Accurate Timestamps

[Ken_Winters]

I'm using LabWindows/CVI on a Windows-10 running PXIe-8880 controller in a PXIe-1078 chassis to control external Spectrum Analyzers. I don't require any synchronization, just accurate (in the range of 1 - 10 mS) timestamps that I log to a disk file when I send the trigger command to a SpecAn.

I've been reading a little about NI-TimeSynch and PXI-6883, but that seems like an enormous overkill for what I actually need. A network based NTP server would freak out our IA people and require months to get approval, so that's not a preferred route. What's the easiest way to get accurate timestamps in LabWindows/CVI? IRIG-B? GPS antenna to PXI GPS card? Or something else?

Thanks,
Ken

[Ken_Winters]

I'll answer my own question, in case anyone else has it in the future. I found 2 manufacturers (ESE and Meinberg) of IRIG-B to USB adapters for around $500. A background service will keep the PC clock accurate to under 1 mS and I don't have to modify my existing LabWindows software at all. And my IA people won't complain that I'm hooking a stand-alone computer to a network.