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Zeq Pulse

A 10-ppm-crystal microcontroller on a thumb-sized board. Outputs 1.287 Hz, signs Zeqond attestations, pairs as a sibling device.

  • Source → apps/zeq-pulse/index.html + firmware/zeq-pulse/ (≈ 1,700 lines C)
  • Operators → KO42 · TM1 · ZTB1
  • Error budget → 10 ppm oscillator-referenced; < 3 µs peer-to-peer jitter

What it solves​

Software clocks are soft. For regulated deployments (finance, medical, industrial control, critical infrastructure) you want a tamper-evident hardware reference. Zeq Pulse is that: a small microcontroller with a 10-ppm TCXO, a secure element for Ed25519 signatures, and a USB-C interface. It outputs a 1.287 Hz square wave on a GPIO, emits Zeqond witnesses over USB-CDC, and acts as an authoritative sibling device for ZEQ-TETHER-003.

The reference firmware is open-source. The hardware reference design is published under CERN-OHL-P. Any fab can make one. The secure-element key is generated on first boot and never leaves the chip.

The math — 7-step Wizard applied​

StepDecision
1. PrimeKO42 mandatory
2. LimitTM1 + ZTB1 + KO42 = 3
3. Scale10 ppm oscillator, 48 MHz MCU clock
4. Precision< 3 µs peer-to-peer jitter, < 10 µs/day drift without disciplining
5. CompileMaster Equation realised in firmware
6. ExecuteFunctional Equation (on-device)
7. VerifySelf-test against cloud kernel + a known-good Pulse

Verbatim formulas:

  • KO42.1 — ds² = g_μν dx^μ dx^ν + α sin(2π · 1.287 t) dt²
  • TM1 — TM1 = −t + current_utp × period
  • ZTB1 — ZTB1(t, from_base, to_base) = (t × conv_factor) + phase_offset

Runnable worked example — enumerate & attest​

Plug in the device; it appears as /dev/ttyACM0 (Linux) or /dev/tty.usbmodem... (macOS). Then:

zeq pulse status --device /dev/ttyACM0

Expected:

{
  "serial": "ZP-000042",
  "firmware": "1.287.5",
  "tcxo_ppm": 9.8,
  "zeqond_drift_us_day": 6.2,
  "attestation_pubkey_b64": "...",
  "phase_now": 0.4113
}

Request a signed attestation:

zeq pulse attest --device /dev/ttyACM0 --payload "boot ok"

Expected:

{
  "payload": "boot ok",
  "signature_b64": "...",
  "phase_at_sign": 0.4127,
  "zeqond": 1745124200.331
}

Extend it​

  • Air-gapped signing: move the Pulse between machines; each attestation binds the exact Zeqond.
  • Industrial PLC: use the 1.287 Hz GPIO as a timebase input for a safety PLC.
  • HSM replacement: pair the Pulse as a BYOK sibling and use it to wrap data keys.

Seeds​

  • GNSS-disciplined Pulse — onboard GPS input tightens TCXO drift to < 1 µs/day.
  • Atomic-clock Pulse — chip-scale Cs reference for planetary-scale federation.
  • Radiation-hardened Pulse — the firmware compiles on RH-SOC; candidate for space deployments.

Papers​

Middleware active. Kernel on the 1.287 Hz HulyaPulse. Awaiting next Zeqond.