Custom off the shelf : D-TACQ ACQ2206 networked digitizers make a form-fit upgrade to end of life VME units.

A large accelerator lab requiring a complete upgrade chose D‑TACQ to replace a large quantity of end of life VME and other legacy data acquisition equipment.

D-TACQ was able to meet the requirement by offering the ACQ2206 module carrier with a selection of D-TACQ ELF modules, together with a new custom enclosure to meet the user requirements. The new enclosure is offered in 4 configurations and is intended to be a cable-compatible replacement for the existing units.

The D-TACQ units will each replace several larger crates providing higher performance, modern software and networking, together with precision network timing. The first units have shipped for approval, D-TACQ aims to complete the full shipment this year, and to maintain and support a reliable fleet of units into the future.

D-TACQ seeks further opportunities to leverage our standard platform and, if required, some judicious customization to provide innovative and cost effective solutions to precision data acquisition and control requirements.

Features include:

• The Lab's chassis standard calls for airflow front to back, with a front panel that is blank apart from the ON-OFF switch;
• ALL IO on the rear panel, using mostly D37 connectors wired to a specific pinout
• The units shall provide specific sample data with high provision timestamps to the network using EPICS controls.
• All EPICS data published with PV-Access and displayed in cs-studio/Phoebus.

The D-TACQ solution:

• Leverages the following ELF IO modules:
  • 32 channel ADC modules ACQ423ELF-32 sampling at 100kHz, terminated with 2 x D37 connectors,
  • 16 channel ADC modules ACQ428ELF-16 sampling at 2MHz, terminated with 1 x D37 connector,
  • 4 channel DAC modules AO420ELF, terminated with a DB9 connector and
  • 32 channel DIO modules DIO482 ELF, terminated with 1 x D37 connector.
• Uses the existing ACQ2206 motherboard and SFP fiber comms module.
• The ACQ2206 is an embedded Linux/FPGA SOC, with integrated White Rabbit endpoint.
• D-TACQ designed and built a custom 2U chassis to provide the dense rear IO and front panel button function.
• The system uses existing firmware with embedded EPICS IOC to sample data on a 20Hz CYCLE,
  • the standard firmware provides a multi-channel 20Hz "SCOPE" functionality, to be used as an "service mode" function.
  • provides network control of DAC and DIO functions.
• D-TACQ developed a second embedded EPICS IOC to implement the specific functionality required, with several specific functions:
  • FMT: Events are received in a networked data structure at 20Hz
  • SOE: Events are used to locate, extract, and publish samples at specified times in the CYCLE.
  • PM : The system runs a Post Mortem system concurrently, at any time a user agent is able to interrogate the past 20 cycles of data.
  • INST : The system is able to stream data on the network to archive.
  • PERMIT : a real-time hardware go/nogo indicator based on input thresholds.

Example Systems:

• 32 AI channels at 100kSPS/channel, 8 AO channels and 64 DIO.
• 128 AI channels at 100kSPS/channel
• 32 AI channels at 2MSPS/channel
• 32 AI channels at 2MSPS/channel, 8 AO channels and 64 DIO.