diff --git a/lib/tdm_ripper.hpp b/lib/tdm_ripper.hpp
index dee8d85..40d7a7f 100644
--- a/lib/tdm_ripper.hpp
+++ b/lib/tdm_ripper.hpp
@@ -254,36 +254,15 @@ public:
     // average year of Gregorian calender
     const double avgdaysofyear = 365 + 1./4 - 1./100 + 1./400;
 
-    // std::tm epochStart = {};
-    // epochStart.tm_sec = 0;
-    // epochStart.tm_min = 0;
-    // epochStart.tm_hour = 0;
-    // epochStart.tm_mday = 1;
-    // epochStart.tm_mon = 0;
-    // epochStart.tm_year = 2040;
-    // epochStart.tm_wday = 0;
-    // epochStart.tm_yday = 0;
-    // epochStart.tm_isdst = -1;
-    // std::time_t epochtst = std::mktime(&epochStart);
-
     // convert string to long int = number of second since 0000/01/01 00:00
     long int ts = atol(unixts.c_str());
+    assert( ts > 0 );
 
-    // int year = (int)floor((double)ts/(avgdaysofyear*86400));
-    // int month = (int)floor((ts-year*avgdaysofyear*86400)/(30*86400));
-    // int day = (int)floor((ts-year*avgdaysofyear*86400-month*30*86400)/86400);
-    // int daysec = ts-year*avgdaysofyear*86400-month*30*86400-day*86400;
-    // int hour = (int)floor(daysec/3600.);
-    // int mins = (int)floor((daysec-hour*3600)/60.);
-    // int secs = (int)floor((daysec-hour*3600-mins*60));
-
-    // return std::to_string(year)+"-"+std::to_string(month)+"-"+std::to_string(day)
-    //  +"  "+std::to_string(hour)+":"+std::to_string(mins)+":"+std::to_string(secs);
-
-    // use STL to convert timestamp
-    // std::time_t tstime = std::time_t(ts)-epochtst;
+    // use STL to convert timestamp (epoch usually starts from 01.01.1970)
     std::time_t tstime = ts - 1970*avgdaysofyear*86400;
-    return std::ctime(&tstime);
+
+    // get rid of linebreak character and return the result
+    return std::strtok(std::ctime(&tstime),"\n");
   }
 
   std::string time_stamp(int groupid, bool startstop = true)
diff --git a/pytdm_ripper.pyx b/pytdm_ripper.pyx
index 1d65785..6fa9c47 100644
--- a/pytdm_ripper.pyx
+++ b/pytdm_ripper.pyx
@@ -50,6 +50,9 @@ cdef class pytdmripper:
     def channel_length(self,int groupid, int channelid):
         return self.cripp.channel_length(groupid,channelid)
 
+    def time_stamp(self,int groupid, bool startstop):
+        return self.cripp.time_stamp(groupid,startstop)
+
     def get_min(self,int groupid, int channelid):
         return self.cripp.get_min(groupid,channelid)
 
diff --git a/tdm_ripper.pxd b/tdm_ripper.pxd
index fc39377..3fe0752 100644
--- a/tdm_ripper.pxd
+++ b/tdm_ripper.pxd
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 # use some C++ STL libraries
 from libcpp.string cimport string
 from libcpp.vector cimport vector
+from libcpp cimport bool
 
 cdef extern from "tdm_ripper.cpp":
     pass
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@ cdef extern from "tdm_ripper.hpp":
         int channel_exists(int,string)
         vector[double] get_channel(int)
         int channel_length(int,int)
+        string time_stamp(int,bool)
         double get_min(int,int)
         double get_max(int,int)
         vector[double] channel(int,int)