CenterClick NTP220 GPS-based NTP Appliance

Hardened time server for the serious.

You have tried running ntpd and chrony, and maybe you have had some success. You wired up your own GPS device, fuddled with configs, and you're proud. But you're tired. You need a reliable STRATUM-1 GPS-based time server on your network because you care about delivering time sensitive data to aircraft networks, but you no longer want to worry about maintaining your own server.

Enter the CenterClick NTP series. Yes, this is a "do not worry about anything, it will just work" NTP server. A pair of these and you will never think twice about time synchronization. Toss the IP addresses of these two NTP workhorses into your DHCP server (or directly in your server configs) and you are good to go.

Here at Airframes, we use the CenterClick NTP servers to worry less about time while also knowing our feeders, development, testing, and production servers are in sync at all times.

Overview

The NTP220 and NTP270 feature a small form-factor measuring about 4.25" x 2.5" x 1".

The front panel contains:

• PPS and NTP LEDs
• The command button (recessed)
• Micro-SD slot
• Power and System LEDs

The back panel contains all connections:

• DC Power input - 5.5mm/2.1mm or 5.5mm/2.5mm barrel connector
• PPS In/Out and Alarm - 4-pin terminal block
• Ethernet - 10/100mbps
• USB-MicroB - Local console configuration
• GPS Antenna - SMA connector

CPU, RAM, and Storage

The NTP220 and NTP270 use a multi-core ARM SoC from AllWinner.

128MB of RAM is integrated with the SoC.

A 512MB SLC NAND Flash is on PCB and stores the OS image and all configruation.

The Micro-SD is available for re-imaging if needed.

GPS Module & Antennas

The NTP220 and NTP270 use a Quectel L76-L GPS Module

An active 3.3V powered antenna is supported.

USB Admin Console

The Micro-B USB connector is controlled by a WCH CH340 UART to USB adapter. This port is configured for 115200 N81 serial communication.

Power Supplies and Backup

The NTP220 takes a single external DC power supply input where as the NTP270 can be powered by dual inputs (DC input and PoE). The NTP270 has hardware fail-over between the 2 inputs. Power consumption is around 1 Watt.

The GPS module and RTC are powered by a rechargeable supercapacitor. If the power inputs are lost during a power outage or are temporarily disconnected. The GPS module and RTC will remain powered for about 3+ hours allowing for a quick re-acquisition of the GPS signal in just seconds instead of 30-90 minutes on a cold boot. The supercap will charge from 0% to 90% in about 20 minutes.

Features

After 3 years of offering the NTP200 and NTP250, we've just released the new NTP220 and NTP270 network appliances with an improved feature set and simplifed hardware design.