Yes, one Bodnar mini will feed two Kiwis


Edward (W3ENR / K3WRG)
 

Yes, one Bodnar Mini will feed two Kiwis at the default (32dB) output level, making them more affordable for people with multiples. Or, at least, all seems to be working fine over the last 45 minutes or so.

I used this simple splitter cable:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095WYBHGZ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

I noticed in the GPS tab of the Kiwi admin interface that the Kiwi was still trying to sync with satellites, despite the external clock and clock correction being turned off. (Not to mention no antenna connected.)

I deselected "Navstar" "QZSS" and "Galileo" in the acquire section, and this seems to have stopped that pointless activity.

Edward (W3ENR)


Glenn Elmore
 

Edward,

Thanks for verifying that.  It's possible that more than two Kiwis could be driven but it's a little bit ill-controlled.  The Kiwi's external clock receiver is a nc7sz125 which has an input C of 4 pf spec'd, 10ns/V rise time recommended. 


The Bodnar source is probably not all that close to 50 ohms, though I haven't investigated it. Precisely what sort of waveform and level the '32 mA' N-way drive produces is probably better measured than modeled. It seems likely that it can produce the required ~1V p-p  at the inputs of more than two Kiwis.  A better solution would be an honest driver but that's a lot more fuss.  Maybe someone with a plethora of externally clocked Kiwi's and a fast scope can up the Kiwi count and measure the waveform and performance. It shouldn't hurt anything to simply try it and see what works.

Glenn

On 8/7/22 12:49, Edward (W3ENR / K3WRG) wrote:

Yes, one Bodnar Mini will feed two Kiwis at the default (32dB) output level, making them more affordable for people with multiples. Or, at least, all seems to be working fine over the last 45 minutes or so.

I used this simple splitter cable:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095WYBHGZ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

I noticed in the GPS tab of the Kiwi admin interface that the Kiwi was still trying to sync with satellites, despite the external clock and clock correction being turned off. (Not to mention no antenna connected.)

I deselected "Navstar" "QZSS" and "Galileo" in the acquire section, and this seems to have stopped that pointless activity.

Edward (W3ENR)