A transputer network for data acquisition in a multichannel FADC system

Large multichannel Flash-ADC systems pose the problem of reducing and collecting data from many thousands of channels, residing in several crates. Custom systems like the DL300 Flash-ADC system used at the OPAL experiment at LEP, CERN, are usually more cost effective in large systems than assemblages based on standard busses, but need specific solutions to integrate them into the computing environment. Transputer links represent a powerful, yet easily usable medium for transporting data. The upgrade of the OPAL central jet chamber read-out system consists of a new crate controller with one transputer per Flash-ADC crate. The resulting transputer network handles trigger distribution, data reduction and data transportation tasks. In future experiments, transputer networks may present an option to transport data from electronics, which is tightly integrated into the detector.