⏳️ Reading Time: 3 minutes
Author: N.Damron, F.D. Becchetti, R.O. Torres-Isea
Institute: University of Michigan
Abstract
The CAEN DT5790N is a digital acquisition system which houses two high voltage supplies and two highspeed (12bits, 250MHz) waveform (pulse digitizers. These in tandem with the use of post processing software combine to produce a Software Defined Electronics (SDE) system that can be used in several advanced teaching experiments. FPGAs and built-in software can be used to display the pulse waveform and produce a time-stamped output (4 ns intervals) in a text list for post processing, e.g via MATLAB, Python, LabView, ROOT, BASIC, etc. The SDE can than be reconfigured as neeeded and used to run many nuclear and other expermiments in an advances teaching lab course. This serves to expose students to modern state-of-the-art data acquisition technology. Experiments such as Fission Neutron, Time-of-Flight, Comptron Scattering, Co-60 Gamma Coincidence, Na-22 Gamma-Gamma Annighilation. Muon Lifetime, etc. are well suited for SDE. The SDE system also provides a very adaptive and cost-effective substitute for NIM or CAMAC electronics as SDE can be easily set up with only a single digitizer box and a computer for many different experiments. Typical data using the SDE application we have developed for several advanced teaching lab experiments will be shown. Several other digitizers similar to the CAEN unit are also available for SDE.
