User application images for PC instrumentation cards - signal capture,
generation and digital pattern signals

Spectrum card based solutions - case studies and technical resources

Summarised below are examples of where the products we supply have been used. This is just a small sample but we hope this provides you with a useful insight into the ways we can help. To date our solutions cover a wide area of applications including aeronautics, automotive testing, data bus and circuit testing, meteorology, military defence, medical imaging, particle physics research, radar design, satellite tracking, telecommunications, ultrasonic structural testing,....the list goes on!

		The VivoSight® OCT scanner uses the technique of swept-source Optical Coherence Tomography (SS-OCT) for cross-sectional imaging of skin. This is a significant new tool to assist in diagnosis and treatment of skin cancers and other skin conditions. This application simultaneously uses four interferometer channels to increase depth of focus and improve contrast. A Spectrum 4 channel 20 Mega sample/sec PCI-Express digitiser card was used in its design. Read more...

		Measuring the performance of CPU based avionic and automotive systems is critical to their development and evolution. PC-based verification tools rely on measurement data collected from such embedded targets. The Rapita Systems RTBx digital data logger provides an efficient way to collect and time-stamp real-time data from a wide variety of embedded targets, over many weeks if necessary. Spectrum M2i.7000 series of digital I/O cards were chosen as a desirable component, due to the versatility of having models with 8/16 bit and 32bit I/O ports as well as a very high data acquisition speed (up to 125MHz). Read more...

		Quantum information Science (QIS) explores and advances the way we will perform the future operations of computing and communications. By exploiting the principles of quantum mechanics scientists are studying the behavior of qubits, quantum bits of information, as they are subjected to different physical conditions. The University of Innsbruck, Austria has chosen Spectrum's latest generation of Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG) to generate a wide variety of control and stimulus signals for their research. Their requirement was for an AWG whose output could be easily programmed and could be simply incorporated into a PC. Read more...

		In particle physics research precise and very reliable instrumentation is required. DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron) research centre in Germany have been using Spectrum Instrumentation digitisers for over 15 years. This article discusses their important roll in the power measurement of RF pulses produced in the Linac-2 particle accelerator. This includes the monitoring the strengths and timing stability of so-called 'Kickers' that are used to transfer particle beams from one accelerator to another. Capturing these pulses was a challenge which required the application of the digitiser's versatile trigger system. Read more...

		The request was for a complete solution for portable recording of dynamic mixed mode (analog and digital channels) data during test drive. The data should be replayed and analysed later in Research and Development laboratory. A full working system including operation software was needed. High resolution signal capture and waveform capture cards were used in the design as well as a 16 bit digital I/O card for automotive sensor testing. Read more...

Further application examples

M2i.4961-exp (4 channel: 60 MS/sec) digitiser card used for fast pulse laser development, with the cards BASEXIO option used as digital status monitor to indicate the two types of pulse arriving at the M2i cards A/D inputs. Applications for such lasers include high harmonic generation spectroscopy, photo-electron spectroscopy with XUV probe pulses, studies of autoionisation dynamics and ultra-fast demagnetisation.

A Hall-effect sensor is commonly used in the automotive industry to measure accurately the speed of an engine camshaft, such as those commonly found within the cylinder head of a car. A rotating toothed wheel on the camshaft is monitored by such a sensor, which provides a digital output (0 to 5V). A system based on the Spectrum 8 channel 16 bit 10MS/s M2i.4912-exp card was used to provide an accurate and reliable way to automate the test of Hall-effect sensors. Its high speed A/D inputs monitoring the quality of signal transitions to estimate angle error and jitter at the boundaries of tooth and gap. As well as recording the signal shape, precise camshaft positional information was required too, determined by capturing signals from a sinusoidal encoder. Both the encoder's analogue sine-cosine waveform (1V peak to peak) and a 32 bit digital word derived from that waveform were simultaneously recorded. This gave angular position within a rotation and the number of rotations from the start of the test. For this purpose the M2i.4912-exp was combined with the synchronous digital option M2i.49xx-dig. This option takes two of the M2i.4912-exp cards eight analogue channels and using a simple software setting in the card driver, changes these to a pair of synchronous 16 bit wide digital ports.

This solution provided precise windows of sensor data just when required, to automate the test process in a fast and reliable way.

Medical research into the development of impedance spectroscopy as an analytical tool in monitoring of the freeze drying processes. The M3i.4121 (2 channel: 250 MS/sec) digitiser measures peak amplitude and characteristic peak frequency.

Quantum dot device development for optical applications. Using M4i.4421-x8 (4 channel: 250 MS/sec) digitiser to monitor laser pulsed light source. FPGA block averaging of captured data (option M4i.xxxx-spavg) to reduces reliance on the CPU processing. This also helps to enable the highest capture repetition rates possible.

Development a new generation of photoacoustic excitation sources based on the use of laser diodes and ultrasound. Multiple research applications for the M4i.4420-x8 (4 channel: 250 MS/sec) digitiser card. For example the laser interrogates photoacoustic signal generated in a sample, e.g. a tissue sample. A photo diode used to provide a resultant signal that can be monitored by a M4i card. Applications include measurement of burn depths, wound healing, pressure sores, plastic surgery procedures (grafts, flaps etc.) and characterising skin pathologies for planning a surgical procedure

DataQuest Solutions is always interested to find out more about the applications Spectrum products are used for and would like to offer you a special opportunity to help promote your company or educational institute. Free of charge we will submit your application story to technical magazines with a readership across Europe, such as EDN and EETimes. It will also feature without cost in our newsletters, this application page and the manufacturer's Web site.

We understand of course you may have limited time to prepare something; however all we require are a few notes to be emailed over to us at info@dqsolutions.co.uk . From the examples above you will see that it need not be a long story, although an image or two always helps! Here are some general guidelines on what to include.

The software and operating system
Some general background on the application, i.e. a summary of the overall working system, its purpose and what it is designed to achieve
What the signal data represents and how it is displayed and used

If you already have a technical paper that essentially covers much of the above, we are happy to accept this, as long as we have permission to use its text and images. Once received we will do any required editing, but will make sure you see the final result to gain your approval. Note that some changes to the layout may occur once released for magazine publication.

Links to informative technical resources

i) An introduction to waveform digitiser card technology and best choice.

ii) A guide to the methodology of signal capture and generation from MHz to GHz.

ii) Application notes for Mass Spectrometry and the modern digitser.

iv) The high speed transfer of signal data with RAID hard drive systems.

v) A glossary of signal amplifier design terms and related theory.

vi) Environmental considerations for rugged portable computers.