CFHT's Generation III Controller: a multiamplifier focal plane array readout system

John M. Kerr; Christopher C. Clark; Steve Smith

doi:10.1117/12.176790

1 June 1994 CFHT's Generation III Controller: a multiamplifier focal plane array readout system

John M. Kerr, Christopher C. Clark, Steve Smith

Proceedings Volume 2198, Instrumentation in Astronomy VIII; (1994) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.176790
Event: 1994 Symposium on Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation for the 21st Century, 1994, Kailua, Kona, HI, United States

Abstract

To manage the increased size of focal plane arrays (FPA) and the accompanying data volume increase, we have developed a detector control system that allows parallel readout of multiple array amplifiers. This system consists of a data acquisition computer running the Pegasus Software System on a UNIX platform, an interface control computer and a digital signal processor (DSP) to directly control the array. At the heart of the system is a DSP-based controller (Leach SDSU) which serves as a waveform generator and video processor. It is completely software programmable, making it quite adaptable to a host of FPA designs. We have configured our system into a four channel system, reading pixel data out of all four quadrants of an array. Image data is descrambled in the interface computer, producing a sensible image on the image display. We have applied this system to control and readout of large format CCDs and to IR arrays.

Citation Download Citation

John M. Kerr, Christopher C. Clark, and Steve Smith "CFHT's Generation III Controller: a multiamplifier focal plane array readout system", Proc. SPIE 2198, Instrumentation in Astronomy VIII, (1 June 1994); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.176790

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