A032-ET - International Laser Ranging Service

Event Timer A032-ET1. OverviewThe Event Timer A032-ET is a computer-based instrument that precisely measures the timeswhen events (input pulse comings) occur. The A032-ET can be used for various applicationswhere picosecond-precision wide-range and high-speed timing measurements are especiallyneeded. First and foremost the A032-ET is designed for applications related to Satellite LaserRanging, although it can be also well suitable for other applications (such as time-of-flightspectrometry).There are two currently available options of the A032-ET, which use the same specializedhardware but differ by the software. These options provide alternatively two basic kinds ofmeasurement:The option A032.1 provides continuous (gapless) measurement of events at high (up to10 KHz) mean measurement rate, allowing bursts of the rate up to 16 MHz. This option iswell suitable to measure the overlapped time intervals between Start and Stop events thatcome at the separate inputs (either A or B) of the Event Timer in any order. Specifically thisis the case of advanced Satellite Laser Ranging at KHz repetition rate. In such applicationsthe Event Timer is well competitive as compared with the highest-performance event timerscurrently available.The option A032.2 provides cyclical measurement of events that come at the separateinputs of the ET-device in the strict order: in every cycle at first the Event Timer measures asingle Start event coming at the input A, and then - a user-defined number of Stop events (upto 12,000) coming at the input B. The Stop events are measured within internal onlineprogrammable gate. Specifically this is the case of conventional Satellite Laser Rangingwhere the measured Start-Stop time intervals do not exceed the repetition period of Startevents. In such applications the A032.2 considerably surpasses possibilities of the traditionaltime interval counters in both precision and functionality.The A032-ET interacts with user’s application programs via the network, providing overallremote control and remote applications in multi-user mode. Owing to employing a novelmeasurement method, the A032-ET offers high performance characteristics, using compact andrelatively inexpensive specialized hardware. As a result the A032-ET combined with user-madeor custom-made application program can be used to create various top-quality and reasonablypriced timing systems.A032-ET main features:- Two inputs A and B for the events being measured- Time-tag marking specifying the input (either A or B) that provides the measured event- Output data presentation as time-tags synchronized to real-time clock- FIFO depth up to 12,000 time-tags- Two software options supporting different order of event incoming- 16 MHz maximum measurement rate- Up to 10 KHz mean rate of continuous (gapless) measurement (the A032.1 option)- Up to 500 Hz cycle repetition rate (the A032.2 option)- Internal online programmable gating with 10 ns LSD (the A032.2 option)- Remote control and timing data transfer via the TCP/IP network- Self-calibration and precision testing4