PCIe Grandmaster Clock
Synchronise · Deploy · Distribute
The Open Time Appliance Mini, re-engineered as a PCIe card. Same multi-band GNSS receiver, same DOCXO oscillator, same software stack, same protocol coverage — host-powered, no rack unit added. Configure your edition below.
From
What It Is
Take the proven Open Time Appliance Mini platform — multi-band GNSS, DOCXO holdover, full PTP/NTP profile coverage, TimeBeat's jitter-attenuation engine — and drop it onto a PCIe baseboard. Three roles in one card: primary edge grandmaster, resilient holdover source, or precision reference for commissioning and audit.
Deployment modes
The Mini 3.0 is more than a single-use timing source. It can anchor a live network, protect timing through GNSS disruption, or travel as a precision reference for commissioning and troubleshooting.
Deploy grandmaster-class PTP and NTP timing inside the host that already serves the workload — DU/CU hosts, trading servers, media gateways, substation gateways. No second appliance, no second cable run, no second SLA to defend.
With the DOCXO upgrade, the Precision Timing edition holds 1.5µs for 24 hours after GNSS loss — parts-per-trillion stability through jamming, spoofing, antenna fault or rooftop disruption. Pair with the host's UPS for true power-and-time resilience.
Slot into a lab or test server to provide a stable, traceable UTC reference for acceptance testing, regulator audits and PTP fault-isolation. Pair with Sync Insight for 12+ months of high-resolution clock telemetry — every offset, every drift event, every Allan-deviation curve.
Trusted Timing
GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou and QZSS tracked simultaneously across L1, L2 and L5. Multi-band reception eliminates ionospheric delay error and gives the receiver enough redundancy to ride out single-constellation jamming. The Precision Timing edition adds Galileo OSNMA — cryptographic authentication of the navigation message, signed by the European GNSS Service Centre. Spoofed signals are rejected before the timing engine ever sees them.
Precision Timing Edition · Galileo OSNMA
Most GNSS receivers accept any signal that looks valid. The Precision Timing edition goes further: Galileo OSNMA cryptographically verifies the navigation message before it is used, ensuring the timing reference itself cannot be spoofed or silently corrupted.
OSNMA cryptographically verifies that Galileo navigation data was signed by the European GNSS Service Centre — before the timing engine acts on it. Spoofed signals are rejected at source.
When OSNMA-authenticated Galileo disagrees with unauthenticated sources, the ensemble drops the suspect inputs and rides on the authenticated subset — keeping the network locked through spoofing and meaconing attacks.
Designed for telecom cell sites, electricity substations, broadcast plant, defence-adjacent infrastructure and any deployment where GNSS denial is a real-world risk — not a theoretical one.
Software-Defined Timing
Multi-band GNSS gives you accurate time. TimeBeat's jitter-attenuation engine gives you stable time — filtering network noise, asymmetric path delay and oscillator phase noise from every timestamp, in real time. Sub-nanosecond residual phase noise to every downstream consumer, on the same software stack that powers our full Open Time Appliance platform.
Continuous Kalman-grade filtering of incoming PTP and GNSS timestamps strips packet-delay variation, asymmetric path delay and burst jitter before they reach your downstream clocks.
Sub-nanosecond OCXO/DOCXO tuning compensates for short-term phase noise and long-term aging. The clock you serve is cleaner than the clock you receive.
Fuse GNSS with upstream PTP, White Rabbit and local oscillators using TimeBeat's BIPM-style ensemble. Outliers are detected statistically and dropped — no phase jumps, no manual intervention.
Direct timing distribution
No external distribution box, no second cable run, no separate appliance in the rack. Half-height and full-height brackets ship in every order — three cards fit a single 1RU server for high-density timing-as-fabric deployments.
Absolute Accuracy
Time Pulse Jitter
OCXO Holdover · 8hr
Find your precision
All three editions share the same Mini 3.0 baseboard, software stack, and full protocol profile support. The decision comes down to accuracy, oscillator performance, and holdover requirements.
Flagship
From £799.95
Best Value
From £285.95
Entry
From £75.95
| Specification | Precision Timing | Lite | Essential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timing accuracy | <5ns | ≤10ns | 30ns |
| OCXO holdover (standard) | 1.5µs / 8hr | — | — |
| DOCXO holdover (upgrade) | 1.5µs / 24hr | — | — |
| GNSS bands | L1 / L2 / L5 | L1 / L2 / L5 | L1 / L5 |
| GNSS Constellations | GPS + GAL + GLO + BDS + QZSS | GPS + GAL + BDS | GPS + GAL |
| Galileo OSNMA (authenticated GNSS) | Yes | Firmware upgradable | — |
| Stability range | ±1ppb (-55→105°C) | ±1ppb (-40→85°C) | — |
| Frequency outputs | 10MHz + dual programmable | — | — |
Every edition shares the same Mini 3.0 base board. PTP profiles, NTP, PPS and software stack are identical across all three.
PCIe Card or Mini Box?
The Open Timecard Mini 3.0 (this product) and the Open Time Appliance Mini ship the same multi-band GNSS, DOCXO, software stack and protocol coverage. The decision is form factor, power and density — not timing performance.
| Open Timecard Mini 3.0 (PCIe) | Open Time Appliance Mini (box) | |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | Half- or full-height PCIe card | 144 × 82 × 44 mm desktop / shelf box |
| GNSS receiver | L1/L2/L5 multi-band, up to 5 constellations | Identical |
| Oscillator / holdover | OCXO 8 h std · DOCXO 24 h upgrade | Identical |
| PTP / NTP profile coverage | Every major profile | Identical |
| Power | Host PCIe — no DC supply needed | 30 W barrel jack + battery |
| Outage survival | Inherits host UPS / redundant PSU | On-board battery pack |
| Density | Up to 3 cards in a 1RU server | One unit per shelf or desk |
| Field portability | Server-resident — not portable | Carry-on portable, battery-powered |
| Best fit | DU/CU hosts · trading servers · dense edge · ST 2110 plant | Field test · OB trucks · audit / commissioning · portable reference |
| Starting price | From £225 | From £1,495 |
| View product | Build Yours Now → | Discover More → |
Technical Details
Key Timing Performance
Absolute Accuracy
Differential Timing
Time Pulse Jitter
OCXO Daily Stability
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| GNSS receiver | u-blox multi-band — L1/L2/L5 (PT & Lite), L1/L5 (Essential). −167 dBm tracking sensitivity, 26 s cold start. |
| Constellations | PT: GPS + GAL + GLO + BDS + QZSS · Lite: GPS + GAL + BDS · Essential: GPS + GAL |
| GNSS authentication | Galileo OSNMA cryptographic signal authentication (Precision Timing only) |
| PTP / NTP outputs | All major profiles — Default, Enterprise, IEC 61850-9-3, IEEE C37.238, ITU-T G.8265/G.8275, SMPTE 2059-2, AES67/RAVENNA |
| Oscillator (PT, standard) | OCXO — 1.5µs / 8hr holdover, sub-picosecond tuning |
| Oscillator (PT, optional upgrade) | DOCXO — 1.5µs / 24hr holdover, parts-per-trillion stability |
| Frequency outputs (PT only) | 10MHz fixed + dual programmable Freq-A / Freq-B (1Hz–1GHz) |
| Antenna connector | SMA — active multi-band GNSS antenna recommended |
| Host interface | PCIe IO — host-powered, no DC barrel jack required |
| Brackets | Half-height/ Full-height or Both bracket |
| Software | TimeBeat software stack — identical across all Mini 3.0 editions and the Open Time Appliance Mini box. |
| Jitter attenuation | Real-time Kalman-grade filtering of network and oscillator phase noise. Sub-nanosecond residual phase noise delivered to downstream consumers. |
| Telemetry | 1-second-resolution clock metrics streamed to Sync Insight (optional) — 12+ months retention, Allan-deviation analytics, MiFID II / CAT compliance reports. |
| Operating temperature | 0 °C to +50 °C operating, −55 °C to +105 °C storage. RoHS compliant. |
Bracket I/O & Host Interface
Bracket I/O
Host Interface
10MHz and Freq-A/Freq-B SMA outputs are populated only on the Precision Timing edition. PTP and NTP are delivered through the host server's NIC, disciplined by the card's Precision Hardware Clock.
Protocol Support
A flexible timing endpoint for heterogeneous networks, with support spanning enterprise PTP, utility, broadcast, telecom, NTP, PPS, and frequency distribution — no licence fees, no add-ons, out of the box.
Default Profiles
Power Profiles
Broadcast Profiles
Telecom Profiles
PTP Versions
Additional Protocols
IEEE 1588 Clock Modes
The TimeBeat Lineup
Go bigger
The full-size open-hardware timing card. Built for high-density rack environments where precision at scale is non-negotiable.
From £2,995Portable sibling
Same engine as the Mini 3.0 — same GNSS, same DOCXO, same software stack — in a 144 × 82 mm box with an on-board battery. Carry to site for commissioning, audit and field validation.
From £3,995Complete your build
Timestamping NICs, active GNSS antennas, and PCIe accessories — everything needed to go from card to running system.
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