Controller Settings for Synchronization and Timestamping

Overview of controller settings for real-time clock synchronization, multi-controller synchronization, and measurement data timestamping.

Controller Clock and Time Synchronization

The Q.station and Q.monixx controllers operate with their own internal clocks but can also be manually synchronized to a PC or another external time source. This synchronization, in combination with the GI.bench software, can affect the timestamps of data and log files.

Q.sync Protocol for Multi-Controller Synchronization

For high-channel-count or distributed data acquisition systems consisting of multiple controllers, Gantner Instruments’ Q.sync protocol can be used to synchronize all controllers within a system. In this setup, a master controller is defined, which can be synchronized to an external time source, and all subsequent slave controllers are synchronized to the master using the Q.sync protocol.

Controller Time Zone Configuration

When synchronizing a controller, the real-time clock is set to the UTC+0 time zone. In GI.bench DAQ software or the GI.cloud user interface, timestamps are automatically adjusted to the local time zone configured on the PC. When data logging is performed on the controller itself, data is always timestamped in UTC.

A time zone offset can be set in the controller settings:

  1. Double-click the controller (or right-clickEditEdit Controller).

  2. Navigate to the General section and Enable location details.

  3. The Time zone parameter will appear below.

Changing this setting offsets the timestamps of log files from UTC to the selected time zone (e.g., EST = UTC–5).