[time-nuts] Recording mains frequency

[Charles Steinmetz]

Daniel wrote:

>I designed a board with an OCXO, pic microcontroller, power supply, 
>mains interface with optocoupler, and SD card for data 
>collection..    *   *   *  The boards also have a small Li-Ion 
>battery and battery charger for short power outages. Boards are 
>manufatured and the most expensive items have been bought, but not 
>everything yet.

I'm not a grid-nut myself, but your project sounds very 
interesting.  I designed the "simple zero-cross detector" because it 
appeared to me that many potential grid-nuts may be put off by the 
need to design and construct data collection tools, and I thought 
that a very simple hardware detector running into an RS232 port might 
lower this barrier enough to allow more prospective grid-nuts to 
play.  But there is still the matter of receiving, formatting, and 
storing the raw data, and the need to leave a computer on 24/7.  Your 
hardware solves these issues.

Can you share the construction details (schematics, firmware, board files)?

Do you plan to make boards or kits available?

Also, you say you plan to "synchronize a counter between them."  How 
do you plan to do that without some sort of common-view timing source 
at each site (GPS, NTP, etc.), or do you plan to have common-view timing?

Very interesting project -- congratulations, and please keep us updated.

Best regards,

Charles