Synchronised Digital Clock Systems

This article discusses the methods utilised to achieve synchronised digital clock time displays throughout an organisation. Focusing particularly on Ethernet Networked NTP Digital Wall Clock Systems utilising Power-over-Ethernet.

Synchronised digital clocks allow a number of individual time clock displays to show identical accurate time. Individual stand-alone digital clocks each drift at different rates eventually all display differing times. This article discusses the methods utilised to achieve synchronised digital clock time displays throughout an organisation.

Radio-Controlled Digital Clock

Many digital clocks are available with radio receivers that synchronise to radio time broadcasts that are freely available in many areas. Time and frequency broadcasts such as the DCF-77 broadcast from Germany, the MSF-60 broadcast from the UK and the WWVB broadcast from the US. These time and frequency broadcasts provide an accurate timing reference for digital clocks to synchronise. However, often installation problems are encountered due to the fact that in particular locations the radio signal quality may be very low or even non-existent. Mounting radio-controlled digital clocks in basements or inside metal structures or too close to electrically noisy equipment can all cause radio reception difficulties. Also, radio transmissions are local to the transmitter and do not extend beyond a finite range.

Wired Digital Clock Systems

Many synchronised digital clock systems operate on a bespoke serial network. They utilise a multi-drop RS422 or RS485 wired serial network. Each clock is generally mains powered at the point of installation. The digital clocks synchronise to a master clock on the wired network that may be synchronised to a GPS or radio external time reference. Only an optimally located single external timing receiver is required to synchronise all the clocks. The advantage of such systems is that the equipment costs are fairly low. However, this can often be outweighed by the installation costs of a dedicated network for the clock system.

Ethernet NTP Digital Clock Systems

Ethernet NTP digital wall clock time displays utilise NTP over Ethernet to display a continuously accurate synchronised time. The digital clocks connect directly to an Ethernet network and periodically synchronise using SNTP to a NTP Time Server.

Ethernet NTP digital clock time displays are available with four-inch high numerals with four or six digits. The large time display makes the clocks easily visible from a distance of up to 150 feet. The large wall clock obtains time from an intranet or Internet based NTP server, to provide an accurate time display, synchronised to one-fifth of a second. Ethernet NTP digital wall clocks operate with any NTP or SNTP time resource such as a dedicated NTP Time Server. Additionally, the units can utilise Internet based time sources, such as NIST.

For simplicity of operation, synchronised digital clocks are Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) devices (IEEE 802.af) using the same network components as IP telephones. The large digital wall clocks plug into an Ethernet jack on a local area network. No mains socket is required; the device is powered from the network jack plug. Installation is therefore very straightforward, and it's easy to move units around.

A synchronised Ethernet NTP digital clock system has a number of advantages. Firstly, installation costs are reduced due to the use ?common' network components, such as CAT5 and Ethernet hubs and switches. In many cases the network infrastructure may already be present. Additionally, no mains spur is required at the clock location, reducing installation costs. The clocks can also reference multiple time sources in the event of failure of a time reference.

The devices are powered over standard CAT5 cabling using Power-over-Ethernet (IEEE 802.af), the same Ethernet standard as Voice-over-IP telephones. If your network is not PoE enabled, single or multi-port mid-span converters (power injectors) are available at very reasonable cost.

Ethernet NTP Digital Clock Configuration

Networked digital clocks can easily be configured from any PC on the same network segment as the clocks. Configuration simply consists of opening a telnet session to a specified clock and entering password information. Once a connection is established there are a number of configuration commands available to the administrator. All digital clocks can therefore be configured from a single point.

Time Zone Configuration

NTP Ethernet digital clocks can be configured to the display local time in any time zone. There are a number of pre-configured common time zones that can easily be selected. Alternatively, any time zone and daylight saving configuration can be specified by supplying offsets and daylight saving start and end times.

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Dave Evans develops Digital Clock and NTP Server synchronisation systems to ensure accurate time on PC?s and computer networks. Click here to find out more about NTP Server and Digital Clock Systems.

 

Achieving Goals Through Management Systems

Many leaders understand the importance of achieving goals, but have little skill at motivating their subordinates to meet these goals. Often leaders in this position end up blaming the people they lead. Most often the fault lies with the leaders in ability to focus effort toward a specific result.

A thriving leader finds ways to focus effort toward their desired results. For example, the factory manager knows that they want to lower the number of accidents, but having fewer accidents is a fairly abstract concept. However the number of days since the last accident is a very concrete idea that is easy for everyone to grasp. It helps measure the concept of having fewer accidents in a way that is easy to comprehend and measurable. Many factories have found they can lower the number of accidents simply by making people cognizant of how well they are doing toward achieving the goal.

The difficulty is to find proper thing to measure. There was an IT department where the manager decided to measure the number of trouble tickets they closed each week. This metric was used as part of the employees? performance review. However, if everything was running just fine with no problems, there were no trouble tickets to close.

The employees began shutting down networking equipment for 10 minutes at a time, so users would open a bunch of tickets. Then they would turn the equipment back on and close all of the tickets. This increased the metric used for their review.

If an IT department is functioning well, the number of problems from system outages will be very low. The manager basically created problems because problems were what was being measured.

Making the metrics visible keeps people focused on the desired results. A skilled leader can identify the measurements of success and come up with innovative ways to make those metrics visible and easy to understand.

Please visit www.leadership501.com to find out more about management systems and other leadership topics.

Restaurant Employee Tip Tracking Easier Through A Point Of Sale System

Restaurant Employee Tip Handling

The History Of Restaurant Employee Tip Handling

No one knows when tipping began. But we do know that in the 1980's the IRS levied new regulations on restaurant owners to track the tips received by the employees of the restaurant.

The magic number of 8% became the benchmark for servers and waiters to declare as their tipped earned. Not because it was accurate. Rather, because it was the minimum amount allowed by the IRS.

The trick is this. Tipped employees in restaurants are generally not paid minimum wage. The amount varies from state to state but it runs between $2.15 to $3.15 per hour. The IRS assumes that the tips received will make up the difference between this low hourly amount and the true minimum wage that is currently $5.15 per hour. If this is not the case, then it is up to the restaurant owner to make up the difference between what the tipped employee earned + declared tips and minimum wage. This makes accurate tip declaration, tracking and reporting a vital aspect of running a restaurant.

The Need For Restaurant Employee Tip Handling

You need a employee time clock system that recognizes tipped employees, tracks their individual sales, any charge tips collected and requires them to declare cash tips at the end of their shift.

You also need a employee time clock system that can handle tip sharing, tip pooling and tip out to bus help, bartenders and other servers.

You need a employee time clock system that will track the hours worked and tips collected and recognize problems with employees not declaring enough tips to meet the minimum wage requirements.

The Solution Of Restaurant Employee Tip Handling

Some point of sale software products have tip tracking built into their time in attendance module. Once you set an employee as a tipped employee the system will require tip declaration prior to clock out.

Servers and waiters who ring sales will have their total sales tracked. Tips collected through credit card sales are tracked and shown on the server closeout report. Prior to clock out the server/waiter will be shown their total sales, the charge tips collected and then asked to declare their cash tips.

Some point of sale products do allow for programming flexibility with this feature:

* You may change the minimum declaration from the default of 8%.
* You may change the requirement to declare tips at clock out.
* You may opt to have the system print a chit with their tips shown.
* You may opt to not show charge tips on the declaration screen.

The Benefit Of Restaurant Employee Tip Handling To You

How do you measure the amount of relief a person can have knowing that your point of sale system is enforcing tip regulations levied by the IRS? Not to mention the mass amount of time savings in tracking declared tips, charge tips and hour worked for every tipped employee.

This is one headache you don't want to have to deal with. If you have tipped employees you need a good point of sale system with tip tracking and time and attendance.Jerry D. Wilson is Director of Internet Sales for DirecTouch Restaurant Point of Sale. With over 25 years of hospitality point of sale experience, he has written several articles explaining the benefits of touch screen and retail point of sale software. Please visit http://www.directouchpos.com or http://www.directretailpos.com for more information.

Three Fact Guide On How To Download Homebrew PSP Software

The PSP is one of the best portable gaming consoles out there. Not only can it play PSP games, music and movies; it also can be made to play games of other consoles too!

So how is this even possible? Well, to take advantage of this unique aspect of the PSP, you need to get you hands on a piece of special 'homebrew' software. Often these homebrew software downloads are referred to as 'PSP emulators'.

As soon as you download homebrew psp software, you can really widen the scope of games you can play. However, please take care to note that although downloading and installing an emulator isn't (technically) illegal, downloading certain 'free' console games so that you can use them on your PSP emulator may be.

So here are three quick facts on how to download homebrew PSP software:

Fact One

All a PSP Homebrew (emulator) does is it makes your PSP games console work as though it were a different games console. For example, if you own Nintendo gameboy game, and you downloaded a Nintendo emulator onto your PSP, your PSP would now be able to play your Nintendo Gameboy games with ease!

Fact Two

Finding PSP emulators is very easy. A basic web search into the term 'PSP emulator' will provide you with a great many websites and forums that offer PSP emulator downloads.

However, your best option is to start by searching for emulators on large official PSP downloading websites. They offer you the opportunity to download emulators for your PSP (as well as downloading a wide range of legal games, music and TV shows).

Fact Three

Make sure PSP emulators can run on your PSP's current firmware. Currently, only PSP's that have firmware versions 1.0 and 1.5 allow emulators to run on them.

You can quickly check your PSP's firmware version simply by scrolling left on the PSP's main screen and selecting the options in the following order: SETTINGS > SYSTEMS SETTINGS > SYSTEM INFORMATION > SYSTEM SOFTWARE. The SYSTEM SOFTWARE option should show you your PSP's firmware version number.

Allen Stevens is a part-time games tester and PSP game enthusiast.

Are You Looking For PSP Game Reviews, Game Cheats, Or A Good PSP Homebrew?

Well you can learn more, about all three, simply by visiting http://www.PspEmulatorsOnline.com/downloads