- Products & Solutions
- / Signal Processing
- / NEO Advanced Applications
- / Reference, Test
- / MTG-3901, ACO-3901
MTG-3901, ACO-3901
Master Timing Generator System
The MTG-3901 master timing generator system is one of the many reasons Harris is leader in reference signal systems. The revolutionary architecture of the MTG-3901 master timing generator system sets new standards for performance, reliability and value.
The MTG-3901 comprises a primary and secondary MTG-3901 master timing generator module and ACO-3901 automatic changeover module - all fully integrated within a single NEO® frame. This revolutionary architecture, in addition to its high-density packaging, offers enhanced reliability when compared to conventional reference generator architectures.
Conventional reference systems are typically composed of separate master-clock and sync-pulse-generator systems. When combined with their own standalone automatic changeover units, these SPG systems consume additional costly rack space. In addition, these standalone systems are typically more expensive and lack sophisticated communication and redundancy features.
All modules in the NEO family can be controlled locally by means of an intuitive card-edge interface or remotely, using the NUCLEUS™ network control panel or CCS Navigator™.
Features
- Fully integrated modular reference signal system
- High-density modular packaging for any application
- Comprehensive array of reference signals
- Integrated automatic changeover module for enhanced reliability
- Harris® CCS™-enabled
Product Details
MTG-3901
The MTG-3901 master timing generator, with its comprehensive array of analog and digital reference signals, leverages the inherent performance, reliability and density of the NEO platform and is the ultimate high-performance, reliable, feature-rich reference signal generator.
- High-density modular packaging for any application
- Operates in conjunction with the ACO-3901 automatic changeover module for enhanced reliability
- CCS-enabled for remote configuration and monitoring
- Comprehensive array of reference signals
- Four independently timeable outputs configurable for analog composite black burst or tri-level sync
- VITC & ATR on blackburst outputs
- DARS
- LTC timecode (2)
- Impulse clock driver
- Available GPS time synchronization
- Onboard modem for synchronization to remote CSD-5300/3901/3902 and MTG-3901
- Onboard NTP server/client for synchronization of computer network
ACO-3901
The ACO-3901 is the next generation solution to the automatic changeover unit. Conventional automatic changeover units are typically packaged as a 1RU chassis that work in conjunction with standalone primary and redundant reference signal generators. The ACO-3901, by leveraging the inherent advantages of the NEO platform, offers superior performance and packaging density over conventional standalone automatic changeover units.
The ACO-3901 module when installed with two MTG-3901 master timing generators in a single NEO frame, offers enhanced reliability, performance and features when compared to any conventional reference signal generator system comprising of standalone reference signal generators and automatic changeover unit.
Features
- Automatic changeover unit on a single module.
- Installed with a primary and redundant MTG-3901 in a single frame for maximum density.
- Switching of all MTG-3901 output signals for enhanced reliability
- Remote configuration and monitoring via CCS.
- Hot-swappable front module with no loss of output signals.
Applications
The MTG-3901 master timing generator system should be utilized in any installation requiring both master clock and SPG functionality. The MTG-3901 supplies all the core reference signals typically required by a broadcast facility.
The MTG-3901 is also ideal for use in ENG, OB van or mobile applications where space is at a premium. When installed in a 1RU configuration, the MTG-3901 occupies from 2RU to 5RU less space than conventional SPG and master clock systems. 3RU configurations of the MTG-3901 can also be used effectively in space-restricted environments by allowing any additional modules to be installed in the same frame.
A new approach to reference signals
The MTG-3901/ACO-3901 master timing system's revolutionary integrated architecture offers additional enhancements when compared to conventional standalone reference signal generator systems.
The MTG-3901 features full integration of reference signal generation and autochangeover functionality. This facilitates enhanced reliability, functionality and lower costs.
The MTG-3901 is the only reference signal system with comprehensive network control and configuration via the Harris-engineered CCS. CCS offers an enhanced level of control and monitoring when compared to conventional reference systems.
The MTG-3901 utilizes a modular form factor. The modular architecture facilitates packaging the MTG-3901 with additional NEO modules. This allows for more efficient use of equipment rack space and simplifies system design and installation.
Utilizing absolute time reference (ATR) technology, the MTG-3901 features a deterministic relationship between all of its reference signals. This simplifies installation and system timing issues. Conventional reference generator systems cannot be locked together deterministically, thereby adding additional cost, complexity and maintenance.
Utilizing Nano-Lock technology, the MTG-3901 and all NEO advanced reference systems are able to offer even greater precision, reaffirming Harris as industry leader in reference systems.
When the MTG-3901 is locked via the GPS-3903 GPS receiver or via the onboard modem, the time difference between its own internal timing engine and the reference time is calculated. Using this information, the MTG-3901 updates its output time and slews its blackburst output timing to correspond with the new timing data. This ensures an accurate source of both time and black burst.
Integrated reference systems that supply both timecode and black burst without Nano-Lock technology can experience blackburst phase discontinuities during time synchronization. This is the result of a sudden shift in blackburst phase when realigning to new timing information acquired during the synchronization. Blackburst discontinuities are a potential source for disruptions for all downstream equipment within a facility.
In addition, the MTG-3901 uses this new timing information to make minute adjustments to its own internal timing engine. After all timing adjustments are complete, the master frequency of the MTG-3901’s timing engine is adjusted to compensate for variations from the reference source. The MTG-3901’s ability to self-discipline its internal timing engine ensures that extended operation of the MTG-3901 will result in maximum precision.
The MTG-3901 Master Timing Generator System utilizes advanced features for maximizing reliability.
Absolute reliability is a major feature of the MTG-3901 master timing generator. The integrated architecture of the MTG-3901 offers enhanced reliability when compared to conventional reference signal generators with standalone automatic changeover units. The MTG-3901 also leverages the inherent reliability of the NEO modular platform and sets a new standard for performance and reliability that has been unheard of in reference signal system platforms until now.
CCS - The MTG-3901 can be controlled and monitored via the Harris-designed Command and Control System. In addition to remote configuration, the status of the MTG-3901s and ACO-3901 can be continuously monitored. If a fault or alarm is detected, it can be instantly reported to the operator for immediate action via the CCS network. This minimizes the time necessary to respond to any potential problem.
DejaView™ - The MTG-3901 can come equipped with Harris® DejaView™ state recovery feature. This will significantly reduce the downtime associated with reconfiguring a new module.
Transparent Switching - The ACO-3901 features transparent switching between the primary and secondary MTG-3901.
Conventional autochangeover units will perform a non-synchronous switch from the primary to secondary SPG on detection of a fault. This hard changeover will be manifested as a discontinuity in the reference signals and result in a potential disruption to any downstream devices locked to the reference generator. With the MTG-3901 Master Timing Generator System, switchover of the unaffected MTG signal outputs will be transparent with no discontinuities of the signal output. The ACO-3901s passive switching relays will also ensure a continuous signal in the event of a total failure of either the primary or secondary MTG-3901.
Switching of up to 3 MTG-3901-FMs - The ACO-3901, in addition to being able to switch two frame internal MTG-3901-FM modules, can also switch a third external source through the external backmodule connections. In the event of a failure of the primary MTG-3901-FM, the secondary MTG-3901-FM will continue operating with a backup, even if it is in failure mode. This is a considerable enhancement to overall system reliability.
Comprehensive monitoring and switching - The ACO-3901 can be configured to monitor and switch all of the output signals from its primary and secondary MTG-3901 modules. Conventional automatic changeover units typically do not offer switching of all of the outputs of their primary and secondary reference signal generators due to connector space limitations on the automatic changeover unit backpanel. This represents a major compromise in reliability. The integrated architecture of the MTG-3901 does not have this limitation.
Standalone power supply - The MTG-3901/ACO-3901 comes equipped with an external DC power jack for use with the PWRSUPPLY-MTG external AC power adapter. When using the MTG-3901 in 1RU frame configurations, power redundancy can be achieved with the onboard frame power supply and external AC power adapter. This facilitates the use of the MTG-3901 in applications requiring both high density and redundancy (mobile production trucks).
Simultaneous configuration - The MTG-3901 offers simultaneous configuration of the primary and secondary MTG-3901 modules. Changes in configuration to the primary MTG-3901 will immediately be reflected in the secondary MTG-3901. Identically configured primary and secondary MTG-3901s will minimize the potential for discontinuities associated with switchover from a primary to secondary reference signal source and simplify setup and maintenance.
The Harris® MTG-3901 provides a unique and innovative approach to reference signal generation.
Images/Diagrams
Block Diagrams
MTG-3901
ACO-3901
Back Modules
MTG-3901
ACO-3901
Specifications
Specifications and designs are subject to change without notice.
| General | |
| Power Dissipation | <20 W |
| Internal Battery Backup | 3 V battery provides >8 hours of internal time keeping |
| External Power Supply Backup | 24 V 1 ADC input powers entire module |
| Heartbeat | Heartbeat LED pulses periodically indicating internal timekeeping is alive |
| DARS | |
| Electrical | Single-ended unbalanced |
| Mechanical | Pin 24 |
| Impulse Drive | |
| Electrical | Single-ended unbalanced |
| Mechanical | Pins 1 and 12
12 V Pulses (300 m/s) Can be configured to low-level voltage to work with the ACO-3901 |
| EIA/TIA-232-E | |
| Electrical | EIA-232 DTE |
| LTC | |
| Input (TCI) | |
| Electrical | Differential balanced |
| Mechanical | Pins 14 (LTC), 15 (LTC), 16 (GND) |
| Format | SMPTE/EBU LTC 24/25/30 drop/non-drop auto-sensing |
| Impedance | Hi-Z (>30 k ohms) or 600 ohms, jumper selectable |
| Input Sensitivity | 500 mV pk-pk |
| CM Range | ±10 V |
| CMRR | 40 dB at 60 Hz |
| Output 1 and 2 (TC1, TC2) | |
| Electrical | Differential balanced |
| Mechanical (output 1) | Pins 17 (LTC), 18 (LTC), 19 (GND) |
| Mechanical (output 2) | Pins 9 (LTC), 10 (LTC), 11 (GND) |
| Format | SMPTE/EBU LTC 24/25/30 drop/non-drop support |
| Impedance | Low-Z (<25 ohms per side) or 600 ohms, jumper selectable |
| Level | 3.9 V pk-pk nominal into 1 k ohms (Low-Z output) |
| Level | 2.5 V pk-pk nominal into 1 k ohms (600 ohms output) |
| Transition time | 40µs ±4 µs measured at 10% and 90% amplitude |
| GPIO | |
| IO1—Trigger Input | |
| Electrical | 5 V TTL-compatible HCT |
| Mechanical | pin 21 |
| Impedance | 10 k ohms |
| Trigger Capture Accuracy | Better than 20 µs |
| IO2—HZ Output | |
| Electrical | 5 V TTL-compatible HCT |
| Mechanical | pin 23 |
| 24 VDC IN | |
| Electrical | 24 VDC, 1 A backup power input |
| Mechanical | Pins 13, 25 |
| PPS Input or Genlock Input Loop-back (PPS/Genlock Loop) | |
| Mechanical | BNC connector |
| Termination | 50 ohms if configured as PPS Input, not terminated if configured as Genlock input loop-back |
| PPS: | |
| Level | TTL; Vih=2.0 V min, Vil=0.8V max |
| Edge Transition | 20 ns maximum |
| Return Loss | >45 dB to 20 MHz |
| Genlock Input (Genlock In) | |
| Electrical | Single-ended unbalanced |
| Mechanical | BNC connector |
| Termination | Not terminated if loop-back BNC is available; otherwise terminated |
| Format | NTSC/PAL with VITC and ATR, or TLS input |
| Level | 1 V pk-pk +6 dB/–4 dB NTSC/PAL, 0.6 V pk-pk +6 dB/–4 dB TLS (SMPTE 274M) |
| Return Loss | >40 dB to 20 MHz |
| Lock Range | ± 6 ppm (NTSC fSC ±21 Hz, PAL fSC ±26 Hz) |
| Video Output (Black Out) | |
| Electrical | Single-ended unbalanced |
| Mechanical | BNC connector |
| Termination | 75 ohms |
| Format | NTSC/PAL-B/PAL-M blackburst with VITC and ATR, or TLS output |
| Level (into 75 ohms) | 1 V pk-pk NTSC/PAL, 0.6 V pk-pk TLS (SMPTE 274M) |
| Return Loss | >40 dB to 20 MHz |
| 10 MHz Input | |
| Termination | 50 ohms |
| Mechanical | BNC connector |
| Level | 2 V pk-pk ±3 dB |
| 10BASE-T Ethernet | |
| Mechanical | RJ45 Connector |
| Network Interface | IEEE 802.3 (Ethernet) 10Base-T interface for NTP application |
| Telephone Line (Telco Line) | |
| Mechanical | RJ11 Connector |
| Telephone Interface | FCC-68 and Industry Canada CS-03 compliant |
| Signaling | Bell 103 (300 b/s) |
| REN | 0.2 “A” |
| NEO MI REF and REFD | LVDS and proprietary single-ended signal on NEO MI |
Ordering Information
| MTG-3901-SYS-1 | MTG-3901 system with FR-3901 frame. Includes 2 MTG-3901-FM modules, 1 ACO-3901 module, FR-3901 frame with blank front panel, power supply, detachable power cord, PWRSUPPLY-MTG standalone external secondary power supply, back modules (as required), fan module, alarm interconnect module, accepts any combination of up to 1 additional NEO series module |
| MTG-3901-SYS-1E | MTG-3901E system with FR-3901-E frame. Includes 2 MTG-3901-FM modules, 1 ACO-3901 module, FR-3901-E frame with blank front panel, power supply, detachable power cord, PWRSUPPLY-MTG standalone external secondary power supply, back modules (as required), fan module, 3901RES-E resource communication module, accepts any combination of up to 1 additional NEO series module |
| MTG-3901-SYS-1P | MTG-3901E-P system with FR-3901-E frame, includes 2 MTG-3901-FM modules, 1 ACO-3901 module, FR-3901-E-P frame with local control panel, power supply, detachable power cord, PWRSUPPLY-MTG standalone external secondary power supply, back modules (as required), fan module, 3901RES-E resource communication module, accepts any combination of up to 1 additional NEO series module |
| MTG-3901-SYS-3 | MTG-3901 system with FR-3923 frame, includes 2 MTG-3901-FM modules, 1 ACO-3901 module, FR-3923 frame with blank front panel, power supply, detachable power cord, PWRSUPPLY-MTG standalone external power supply, back modules (as required), fan module, alarm interconnect module, accepts any combination of up to 9 additional NEO series module |
| MTG-3901-SYS-3E | MTG-3901 system with FR-3923 frame, includes 2 MTG-3901-FM modules, 1 ACO-3901 module, FR-3923 frame with blank front panel, power supply, detachable power cord, PWRSUPPLY-MTG standalone external power supply, back modules (as required), fan module, alarm interconnect module, accepts any combination of up to 9 additional NEO series module |
| MTG-3901-SYS | MTG-3901 system module set, includes 2 MTG-3901-FM modules, 1 ACO-3901 module, PWRSUPPLY-MTG standalone external power supply, requires 3 available slots in NEO frame. NEO frame not included |
| MTG-3901 | NEO modular master reference signal generator. For standalone use in NEO module. BB, tri-level sync, timecode, NTP, DARS output. Includes front module and double height backmodule. Requires 2 unused slots for installation in 1RU or 3RU NEO frame |
| PWRSUPPLY-MTG | Standalone external secondary power supply for MTG-3901 systems |
| MTG-3901-FM | NEO modular master reference signal generator. BB, tri-level sync, timecode, NTP, DARS output. Includes front module only. 2 MTG-3901 modules must be installed with ACO-3901 in same frame, no standalone operation. Requires installation in 1RU or 3RU NEO frame |
| ACO-3901 | NEO automatic changeover module for MTG-3901. Includes single slot front module and 3 slot back module. Operates in conjunction with 2 MTG-3901 modules only. Requires installation in 1RU or 3RU NEO frame |
| GPS-3903 | GPS receiver for time synchronization |
Sales Contacts
- North America +1 800 231 9673
- Caribbean and Latin America +1 786 437 1960
- Europe and Africa +44 118 964 8200
- Middle East and South Asia +971 4 433 8250
- Asia, Pacific Rim +852 2776 0628
