SGT Solutions, which positions itself as one of SA’s leading systems integrators, was announced as the recipient of the prestige Microchip’sDiamond Award Microchip’s – Frequency and Timing Systems (FTS) EMEA Channel Partner Conference in October 2024. A Diamond award is the pinnacle accolade bestowed to a channel partner for sterling results.
“The Diamond award was very apt considering the pressure the team worked under. The award was based on the company’s significant EMEA revenue successes for the past year. Additionally, it draws particular attention to the close relationship between SGT and Microchip in enhancing our focus to deliver value to our customers,” highlights Suraj Ramlall, GM at SGT Solutions. The sterling success was derived from solutions with the flagship product TimeProvider 4500.
The TimeProvider 4500 builds on the features of its predecessor, the TimeProvider 4100, and introduces several enhancements:
- The world’s first IEEE 1588 PTP Grandmaster with high-speed network interfaces.
- Support for up to 25Gbps ethernet (GbE), with options for 1GbE, 10GbE or 25 GbE.
- An innovative hardware platform that achieves time accuracy below one nanosecond.
The TimeProvider 4x00 series is a top-tier Grandmaster offering extensive port fanout for Packet-Based Timing, including legacy ports. The TimeProvider 4100 family provides a range of oscillators, expansion modules and operational modes. These modes, each with specific capabilities, allow the device to function as a:
- Gateway clock.
- High-performance boundary clock.
- Enhanced primary reference time clock (ePRTC).
- Virtual primary reference time clock (vPRTC – NEW architecture).
To further enhance this portfolio, Microchip has released the TimeProvider XT Extension with the following features:
The system allows you to migrate E1/T1/CC signal outputs to the TimeProvider 4100 Grandmaster while supporting all future protocols and standards.
- The frequency source for the TimeProvider XT extension system is a TimeProvider 4x00 Grandmaster with up to 200 framed E1, T1, DS1, CC, 2.048MHz and 1.544MHz outputs.
- All configurations, status monitoring and alarm reporting are done via the TimeProvider 4x00 Grandmaster.
Coherent Network PRTC (cnPRTC) architecture
This new architecture prescribes:
- Leveraging the existing optical network to avoid using expensive dark fibre.
- Using dedicated lambda to transport time in the most rapid way to provide the utmost resiliency.
- A redundant source of time based on ePRTC that can deliver 30ns performance and use a combination of Caesium clocks and GNSS as the source of time.
- Offering East and West flows of time to provide a redundant path from source to end point.
- Offering a chain of high-precision MD HPBCs that can meet the highest level of performance defined by T-BC Class D 5ns standards.
“As usual, it was fantastic to engage with colleagues from the EMEA and Americas regions. Our discussions on current trends and technology updates were very productive. It’s always inspiring to see younger members not only joining the team but stepping up with such enthusiasm and expertise. Their passion and insightful contributions indeed bode well for a secure and promising future in the world of timing,” said Gregory Lloyd, Business Unit Head at SGT Solutions.
SGT Solutions was born out of the Grintek Group in 1993 and has been part of the Saab South Africa group of companies since 2005, trading as Saab Grintek Technologies. It was recently acquired by African Equity Empowerment Investments (AEEI) and renamed SGT Solutions, with 74% black ownership and 39% black women ownership, and was recently awarded B-BBEE level one status.
For more information on the Microchip-FTS portfolio, please contact Gregory Lloyd on glloyd@sgtsolutions.co.za.
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