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MCS-pci™ MultiChannel Scaling Card with Software Specifications Performance Maximum Counting Rate 150 MHz at the IN connector; 1 MHz at the SCA IN connector. Discriminator Thresholds (IN and CHN ADV IN) Software controlled and variable from –1.6 V to +3 V in 1.5-mV steps. Triggering selectable for either positive or negative slopes on the fast analog signal IN connector. The external channel advance input triggers only on a positive slope. SCA IN Thresholds Upper and lower thresholds independently selectable via the computer from 0 to +10 V with 12-bit resolution. Dwell Time Internal Clock Dwell time
per channel is computer selectable from: Accuracy: within ±100 ppm over the operating temperature range. External Clock Input The external channel advance input (CHN ADV IN) determines the dwell time. The minimum external dwell time is 100 ns per channel. Channel-Width Uniformity Systematic dwell-time variations over the entire pass length are <0.1% for the worst case of 100 ns dwell time. Pass Length The number of time bins (channels) in a single pass is computer selectable from 4 to 32,768 with the ramp turned on, or up to 65,536 with the ramp turned off. Pass Preset The instrument can be programmed to stop data acquisition after a preset number of scans. The Pass Preset can be selected from 1 to 4,294,967,295 or turned OFF. Memory Capacity 1,073,741,823 counts per channel (30 bits). Acquisition Modes Sum The data set from each pass is added to the sum of the data sets from the previous passes. Replace The data set from the current pass replaces the data set from the previous pass. Replace/Sum Data acquisition operates in the Replace mode on the first pass, and then switches to the Sum mode for subsequent passes. This eliminates the need to clear memory between acquisitions, and reduces the end-of-acquisition dead time when alternating data acquisition between two units of the MCS-pci. Maximum Counts/Channel in a Single Pass 1,073,741,823 Dead Time Between Channels There is no dead time between channels, i.e., no counts are lost at the time of channel advance. The event is always counted in exactly one of the two adjacent channels. End-of-Pass Dead Time There is no dead time between passes during an acquisition. Ramp Output Linear ramps with "begin", "mid", and "end-of-pass" voltages computer selectable from 0 to +10 V with 16-bit resolution, and a 2-µs settling time. Computer Controls and Indicators The following controls and indicators are provided as software-generated control panels or pull-down menus on the computer display. The functions are most conveniently selected and activated using a mouse, but are accessible via keystrokes.
Start Displayed button starts data acquisition in synchronization with the next internal clock pulse. Stop A single click on the displayed button stops data acquisition at the end of the current pass. A second click stops data acquisition immediately. Clear Displayed button clears the data and the pass count for the spectrum currently being viewed (Buffer or MCS memory). Pass Displays the number of the current pass or scan (1 to 4,294,967,295). Preset Displays the preset pass number that will terminate data acquisition. Channel Displays the channel number into which counts are currently accumulating, starting with channel 0. Pass Length Displays the number of channels selected for the pass length. Dwell Displays the selected dwell time per channel. View MCS# Selects the number of the MCS for viewing the spectrum in the card’s memory, either during or after an acquisition. The software supports up to 8 units of the MCS-pci. To simultaneuosly view multiple MCS-pci units in a single PC the software must be opened multiple times. Buffer Displayed button selects the buffer memory in the computer for viewing the previous spectrum while the MCS is collecting the next spectrum. Horiz Indicates the number of channels viewed in the larger, expanded spectrum, and the width of the window in the small full-scale spectrum display. Displayed arrow buttons permit expansion or contraction. Vert Indicates the maximum number of counts in the vertical scale currently selected for the large, expanded spectrum. Displayed arrow buttons permit scale changes. Log Displayed button selects a logarithmic vertical scale for the large, expanded display. Lin Displayed button selects a linear vertical scale for the large, expanded display. Auto Displayed button automatically adjusts the vertical scale and centers the window around the marker in the large display for optimum viewing of the spectrum. Marker The vertical line can be dragged left or right in the display by the mouse. The vertical coordinate of the data (counts) at the marker position is displayed to the right of center under the large spectrum. The horizontal coordinate is displayed to the left of center under the spectrum. The horizontal scale is expressed in time, channel number (Chan), or in any units selected during calibration of the horizontal scale. The marker can be used to mark regions-of-interest, and to read out peak centroids and gross or net peak areas within each region-of-interest.
Use SCA Input Displayed button enables use of the SCA input. See SCA and SCA IN. Use Disc Input Displayed button enables use of the fast discriminator input. See Discriminator and IN. SCA: Lower, Upper Two displayed slide bars permit independent selection of the SCA lower- and upper-level thresholds from 0 to +10 V in 4096 steps. See SCA IN. Discriminator Displayed slide bar selects the Discriminator threshold from –1.6 V to +3 V in 1.5-mV steps for the IN connector. Two displayed buttons select counting of the discriminator crossing on either the Rising Edge (positive slope) or the Falling Edge (negative slope). Two displayed buttons select input impedance: 50 W or 1 kW. See IN.
This control provides an efficient method for choosing the optimum SCA settings without resorting to an oscilloscope. An SCA window (with a width of 19.5 mV between upper and lower levels) is swept from 0 to +10 V as the MCS scans through a pass length of 512 channels. The resulting histogram displays the pulse-height spectrum presented at the SCA Input. By using the cursor to mark a region over the feature of interest in the spectrum and clicking the mouse on the Set SCA button, the SCA levels are automatically set at the upper and lower limits of the selected region. This is a quick and accurate method for setting up the SCA for a conventional MCS scan. A single pulse height scan lasts 5 to 20 seconds, depending on the speed of the computer. To improve the counting statistics in the histogram, scans are automatically repeated until the acquisition is stopped, or the SCA levels are set.
Acq Mode: Sum, Replace, Rep/Sum The alternatives for data acquisition are selected via 3 displayed buttons. See Acquisition Modes under Performance. Trigger: Internal, External Two displayed buttons control whether the Start Output from the MCS will trigger the external instruments for the start of each scan (Internal Trigger), or a Start Input from the external instruments will start each scan (External Trigger). Pass Length Data entry box, with up/down arrows for adjustment, selects the number of channels in a single pass (scan) from 4 to 32,768 (with ramp output active) or up to 65,536 (with ramp output inactive). Pass Count Preset Data entry box, with up/down arrows for adjustment, selects the number of passes that will be executed before data acquisition automatically stops. Selectable from 1 to 4,294,967,295 passes, or OFF to disable. Dwell Two displayed buttons permit selection of the Internal dwell-time clock or an External channel advance input. The Bin Width data entry box provides selection of a range of internal dwell times. See Dwell Time under Performance. A data entry box permits adjustment of the external channel advance input Threshold from –1.6 to +3 V in 1.5-mV steps.
Style: Begin-End, Begin-Mid-End Two displayed buttons select either a single-segment ramp or a two-segment ramp. The single-segment ramp moves linearly from the specified starting voltage at the beginning of each pass to the specified ending voltage at the completion of each pass. The two-segment ramp makes a linear transition from the specified starting voltage at the beginning of the pass to a specified Mid voltage at the mid-point of the pass. It makes another linear transition from the mid-point voltage to the specified ending voltage at the completion of the pass. Begin, Mid, End Three displayed slide bars select the begin-, mid-, and end-point ramp voltages from 0 to +10 V with 16-bit resolution.
Clicking the mouse on the menu titles at the top of the display generates pull-down menus that provide access to other displays and additional functions. Many of these functions are also accessible from the toolbar, the status sidebar, or by using the mouse directly on the display. File Allows saving and recalling of spectrum data files to/from the computer disk. Permits comparison of a spectrum on disk with a spectrum in the Buffer memory. Allows saving and recalling the instrument settings. Selects regions of the spectrum for printing. Creates reports describing acquisition conditions and the contents of all ROIs for printing or filing on disk. Includes the functions for exporting or importing the data in ASCII format. Acquire Offers menu selection of the Start, Stop, and Clear controls, live adjustment of the thresholds, and selection of the MCS or Buffer memory. Provides access to the SCA Sweep mode and the display panels for Pass Control, Input Control, and Ramp Control. Calculate Includes an automated peak search, and offers calculation of the centroid, gross area, and net area of a peak within boundaries selected by the marker. Provides Sum, Smooth, Strip, and Normalize operations on the spectrum. Implements linear, quadratic, or cubic calibration of the horizontal scale in user-defined units via least-squares fitting. Allows subtraction of a flat background to extract small peaks from a high background. Services Provides menu access to user-defined Job programs, the Library Files for peak identification, and the Sample Description. ROI Provides menu access to recalling, saving, marking, and unmarking Regions Of Interest (ROI). Display Offers menu selection of all the functions listed under View. Allows coloring of the ROI areas and/or the entire spectrum. Provides selection of the colors used for the various features in the displays. Selects uncalibrated versus calibrated marker readout. Displays or hides grid lines in the expanded display. INPUTS All inputs, except the fast analog IN are supplied on the 25-pin D connector on the rear panel. The MCS-PCI-OPT2 option offers convenient BNC connections to the D connector. IN Fast analog signal input accepts analog or digital pulses up to ±5 V in amplitude on a rear-panel BNC connector. Pulses are counted as they cross the discriminator threshold. Computer selection of triggering on either positive or negative slope. Threshold is computer adjustable from –1.6 V to +3 V in steps of 1.5 mV. Computer selection of either 50-W or 1000-W input impedance, dc-coupled. Minimum input pulse width is 3.5 ns at the discriminator threshold. Maximum counting rate is 150 MHz. SCA IN 1-MHz window discriminator (Single-Channel Analyzer) accepts linear signals from 0 to +12 V for counting. SCA input is dc-coupled with a 1000-W input impedance. Minimum input pulse width is 500 ns. The upper- and lower-level thresholds are independently adjustable from 0 to +10 V in 4096 steps via the computer. A signal that rises above the lower-level threshold, without exceeding the upper-level threshold, will be counted as it falls below the lower-level threshold. START IN Accepts a TTL signal to start the scan on the next clock edge after the falling edge of the 0 to +2.5-V to 0 transition is detected on the START IN. In the Internal Dwell mode the next clock edge is obtained from the 50-MHz internal time base. For the External Dwell mode the next clock edge is obtained from the External Channel Advance Input. The START IN edge is ignored during a scan, or when disabled by the Start Enable Input. Input impedance is 1000 Ω to ground. Minimum pulse width is 10 ns. STOP IN Accepts an external TTL input rising from 0 to +2.5 V to stop scanning at the end of the current scan. Minimum pulse width is 10 ns. Input impedance is 5000 Ω to ground. CHN ADV IN (Channel Advance Input) Accepts an analog or digital pulse to cause a channel advance when the signal crosses the threshold with a positive slope (provided External Dwell has been selected). Threshold is adjustable from –1.6 to +3 V in 1.5-mV steps via the computer. Minimum dwell time is 100 ns. Minimum pulse width is 10 ns. Input impedance is 1000 W to ground. GATE IN Accepts a TTL input to prevent counting of the signals at the IN and SCA IN connectors. When the GATE IN is <0.8 V, counting is inhibited. Counting is enabled when the GATE IN level is >2 V, or when the GATE IN is not connected to a signal source. Input impedance is 1000 W to +5 V. TTL (START ENABLE INPUT) Accepts a TTL input to enable/disable response to a START IN trigger. When the START ENABLE INPUT is <0.8 V, triggering is inhibited. Triggering is enabled when the START ENABLE INPUT level is >2 V, or when the START ENABLE INPUT is not connected to a signal source. Input impedance is 5000 W to +5 V. START ENABLE INPUT must be at the desired level when the rising edge of the START IN arrives. OUTPUTS All outputs are supplied on the 25-pin D connector on the rear panel. The MCS-PCI-OPT2 option offers convenient BNC connections to the D connector. START OUT This TTL output rises from <+0.4 V to >+2.4 V when a scan starts, and returns to <+0.4 V after 160 ns. Useful for synchronizing external instruments with the start of the scan. The output is short-circuit protected, and can drive impedances ≥50 W. CHN ADV OUT (Channel Advance Output) This TTL output rises from <+0.4 V to >+2.4 V when the MCS-pci advances from one channel to the next. The pulse width is approximately 20 ns. The output is short-circuit protected, and can drive impedances ≥50 W. SCA OUT A TTL output pulse for every SCA Input signal that occurs between the upper and lower discriminator thresholds. The output rises from <+0.4 V to >+2.4 V as the SCA Input signal falls through the lower discriminator threshold. The pulse width is nominally 250 ns. The output is short-circuit protected, and can drive impedances ≥50 W. MIDPASS OUT This TTL output rises from <+0.4 V to >+2.4 V after half the channels in a pass have been scanned. It returns to <+0.4 V at the end of the pass. If the number of channels in a pass is odd, the MIDPASS OUT remains low for one more channel than it stays high. The output is short-circuit protected, and can drive impedances ≥50 W. RAMP OUT Provides an analog voltage ramp from a digital-to-analog converter to drive external devices. See Ramp Control for a description. The output voltage range is computer adjustable from 0 to +10 V with 16-bit resolution. Minimum voltage step size is approximately 0.15 mV for any range. Settling time is 2 µs. The output impedance is 100 W, short-circuit protected Electrical and Mechanical Power Requirements The MCS-pci derives its power from the computer in which it is installed. The required power is:
Operating Environment Same as for the host PC: 16°C to 32°C (61°F to 90°F); 8% to 80% relative humidity, non-condensing. Altitude up to 2,000 meters. Installation category II. Pollution degree 2. Meets all CE requirements. Dimensions MCS-pci is a 10-cm x 18-cm plug-in card for the PCI-bus slot in an IBM-compatible PC. Weight Computer Prerequisites IBM-compatible PC with:
Optional and Related Equipment
A11-B32 CONNECTIONS Programmer’s Toolkit with ActiveX™ Controls Write your own special software to control the MCS-pci from LabVIEW®, Visual C++, or Visual Basic. Ordering Information
FullShot™ Screen Capture and Graphics Printing Screen capture and graphic printing are easy with MCS-pci, . . . thanks to the FullShot™ Image Capture and Printing Utility. FullShot is manufactured by Inbit™, and is supplied by ORTEC as a standard part of the MCS-pci software package. With FullShot, a whole screen, a window, or a portion of a window can be captured and sent directly to the printer. The output can be produced in color with different scales and sizes, as required. All Windows-supported printers and plotters may be used, and FullShot may be used for other applications also. Print your spectral displays in colorwith FullShot. |
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Acquisition
Input Control
SCA Sweep Control
Pass Control
Ramp Control
Pull-Down Menus
MCS-PCI-OPT2 Fan-Out Cable This cable converts
the 25-pin D connector on the MCS-pci into a separate BNC cable
connection for each input and output signal. This option is strongly
recommended.