BNC PB-5 User Manual

Instruction Manual - Rev. 4

Model PB-5

Precision Pulse Generator

Berkeley Nucleonics Corporation 2955 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901

Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone], Email: [e-mail], Web: www.berkeleynucleonics.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1. OPERATIONS Page

1.1 Introduction 2

1.2 Principles of Operation 2

1.3 Function of Controls and Connectors 4

1.4 Menu Selections 5

1.5 Optimum Performance 6

1.6 Testing a Preamplifier 7

1.7 Measuring Differential Linearity of a MCA 7

SECTION 2. RS-232 COMMANDS 9

SECTION 3. PB5 HOST INSTRUCTIONS 11

3.1 What is PB5 HOST 11

3.2 Limitations 11

3.3 Hardware and Software Requirements 11

3.4 Installation and Setup 11

3.5 Toolbar Navigation 13

3.6 Command Format 14

3.7 PB5 HOST Command Summary 14

3.8 PB5 HOST Support 17

SECTION 4. SPECIFICATIONS 18

WARRANTY

Berkeley Nucleonics Corporation warrants all instruments,
including component parts, to be free from defects in material
and workmanship, under normal use and service for a period of
one year. If repairs are required during the warranty period,
contact the factory for component replacement or shipping
instructions. Include serial number of the instrument. This
warranty is void if the unit is repaired or altered by other than
those authorized by Berkeley Nucleonics Corporation.

1

SECTION 1

OPERATIONS

1.1 INTRODUCTION
The PB-5 sets a new standard for nuclear pulse generators. It offers full digital

controllability with a built-in ramp generator. It provides tail and flat top pulses with
excellent integral linearity and extremely low amplitude change with temperature. The
PB-5 is capable of testing the stability, linearity and resolution of the most demanding
spectroscopy circuits and instrumentation. It is the successor to the industry standard
PB-4.

The PB-5 programmable precision pulse generator is menu-driven utilizing a 16-bit
microcontroller. The front panel consists of a LCD display, keypad, and a spinner knob
for selection of parameters and fine adjustments. A precision 16-bit DAC in conjunction
with a 10-bit trim DAC is used to obtain excellent linearity and resolution over the 0 to
10 volt range. When driving 50
affecting stability, linearity, or pulse shape). Temperature compensation is performed
with an algorithm in software allowing precision (16-bit) settings and repeatability
within ± 5 ppm/C°. Digital control is either manual or by RS-232 interface. Menu
selections, such as saving/recalling pre-programmed configurations, provide many new
features not previously available. The PB-5 will not require a separate ramp generator
for linearity tests since it produces a digitally controlled linear ramp that will accurately
test large multi-channel analyzers.

loads the output range is 0 to 5 volts (without

1.2 PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION
The block diagram is shown in Figure 1. A microcontroller (µC) and its flash memory

control the PB-5. The µC receives external input commands from the keypad, spinner
selector knob, RS-232 port, and temperature sensor readings. The µC then converts
these inputs to various codes that in turn drive the selected functions. When the unit is
turned off the µC stores the last settings of the pulser so that these settings can be
recovered upon powering up the unit. It has the capability of storing an additional nine
pulse settings for recall at any time. The amplitude is generated by a 16-bit serial DAC.
The pulse is created by an electronic switch within the Pulse Amplitude circuitry. Next
the pulse is shaped and fed to the Attenuator control which has a 50
output. The pulse parameters are shown to the user on a LCD display. These
parameters are set by the keypad or by the spinner knob (optical encoder). The spinner
has a push switch for enabling and selecting the user values. The spinner performs the
same functions as the keypad but it is much easier to use. The keypad on the other hand
allows a precise setting to be entered (e.g., amplitude 1.256750 volts for precision and
repeatability).

The External Pulse Input passes through a limiter circuit and an adjustable level
discriminator. The Input discriminator is controlled by a 10-bit serial DAC.

series terminated

2

FIGURE 1. Block Diagram of Model PB-5 Precision Pulse Generator

The Trigger Out Generator provides a pulse synchronized with the beginning of the rep­rate generator or the External Pulse Input. This provides synchronization with the target
instrument.

The pulse Rep-Rate, Delay, and Width Generators are controlled by the Range Selector
and the associated 10-bit DAC voltage. The pulse rise and fall times are selected via the
µC selector bus, providing shape control to the output amplifiers.

Temperature Sensor information is sent to the µC which in turn operates the
Temperature Trim DAC. Very fine adjustments (error corrections) are made to the
amplitude every 5 minutes. When in the Ramp mode, corrections are made only
between ramp cycles.

The RS-232 port provides connection to a computer from a remote location. All the
functions can be remotely controlled by a PC running PB5 HOST program, a PC running
HyperTerminal program, or by a standard terminal.

The pulse amplitude is set by a 16-bit DAC referenced to an accurate voltage source. A
high-gain, low-drift amplifier buffers this voltage source. The output zero level is set by
a zero-trim DAC controlling the buffer amplifier. During factory calibration the
instrument is set so that the 0 to10 volt range can be adjusted within the precision
specified (150 µV). The output attenuator has ten selections that produce attenuation

3

factors from 1 to 1000.
Factory testing and calibration is provided via an external tester. A multi-pin connector
separates the µC from the analog circuits. Normally they are connected together by this
multi-pin plug. When the plug is removed a cable can be inserted from an external
tester which provides the functions of the µC. In conjunction with this mode of
operation a test socket, connected to vital circuit points, collects data that can be used by
an external test computer. The tester can automatically find the calibration points to be
placed in the µC memory.

1.3 FUNCTION OF CONTROLS AND CONNECTORS
The spinner knob is an optical encoder capable of slow or fast adjustments. Fine

adjustments are made when the knob is rotated slowly. When the knob is rotated fast
the parameter will change rapidly. Push the knob to make selections from the menu,
rotate to desired value, and push again to select the value. To operate from the keypad,
use the up/down keys and press the ENTER key to select.

The menu is easy to use since there are only two levels. To return to the main menu use
the key on the keypad so marked, or push the spinner knob when in main menu position.
One can use a combination of key pad and spinner knob or operate entirely with the
spinner.

The ENTER key will allow sequential step selection of rise time, fall time, and
attenuation. These are discrete values and therefore not entered with a specific value on
the key pad (can also be selected with the spinner). Pulse amplitude is adjustable in
increments of about 150 µV (better than 1 part in 64,000). Since this amplitude
adjustment is very fine it will take many turns of the spinner knob to cover the 0 to 10
volt range (even with fast rotation). Therefore, when covering a large amplitude range it
may be expedient to enter the number with the keypad and then make any fine
adjustments with the spinner.

The CLAMP mode is not a baseline restorer. Rather it allows long tail pulses to
maintain the same amplitude as rep-rates exceed the duty cycle necessary for full
exponential decay to the baseline. This is accomplished by clamping the tail to the
baseline prior to the next pulse. This may be useful in some applications where the long
tail must be preserved. For optimum performance in this mode the delay must be set
greater than 3.0 µs (see Section 1.5.4).

Three BNC connectors are located on the front panel. The PULSE OUT is reverse
terminated in 50
TRIG is used in conjunction with the menu to trigger the pulser at a given threshold and
frequency up to 500 kHz. The TRIG OUT can be used to trigger a scope, another
pulser, or system under test.

and provides 0 to10 volts out (0 to 5 volts into 50 ). The EXT

When remote operation is desired connect a null modem RS-232 cable to a PC running
PB5 HOST program, a PC running HyperTerminal program, or to a standard terminal.
From the main menu set the PB-5 to remote operation. For operation via PB5 HOST,
refer to Section 3 of this manual. For operation via HyperTerminal select PROPERTIES
from the HyperTerminal file menu to enter the following setup values):

4

Hyper Terminal settings:
Flow control: None Data bits: 8 Emulation: VT 100 Parity: None

1.4 MENU SELECTIONS
Figure 2. shows the two level menu employed by the PB-5. The menu is selected by

using the up/down keys on the keypad and pressing enter or by using the spinner/switch
knob. Operating solely by the spinner is most convenient since rotating and depressing
the push switch, all in one motion, makes the menu selection easy.

There are only two levels of menu selection - the main menu and the sub menu. There
are 6 selections on the main menu: TRIGGER MODE, PULSE SETTINGS, RAMP
SETTINGS, SCALE V/keV, SAVE/RECALL, and OPERATING MODE. The sub
menu for each of these selections is shown separately in Figure 2. Four lines of
information are displayed on the LCD at all times (represented by the dotted line in
figure 2). The remaining items are viewed by scrolling up or down. The examples
shown represent the maximum number of significant digits used in determining the
parameter. For example, amplitude accuracy is given to 6 significant digits regardless of
the decimal place (0.00001, 1.00000, 10.0000).

It should be noted that the least significant digit for amplitude might not give the same
number with both the spinner knob and the keypad. Both methods of setting amplitude
are accurate to at least 1 part in 64000, but if repeatability is desired the keypad should
be used. (In the case of the spinner knob the µC calculates the amplitude for every
position and with the same accuracy as the keypad.)

Sub menu items are described in more detail directly below each sub menu. For
example, discrete numbers for all rise time, fall time, and attenuation values are shown
below the sub menu for the pulse settings. Note that many menu settings can be volts or
keV. If using an isotope line for calibration in keV, the instrument will calculate
equivalent volts so that value limits will not be exceeded. When the tail pulse is
selected, rise time and pulse width are removed from the sub menu. This is because rise
time is fixed at 50 ns and width is automatically set to minimum value in this mode.
This insures the best accuracy and repeatability when using a tail pulse.

If there are circumstances that require different rise times, special tail pulses can be
created in the flat-top mode (simply reduce the width to the minimum setting). The last
item in the sub menu allows one to return to the main menu. Alternatively, the key
marked "main menu" on the keypad will also allow a quick return to the main menu.

5

FIGURE 2. Model PB-5 Menu

1.5 OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE
To achieve optimum performance of the model PB-5 several factors should be

considered as follows:

1.5.1 NIM Power Supply
It is important that the NIM power supply meet all regulation, long term stability, and

ripple specified by the manufacturer. For high performance, the Berkeley Nucleonics
Portanim, Model AP-3, is recommended to power the PB-5.

1.5.2 Amplitude Settings
When the pulse amplitude is set near zero volts it is common to have switching

transients and clock pulse feed-through occur in the order of 10 mV. In order to
minimize these transient effects it is important to set the amplitude high (~ 10 V) and
switch in attenuation to obtain low-level pulses. It is common practice to use
attenuation to obtain low noise performance for low-level pulses. It is also preferable to
use attenuation to preserve pulse shape at low amplitudes. This is especially true when
preserving a minimum flat top width on low-amplitude tail pulses. If attenuation is not

6

used for low-amplitude tail pulses, the flat top portion will become longer as amplitude
decreases. Since some amount of flat top is desirable this may not be a problem
especially when using long tail pulses. However, low-level pulses below one or two
volts can have up to 700 ns flat top when attenuation is not used.

1.5.3 Linearity Measurements
In order to achieve the best statistical distribution and low drift, it is best to use the

fastest ramp time (30 seconds) and the maximum number of cycles (999). This
combination is convenient for long runs (about 8.3 hours). Depending upon the
frequency of the PB-5 and the number of channels under test, the ramp can be restarted
the following day and repeated for the number of days necessary to achieve the required
statistical accuracy (see Section 1.7).

1.5.4 CLAMP Mode
The amplitude of long exponential tail pulses may decrease with increasing rep-rates.

This happens when the duty cycle exceeds the time requirements for full baseline
recovery prior to the next pulse. To maintain the pulse amplitude, activate the CLAMP
Mode. To optimize performance in this mode the DELAY must be set greater than

3.0 µs.

1.6 TESTING A PREAMPLIFIER
Select PULSE SETTINGS from the main menu and select PULSE TOP TAIL from the

sub menu. The rise time will automatically be 50 ns and the tail time should be set long
compared to the decay time of the preamplifier (tail time is typically set to 500 µs or
more). Sometimes an experimenter may be concerned about using this pulse for the test
signal of a charge-sensitive preamplifier especially when solid-state detectors have
shorter rise times. However, the 50 ns pulse rise time is perfectly satisfactory for use in
testing linearity, stability, and resolution of the preamplifier. The following comments
are provided to clarify this matter.

It can be shown that the amount of injected charge from the pulser into a preamplifier is
given by Q = CV, where C is the coupling capacitance and V is the pulse amplitude.
The only restraint is that C be much smaller than the input capacitance of the
preamplifier. As long as the rise time of the injected pulse is much shorter than the
decay time-constant of the preamplifier, essentially all the charge will be collected. A
corollary of this is that the test pulser rise time need not be as short as the detector pulse
to simulate the same charge. These conditions are fulfilled by the Model PB-5 which
provides a rise time of 50 ns compared with the usual preamplifier decay time-constant
of 50 µs or more.

1.7 MEASURING DIFFERENTIAL LINEARITY IN A MCA
The model PB-5 has a built in ramp generator for measuring the differential linearity of

a multichannel analyzer (MCA). Differential nonlinearity (DNL) in a MCA describes
the change in relative width of one or more channels with respect to the average width of
all the channels. DNL can be determined by manually setting a pulse amplitude to both

7

edges of each channel and calculating the width of each channel individually. This
method is subject to error since it is difficult to accurately find the edges of each channel
particularly due to system noise. DNL may be more conveniently and quickly
determined by using the sliding pulser method, where a constant frequency pulse is
swept in amplitude at a constant rate. When the channel widths are identical, the pulses
will fall in each channel for an equal length of time and the number of counts
accumulated in each channel will be equal. The MCA display for zero DNL would then
be a horizontal straight line.

DNL measurements on a MCA are typically made as follows:

1) Connect the pulse generator OUTPUT to the analyzer input.

2) Set the pulse top to FLAT, rise time to 50 ns, pulse width to 1 µs, fall time to 0.5 µs,

polarity to positive (for most commercial MCAs), and the frequency to 50 kHz or
more (depending upon the amount of MCA dead time and the time required to test a
large number of channels).

3) Select RAMP SETTINGS from the main menu and set the start/stop to cover the

required number of channels (a small or large number of channels can be effectively
tested in volts or keV).

4) To lessen the possibility of drift set the ramp time to its minimum setting (30

seconds). To assure adequate statistical data set the number of ramp cycles
appropriately (999, when testing a large number of channels). An 8.3-hour test can
be conveniently run with a 0 to 10 volt ramp (see Section 1.5.3).

5) Clear the memory in the MCA and place the analyzer in the acquire mode.

6) Select ENTER TO START from the ramp menu to execute the ramp. The ramp is

executed by any one of three ways: Pushing the spinner knob, pushing the ENTER
key, or pushing any of the numbered keys. The ramp is stopped by repeating any of
these three choices. The changing amplitude value can be observed on the LCD
during the ramp.

7) When sufficient counts have been accumulated for the statistical accuracy desired,

stop the ramp by any of the three methods above. Alternatively, let the program stop
the ramp.

The amount of noise in the system and whether it is statistical or non-statistical, will
affect the time required to smooth out irregularities in the DNL display. The maximum
error of the DNL measurement will be inversely proportional to the square root of the
number of counts accumulated in each channel plus the error in the sliding pulse train.
The accuracy of the sliding pulse train is better than ±150 µV (< 1 part in 64,000).
Therefore, the contribution to DNL from the pulser will be minimal when testing
analyzers up to 8K channels.

The DNL of the analyzer may be computed by: DNL = 100 {1
Where Nx = number of counts in channel x; And Nav = average number of counts in all
channels

Nx is generally taken as the worst case deviation from the average. Occasionally there
is a "dropped" channel or an odd-even effect. This type of analyzer defect is easily
observed with the PB-5 DNL test but this type of anomaly should not be used for the
calculation of DNL.

8

Nx/Nav } %

SECTION 2

RS-232 COMMANDS
A PC can control all parameters of the model PB-5. The following commands will

allow full operation of the pulser including the RAMP mode. This is convenient when
remote operation of the PB-5 is required (see last paragraph of Section 1.3 for
information on configuring the PC). This full set of commands can be conveniently
displayed by typing "help".

set trigger mode internal
set trigger mode external
set trigger mode gated
set trigger mode one pulse
trigger one pulse
set threshold 3.5
set pulse on 1/0
set amplitude 10.000
set rep rate 10000
set width 25000
set delay 10000
set rise time 10000
set fall time 10000
set tail pulse 1/0

set polarity positive 1/0
set attenuation 1000
set display kev 1/0
set equivalent kev 1000
clamp baseline 0/1
set ramp startv 2.0
set ramp stopv 10.0
set ramp startev 100.0

set ramp stopev 1000.0

set ramp time 100
set ramp cycles 10
exrcute ramp
recall factory defaults
help

Values given for time in the above examples are in nanoseconds.

9

SECTION 3

PB5 HOST INSTRUCTIONS

3.1 WHAT IS PB5 HOST?
PB5 Host is a software program that provides BNC Model PB-5 Precision Pulse

Generator users with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) allowing for remote operation.
It is designed for PB-5 users who require a quick, single-window status update, and for

users who wish to control one or more PB-5 Pulse Generators remotely.

3.2 LIMITATIONS

PB5 Host commands are NOT
time. If a Model PB-5 is busy processing a previously received command (e.g. Ramp
Execute), incoming commands from PB5 Host will be ignored. PB5 Host is not
capable of buffering and resending the ignored command(s).

3.3 HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

PC-compatible computer running Microsoft® Windows XP® or
equivalent with minimum of one available serial port (RS-232C)

1 NULL
NIM Power Supply (AP3 or TB4).
One or more Model PB-5 Precision Pulse Generators.
PB5 Host Program.

3.4 INSTALLATION AND SETUP

1) Download PB5 Host program onto your computer s hard drive (a copy can be

obtained from the Berkeley Nucleonics website www.berkeleynucleonics.com).
Run setup.exe to install.

Modem Cable (DE-9F to DE-9F) or equivalent setup.

buffered. Commands are sent to the Model PB-5 in real

2) Connect the 9-pin D-sub serial connector on the rear panel of the PB-5 module to a

free RS232 serial port on your PC.

3) Power up the Model PB-5.

4) Using the front panel controls on the PB-5, navigate to menu selection 6-Operating

Mode and set the PB-5 to REMOTE operation mode.

5) On your PC double click START | All Programs | PB5 | PB5Host to start the

Program.

6) Select the COM Port to which the Model PB-5 is connected.

11

7) If more than one Model PB-5 are connected, select the appropriate COM Port for

each PB-5 Module (see Fig. 4)

8) Click the Connect check box to establish communication to the PB-5.

9) Once communication(s) is established, PB5 Host will acquire the current PB-5

status and automatically display the status to the screen.

10) Sending commands to the Model PB-5 can be accomplished by typing the

appropriate command to the Command Line. (see Command Format and PB5
Host Command Summary). It is not necessary to type the entire command word.
Typing the first 4 letters of the command (shown in CAPS) is sufficient for the PB5
Host to translate commands to the PB-5.

11) Quick Access Buttons are also provided to toggle and control the pulse

characteristics of the PB-5. A dedicated button is available to send a single trigger
pulse when the PB-5 is set to One Pulse Key (this feature is not available if using
the Multiple PB-5 view - the Command Line must be used).

12) A specific user setting can be saved and/or recalled for use in other PB-5 Pulse

Generators using File | Save As and File | Open Setting from the tool bar, or Save
C:\Path\Filename.bnc and Load C:\Path\FileName.bnc.

13) See Tool Bar Navigation and PB5 Host Command Summary for Keyboard

Shortcuts.

Figure 3. Single PB-5 View

12

Figure 4. Multiple PB-5 view

3.5 TOOL BAR NAVIGATION

Menu Keyboard

Shortcut

File | Open Saved

Setting

File | Save Setting As

File | Reset

File | Exit Shift+Ctrl+F12

Option | Single Ctrl-S

Option | Multi Ctrl-M

About

NOTE:
* Default to Channel 1.
** Multi window will accommodate up to 8 Channel (PB-5s) at once, with a minimum of

2 Channel. Automatically disabled if only one available serial port is detected.

Load previously saved settings

Save current setting to a file
Recall factory defaults (saved local to

PB-5)
Quit PB5 Host Program
Select Single PB-5 View (Window) *
Select Multiple PB-5 View (Window)**
Information About PB5 Host Program

Action

13

3.6 COMMAND FORMAT

[Channel]PB5_Command Parameter on Multi Channel Mode and Single Channel Mode.

PB5_Command Parameter on Single Channel Mode only.

example (Multi Channel Mode):

1 Frequency 100 will set PB-5 connected on Channel 1 to 100 Hz.
8 Delay 500n will set PB-5 connected on Channel 8 to 500 ns delay.

5 Load c:\Lab\Set1.bnc will load settings saved as file Set1.bnc located at

folder c:\lab\ to PB-5 connected on Channel 5.

example (Single Channel Mode):

Width 1µ will set PB-5 to 1 µs Pulse Width.
Rise 2e-6 will set PB-5 to 2 µs Rise Time.

NOTE:

PB5 Host is programmed to accept common numerical notations in its
parameters.
All of the following are accepted and will produce the same parameter value:

0.0000005, 500n, 500e-9, 0.5e-6, and 5e-7 are all evaluated as 500
nano.
1500 and 1.5K are evaluated as 1.5 kHz when setting freq.

PB5 Host is not case sensitive, thus command 1 TRIG int and 1 TrIg InT will
set channel 1 to internal trigger or internal clock.

3.7 PB5 HOST COMMAND SUMMARY

Command

FREQuency Q & Z 2 - 500K

Keyboard

Shortcut

Parameter Range

Description

Set frequency to parameter
specified.

Ctrl-Q set 1 Hz Up
Ctrl-Z set 1 Hz Down
Alt-Q set 10 Hz Up
Alt-Z set 10 Hz Down.

WIDTh W & X 100n - 10m

14

Set pulse width to parameter
specified.

Ctrl-W set 1 ns* Up
Ctrl-X set 1 ns* Down
Alt-W set 10 ns* Up
Alt-X set 10 ns* Down.

*Varies depending on range.

Command Summary (-cont-)

Command

DELAy E & C 250n - 10m

RISE

FALL

AMPLitude

Keyboard

Shortcut

Home & End

Page Up & Page

Down

Up & Down

Arrow

Parameter Range

50n, 100n, 200n,

500n, 1µ, 2µ, 5µ,

10µ

500n, 1µ, 2µ, 5µ,

10µ, 20µ, 50µ,

100µ, 200µ, 500µ,

1m

0 - 10

Description

Set delay to parameter
specified.

Ctrl-E set 1 ns* Up
Ctrl-C set 1 ns* Down
Alt-E set 10 ns* Up
Alt-C set 10 ns* Down.

*Varies depending on range.

Set rise time to parameter
specified.

Home increases rise time
End decreases rise time

Set fall time to parameter
specified.

PageUP increases rise time
PageDown decreases rise

time
Set amplitude to parameter

specified.

UP Arrow increases amplitude
Down Arrow decreases

amplitude

ATTEnuation

PULSe

POLArity PLus, MInus

TAIL

Left & Right

Arrow

1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50,

100, 200, 500, 1000

FLat, TAil, PLus,

MInus, ON, OFf

ON, OFf

15

Set attenuation to parameter
specified.
Right Arrow increases
attenuation
Left Arrow decreases
attenuation

Set pulse to flat top or tail
pulse, positive or negative
going* and pulse on or pulse
off.
*see also POLARITY and

TAIL.

Set pulse to positive or
negative going pulse*
*see also PULSE

Set tail pulse on or off*
*see also PULSE

Command Summary (-cont-)

Command

TRIGger

THREshold 0
DISPlay KEv / VOlt Set display either keV or

EQUIvalent 100 - 9999 Set keV equivalent voltage.
CLAMp ON, OFf Set pulse clamping either on or

RAMP EXEC
RAMP

VBEGin
RAMP

VEND

Keyboard

Shortcut

Parameter Range

INternal,

EXternal, GAted,

ONe, FIre

3.5

0

9.5 Set ramp start voltage**

0.5 - 10 Set ramp stop voltage**

Set trigger to external clock or
external trigger or gated or
single cycle (1 pulse) and Fire
to issue 1 pulse.

Set threshold level to
parameter specified.

Volt.*

off.
Execute ramp

Description

RAMP
KBEGin

RAMP
KEND

RAMP
CYCLes

RAMP TIME
SAVE
LOAD

NOTE:
* No Effect on REMOTE Display. Will only affect LOCAL Display.
** Start and Stop Voltage must have a minimum of 0.5 V difference.
*** Minimum and maximum value is affected by equivalent keV settings, the values must be
proportional to the Voltage equivalent.

0 - 9499 Set ramp start keV***

5 - 9999 Set ramp stop keV***

0 - 999 Set number of Ramp Cycles

30 - 900 Set ramp time.
Path & Filename Save setting to a file
Path & Filename Load saved setting to PB-5

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3.8 PB5 HOST SUPPORT

Berkeley Nucleonics Corp.
2955 Kerner Blvd.
San Rafael, CA 94901-5533

www.berkeleynucleonics.com

Toll Free 800.234.7858
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

For BUG report or Feature addition request:

email: [e-mail]

17

SECTION 4

SPECIFICATIONS
Rep Rate: 2.0 Hz to 500 kHz

Width: 100 ns to 1 ms, continuously variable
Delay: 250 ns to 10 ms
Rise Time: 0.05 µs to 10 µs (10%-90%) in 8 steps
Decay Time: 0.5 µs to 1.0 ms (100%-37%) in 11 steps
Amplitude: 0.0 to 10.0 V (0 to 5 V into 50 )

Scaleable in energy units (keV)
Resolution: 155 µV
Jitter: ± 10 ppm
Attenuation: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000
Integral non-linearity: ± 15 ppm
Temperature stability: ± 5 ppm per °C from 20°C to 45°C
Pulse Type: Flat-top or tail pulse

decay time are adjustable. In tail mode, rise time is fixed

at 50 ns and decay time is adjustable.
Polarity: Positive/Negative
Ext. Trigger: 0 to 500 kHz, +100 mV to +10 V

Threshold is adjustable from +100 mV to +3.5 V in 0.1 V

steps.
Trigger Out: +5 V unterminated, +2.2 V into 50 , width 200 ns
Modes: Single pulse via a front panel pushbutton

Internal Rep Rate

External Trigger

External Gate with the same pulse requirements as Ext

Trig.

Internal Ramp-adjustable start and stop points: adjustable

ramp period 30-900 S, selectable number of ramp cycles,

ramp in keV or volts. Clamped baseline option to bring

the baseline to zero prior to the next pulse.

In flat-top mode, both rise time and

Stored Settings: Up to 9 complete configurations with recall. Also stores

parameters upon shutdown for recall when powered on.
Remote: RS232 at 9600 baud.

18

Power Required: + 24 V 170 mA

- 24 V 150 mA

+ 12 V 450 mA

-12V 5 mA

Mechanical: Triple-width AEC NIM module 4.05" wide x 8.70" high

in accordance with TID-20893 (Rev 3.)
Weight: 3 lbs. Net, 6 lbs. Shipping
Portable Power

Supply Available: See BNC Model AP-3 Portable NIM Power Supply

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