Pyramid D100 User manual

D100
Digital Pulse Processor
User Manual
Pyramid Technical Consultants, Inc.
1050 Waltham Street Suite 200, Lexington MA 02421 USA
US: TEL: [phone] ♦FAX: [phone] ♦EMAIL: [email protected]
Europe: TEL: [phone]

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1Contents
Safety Information ......................................................................................................................................................5
Models...........................................................................................................................................................................7
Scope of Supply............................................................................................................................................................8
Optional Items .............................................................................................................................................................9
Power supplies..........................................................................................................................................................9
Signal cables and cable accessories.........................................................................................................................9
Data cables...............................................................................................................................................................9
Fiber-optic loop........................................................................................................................................................9
Intended Use and Key Features ...............................................................................................................................10
Intended Use...........................................................................................................................................................10
Key Features...........................................................................................................................................................11
Specification...............................................................................................................................................................12
Installation .................................................................................................................................................................15
Mounting.................................................................................................................................................................15
Grounding and power supply .................................................................................................................................15
Connection to signal source ...................................................................................................................................16
Basic setup .........................................................................................................................................................16
Signal cables ......................................................................................................................................................17
Signal cables ......................................................................................................................................................17
Getting Started with the PSI Diagnostic host software..........................................................................................19
Installing the PSI Diagnostic Program ..................................................................................................................19
Running the PSI Diagnostic Program....................................................................................................................19
Running the PSI Diagnostic program.....................................................................................................................21

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Acquiring spectra with the PSI Diagnostic program..............................................................................................23
Principle of Operation...............................................................................................................................................26
Wideband digital pulse processing.........................................................................................................................26
D100 Circuit Overview...........................................................................................................................................27
Optimizing the Pulse Processing Algorithm...........................................................................................................30
Overview of the FPGA algorithm...........................................................................................................................30
Regions of interest .............................................................................................................................................30
Data processing stages .......................................................................................................................................31
Pulse processing user parameters..........................................................................................................................32
Shaping Time .....................................................................................................................................................32
Peak Width.........................................................................................................................................................32
Shaping Samples................................................................................................................................................32
Derivative Discriminator....................................................................................................................................32
Pulse Discriminator............................................................................................................................................32
Pile Up ...............................................................................................................................................................33
Decay Time........................................................................................................................................................34
Gain, Offset........................................................................................................................................................35
Connectors .................................................................................................................................................................36
Front panel connectors...........................................................................................................................................36
Photomultiplier control ......................................................................................................................................36
Test I/O ..............................................................................................................................................................36
Pulse signal input ...............................................................................................................................................37
Ground lug .........................................................................................................................................................37
Rear panel connectors............................................................................................................................................37
Power input ........................................................................................................................................................37
Fiber-optic direct data stream output .................................................................................................................37
Fiber-optic loop communications ......................................................................................................................37
Controls and Indicators............................................................................................................................................38
Front panel controls...............................................................................................................................................38
Rear panel controls.................................................................................................................................................38
Address switch ...................................................................................................................................................38

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Front panel indicators............................................................................................................................................39
LED block..........................................................................................................................................................39
Rear panel indicators .............................................................................................................................................39
Fault-finding ..............................................................................................................................................................40
Maintenance...............................................................................................................................................................42
Returns procedure.....................................................................................................................................................43
Support.......................................................................................................................................................................44
Declaration of Conformity........................................................................................................................................45
Revision History.........................................................................................................................................................46

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2Safety Information
This unit is designed for compliance with harmonized electrical safety standard EN61010-
1:2000. It must be used in accordance with its specifications and operating instructions.
Operators of the unit are expected to be qualified personnel who are aware of electrical safety
issues. The customer’s Responsible Body, as defined in the standard, must ensure that operators
are provided with the appropriate equipment and training.
The unit is designed to make measurements in Measurement Category I as defined in the
standard.
CAUTION. The D100 does not generate high voltages, but is designed to control a high voltage
supply for a photomultiplier, which may typically be rated from 1000 to 2000 V DC. The user
must therefore exercise appropriate caution when using the device and when connecting cables.
Power should be turned off before making any connections.
CAUTION. The D100 features a DC-coupled input. It must only be used with photomulipliers
that produce a ground-referenced signal.
The unit must not be operated unless correctly assembled in its case. Protection from high
voltages could be impaired if the unit is operated without its case. Only Service Personnel, as
defined in EN61010-1, should attempt to work on the disassembled unit, and then only under
specific instruction from Pyramid Technical Consultants.
The unit is designed to operate from +24VDC power, with a maximum current requirement of
200 mA. A suitably rated power supply module is available as an option. Users who make their
own power provision should ensure that the supply cannot source more than 1500 mA.
A safety ground must be securely connected to the ground lug on the case.
Some of the following symbols may be displayed on the unit, and have the indicated meanings.

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Direct current
Earth (ground) terminal
Protective conductor terminal
Frame or chassis terminal
Equipotentiality
Supply ON
Supply OFF
CAUTION – RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
CAUTION – RISK OF DANGER – REFER TO MANUAL

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3Models
D100 Digital pulse processor unit.
-CxRy Input amplifier feedback option capacitance x pF, resistance y kohm.
Example:
D100-C100R1.0 D100 with 100 pF and 1.0 kohm parallel feedback.

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4Scope of Supply
D100 model as specified in your order.
USB memory stick containing:
User manual
PSI Diagnostic software guide
Software installation guide
PSI diagnostic software files
USB drivers and utilities
Optional items as specified in your order.

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5Optional Items
5.1 Power supplies
+24 VDC 1.5 A PSU (universal voltage input, plug receptacle for standard IEC C8 socket) with
output lead terminated in 2.1mm threaded jack.
5.2 Signal cables and cable accessories
Cable, coaxial, BNC to BNC, 1 m, for input signal.
Cable, four-pin mini-DIN to unterminated, 3 m, for temperature sensing and pulser LED control.
Cable, six pin mini-DIN to unterminated, 3 m, for HV PSU control.
5.3 Data cables
Fiber-optic cable, 5m, 1 mm plastic, ST terminated.
Fiber-optic cable, 25m, 200 µm silica, ST terminated.
5.4 Fiber-optic loop
A100 serial port to fiber-optic loop adaptor.
A200 USB to fiber-optic loop adaptor.
A300 Ethernet to fiber-optic loop adaptor.
A500 intelligent multi-loop cell controller with Ethernet interface and direct input channels for
up to ten parallel D100 data streams.

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6Intended Use and Key Features
6.1 Intended Use
The D100 is intended for the counting and spectrometry of single event current pulses generated
by sodium iodide scintillator/photomultiplier detectors operated in pulse-counting mode. The
D100 has design features which make it tolerant of electrically noisy environments, but the place
of use is otherwise assumed to be clean and sheltered, for example a laboratory or light industrial
environment. The unit may be used stand-alone, or networked with other devices and integrated
into a larger system. Users are assumed to be experienced in the general use of precision
electronic circuits for sensitive measurements, and to be aware of the dangers that can arise in
high-voltage circuits.