FAST ComTec now introduces the new Timing Amplifier model TAx. The DC-coupled GHz range amplifiers with x5…x80 gain.

The TA2000B-x models are fast, two-stage pulse pre-amplifier with a small signal bandwidth of 1.5 ? 2.0 GHz depending on the model.
A unique feature for such high speed amplifiers is the DC coupling. DC coupling avoids count rate effects due to non DC balanced pulse trains and the corresponding charging of coupling capacitors.

We offer a wide range of different configurations. The Model CSA4 provides in a single width NIM module an exceptional spectroscopy amplifier.
The amplifier?s excellent stability, ultra low noise, broad gain range and wide choice of shaping time constants makes it ideally suited for applications involving Germanium, Silicon, Scintillation, Gas Proportional and Surface Barrier detectors.
The Model CSA4 provides a preamplifier and a shaping amplifier with four shaping times simultaneously (selectable in the range from 100ns to 8?s: four values out of seven can be ordered : 100ns, 250ns, 500ns, 1?s, 2?s, 4?s, 8?s).

The actual MCA-3 software is able to save in sequential mode individual spectra immediately after each completed cycle and this way allows very low deadtime between individual measurements (about 14 msec for 2k spectra). Here is part of the readme file describing the news (see especially first part at v 3.05):

Server v 3.06 (Sep-25-2009):
- New commands:
qdac+=val
increments qdac (DAC2) by the (decimal) value val.
oncycle command
executes “command” after a cycle end in sequential mode.
It is possible to enter up to 512 different such commands, each can
be maximal 20 character long. The next in the series will be executed
after the next cycle. When the last such entered command was executed
the first one will be executed again after the next cycle.
oncycle off
switches off the oncycle command executing.

Server v 3.05 (Aug-25-2009):
- A new checkbox “Save Cycle” in the Settings dialog allows in sequential MCS mode an automatic saving of each row in the 2D spectra immediately when it is acquired. The filename is made from the standard data filename by attaching _00000, _00001,…
- The “highrate” option for MCS listmode with more than 255 counts per bin now can be edited in the Settings dialog (see below at v 2.87). The dwelltime must be > 2 mikrosec, otherwise a warning will be shown.

If short acquisitions with a spectra length between 2k and 16k are started, stopped, saved and erased, this costs acually a time of about 200..300 msec. But if sequential mode is used, it is for example possible to acquire 256 2k spectra into the card RAM with a dead time of only about
14 msec for switching the acquisition from one row to the next. The long dead time for single acquisitions comes from the mechanism of starting and stopping Windows threads that do the reading and evaluation of data in a polling loop. These threads are not stopped and restarted when using sequential mode and this way it can be done much faster. If the card RAM is full, you could either stop, save, erase and restart, which cost about 5.8 seconds (1.6 sec just for erasing), or continue the acquisition in a new sequence without erasing the RAM. If you have the old RAM content saved in your application you could subtract the old values and this way run the system with pretty low deadtime. I did my tests using the built-in command language using loops with a script like loop.ctl with a command line “onstop start” for acquisition loops with erasing or “onstop cont” without erasing. (This works only with the latest release that can be downloaded from our website). The precise time of start and stop can be seen in the first comment line.

FAST ComTec’s “ultra fast” Multiscalers P7887, P7888 and the P7889, now have also the capability of evaluating list files (replay) in the software like our model MCS6. For the P7889 a “Software CFT” method is now implemented. Due to the capability of detecting both edges of a pulse the time resolution can be impressively enhanced.

The enhancement in resolution can be studied with the supplied sample list file TESTCFT.LST. The screenshots show replay results of that file. Compare the result of replaying that file with original settings using CFT (upper picture) and using “Both Edges” (lower picture) instead of “Both + CFT”. You may also test the “pulse width” capabilities of the software by replaying that list file. New versions of software and manuals can be downloaded from our website.

FAST ComTec?s CSP10 is a single channel charge sensitive preamplifier module intended for use with various types of radiation detectors including semiconductor detectors (e.g. CdTe and CZT), p-i-n photodiodes, avalanche photodiodes (APDs), and various gas-based detectors.

The CSP10 is one of a series of four charge sensitive preamplifiers offered by FAST ComTec, which differ from each other most notably by their gain. As with all FAST ComTec?s preamplifier modules, the CSP10 is small shielded metal case with a D-sub 9 connector for power supply.

LIDAR
The beam of a pulsed LASER is aimed at an object from as close as a plume of a smoke stack to as far as a cloud or the exhaust vapor of a Jet engine flying at high altitudes.
The reflected beam is detected, for example with a PMT and the photons are counted as stop pulses by the MCS6. Responses from repeated shots from the LASER are summed to improve the statistical precision.
The time range of the MCS6 from 12.8 ns to 20 days can be used to measure objects from close range up to distances far exceeding the useful range of a LIDAR System. The spatial resolution is 1.5 cm – uniformly over the entire selected range. [more]

Position sensitive detector read out
This application is specifically suited to the capabilities of the MCS6. Because the MCS6 has been optimized for the best pulse-pair resolving time while providing excellent time resolution one can easily record highest countrates.
Because of the multi-stop capability of the MCS6 stop events in all overlapping signals can be recorded – something practically impossible with analog-type instrumentation. [more]

The MCA-3 Series
It’s a family of PC-based, software controlled PCI-bus Multichannel Analyzers. The design is capable of converting incoming signals at up-to 1,000,000 events/s or collect data at rates of up-to 5 Megaevents/s.
The large data memory can be segmented to enable to accumulate successive measurements. Spectra accumulated in sequential PHA mode can be displayed in a two-dimensional array. [more]

This application is specifically suited to the capabilities of the MCS6. Because the MCS6 has been optimized for the best pulse-pair resolving time while providing excellent time resolution one can easily record mass lines that are very closely spaced. Because of the multi-stop capability of the MCS6 stop events in all mass lines can be recorded during a single shot – something practically impossible with analog-type instrumentation. [more]

NEW: Now with USB-Connectivity.

Time range up to 20 days doesn?t influence the resolution.
The Model MCS6 is a 100 ps per time bin, multiple-event time digitizer (TDC). It can be used in ultra-fast Multi-scaler/ TOF systems, in Time-of-Flight mass-spectrometry and time-resolved single ion- or photon counting. NEW !! Pulse-width evaluation with 100 ps precision enables the user to calculate the area, the pulse height of the detector pulse but also if multiple events have occured – multiple events have a broader pulse width than single pulses.
In operation the sweep is started by a user-supplied start (trigger) pulse. Then subsequent events detected at the stop inputs are recorded, each in a specific time bin corresponding to the time of arrival relative to the start pulse. Compared to non-multi-hit devices, the MCS6 can evaluate stop events at a rate of 10 GHz state changes/sec, in the pulse width mode at 5 GHz. The MCS6 is designed with fully digital circuitry capable of accepting at least 65.000 events at peak (burst) input rates of up-to 10 Gbit/s.
The MCS6 has been optimized for the best possible pulse pair resolving while providing state-of-the-art time resolution available in digital designs. Six built-in discriminators can be adjusted for a wide range of signal levels. The single sweep time range enables the user to take data of up to 20 days (54 bit setting) or 30 min (44 bit setting with 16 TAG bits enabled), with a time resolution of 100 ps.
Optionally a reference input for high stability clock sources such as a GPS or rubidium disciplined oscillator will be offered. The FIFO memory buffers enable the MCS6 to continuously transfer data at rates of approx. 35MB/second.
Selection of data width per event in steps of 16bit (16, 32, 48 or 64 bit) allows for optimized FIFO and USB bandwidth usage For experiments requiring repetitive sweeps the spectral data obtained from each sweep can be summed in the PC enabling very high sweep repetition rates.
In endless / wrap-around mode sweep repetitions with zero end-of-sweep dead time can be accommodated.
The MCS6 is designed with “state-of-the-art” components which offer excellent performance and reliability.
The high-performance hardware is matched by a sophisticated WINDOWS-based software delivered with each MCS6 – providing a powerful graphical user interface for setup, datatransfer and spectral data display.
Drivers for LINUX are optionally available. [more]