Dear All,

I have a board with Channel Cascading Option. I have the problem, that it seems to be impossible to run all 4 Channels simultaneously for digitizing pulses. I can just run even or odd channels but not even and odd ones? If I run in combined option, My question: If a board comes with this combined option, is it still usable as a 4Ch Digitizer but with 1024bin traces?

All the best,

Hans

You cannot go below -0.5V for the inputs, since the board does not have an internal negative power supply, which would be necessary for that. If you have -0.8V pulses, the easiest is to use a passive inverter at the input to convert it to a 0.8V pulse.

Stefan

Dear Evaluation Board Team,

currently I am facing the problem of digitizing pulses with an amplitude of -0.6V to -0.8V. As the dynamic range of the board is 1Vpp, this should be feasible. However, I do not know how to set in the software a correct range. I see only -0.5V/0.5V, and the two positive options. Normally I would use -0.5V/0.5V and give the thing an offset of 0.4V or so? Is this possible? Where can I set such a offset?

All the best,

Hans

I have a very similar problem, the command line doesn't work but the oscilloscope program does! Tried to fix it using Zadig driver update. Using Windows 7.... 

DRS command line tool, Revision 21435
Type 'help' for a list of available commands.

USB successfully scanned, but no boards found
No DRS Boards found

For completion, I just tested that the test program gives the same error message

C:\Program Files (x86)\DRS\bin>.\drs_exam.exe
USB successfully scanned, but no boards found
No DRS4 evaluation board found

Look at the attached picture. For simplicity, only 4 cells are open and tracking the input signal. Time is flowing from top to bottom. So initially, a train of 4 cells is open. When it's stopped, the train stops not immediately, but kind of "runs against a wall" at the stop cell. So each cell is open for four time ticks effectively, and you can use all 1024 cells. 

Hi Stefan,

According to the datasheet DRS_rev09, the write signal is always 16 cells wide. So when the domino wave runs in infinite mode and be stopped by setting DENABLE low , there are always 16 cells capicitors tracking the input signal . It means that the effective sample cells is 1024-16=1008? That's confusing. 

Thank you very much. That is what I wanted.

The software is a bit outdated, I will soon make a new release. 

In meantime, you can replace that like with

bool GetRefclk(int board) { return m_refClk[board]; }

Best,
Stefan 

There is an example program in the distribution under software/drscl/drs_exam.cpp which is a stand-alone program to do what you need. It uses the C library coming with the distribution. It configureres the board, defines a trigger, and then writes a few waveforms into a file. You can use it as a starting point for your development. If you need any other language, you have to develop bindings to the C library.

Stefan

Hi,

I've failured to compile official software. The cause is the following line.

DOFrame.h L.111    bool GetRefclk()        { return m_refClk > 0; }

m_refClk is pointer to bool. I guess these line is for null-check of the pointer.

Can I replace the following line as 

bool GetRefclk()        { return m_refClk != nullptr; }

?

The latest compilers may not accept C-style check.

My compiler version is

Apple clang version 11.0.3 (clang-1103.0.32.59)
Target: x86_64-apple-darwin19.4.0
Thread model: posix
InstalledDir: /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin

Best regards,

Keita

Dear experts,

I would like to use DRS4 evaluation board as DAQ system for small, table-top experiment.

I need waveforms capture as binary file on some trigger based on command line without GUI.

I found `drscl` tool in official software, but it require interactive command. I'd rather use static macro or so on to control DAQ as same behaviour in each time.

I guess, experts are thinking users should develop DAQ code by themselves for their experiment specifically, but my request is very common so someone has already developed these tool.

Best regards,

Keita

Hello,

I had forgotten to disable the turn off the power to the USB drive on Windows and DRS4 stopped triggering. Now, we are all on quarantine and I am unable to reset the board to normal function. Are there any commands to reset the board remotely. I tried all of the default Windows based solutions such as disable USB port etc., but I am unable to do this. Only thing that has worked in the past is manually replugging the USB but I do not have the option to do that currently. Please help.

Thanks,

Ajay 

t0,0 refers to the time of cell #0 of channel #0. So basically you keep channel 0 fixed, calculate the difference of each channel's cell #0 in respect to channel 0, and align all channels except channel 0 so that their cell #0 has the same value. There is an inconsistency between the channel numbering. The formula uses 0...3 and the manual says "channel 1" but it means actually the first channel, which uses index "0".

Stefan

In the equations for computing the corrected time for channels other than channel 1, does anyone know what the term t_0,0 refers to?  This is the last term in the last equation on page 24 of DRS4 Evaluation Board User’s Manual, Board Revision 5 as of January 2014, Last revised: April 27, 2016.

Screenshot from User's Manual is attached below.

Thank you!

Thanks a lot. The problem is solved when A3-A0 is set 1101 and srclk keeps low.

Best Regards,
Danyang

If you configure the Write Shift Register with 01010101b, then all you have to do after a trigger is to set A3-A0 to 1101. The WSROUT pin shows you then either ther state 01010101b or 10101010b, you the pin should be 1 or 0, and that's all you need. The Write Shift Register is NOT routed to the SROUT pin, you only see it at the WSROUT pin.

Stefan

Yes, firstly I configured the chip with 4x2048 bins by setting the Write Shift Register to 01010101b， A3-A0 keeps 1101----> secondly I enabled the domino wave, wait  some time for stable,  A3-A0 keeps 1111  ---->thirdly stops the domino wave when the trigger comes, A3-A0 keeps 1101 (or 1010, 0000)----> forthly send the clock pulse to the srclk pin, A3-A0 keeps 1101,  srout pin keeps low----> fifthly enable rsrload, A3-A0 (0000-1000),  srout pin reacts nomally.   I think the cascading is worked when I checked the waveform on the oscilloscope. Is there any step I missed?

Best Regards,
Danyang

Note that you have to read out the Write Shift Register only if you do channel cascading, e.g. configuring the chip with 4x2048 bins by setting the Write Shift Register to 01010101b. Then the Write Shift Register tells you in which 1024-bin segment the Domino Wave has been stopped. If you use the normal 8x1024 bin mode, you don't have to read out the Write Shift Register since it continas only 1's. 

Stefan

I tried the logic in my designed board.  The results are shown in the picture: Srout keeps low when A3-A0  is set to 1101 and srclk is set as you mentioned. And the drs4 chip does not output sine wave in such configuration.

Srout signal only reacts after the rsrload signal is pulled high and A3-A0 is not 1101.  

The number of srclk is not enough?  Is there any recommended time to configure the command?

Best Regards,
Danyang

You first set A3-A0, on the next clock cycle you issue pulses on srclk, and about 10ns after each clock pulse the output shows up at srout. Best is to verity this with an oscilloscope.

The radout of the shift register is independent of the readout mode, so you can use with with MUXOUT as well.

Stefan