D0 Interface Card

Currently this interface card is used to refresh high speed data signals, sequence power supply turn-on, and monitor current and voltage levels in the FermiLab D0 project. Data and control lines on the interface card contain termination schemes to match cable impedances also, signal layers have been matched to the intrinsic characteristics of the cables. Monitored data was reported via a MIL-STD-1553 serial interface 1553 terminal interface and power supply turn on sequencing were implemented using PLD's. Design of the serial communication chip was accomplished using Altera's MAXPlus II software. Test fixtures shown in figures 1 and 2 were constructed in house to test and debug the 160 interface cards that were built for the D0 project.

Figure 1: Test Board used to decouple power supplies.

Figure 2: Test Board applies inputs to signal or ground, potentiometers allow variable resistances to be used.

Adapter card shown in Figure 3 is used to mate a shielded ribbon cable to the custom flex cable used in the experimant and contains components to decouple sensor power. Over 600 of the adapter cards shown in Figure 3 were manufactured.

Figure 3: Adapter card used to interface flex cables.

Figure 4 shows two input channels on the interface card, there are eight total channels on the board used for signal inputs. All of the data collected from the eight channels is sampled and the clocked out serially to a computer for more complex analysis. Each of the interface cards have a unique ID that allows multiple numbers of these interface cards to be used in unison for the same experiment. Then all of the data taken from each one of these interface cards can be reconstructed to find out what kind of information was encountered by the sensor array.

Figure 4: Two channels of the D0 interface Card

Figure 5: Top side of the D0 Interface Card.

Figure 6: Bottom side of the D0 Interface Card with termination resistors intact.