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

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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.

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