Data Acquisition and Processing Module with a Network Interface for MWPC Detectors with Delay-Line Readout

• Published in: Surface investigation, x-ray, synchrotron and neutron techniques Vol. 16; no. 6; pp. 1023 - 1028
• Main Authors: Golubev, M. A., Saveleva, T. V., Gapon, O. N., Kolkhidashvili, M. R., Polyushkin, A. O., Solovei, V. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01.12.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Chambers; Chemistry and Materials Science; Data acquisition; Data collection; Delay lines; Detectors; Firmware; Integrated circuits; Materials Science; Microprocessors; Modules; Neutron counters; Neutrons; Radiation counters; Sensors; Signal processing; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thin Films; Web browsers; web interface; software; local area network; data processing; data transfer; delay line; field-programmable gate array; neutron detector; differential non-linearity; multi-wire proportional chamber; hardware
• ISSN: 1027-4510; 1819-7094
• DOI: 10.1134/S102745102206009X

A prototype of a data acquisition and processing module with a network interface for two-dimensional multiwire proportional chamber detectors with delay-line readout is developed and tested. The device consists of a domestically produced printed circuit board with inputs including a neutron-beam chopper, a neutron-beam monitor and a spin flipper. The board contains a four-channel time-to-code converter, which digitizes the delays between pulses, and a single-board computer with a processor combined with a programmable logic integrated circuit. For this single-board computer, original software is developed that collects and transmits the raw data of the experiment in digital form (coordinates, neutron time-of-flight count, etc.) though the network to the client, and the user interface of the future detector. For data collection, the web server and web client used the firmware language, Verilog programmable logic integrated circuit, programming languages C and JavaScript, respectively. In the future, the tested scheme, implemented in a more compact form, will become an integral part of neutron detectors along with a multi-wire proportional chamber with two-coordinate delay lines and a five-channel analog-signal processing unit. Work with the module, and with the neutron detector in the future, is carried out through a local network in a web browser or an alternative client. The web client for a web browser enables the accumulation of statistics and the viewing of a 2D image from the detector during the experiment, it is also possible to navigate through 2D images of individual time channels for time-of-flight experiments and save all data in the common CSV text format, viewable in office spreadsheets.