal to replace the cheap one on the
>motherboard.
>
>-- Craig
>
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: sf-bay-tac-bounces@No-Spam [mailto:sf-bay-tac-bounces@No-Spam]On
>>Behalf Of Mike J. Shade
>>Sent: Monday, April 28, 2003 8:23 PM
>>To: sf-bay-tac@No-Spam; TAC-imaging@No-Spam
>>Subject: [TAC] Computer time problem
>>
>>
>>Running a 1200GTO with The Sky, Tpoint, Maxim, ST8E, CFW8 over a
>>network. There are two computers one in the observatory and one in the
>>house. At the start of an evening will update both clocks via an
>>Internet
>>time service. The mount will slew fine and point well but then I notice
>>that the observatory clock is "slipping" in that it is slower than the
>>house computer and it will be perhaps several minutes SLOW over
>>say 1/2 an
>>hour or so. Pointing will suffer as well.
>>
>>Anyone have any idea what the heck is going on here? The
>>computer is less
>>than a month old so I don't suspect the battery for the clock and it
>>shouldn't make any difference if it is plugged in and all that. It seems
>>as if this is a new problem and have tried several programs to
>>set the time.
>>
>>Could it be that the system is in stand by mode during the day or
>>something
>>weird like that and this is annoying the time signature?
>>
>>Oh, Windows XP Professional...
>>
>>Mike J. Shade: mshade@No-Spam
>>Sonoita Hills Observatory, Sonoita Arizona
>>
>>See work done at the observatory: http://c3po.cochise.cc.az.us/astro
>>under the "photographs and images" panel on the left of the screen.
>>
>>"I like the dark, it's cheap." E. B. Srooge
>>
>>
>>
>>
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