User Guide
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Vertilon Corporation, 66 Tadmuck Road, Westford, MA 01886 /Tel: (978) 692-7070 /Fax: (978) 692-7010 /www.vertilon.com
Product Overview
The SIB164B multianode photomultiplier tube interface board provides the mechanical and electrical connectivity
between the Hamamatsu H7546B / H12428 64 anode PMTs and external signal processing electronics such as Vertilon’s
PhotoniQ multichannel data acquisition systems. The PMT is mounted to the bottom side of the SIB164B through 76
socket pins that connect the device’s 64 anode signals, high voltage input, and last dynode output to the board. The
anode signals are routed to two connectors located on the top of the board that each connect to a specialized high
density coaxial cable assembly. This arrangement allows the SIB164B to be conveniently mounted directly into the user’s
optical setup with the PMT facing outward from the bottom of the board and the sensor interface board (SIB) cables
exiting from the top. The SIB cables carry the 64 anodes from the PMT to the PhotoniQ where the charge from each is
separately integrated, digitized, and sent to a PC for display or further signal processing. The negative high voltage bias
to the PMT’s cathode is supplied directly from the PhotoniQ on a high voltage cable to a dedicated connector on the
SIB164B. For applications utilizing the last dynode output of the PMT, the SIB164B includes a two stage high speed
preamplifier whose output is available on an SMB connector. When specialized timing and triggering are required, this
output can be connected to a separate external discriminator and triggering electronics. Alternatively, for more general
purpose applications when the trigger requirements are not as stringent, one of the two on-board discriminators can be
used. A leading edge and zero slope discriminator — which respectively generate trigger signals based on a threshold
and pulse peak — are available to the user. Several adjustments are included for optimizing preamp gain, discriminator
gain, and discriminator energy thresholds. The full functionality and operation of the SIB164B is conveniently controlled
through the PhotoniQ’s graphical user interface. Intelligent software in the PhotoniQ constantly monitors the status of its
SIB connectors to determine the type of sensor interface board attached to them. Once recognized, a dialog box specific
to the recognized SIB is made available in the GUI through which the user has complete control over its operation.
The various functions on the SIB164B are described in greater detail on the following pages. When necessary, refer to
the functional block diagram shown in Figure 1 below.
Interface board for Hamamatsu 64 channel multianode PMTs
Compatible with Hamamatsu H7546B & H12428 devices
Provides 64 channel interface to data acquisition systems
Separate high voltage input for PMT cathode bias
High speed preamplifier for last dynode output
Leading edge and zero slope discriminators
Adjustable discriminator gain and energy threshold
100% compatible with Vertilon’s PhotoniQ multichannel DAQs
No external power supply required
Simplified control through PhotoniQ graphical user interface
