Frequency and Timing Systems (FTS) Service Offerings

Our team of specialists provides comprehensive solutions across a wide range of applications:

Consulting and Special Projects

Plan for success. If you are working on a network synchronization design, expansion, disaster recovery plan or another special project, our consultants have extensive knowledge about the synchronization market and can provide expert advice that will help your project run smoothly. We can support special projects with customized plans and pricing packages that will meet your requirements.

Precision Time Scale System Integration

We offer custom system development and integration for a wide variety of precision time and frequency applications. We also design and integrate complex timing systems that meet various levels of redundancy, provide multiple time and frequency outputs and apply the most accurate GNSS and SatCom techniques to measure offsets between geographically dispersed clocks. We develop all the hardware and software algorithms required to implement these systems and have an extensive support network that includes installation services, training and long-term maintenance.

We will work with you through each phase of your project’s lifecycle to define and provide:

• Derivation of specifications
• Design
• Reliability analysis
• Hardware
• Software
• Time-scale rack integration
• Acceptance testing
• Site installation
• Testing and inspection
• Training
• Long-term maintenance

Maintenance Services

Our contract-based maintenance programs are a cost-effective way to increase your operating efficiency and keep your vital telecom network equipment up and running. Services include round-the-clock technical support, hardware and software maintenance, spares support and disaster recovery units that can be immediately operational if a service outage occurs.

Global Technical Support

Our technical support staff, made up of subject matter experts and design engineers, is available globally, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They can answer your technical questions, troubleshoot problems and resolve any issues quickly and efficiently. Support is available for all our hardware, embedded software and firmware. For your convenience, we offer pricing for support services on an hourly or annual contract basis. Please call us or email us for assistance.

Expert On-Site Maintenance

Our on-site maintenance service is available on a contract or on a per-call basis. If your Microchip equipment problems can’t be resolved via telephone, one of our technical experts will travel to your location to evaluate the equipment, troubleshoot the problem and make any necessary repairs using field-replaceable plug-ins or spares. Our on-site maintenance services are available on an annual contract basis, with short response times, or on a case-by-case basis.

Extended Warranty

Our extended warranty contracts extend the initial return-to-factory repair warranty services for our hardware products. With an extended warranty, we will provide you with a contract return authorization number to save you the time and expense in requesting, purchasing and processing payments for individual repairs. It offers you certified factory repair services; an update to the latest revision level, when appropriate, and a short repair turnaround time so that you get the service you need as quickly as possible.

Rapid Replacement Services

We build our products to be durable. However, if a unit fails, you want it replaced as quickly and with as little effort on your part as possible. Our rapid replacement services eliminate the time-consuming effort of creating purchase orders to get replacement spares or schedule repairs. Simply call us to request replacements for any failed units, and we will send replacements to your location. We will include a pre-paid return waybill and packaging for the failed units, so you can easily return them to our regional warehouse.

Software Maintenance

Troubleshooting and problem resolution are just some of the software maintenance services we offer. Our software maintenance contracts provide support for the operation and maintenance of your synchronization network. We offer global technical support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year that covers the installation, operation and maintenance of our software. During the contract period, we provide patches, point releases, maintenance releases and related documentation to keep your purchased software up to date and operational.

Direct Cesium Tube Replacement

Our direct cesium tube replacements service is a cost-effective alternative to purchasing a new unit. Replacements are available for standard-performance and high-performance cesium tubes for many models of cesium instruments that we manufacture.

Calibration Services

Our calibration service for select cesium, rubidium and quartz instruments helps ensure your unit’s accurate performance in critical, high-reliability timing applications. Cesium units undergo a Frequency Accuracy Stability measurement in our factory and are calibrated to published specifications from the United States Naval Observatory (USNO). Rubidium and quartz units are calibrated to our factory-standard specifications. We also conduct a physical evaluation of each product, so we’ll let you know if your unit needs any repairs.

Repairs

You may request and purchase repairs on a case-by-case basis. We offer return-to-factory repairs for current and discontinued products. To request repair work, simply submit a request for a repair through the myMicrochip portal.

Flexible Installation Service on Your Schedule

When you need your equipment installed and up and running immediately, we can schedule installation assistance to meet your deadline. We can install your equipment during or after normal business hours. We only consider the installation complete when your equipment is in place and working properly. When you purchase our installation service for multiple units, we automatically include project management and status reporting at no additional charge to help you stay in control of the project.

Site Survey Plans for Success

Our site survey service ensures your installation proceeds smoothly. A pre-installation checklist identifies any issues before work begins, so we can plan around them. The site survey allows us to determine ahead of time exactly what you need for a successful installation, including cable lengths, the type of conduit and the optimal GNSS antenna location, if applicable.

Training Courses

Properly trained employees who know how to keep our products operating at peak efficiency are one of the best, most cost-effective investments you can make in your system or network. Taught by our expert instructors, our product training courses focus on the installation, operation, troubleshooting and maintenance of our products. Your employees will learn about the synchronization and timing skills they need to properly operate and maintain your Microchip equipment. Students attending our courses receive a certificate of completion.

Custom Training

Custom training brings the training to you. We have years of experience in working with customers to define instructional programs to meet their unique requirements. Our instructors collaborate with your staff to develop curriculum, define the length and scope of instruction and deliver the custom training programs and seminars at a location you designate or at our state-of-the-art training facilities.