Pulse Detection Firmware (FWPD)

The edge of technology

FWPD is a firmware for automatic detection and analysis of pulse-shaped data. The firmware enables fully data-driven acquisition on each individual channel. The pulse analysis is based on the Digital Baseline Stabilizer, DBS, which is SP Devices’ proprietary technology for detecting and correcting baseline. DBS provides a long-term stable baseline for pulse detection. In an environment with rapid changes, there is a fast responding moving average filter to determine the baseline. The threshold for a pulse can be set as a level from the baseline for direct detection of pulses above a certain level. Adding a timing parameter between the moving average filter and the trigger result in a slope detector.

The record length is dynamic and data-driven, that is, a short pulse result in a short record. This means that uninteresting regions between events are not recorded. This is often referred to as zero-suppression. The record includes programmable leading and trailing edge windows to capture the slope of the pulses.

The channels are individually analyzed by histogram calculation and the interaction between channels is determined through time-stamp for pulse-to-pulse timing and coincidence trigger for simultaneous events. By default, FWPD contains peak height and width calculation. If additional custom signal processing is required, use the ADQ7 or ADQ14 Development Kit to add your own pulse analysis.