5 research outputs found
A 96-Channel FPGA-based Time-to-Digital Converter
We describe an FPGA-based, 96-channel, time-to-digital converter (TDC)
intended for use with the Central Outer Tracker (COT) in the CDF Experiment at
the Fermilab Tevatron. The COT system is digitized and read out by 315 TDC
cards, each serving 96 wires of the chamber. The TDC is physically configured
as a 9U VME card. The functionality is almost entirely programmed in firmware
in two Altera Stratix FPGA's. The special capabilities of this device are the
availability of 840 MHz LVDS inputs, multiple phase-locked clock modules, and
abundant memory. The TDC system operates with an input resolution of 1.2 ns.
Each input can accept up to 7 hits per collision. The time-to-digital
conversion is done by first sampling each of the 96 inputs in 1.2-ns bins and
filling a circular memory; the memory addresses of logical transitions (edges)
in the input data are then translated into the time of arrival and width of the
COT pulses. Memory pipelines with a depth of 5.5 s allow deadtime-less
operation in the first-level trigger. The TDC VME interface allows a 64-bit
Chain Block Transfer of multiple boards in a crate with transfer-rates up to 47
Mbytes/sec. The TDC also contains a separately-programmed data path that
produces prompt trigger data every Tevatron crossing. The full TDC design and
multi-card test results are described. The physical simplicity ensures
low-maintenance; the functionality being in firmware allows reprogramming for
other applications.Comment: 32 pages, 13 figure
A Chilly Day in Green Bay
Come take an adventure in Green Bay during the early 1900’s. Take a look into the world of Alfred Lawson and determine what your day will end up like. What you do and where you end up is your decision. Have fun and choose wisely!https://digitalcommons.snc.edu/snc_kids_books/1001/thumbnail.jp
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System Architecture of the Dark Energy Survey Camera Readout Electronics
The Dark Energy Survey makes use of a new camera, the Dark Energy Camera (DECam). DECam will be installed in the Blanco 4M telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO). DECam is presently under construction and is expected to be ready for observations in the fall of 2011. The focal plane will make use of 62 2Kx4K and 12 2kx2k fully depleted Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs) for guiding, alignment and focus. This paper will describe design considerations of the system; including, the entire signal path used to read out the CCDs, the development of a custom crate and backplane, the overall grounding scheme and early results of system tests