An open-source, extensible system for laboratory timing and control

The Review of Scientific Instruments
Peter E GaskellDaniel A Steck

Abstract

We describe a simple system for timing and control, which provides control of analog, digital, and radio-frequency signals. Our system differs from most common laboratory setups in that it is open source, built from off-the-shelf components, synchronized to a common and accurate clock, and connected over an Ethernet network. A simple bus architecture facilitates creating new and specialized devices with only moderate experience in circuit design. Each device operates independently, requiring only an Ethernet network connection to the controlling computer, a clock signal, and a trigger signal. This makes the system highly robust and scalable. The devices can all be connected to a single external clock, allowing synchronous operation of a large number of devices for situations requiring precise timing of many parallel control and acquisition channels. Provided an accurate enough clock, these devices are capable of triggering events separated by one day with near-microsecond precision. We have achieved precisions of approximately 0.1 ppb (parts per 10(9)) over 16 s.

References

Jul 23, 2008·Physical Review Letters·Jeremy J ThornDaniel A Steck

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Citations

Sep 7, 2013·The Review of Scientific Instruments·P T StarkeyR P Anderson
Feb 8, 2013·The Review of Scientific Instruments·Aviv Keshet, Wolfgang Ketterle
May 3, 2018·The Review of Scientific Instruments·Radim Hošák, Miroslav Ježek
Apr 9, 2020·The Review of Scientific Instruments·A BertoldiM Prevedelli
Dec 7, 2018·The Review of Scientific Instruments·Elia PeregoClaudio E Calosso
Jul 11, 2021·The Review of Scientific Instruments·A SitaramA Restelli

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Software Mentioned

Telnet
ARM
MASTERBOX
OS
LABVIEW
MATLAB
NUT
PERL
ETHERNUT
NETCAT

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