Proposed object-oriented architecture of a flexible small-scale system for digital pulse shape acquisition

In order to fully exploit all the possibilities of digital pulse shape acquisition with AZ/4π-multidetectors for charged products, we developed a case study of data acquisition system. The proposed object-oriented scalable architecture is distributed over a network of processing and storage units and based on a set of objects, each one devoted to a specific job. It performs on-line real-time acquisition and product identification, using sampling VME-ADCs and proper algorithms for digital signal processing. A PCI-VME bridge is used to interface the ADCs to a gigabit network of personal computers. Preliminary benchmarking tests have been carried out to determine performances and actual possibilities of the system.