4 BASIC CONCEPTS
4.1 Modular architecture
The
PICOSCALE is set up in a modular architecture to allow for highest possible flexibility, un-
derstandability and efficient maintenance. Each module has inputs and/or outputs that can be
configured by the user. The inputs may be outputs from other modules while the outputs can
either be directly linked to interfaces like the
PICOSCALE Breakout-Box (BOB) or set up as input
for subsequent modules. This very open architecture allows you to set up sophisticated networks.
The
PICOSCALE modules and their possible dependencies are depicted in figure 4.1. The func-
tionality of the modules can be summarized as follows.
4.1.1 Advanced trigger
The Advanced Trigger module is a versatile tool that allows control of a variety of other modules.
Within this module, triggers can be configured that can be used as start or stop events for other
modules (Clock Generator, Counters, Signal Generator, Stream Generator) or they can be directly
displayed through the GPIO interface. Several data sources can be used within the Advanced Trig-
ger module to configure the respective events. Beyond others, position data, data increments or
external data (through the GPIO interface) can be used to configure trigger sources. Furthermore,
trigger sources can be linked with logical operations to allow for sophisticated trigger configura-
tions. A detailed description of the Advanced Trigger functions can be found in section 7.3.
4.1.2 Stream generator
The data transfer between the PICOSCALE controller and the user PC is called streaming. A so-
phisticated aggregation, compression and decompression protocol ensures highest possible data
rate of up to 480 Mbit/s so that position data, which is a 48 bit data source, can transferred with a
10 MHz rate.
The Stream Generator is the fundamental software module that handles
PICOSCALE data
sources. Within this module you can configure the data stream to your PC (USB or Ethernet)
and set up the appropriate data rate as well as appropriate digital low-pass filters to avoid alias-
ing or unnecessary oversampling. The Stream Generator is connected to the trigger module so
that triggered data streaming can be set up. All functions of the stream generator can be con-
veniently be accessed via the PICOSCALE GUI. For example, start and stop trigger events can be
chosen and the number of frames to be acquired can be defined. Details on the Stream Generator
configuration can be found in section 7.6.4.
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PicoScale User Manual
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